Let us take the seed as from the hand of our God, and as we scatter it around, say, "Lord, to thee alone belongeth the power to give the increase. Oh! water it now, and cause it to spring up now, if it be thy holy will, that it may bring forth abundant fruit to thine own praise and glory."

66

If these few remarks are worthy of notice, and of a place in your valuable Teacher's Visitor," by inserting them there you will oblige,

S. F.

ON DRESS.

DEAR SIR,-I have been waiting some time hoping to see some remarks on a paper that appeared in your "Teacher's Visitor," for, I think, last February, on the dress of Sunday-school Teachers; but not seeing any, I have ventured to send you a short paper on the subject, hoping it will induce others to do the same, as I think it a very important subject, and one which deserves more attention than it generally receives. I suppose every Teacher will agree with me in thinking smart dress unsuitable in the children of their charge; and should we not be ensamples to our little flocks in that as well as other things? We know that children think more of what their Teachers do than of what they say; and how can a Teacher go to her class and tell them the advantages of dressing neatly and plainly, when her own dress is the very opposite to that which she inculcates on them? I do not mean to say a Teacher should dress exactly as she would wish her children to dress, but I think she should wear nothing to attract her children's particular notice; of course different stations in society require different modes of dress; but in all, we should dress as becometh the Gospel of Christ. Flowers and feathers are, I think, quite inadmissible. Sunday-school Teachers should wear plain colours, and few ornaments; nothing peculiar; nothing to draw attention; nothing that would in any way lead persons to suppose an undue attention had been paid to their dress.

In one part of the paper the writer alludes to some persons who say, no matter what they wear, so long as their thoughts are not engaged by their dress: but, dear friends, will you suffer a word from one who knows a little of the deceitfulness of her own heart, and remember the world judges by appearance; and when they see one who professes to be living above the world, with apparently as much attention, time, and money spent on her dress as on that of those whose whole thoughts are engaged by the present world, what are they to think? And besides, dear friends, if you do but look closely

into your own hearts, you will, I think, find a love of dress there. Ask yourselves, Are not those moments often wasted in decorating yourselves, which should have been spent in imploring a blessing on the employments of the day? Have you never found when a new dress has been put on, that your class was more inattentive? and has not the fault been your own? I would not set myself up for a judge, for I know my own failings and short-comings too well; but I would implore each reader to make it a subject of earnest, constant prayer, that they may not be allowed to cast the smallest stumbling-block in the way of others; but that in every thing, however trifling it may seem to be, they may shew forth their Saviour's glory, and be made the humble instruments, in his hand, of bringing many of their dear children out of darkness into the marvellous light of the Gospel; and when called to our last account, may we each be enabled to say, "Lord, here am I, and the children thou hast given me." J. H. B. [The Editor quite agrees in those remarks. Romaine's rule for dress was good: "Dress so as to excite no observation."]

ON VISITING CHILDREN AT THEIR HOMES. REV. AND DEAR SIR,-There is one point connected with Sunday-school Teaching which I do not remember any of your correspondents referring to: I mean that of visiting the children at their homes. The Sunday-school in which I am a feeble helper, consists of about five hundred children. In this, as in every school, each Sunday finds so many absent. That it is requisite these children should be called upon; for the reason of their absence seems clear to all; but how this is to be done in an East-end of London school, where all the Teachers are engaged in some employment, which, for the most part, occupies all their time, does not appear so clear. Our school is such an one. We have tried and found the following plan most efficacious: on each Sunday, at three o'clock, a certain number of the Teachers leave, (instead of going with the children to the afternoon service,) to visit the children who have been two or three Sundays absent, each Teacher taking his respective class. It comes round for the same Teacher to visit about once a month. We find those who have no time during the week, like the plan much; and certainly the more regular attendance of those children who are well visited, tells well for our plan.

I fear the visiting system is not carried out in most schools as it might-as it ought to be.

By visiting our little scholars, we shew to the parents that their

children are cared for; that it is not a matter of indifference to us whether they stay away or no. We thus have an opportunity which, if not neglected, is worth much to us in our work-that of seeing the parents. We may, if we use our eyes and ears, in a very short time, trials which each in that situation has to bear-we may see one's find out the particular situation of each child at home-the little privileges, another's privations, &c.-and be thus enabled to say a word in season to each child.

By visiting our little ones at their home, we hear and see their real characters: here the mask is thrown aside, and the child, no longer wearing its Sunday manners, appears in her true colours: here may we behold the fruits of our teaching; and here, above all, the fruits of our example. And we must remember, a Christian is no idler; he has a work to do, and a word to say, wherever God may call him. We may, in caring for and visiting our children, have an opportunity of speaking a word of kindness, and that in a gentle tone; for our words should always be gentle in speaking to the poor-not friendly words wrapped up in a rough voice, as though we feared to leave too kindly a feeling behind us. We can enquire if their Bible is well used in every sense of the word; if they attend a place of worship; if they have family prayer; if they find their children any the better for attending the school; and, if so, urging on them their duty as parents of encouraging them to attend even more regularly, and that in good time, explaining to them the use and value of the reward tickets which their children bring home; and last, but far from least, let us enquire what are their prayers, and their children's, explaining to them the worse than uselessness, the sinfulness of mocking God by offering him such prayers as those Popish pioneers, commencing-"Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John," &c.-which, from, Rev. Sir, your last "Teacher's Visitor," I am grieved to find are too common.

The good resulting from visiting our little scholars at their homes, will never fully be known until that great day shall make manifest every man's work, of what sort it was, and what good it pleased God should result from it.

London, August 21st, 1846.

ELIZABETH.

JOHN FOSTER, PRINTER, KIRKBY LONSDALE.

THE

TEACHER'S VISITOR.

No. 31.

NOVEMBER, 1846.

VOL. V.

ON THE MANAGEMENT OF THE YOUNGER CHILDREN IN PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS.

No. II.

HAVING laid down one or two principles which are necessary to be observed, in a former paper, I proceed to make some remarks on the details of the system, which I think might be pursued with success in the cases before mentioned.

A master who receives a class of eight or ten such infant children, unable to read, will endeavour to follow a plan with regard to them, which will best secure this threefold object.

First, that he may give them as much time as possible, consistently with his duties towards his elder scholars. Secondly, that they may make the greatest progress, so as to be able soon to work into the general system of the school. Thirdly, that while they continue separate, they may offer the least impediment to that general system.

Are there any subjects, then-will be the first question naturally arising in his mind-in which I can make them work with the rest of the school, so that I may be instructing them whilst I am pursuing my regular and accustomed plan towards the others? This may be accomplished in reading lessons, by forming the whole number of those who are able to read into one general class, and admitting the infant children, who are not able, to listen to and to be catechized with them. I have seen this system pursued with great advantage. The last halfhour in the morning, and the last three-quarters in the afternoon, was devoted to a general Scripture reading. The whole school was ranged in rows on the steps of a

gallery at one end of the room, in front of the master. A chapter in the Bible was then read, verse after verse, by all who could master it; questions were asked, and the examination made general. Thus the youngest could listen, and a simple question put every now and then to them was readily answered. This method secures the advantage, moreover, of regular Scriptural instruction being imparted to them; a point which is often forgotten during the early drudgery of learning to read. It would be a great mistake to suppose that children at that early age could not enter into or derive benefit from the instruction given. This entirely depends on what sort it is. If it is simple and elementary, and broken up into easy questions, with a short running comment, it is quite surprising to witness the readiness with which it is comprehended and stored away. And a complete refutation of this notion is to be seen in the system of infant schools, where such large quantities are remembered, and so many verses of Scripture dissected, and questions answered upon them by the children.

Let the last half or three-quarters of an hour then, both morning and afternoon, be devoted to this. I have also seen a school profitably employed for a quarter of an hour-generally the last before dismissal in learning viva voce, and repeating altogether, parts of the Church Catechism, the creeds, or particular hymns, which it was useful for them all to have by heart.

On all other subjects besides these, the two portions of the school must be separated, and the non-readers drafted into a class by themselves.

It will then be essentially necessary for the master to superintend their progress in reading for a stated time every day; for the monitorial system to accomplish this, is of itself wholly inefficient, and must never supersede the labours of the master himself.

The cards and boards of the Home and Colonial Infant Schools will be found, I think, as useful as any in teaching them their letters, and in forming progressive lessons in the art as they advance.

Let one of these cards be hung up on the wall or elsewhere, and let the master gather round him the whole