HOMAS Jefferson Gore was always intensely interested in young men, and especially in those who desired to fit themselves for greater service. Upon his arrival in South Australia he found plenty of scope not only for evangelistic work, but also for the work of teaching. He helped individually many young men, not only with their Biblical studies but also with their secular studies. He was a great believer in fitting oneself properly for one's life-work; therefore if a young man desired to become a minister of the gospel, the first step towards reaching that ideal, he thought, was to obtain a good education. A class for young men was formed, and called the Adelaide Bible Students' Training Class. T. J. Gore was the teacher of this class for nearly half a century. Many others helped him in this work, some teaching and working with him for a number of years. Hundreds of young men passed through this class, and many of our present preachers and missionaries have started to study the Word of God in the Adelaide Bible Students' Training Class, and through his kindly words and splendid teaching have been encouraged to go on and attempt greater things. Teaching was always a delight to him, and although he knew his Bible so well, he would always spend all of Tuesday mornings in his study preparing especially for the class at night. He never went to that class without his lecture [33] properly prepared. Many can remember with joy studying Acts of Apostles or Romans or Corinthians with T. J. Gore. The hardest lessons were put in such a way that they became of intense interest to the student. Many, too, can remember staying behind after class when the others had gone to tell him of some personal sorrow, or to tell him of a desire to go to America to study there. How full of kindly sympathy and of encouragement they always found him! Putting his hand on his shoulder, he would talk to him as teacher to student and as friend to friend. Many, too, in the later years can remember carrying his bag, and the walk to the corner from Grote Street chapel to the car, where he would always pass some jocular remark and send them off laughing. He had a wonderful way of teaching, and even the poorest scholar felt no embarrassment. No matter how poor an attempt the student made, T. J. Gore always found something that he could commend. In his criticisms he always found something that was deserving of a word of praise. Although this class had been in existence for so long, and had accomplished so much, it was rather uphill work for the teachers. No room was provided for them; they met in the vestry behind the chapel, and when that was required for other purposes they would have to hold their class in one of the classrooms. No maps or books were provided; but in spite of these drawbacks, and the fact that all the students worked hard at their various occupations all the week and were only able to give two or three hours a week to this study, the class attained wonderful success. During the latter years the writer was a student of the class, and knows of the splendid teaching received there, and also was able to see the love and respect that each student showed to the teacher. He was keenly interested in each student, always managing to see the best in each one of them. He would invite them to his home, where he would delight to show them his much-loved library. The students not only [34] admired their teacher, but they loved him. Even when living at Henley Beach, some six miles distance from the city, each Tuesday evening he would go up to town to conduct his class. For part of that time he carried on the class alone, being the only teacher. He was then 75 years of age, but no night was ever too stormy for him to neglect his class. T. J. Gore was specially gifted as a teacher, and that talent he did not bury in the earth, but used it to the glory of God and to the extension of His Kingdom. Time has already revealed to us the tremendous amount of good accomplished by these classes and the individual training of young men, but eternity alone can reveal to the full the extent of good accomplished during 50 years of sacrificial teaching. [35]

[TJG 33-35]