Page:The Life and Works of Christopher Dock.djvu/143

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TRANSLATION: SCHUL-ORDNUNG
131

kingdom of heaven. But if we turn from such selfish pride to Christ's teachings, and humble ourselves to the level of children, it not only leads us to the kingdom of God, but gives us a community with the children that is much more useful than all this keeping aloof. For who exalts himself here will be humbled, and who humbles himself will be exalted. There might be much more said here of qualities that are partly useful in implanting love by which the honor of God is enhanced and the common good increased. And many qualities might be enumerated that do the opposite, by which the honor of God is decreased and the common good injured. But I shall leave this matter to the judgment of others.

NOW FOLLOW A FEW USEFUL SCHOOL EXERCISES WHICH I FEEL COMPELLED TO MENTION, NOT FOR MY GLORY, BUT FOR THAT OF ALMIGHTY GOD, AND WHICH I GIVE THE YOUTH ENTRUSTED TO ME.

I may say that in my experience in this country I have had, at my school, children of various religious denominations, so that I could not teach them the same catechism. Nor have I such a catechism included, but when the children have learned to read well, the parents at home have to teach them the catechism themselves. In the teaching of hymns I have been given liberty. So I sang hymns and psalms with them, for the author of both religious songs and psalms is the Holy Ghost.

Besides this, it has been my aim to make them familiar with the New Testament from the exer-