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young perfons of both fexes volunteer in this fervice. But then they must be heartily devoted to the work. None should undertake it who will not be diligent and punctual. It is a work that will require a large fund of patience, refolution, and perfeverance. Happy is the congregation that can boast a fufficient number of fuch teachers! But care must be taken that they are not too often changed, and that the fame mode of inftruction be purfued by all: otherwife the children will be confufed, and their tempers and progrefs imperfectly known. But where gratis teachers cannot be procured, fchoolmafters and miftreffes must be engaged; and here, alas! the choice is in general but small: but it is hoped that no fad neceffity will oblige the managers to make choice of perfons who are not truly religious, Let them, if poffible, be fuch as can govern with authority, and teach with love.

Their falary will differ according to the places in which they live, their abilities, and the number of children committed to their care. More than 2s. per day can fcarcely any where be neceffary; 1s. 6d. or Is. is fufficient in most cafes. In fome inftances, where a school is compofed of 18 children, 1s. 6d. per day is given, and a penny per day deducted if less than the number attend, or a penny additional given for all above it. This operates as an inducement to the teachers to be more careful about the attendance of the scholars.

Where schools are very numerous, it will perhaps be found beft, to hire a certain number of teachers, and to affift them by volunteers. The former may teach the younger children, while the latter devote the chief part of their time to explain to the children what they read, and affift them in other branches of religious inftruction.

The teachers fhould be furnished with books of the folio fize, in which they must enter the names of the children; oppofite which fhould be a fufficient number of fquares to laft for 13 Sabbaths, and to exhibit at one view the good or bad attendance and behaviour of each clafs*. The oppofite page fhould be left blank, to afford room for larger remarks on their conduct. It is above all neceffary that the

* In the squares the following marks may be made:-p. for prefent; a. abfent; 7. late; f. fick; cl. want of clothes. Another book fhould be kept, in which the children's names thould be inferted alphabetically, with columns to fhew the time of admiflion, place of abode, when difmiffed, and why, &c, &c,

teachers

teachers take pains to gain the love and efteem of their pupils, which will at once render their work easier and more fuccefsful.

Vifters.

Vifiters who are truly concerned for the beft interefts of the children are the life and foul of Sunday Schools. Almoft all depends on their prudence, activity and punctuality. They should be ferious perfons, capable of instructing and praying with the fcholars; and the more respectability they poflefs the more weight will attach to their exertions. Their number will vary with local circumftances. In general the bufinefs is beft conducted by a few; for by attending more conftantly, they become better acquainted with the characters of the children; and can with more effect adapt inftruction to their different capacities and difpofitions. One good vifiter in a fchool might be fufficient; but as perpetual attendance can fcarcely be expected from an individual, we will fuppofe the number to be three, cach taking a month in rotation.

The bufinefs of the vifiter is, the general infpection of the school, in order to enforce, both on teachers and fcholars, a ftrict attention to the rules, which fhould be written. or printed, hung up in the room, and read aloud at least once a month. But let the vifiters remember that religion is the first object of this inftitution; their chief bufinefs is with the heart, which, under the gracious influence of the Holy Spirit, they muft endeavour to imprefs with an awful view of the evil of fin; to check its growth in the bud, and to lead the young mind to Chrift, the Friend of finners and Lover of children: to reprefent the beauty of holiness and the excellency of religion, both for the prefent life, and that which is to come.

The vices to which children are addicted must be particulary pointed out, and they be taught to refift their first beginnings in the heart: they fhould be fhewn how much fire a little fpark kindles: that the liar begins with little deceits, the thief with pilfering little things, and the murderer with indulging cruelty and revenge. Texts of fcripture may be given them as a guard against fin in general, or pointed against particular fins;-fuch as, "How can I do this great wickednefs and fin against God?"-" Thou God feeft me." "Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord."--" Do as you would be done by," &c. &c. These they should be aught to treasure up in their memories, and to call them to

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their affiftance when tempted to fin. Little rules may be given them for this purpose, and thofe who pay attention to them properly rewarded.

They fhould, by all means, be taught the neceffity of prayer, and affifted in acquiring ability for it. They fhould be directed to examine their conduct at the clofe of every day; and to paufe before they pray. The nature of public worfhip fhould be explained to them; a folemn word frequently dropped when they are going to church; and enquiry made of what they heard and underflood.

Such methods as thefe cannot be too earneftly preffed upon vifiters; and if followed up with diligence and prayer, may we not hope, that he who took little children in his arms and bleffed them, will fay to the difciples who thus feed his lambs-" Inafmuch as ye did it to one of the leaft of thefe, ye did it unto me."

Hours of Attendance.

It is defirable that the whole Sabbath be well employed, and as much time as may be, fpent in the fchool: but care must be taken not to render the Sabbath toilfome, and its duties a burden. This would defeat the defign of the inftitution. Religion muft not be made gloomy to the children, but variety kept up, and all the duties of the day rendered pleasant.

The hours of attendance are generally regulated by thofe of public worship. Two full hours before the morning fervice, an hour and an half before the afternoon, and one hour after it, may be quite fufficient. But where there is no public worship in the afternoon, three hours may be well employed in the fchool; and the children after a few minutes relaxation conducted to the evening fervice.

It may be feared that fufficient attention has not been paid to the manner in which they spend the Sabbath evening, where they do not attend public worthip. In Scotland, where lectures are fcarcely known, Sabbath evening fchools have been lately eftablished. We have received fome large and pleating accounts of the diligence and piety with which they are conducted; and we doubt not they will produce the moft beneficial effects. Something of this fort may be done in England, where there are no evening lectures; but at all events, enquiries fhould be made how the children fpend the evening; for if they ramble about in the fields and freets, all the fruit of former inftructions will be loft.

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Bufinefs of the Schools.

It is effential to the difcipline of the fchool that punctu ality fhould be observed in coming to school at the hour ap pointed. It is important both to the children and their parents, whofe want of forefight and preparation for the Sabbath deprives them of the better part, if not of the whole, of the day. If the children are obliged to be punctual, the parents will themfelves learn to be fo.

The following method is practifed at the Methodist Sunday School at Nottingham. At ten minutes after the appointed time of affembling, a perfon ftands at the door to prevent any children from entering while the mafter and vifiters call over the names. Those who are prefent are entered accordingly. Then from the cards which each teacher has of his or her own clafs, are felected thofe bearing the names of abfentees. Again, from these cards are called over the names of fuch as ftand at the door, who have come in late; these are entered late in the clafs papers, and if, after this fecond calling over, any be abfent, their respective cards are given to the vifiters, who go from houfe to house, exhorting or reproving parents or children as occafion requires. "Since this method has been adopted, we have "often (fays our correfpondent) but 20 children (out of 400) "that come in late, whereas before, we often had but 20 "children in the room at the hour appointed."

The names being called over, a fhort portion of fcripture may be read; a prayer offered up, and an hymn fung. The whole need not exceed a quarter of an hour. The children fhould frequently be called to regard what they are about, by fuch fhort fentences as thefe :-" Come, children, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker." Or, "Let us lift up our hearts unto God." They should be ftrictly enjoined not to look about them in prayer.

The next business may be to hear the children repeat the catechifm, hymns, or portions of fcripture they have learned the preceding week; it being fuppofed that each child has learned a verfe, &c. every day at home; fuch as cannot read, being taught it by their friends. This will greatly forward the bufinefs of the Sunday, when as little time as poffible fhould be spent in mere learning of words: and indeed, if the lefler children were taught feparately till they can join the reft in reading the Teftament, it would

leave far more time for the most important business of all, which is religious inftruction.

The different claffes may now be employed in reading or fpelling till the time of public fervice approaches. Before they go out, a word fhould be dropped, reminding them into whose house, prefence, and worship they are going. They should by all means take their feats early and quietly, and be taught to lift up their hearts to God for his help, whether obfervably, or otherwise.

During the fervice, the eye of the teacher must be much upon them. They fhould clofe their eyes in prayer, unless looking upon a prayer-book; and fix them on the minifter during fermon, or they will remember little of what they hear. It will be proper in the afternoon to enquire whether the morning text be remembered, and to oblige several to repeat it aloud, that all may learn. Much the fame courfe of inftruction may be purfued in the afternoon, varying as circumstances may require, and the children difmiffed with prayer.

The cause of abfence fhould always be enquired into, without which many children will play truant, and tell many lies to deceive parents and mafters. This is a crime that fhould never pafs unpunished.

It is the laudable practice of teachers and vifiters in fome places to visit the fick children, and a valuable correfpondent at Stockport (where there are 1400 fcholars) informs us that bleffed effects have attended this method. In the hour of adverfity, former inftructions are recollected with their full force, and even the hardened have been broken down. But how encouraging to a teacher to fee one of his pupils dying happy in the love of God, and to hear him breathe out his laft prayer for his benefactors. This alfo demonftrates to the parents that the child's welfare was fincerely fought, and thus greatly forwards the intereft of the school.

Rewards and Punishments.

Corporal punishment is fo unfuited to the Lord's day, and to the inftitution itself, that it fhould be avoided as much as poffible. Chaftisement in a place of worship, and during the fervice, is abfolutely intolerable, and muft never be fuffered. Moderate confinement, or fear of fhame, are preferable; but the with-holding those rewards which are giyen to the deferving, will be found the best way of punishing the idle and refractory.

VOL. VI.

I

The

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