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SUNDAY SCHOOL TRACTS.

LITTLE ROBERT's First Day at the Sunday School. By the author of "The Teacher's Farewell." London, 1823. Republished by G. C. Morgan, Pearl-Street, Franklin-Square.

The Sunday Scholars' Magazine, No. 7. Dec. 1823. Published by G. C. Morgan, 563 Pearl-Street.

These small publications are excellent, with one exception as to the English publication of Little Robert; which exception does not apply to the American edition; and we are glad to see that this is undoubtedly good, and can be safely recommended. It gives an interesting statement of the introduction of the Son of a Woodman to a Sunday School: of the conduct of pious and judicious Teachers in it: the manner in which the Scriptures were explained, with the characters of several of the children; some excellent addresses and hymns.

The only objection we have to the English edition is, that it contains an account of an expulsion of a scholar from the school for such bad conduct as had rendered the poor boy who was expelled the terror of the other scholars, and destroyed every feeling of affection in those who had taught him. This, although originating in the best motives, is certainly injudicious, and cannot be sufficiently deprecated. The American editor has adopted a better course: the offender is punished, but not expelled: he is suspended from the privileges of the school for a month, but was not to remain neglected: his Teacher" would yet follow him to his home, and with friendly advice hoped to overcome his angry passions, and reform him from his vicious ways." This is as it should be.

The Sunday Scholars' Magazine is (so far as we have seen it) well conducted, and calculated to be extensively useful. We are sorry, however, (for it is painful to us to find fault) that the editor has incautiously allowed himself to write with levity in one instance when alluding to the Holy Scriptures; (see page 106) although the general tendency of the little volame is to promote reverence for that sacred book We hope if the Magazine should be reprinted, this will be corrected; for under no circumstances, nor for any consideration whatever, should we ven

ture to speak of any portion of the sacred writings but with the profoundest reverence as the Word of God.

SUNDAY SCHOOL ANECDOTE.

The following anecdote related by a superintendent of one of 'our Sunday Schools, is a striking instance of the folly and superstition that too frequently arise from want of instruction, and no small argument in favour of Sunday Schools, whereby the minds of the rising generation may be enlightened, and absurdities so shocking, be prevented from admission, or eradicated, if they have been taught by silly parents or nurses.

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"A few days ago" (said the narrator) " I visited the family of a mechanic, whose child attended our Sunday School; the whooping cough was prevalent in the neighbourhood in which they resided: their youngest child was very ill. I asked the mother how her infant was; she replied she had no hopes of its recovery. I asked if the doctor said it could not recover: she replied no, but that she had tried a remedy which her mother had recommended to her, and it had failed. I then inquired what it was: 66 Why," said she, "I took a live spider, put it into a thimble, sealed it up, tied it to a piece of black ribbon, and hung it round my child's neck; my mother told me if I did not open it, and if at the end of nine days the spider was alive, my babe would certainly recover. But the second day after I tried it, my child became so bad that I opened the thimble to see if the spider was alive, and (as I expected) the spider was dead, and I am sure my poor babe will die too."

This afforded an opportunity to the superintendent to expose the folly and absurdity of superstition; and to teach the parent, that instead of sacrificing her child to it by neglecting the proper means for its recovery, she should resort to those means immediately, with prayer to the Great Disposer of life and death, that he would restore her child, if in his infinite wisdom and mercy he should be pleased to do so.

This opportunity would not have occurred but through the medium of the Sunday School.

INSTRUCTIONS TO THE CONDUCTORS OF SUNDAY SCHOOLS.

[To the editor of the Amer. S. S. T. Magazine.]

Although you have given to your highly interesting publication the well deserved title of " A Journal of Education," yet it seems from the communications received, that its readers suppose it a journal of Sunday School education only; yet its pages, I think, will be as useful to him who educates his children privately and to the tutor, as to those who educate their children in our Sunday Schools, and to their teachers. Having a class of Sunday School scholars under my charge who read in the bible, I made inquiry in one of your early numbers for the best method of conducting such a class, both for the management of the scholars, and conduct of the teacher, and the means most likely to influence their conduct, and attach them to the school. Much information in regard to these points has been given in subsequent numbers, particularly in the paper of your correspondent H., “on regulating Sunday Schools," and the late discussions by the association of teachers. The plan that society has adopted in admitting debates, must have a happy effect on their schools; but the instruction derived from these papers have not entirely met my views; it is good and desirable so far as it goes; but the matter of my inquiry was for a detailed plan of the operations and discipline of a class during the hours of school, and the duties of the teacher in other respects. Since my question was proposed, I have been so fortunate as to obtain a manuscript, entitled "instructions to the conductors of our Sunday School." It seems to exhibit concisely, yet minutely, the whole duty of the Sunday School teacher. I have been highly gratified in reading this manual, and esteeming its instructions useful, and meeting the object of my inquiries more than any thing I have yet seen, I send you the following extract from that part which is addressed to the teachers of a class. I do not offer it as the best plan of managing a class, but because it is a specimen of detailed instructions for the management of a class at a Sunday School. I would remark that this school pursues the excellent plan of giving each teacher a copy of these instructions, signed by the pastor on entering the school. Should you esteem the insertion of this use

ful, I will, at some other time, give farther extracts relative to the duties of superintendents, visitors, and committee of the school, and hope it will give rise to more hints on these subjects in the same minute and familiar style, than which none is better suited, to initiate young teachers into their duties, and to guide them to successful practice.

April, 14, 1824.

INSTRUCTIONS TO A. B. OF

A Sunday School Teacher.

SCHOOL.

SIR-Having signed the constitution of this Society, you will comply with the following regulations in the performance of your duty as a teacher of our school:

"Learn the names of the boys in the class you are to instruct, and then make introductory visits to the parents of each of them in company with the superintendent; and as the greatest part of the influence you will possess depends upon these subsequent visits, you must by no means omit them. Visit the absentees weekly; should any be sick, continue to visit them until they return. At your leisure, promote a friendly intercourse with the parents and children at their homes. Over the first, it will enable you to acquire a very happy influence for their moral and religious improvement, while it will give every facility to the management and instruction of the latter at the schools; as you will by this means possess a knowledge very useful to you, that of knowing their attainments, circumstances, habits, and dispositions. You will soon perceive the importance of this advantage, which can only be appreciated when obtained. In the first visits, prudence and discretion will be required to gain, if possible, the good will and co-operation of the parents; be careful to give no offence, as any unfavourable prejudice, on the minds of parents or scholar, may greatly embarrass your exertions, and perhaps prove the means of removing them for ever from your care. In all your social intercourse at their homes, be kind and affable, and not over zealous; attend regularly and PUNCTUALLY ; your EXAMPLE will prove your best lesson, and one that will need no explanation. You are required to attend at five minutes be

fore 9 A. M. and 5 minutes before 1 P. M. When you arrive at the place of instruction, go immediately to your class, saluting the children before hanging up your hat, and from the first moment you are at your station, be vigilant and firm in your discipline. Vigilance, be assured, is the strongest arm of your government; in this never relax, until by your perseverance and unremitted attention you have caused them to acquire habits of silence, attention, and good order. You must not leave your class without informing the superintendent, nor allow the scholars to retire from the schoolroom without reference to him, or the general monitor of order. Have your own particular station in the class, and do not leave it except on some call of duty, decorum and regularity at your post will greatly influence the scholars at theirs; each of whom having a seat assigned them on joining the school, you must not permit them to change it, nor another to occupy it in their absence. Before the opening of the school, appoint a messenger or monitor for the day, whose duty it shall be to carry any message of your's to the superintendent, to take charge of your books, and attend to other cares of your class. During the opening exercises of the school, maintain silence and order in your class, and at the signal given for the commencement of the class exercises, call them to order by the word "attention!" rise-(they stand,) "sit down," (they sit down,) then addressing your monitor-say" hand the books;" let them await the order to read, which should be "books before you;" then "open your books at-chap.-verse. In the morning, read the scriptures in rotation, and in the afternoon, select portions of the scriptures, parables and histories; they are to rise when they read, and in order to fix their attention, call them to read without any regular order, so that no boy (to use their own expression) may know the verse that will come to him. The day to hear them

morning will be the better part of the

recite; let none recite more than 30 verses at one recitation; the portion selected should be short, and previously well studied; the whole portion being read by each scholar, it will then be a suitable time for catechetical instruction, which you may sometimes allow to be conducted by themselves; which mode will both fix their attention and incite them to exercise their minds.

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