representative of organized Sunday-school work in your county or State will gladly furnish you with printed matter pointing out the teacher-training plans in successful use in your denomination. (3) Select your text-book and familiarize yourself with it. (4) Call the teachers and officers together. Have a half-hour social feature, to be followed with an earnest address on the need and the plan of teacher-training. Teach a sample lesson from the text-book. Endeavor in that meeting to secure at least a few persons who will agree to enter a class and will promise to do personal work to secure other members. But do not make the mistake of requiring a large class before beginning. A leader and two or more students will constitute a class.

Who Should Enter the Class?—Two general plans are now in operation. One provides for a training class for present teachers. This class should meet at a convenient time during the week to follow the course in a teacher-training text-book. A whole evening could profitably be given to class work. If this is not feasible the class may meet for study at the time of the weekly teachers'-meeting or before or after the mid-week prayer service.

A second plan provides for the training of prospective teachers, and this may be done in a class meeting at the time of the regular school session. These should be found in the senior and adult departments of the school and should be sixteen years of age or older. The most promising young people in the school should be sought for membership in this class. If possible, a separate room should be provided so that the time of the closing exercises of the school could be added to the lesson period of the class. This will enable the class to devote ten minutes to a brief study of the spiritual teachings of the general Bible lesson for the day and yet leave a half-hour or more for the training lesson.

It should not be overlooked that if a class for present teachers is established, the officers of the school will find the course invaluable and parents will secure very helpful instruction in the care and nurture of young children.

Making the Class a Success.—It is possible for one student to follow a teacher-training course alone, but it is very desirable for two or more to join and take the course in class. Several persons meeting for conference will bring better results than the same persons studying individually. The class should have a leader who is a sympathetic, patient, tactful Christian man or woman, who will inspire the members to continue in their work, and who will see that every session of the class is a conference and not a lecture. Indifferent work should be discouraged. The members of the class are more likely to continue to the end of the course if they have the consciousness of mastering the work. The question and answer method should be emphasized, and the entire period of the class should be given at frequent intervals to reviews. Illuminating essays and talks may be brought into the class, but these should be brief, and should deal in a simple way with side-lights on the lesson assigned for that period.

It is very desirable that the class should be enrolled with the denominational teacher-training department and with the State Sunday School Association. This enrolment will furnish the officers of these organizations with information which will enable them to keep in touch with the class and to send from time to time helpful and inspirational suggestions. The enrolment of the class will also cause the members to feel the importance of the course and will strengthen the sense of obligation to do thorough work.

The official examinations are of the greatest importance, and should be taken by every member of the class. These examination tests intensify interest, and help to hold the class together until the end of the course.

Great encouragement will be given to the members of the class if public recognition is made of their work from time to time. Brief words spoken in public commending the work which is being done will often tide some faltering member over the crisis of hesitation. The denominational Sunday-school leaders and officers of organized Sunday-school work frequently may be called upon to lend encouragement by their helpful presence at some public function of the class.

The diploma issued by the denominations or by the International Sunday School Association is a fitting recognition of work done, and gives the student a place in the enlarging fellowship of trained teachers. Alumni Associations are being formed in the States with annual reunions. Graduating exercises should be provided, and these should be impressive and dignified services that will show to the church and community the emphasis the Sunday-school is placing on high grade work.

The Sunday School Times Company does not offer any certificates or diplomas, nor does it conduct any teacher-training classes. All this is carried on by the denominations, or through the agency of the State Sunday School Associations.

THE BOOK

A. F. SCHAUFFLER, D.D.