Socrates in the Sunday School.

THE special prerogative of Socrates, the famous Grecian philosopher, lay in his unique faculty of cross-examination, his finely-cultured power of stimulating the minds of his hearers, and of suggesting and pursuing truth and unmasking error by his complete mastery of the art of questioning. This work he pursued amongst the Athenians with the enthusiasm of a missionary, the burning zeal of an inspired prophet, and the pure unselfishness of a saint; and to this hour he remains without a parallel either in or out of the Grecian world.

Of all other qualifications outside those that root themselves in the life and spirit, this Socratic art is the one most to be coveted in our Sunday schools. It is more important to acquire skill in the practise of putting questions than in telling stories, painting pictures, or imparting information. I do not think I ever knew a really effective teacher-a teacher whose work was a genuine and abiding help in making sterling Christian men and women-who had not some skill in this art.

We want two things. First, we want our children to think; and next, to think rightly. Tales may excite a passing interest; but they do not exercise faculty, stimulate thought, and fit for the safe and fair treatment of the principles of life and conduct. By apt exposition and telling illustration attention may be held; but in all this the scholar is receptive rather than active, a hearer rather than a thinker. We must goad him into reflection, into brisk mental action, or our work, like the morning cloud and the early dew, will soon pass away under the hot breath of a busy and hurrying life. We should seek to form convictions rather than to make impressions. Impressions are characters written on the sand; convictions are cut in the imperishable rock. But mainly we want our pupils to think rightly about God and Jesus Christ; about the soul and eternity; about life and duty, temptation and victory; weekday and school work; the influence of thoughts and desires, and the many various facts and forces that in unseen ways are moulding the young character. We need to correct and supplement their half-thoughts, to help them to see their errors of thinking; how they mistake words for things, illustrations for principles, and special instances for general laws.

Never should they be left to rest in mere assertions. Words must not be allowed to deceive them. Children will pry into the reasons of things, and will appreciate the work of the teacher who does his best to get them to understand the "why" and "how" of events, facts, and teachings: and even those children who will not take the trouble to think about and answer questions will

be more interested in the " questioning" process vigorously kept up than in anything else.

Too many teachers are preachers, and like preachers with scant brains, scant information, and scant labour, they fall into the sin of OVER-APPEAL. They burden their little audience with wearisome exhortations, and say, "Come to Jesus," ," "Believe in Jesus," till the words lose all power to arrest the ear and win the heart. Even such a popular preacher as Dr. Leifchild is credited with saying that he did not much mind what he said during the first half-hour that he preached; what he was anxious about was the last fifteen minutes of the application." There is a time for appeal in Sunday school work; but we believe one question well put will do more than a dozen appeals; and half an hour spent in vigorously stimulating and religiously directing the actual thinking of the children on any subject will be vastly more beneficial than weeks given to the recital of thrilling stories, or hours spent in vapid appeals.

Frame your teaching in the moulds of easily-apprehended but searching questions. Look into the minds of your scholars. Get at their half-formed and hazy ideas. Know what they really think, or are trying to think. Put your one question into a dozen shapes rather than miss the chance of exciting their thought. Give them questions to answer in writing. Have a questionbox into which the modest may drop anonymous inquiries. At any cost of labour and pains, get a soul-searching, error-exposing Socrates into the Sunday schools. JOHN CLIFFORD.

A Registry for Chapel Trust Deeds.

MR. T. H. HARRISON writes:-"I should like to ascertain the feeling of your readers generally as to the desirability or otherwise of having a Registry for our denominational Trust Deeds. I have several times, in conjunction with others, been appointed to inquire into the state and the custodians of certain Trust Deeds; and in one case in which the Deeds have been handed to me this week, I find that the whole of the trustees have been dead some time. Although we have a denominational safe, I fear it is not being used to any great extent; and for several reasons. Some cannot part with the Deeds; others, through contemplated alterations, wont; and others don't like. But I think a remedy for much of the mischief which arises in consequence might be obviated if the Committee who have this matter in hand would compile a Registry, with a Registrar to be appointed by the Association, whose duty it should be to ascertain from the churches and record (1.) the dates of the Deeds, (2.) the names and addresses of the trustees, and (3.) the name of the person having the custody of the Deeds; and to keep the register perfect to ascertain by a short circular letter (say every two years) to each church whether any alteration had taken place during that period.”

This is a capital suggestion, and ought to be carried out. The " Chapel Property Returns" now in hand contain correct information at the date they were furnished, and it is intended to arrange these “returns” in alphabetical order as soon as they are complete, bind them in a volume, and suggest to the Association the desirability of keeping the volume in the safe at the College. But all persons of experience will be aware that the chief need is to keep a registry of changes in the HOLDERS of Trust Deeds. Let Mr. Harrison make a "case" for the Association, and the Registrar can be duly appointed and the work done. By the bye, let me add that the Chapel Property Returns Committee is very desirous to get the returns quite complete for the next Association. Some churches have not yet been able to reply. Send us all the information you can. You can fill in other details in the bound volume; but we are very anxious not a single chapel or school should be left out of these Associational returns.

The Child Teacher.

FOR OUR YOUNG FOLKS

then

BACKWARD and forward in her little rocking-chair went Alice Lee, now clasping her beautiful waxen doll to her bosom, and singing low lullabies; smoothing its flaxen curls, patting its rosy cheeks, and whispering softly, “I love you, pretty dollie;" and anon casting wistful glances towards her mother, who sat in a bay window, busily writing. After what seemed to be a very long time to the little daughter, Mrs. Lee pushed aside the papers and looking up, said, pleasantly, "I am through for to-day, Alice; you may now make all the noise you choose." Scarcely were the words uttered, ere the little one had flown to her, and nestled her head on her loving heart, saying, earnestly, "I'm so glad; I wanted to love you so much, mamma."

"Did you, darling ?" And she clasped her tenderly. "I am very glad my Alice loves me so; but I fancy you were not very lonely while I wrote; you and dolly seemed to be having a happy time together."

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Yes, we had, mamma; but I got tired, after a while, of loving her." "And why ?"

"Oh, because she never loves me back!"

"And that is why you love me ?"

"That is one why, mamma; but not the first one, or the best."

"And what is the first and best ?"

"Why, mamma, don't you guess ?" and the blue eyes 'grew very bright and earnest. "It's because you loved me when I was too little to love you back; that's why I love you so.'

"We love Him because He first loved us," whispered the mother; and fervently she thanked God for the little child teacher.

Scraps from the Editor's Waste-Basket.

I. WANTED ALL ROUND.-Mr. Dale has printed in the January Congregationalist a paper on "Some Present Aspects of Theological Thought among Congregationalists." It was read at a meeting of three County Unions, and may be taken as a fair statement of the present attitude of Congregationalists towards living theological questions, and also as a type of what is wanted all round. It is absolutely certain that vast changes have taken place in the theological belief of most of the churches, and it is a duty we owe to the generation in which we live to tell it what are the dogmas most surely NOT believed amongst us, but with which we are credited in general opinion. The "dead man's hand has been on the churches too long. It is a dishonour to God, and an injury to men, to treat the creeds of past generations as the final moulds in which His everliving truth may be cast and if we are publicly identified with obsolete and inoperative modes of faith, a public and authoritative disownment is an imperative duty. We hope each denomination will follow the example set by Mr. Dale at no very distant date.

II. RITUALISM AND REBELLION. These two are publicly and flagrantly identified in the action of Mr. Tooth at Hatcham, and of the English Church Union.

We are often amazed at the prodigious mystifications possible to honest people; but none appear more astounding to us than the persistent blindness with which these Ritualistic law-breakers pursue their career as selfelected martyrs. Rebellion against the laws of the land does not lose its character because it is associated with religion. Why can't Mr. Tooth leave the law-made Church if he does not like the laws. The Hatcham Scandal is another nail driven into the coffin of the Establishment. May the funeral soon come!

III. HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF THE WORK OF OUR LOCAL PREACHERS.-A Local Preacher writes, "For a long time I have been convinced that we as Local Preachers are not so successful as we might be through the system our village churches have of choosing their supplies. Sometimes we are invited by one church to take three or four appointments during the half-year, and when we go on the first, perhaps after a good day's toil and labour there are a few anxious inquirers. The preacher on the following Sabbath

knows nothing of the good work going on, and his sermons are not adapted for them; and by the time the first preacher goes again the good impressions are gone or partially erased. Having seen and experienced this, I have taken two or three Sabbaths together at one place, and I have found that the desired success has followed." As our correspondent goes on to suggest, "this will be heavier work,' but he believes the Local Preachers will be quite ready to undertake the additional labour for the sake of leading souls to Jesus. This plan needs little commendation. It speaks for itself. It would be better for preacher and people alike, and therefore should receive the thoughtful consideration of the churches.

IV. THE RIGHT THING TO DO FOR OUR VILLAGE NONCONFORMITY. GET A MANSE. Our friends at PINCHBECK, near SPALDING, say, "We have a good commodious chapel, and feel that being only able to give a minister a small salary, if we could also provide him with a suitable house it would add very materially to his comfort, and so have determined to build one. The cost will be about £400. The members of the congregation are most of them in humble circumstances, we therefore appeal to our friends at a distance with perfect confidence in the support of those who wish to see Nonconformity in our villages become a power. We earnestly solicit the generosity and practical sympathy of our Christian friends. Contributions in money or for the Bazaar are earnestly requested and will be gratefully received by James Staddon (Minister), J. Brown, H. Squier, W. G. Stubley, J. Nickols (Deacons)." Let us help our Pinchbeck friends right heartily in this most wise and practical method of securing the permanent progress of the village church. It is the right thing to do, and what is done had better be done quickly.

V. THE TURKS CONQUERING. — At present this appears to be the true state of the case. The skill and generalship, courage and chivalry, of the Great Powers are all over-matched by the clever cunning and fearless daring of the Turk. The Plenipotentiaries have failed, and the Christians of Turkey are likely to be left to the tender mercies of their barbarous rulers, so far as present signs indicate. We Surely this cannot be. eagerly ask, "What next?"

Reviews.

Church Register.

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