Arts and devices of the story-teller.—­The skillful story-teller will soon learn to use certain arts and devices to make the telling more effective.  One such device is the use of direct discourse; that is, instead of telling about the giants, the fairies, the animals, give them human speech and let them speak for themselves, like the bear in Little Red Riding Hood.  Another effective device is that of repeating in the course of the story certain important words or phrases until from this repetition they stand out and become emphasized.  Some of the best story-tellers make effective use of pauses, thus creating a situation of curiosity and suspense in the minds of the listeners.  The pause must be neither too long nor too short, nor can any tell just how long it ought to be except from the response of the children themselves, which the teacher must be able to sense accurately and unfailingly.  Much may be added to the effect of stories by skillful use of the various arts of expression, such as facial expression, voice tone, quality, and inflection, and gesture.  The use of mimicry, imitation, and impersonation is also very effective if this ability comes naturally to the one who attempts to use it, but these would better be omitted than poorly done.

Good stories sometimes lose much of their effectiveness by having the moral stated at the end, or by having an attempt at moralizing too evident in the telling of the story.  A story which has a lesson inherent in the story itself will teach its own moral if it is well told.  If the truth to be conveyed is not clear to the child from the story, it will hardly appeal to him by having it tacked on at the end.

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We have, then, come to the end of our brief study of the teaching of religion.  We have seen some of its principles and methods, and have discovered these at work in various illustrations and applications.  It now remains to realize that these are all to be found in brief epitome in the work of the Great Teacher.  For Jesus was first of all a teacher, rather than a preacher.  And as a teacher he supplied the model which anticipated all modern psychology and scientific pedagogy, and gave us in his concrete example and method a standard which the most skillful among us never wholly attain.  While we may love Jesus as a friend, come to him as a comforter and helper, seek to follow him as a guide, and worship him as a Saviour, it will be well for us now and then momentarily to place these relations in the background and study him just as a teacher.

Jesus possessed an attractive, inspiring, compelling personality.  People naturally came to him with their questions and problems.  His quick sympathy, ready understanding, and unerring insight invited friendship, confidence, and devotion.  He was ever sure of his “great objective,” and whether he was teaching his disciples stupendous truths about the kingdom of God, or whether he was pointing the