and in
proportion as they are obeyed will God have access to the soul of the
pupil.

#4. What the Teacher Should Know about the Pupil.#--Every teacher owes
to God and to the life he seeks to touch a twofold knowledge: first, a
knowledge of the general laws in all life, and second, a knowledge of
the individual life of each pupil.

(1) _General knowledge._ Since the purpose of this study of the pupil
is to afford a general knowledge of life, four preliminary statements
will suffice in this connection.

(a) Life is constantly changing. This change is evident in
growth or increase in size and development or increase in
power. It occurs not only in the body but the soul as well,
or that part of life which is not physical, and is a result
of nourishing food and proper exercise. The Sunday-school has
recognized this fact of change by its division of the life of
the pupil into six periods, Beginners, Primary, Junior,
Intermediate, Senior, and Adult. These periods mark different
stages in development.

(b) Each period has certain predominant characteristics and
out of these characteristics arise definite opportunities and
needs. To meet these opportunities and needs is the goal of
work for each period. The final goal of developed Christian
character can be attained only through reaching the goal of
each period.

(c) Development is gradual, constant and progressive. The
soul comes into the world containing infinite but undeveloped
possibilities. The unfolding is gradual and constant as the
possibilities are called out by the needs of the life. There
is also an order in unfolding. The soul develops power for
simple mental processes first and for the complex later:
interest in self first and in others later; consciousness of
the natural first, the spiritual later. The teacher who knows
God's order, obeys his laws and waits his time is the teacher
whose seed sowing is reaped in the hundredfold harvest.

(d) It is impossible to ignore the physical and mental side
of the pupil and be successful in spiritual work with him.
The lesson cannot reach the soul save by way of physical
senses and a physical brain and mental processes identical
with those necessary in apprehending a history lesson. The
Holy Spirit applies the truth to the life but he has only so
much to apply as has been received into the m