le whom he can not see lends added charm and value to
Bible stories and, if told aright, they will do for his life what can be
done in no other way so effectively.
Surely Agur, the son of Jakeh, saw no eager little faces upturned to
his, pleading, "Tell me another," or he would have added to the things
that are never satisfied, nor say, "It is enough," the hunger of a child
for a story. Since hunger is always indicative of a need in the
developing life, there must be a reason for this craving. It is found in
connection with the rapid development and requirements of the
imagination.
There are two ways in which a truth may be taught. One is through an
abstract statement, such as, "Intemperance destroys the happiness of a
home." The other is through the concrete, or the story of a home
blighted by liquor. The first appeals to reason, and can be understood
only in the light of experience; the second requires simply the exercise
of a vivid imagination. Of reasoning power, the child at this time has
little, but he has an imagination vivid, strong and hungry, eagerly
reaching out for something to feed upon. The well-told story fully
satisfies his hunger, and at the same time meets the greatest need of
the whole soul, namely, the placing of right ideals before it in such a
way that they will be worked out into character.
To accomplish this result three things are necessary: first, the thought
suggesting the ideal must be understood; second, it must rouse the
feelings; third, it must lead to action. The story meets every demand.
1. It makes the truth concrete. The statement, "Love will endure
hardships for the sake of Jesus Christ," is only a thought in the brain.
The story of Paul or Livingston brings the truth out of that intangible
world, puts flesh upon it and the breath of life within, and the child
can in imagination exercise his sense of sight, of hearing and of touch
upon it.
2. It makes the truth visible, and therefore to be grasped through the
senses or imagination.
A thought can not be seen by itself, but if lived out in the life of a
person it may be seen by the physical eye, or, if mountains and
centuries intervene, still by the eye of the soul--the imagination.
When it is seen, the fact itself is understood, though the reasons for
it may not be comprehended. While no man may ever know why God so loved
the world that He gave His only begotten Son, we understand that He does
love us, as we see the Babe i
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