Suggestions To Parents:—It will awaken the curiosity and add greatly to the interest of the children if the parent will have them secure during the week preceding a couple of oyster shells. In most of cities and towns, these can be easily obtained. It is better for the children themselves to secure them, because it makes them participants and important factors in what is to be done. Do not tell them in advance what use is to be made of the oyster shells; simply say that they are for use in connection with Sunday afternoon.
Introduce the play idea from the beginning. Let the children arrange the chairs to "drive to church," as shown in the preceding pictures. If there are two children who both want to do the driving, suggest that one can drive to church and the other can drive when returning from church—and a third may drive from the house to the stable when the horses are to be put away.
At the church service let everything be done reverently, and make it a matter of real worship. One of the children can act as usher, and if there is but one child, this one can usher her dolls to seats; or imaginary people may be shown to seats. All of this will appeal very strongly to the child. Select hymns suited to the children's tastes and such as they can sing. Do not sing too many verses. Children like variety.
The service ought to be such as is in harmony with that regularly attended by the parents, and such as the children are familiar with. It may be as informal as the Salvation Army, or a greatly abridged form of the "Episcopal Service" can be used. The Lord's Prayer may be repeated in unison, or sentence prayers used, or a brief selection from the Prayer Book. The preaching by one of the children should precede the reading of the Object sermon.
After carrying out the idea of the church service, the other ideas presented may be introduced, and after the imaginary drive home some simple refreshments can be served, as also mentioned in the chapter of "Suggestions to Parents" on [page 17].
Oyster and Shell.
MY DEAR YOUNG FRIENDS: I want to speak to you to-day about "Having a good conscience." (I Peter iii: 16.) This is rather a hard subject, but I desire to make it plain by the use of a familiar object. "What's this I have in my hand?" I rather expected that you would say an oyster; but, really it is nothing but an oyster shell. I suppose you have all eaten stewed oysters, or oyster broth. I remember, when a little boy, that one day when we had stewed oysters for supper, I found a little yellow something in my broth. I did not know whether my mother had put it in purposely, or whether it had fallen in by accident; whether I should push it aside of my plate, that it might be thrown with the crumbs to the chickens, or whether I should eat it to discover what it was.
