"If therefore we should sketch (as illustrative of these principles) the portrait of a Christian pastor-it would be that of a parent walking among his children—always at hand-to be found in his own house, or met with among the folds of his flock-encouraging, warning, directing, instructing as a counsellor, ready to advise as a friend, to aid, sympathize, and console-with the affection of a mother to lift up the weak -' with the long-suffering' of a father to 'reprove, rebuke, and exhort.' Such a one-like Bishop Wilson in the Isle of Man, or Oberlin in the Ban de la Roche-gradually bears down all opposition, really lives in the hearts of his people, and will do more for their temporal and spiritual welfare, than men of the most splendid talents and commanding eloquence."

FORM No. 1.

NAME OF STREET, Castle Gate, visited 24th Jan. 1841.

These forms may be varied according to the taste of the clergyman. Several works of this kind have been published, as, "THE PAROCHIAL VISITOR," (No. 2) by Bemrose, Derby; "CLERGYMAN'S PARISH BOOK," (No. 3) by Rev. C. B. Tayler, Rector of St. Peter's, Chester; "SPECULUM GREGIS," by a Country Curate.

SCHOOLS.

"In the morning sow thy seed."

THE minister, who wishes for the most extensive usefulness, must be particularly attentive to the education and instruction of the young. Innumerable are the passages of Scripture which enjoin this all-important duty, and special promises are annexed to the performance of it. And in no part of his ministerial work does the laborious minister of Jesus Christ sooner reap the fruits of his labour.

INFANTS' SCHOOLS.

"Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, ine upon line; here a little, and there a little."-ISA. xxviii. 9, 10.

"The infants' school system," as Mr. Bridges remarks, "under the regulation of Christian discipline and instruction, may be considered as one of the most valuable and successful experiments on the theory of education:" but "unless Christian instruction and discipline be the governing principles of the system of infant education, it must be viewed as a scheme of doubtful expediency; of uncertain prospect of usefulness, or even of probable and overbalancing evil.” *

Remarks on Infants' Schools. †

The infant mind is capable of receiving instruction on moral and religious subjects at a very early period. Even in the elements of ordinary learning, children may be easily instructed much earlier than is generally supposed: and as, in a commercial country, they are often put to various employments at a very early period, and are thus too often deprived of proper and needful education, it becomes highly important, and indeed absolutely necessary, to avail ourselves of the capacity of the infant mind, and teach them elementary truths from their earliest years. Unless this be done, such children are in danger of growing up wholly uneducated, and all the evil propensities of their nature unrestrained; while the vicious habits acquired from the example of parents will be confirmed, and grow with their growth, and strengthen with their strength.

It is true that parents are the proper and natural instructors of children; and they have advantages of an obvious and important nature for discharging this duty. Were such parents enlightened and religious. characters, all interference with their peculiar and paramount obligations

* Christian Ministry, p. 537. 511.

Twenty-fourth annual Report of the Schools in Circus street, Liverpool:

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would be manifestly impertinent intrusion. But parents in the lower walks of life are, to a lamentable extent, neither wise nor pious; but live in the neglect of every sacred obligation, and in the practice of the grossest vices. They may not directly and deliberately wish their children should imitate them in these particulars; but their example is far more powerful than any occasional advice or correction which their children receive: so that, if no one interfere on their behalf, these poor children will grow up in habits of lying, swearing, and theft, and familiar with drunkenness, gluttony, and the grossest vice. Thus unenlightened in religious truth, ignorant of moral obligations, and accustomed to the most shocking immorality, what can be expected, but that these wretched children of sin and misery will resemble the character of their parents in its worst features, and propagate the same vices in their own offspring? and thus misery, guilt, and crime will descend, with accumulated virulence, to the latest ages.

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There are, indeed, happily, in our day many schools for the instruction poor children; and on the Lord's day, a great many, who are unable to attend throughout the week, receive the instruction offered by our Sunday-schools; but most of these are adapted to children of more advanced age; and in a very great number of instances, the children of the poor are deprived of the advantages either of Day or of Sabbathschools, by the necessity the parents are under of putting them out to some employment that will contribute to their support. There wants, therefore, some plan for teaching those infants whose age and circumstances would prevent their admission into such institutions. But even if children do finally obtain admission into Day and Sunday-schools, this consideration does not do away with the necessity of preparing them fully to profit by these advantages, and, if possible, of preventing the formation of vicious habits, or of nipping them in the bud.

These views and impressions have led many respectable individuals to think of schools for infants; and experiments have been made, in London and elsewhere, with the happiest effects, on the possibility of teaching them the most important truths, and of forming them to the most beneficial habits.

The most formidable objections may, indeed, present themselves to the minds of those who think only of the tender age, the inattentive minds, and unsteady character of little children, without having seen the system in active operation, or having observed its beneficial results. The difficulty and danger of bringing them to school, the difficulty of managing them while there, the little hope we can have of arresting their attention and enlightening their minds, will all suggest themselves as insurmountable obstacles.

But the actual operation of the plan is found to be easy and efficacious; for parents are often desirous of being freed from the care of their infant children for a part of the day, while they attend to domestic duties, or earn something in laborious engagements. The school is usually in a central situation; elder children are often coming to the same or to neighbouring schools; and often the neighbours agree in alternately conducting all the children of the neighbourhood to and from the school.

It is true, that in the school, the same degree of order cannot be

expected as among children that are older and better trained; and that the very young infants, when they come at first, are uneasy in the restraints of the school, and not all at once brought into its discipline: but this only requires additional patience in the teachers, and some grains of allowance in the visitors, and the operation of a little time to bring the new-comers into order: for the principle of imitation is so powerful in the youngest minds, that they easily fall into the exercises of the rest; and, almost without knowing it, learn much useful knowledge, and acquire habits of order and obedience. Indeed, the system of instruction in these schools is so judiciously adapted to the capacity and feelings of infants, that they soon and insensibly acquire knowledge : their attention is constantly excited and kept up, by incessant motion, to a tune of their hands, and feet, and voices: they repeat every thing after the master, all together, and all in tune: some children of superior attainments are made models or monitors to the rest, and serve as the medium of communication between the master and the children; and thus the ease of the master and the comfort of the child are greatly promoted. It may be that some child is inattentive to his part, or does not repeat correctly, but the master and the monitors, and the great body of the children, go on in order, and with correctness; and the endless repetition of the same thing, soon, and indelibly, fixes it on the memory.

One most important result of all this is, that the child cannot associate with his lessons the idea of a task, or of a punishment: for, in truth, the whole affords him a pleasure of the highest kind. The incessant motion and stir which pervade the school оссиру the restless activity of his mind; and the subjects of instruction, being varied as much as possible, and simple and intelligible, cannot fail to interest him. It by no means follows, from this statement, that these instructions must be of a trifling nature, or of trivial importance; far from it: for they consist of the names and powers of the alphabet, the names and the uses of numbers in the simpler rules of arithmetic, the names and order of the days and months of the year, the number and meaning of the ten commandments that form the basis and outline of moral obligation, the names and uses of the general elements of nature, and of the most useful substances and animals connected with the enjoyments and comforts of human life. Hymns, also, expressive of the simpler and more important truths of religion, are repeated, said, or sung by the children, with an eagerness and delight which leave no doubt of their being partially felt and understood.

Undoubtedly, not a little of what is thus learned is only learned by rote, without its meaning being perceived, or its impression felt: and the same may be said of instruction in all schools, and of no small portion of what forms the subject of the Christian ministry. But there is reason to conclude that the capacity of infants to receive moral and religious instruction is, in general, greatly underrated; and that infants often perceive and feel much more than they can express. if it were not so, still it is of the very highest importance that elements of thought and feeling should be treasured up in their memory, as materials for the exercise of their minds as their powers become gradually developed and matured. It is impossible to imagine or express the

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advantage thence derived by the infant mind; nor can we see reason to doubt, either from the nature of the case, or from the word of God, that, in numerous instances, these babes and sucklings may be thus "born again of the incorruptible seed" of the word,-sanctified, as it were, from their birth,—and grow up into life with their minds imbued and seasoned with divine truth: the entrance of evil into their hearts anticipated; while their opening powers are all consecrated by a holy bias to the love and service of God.

In what degree it has been found possible to attain these ends, they only can adequately comprehend, who have seen in actual operation, the system which it is now proposed to extend more widely.

If the period of mere infancy be less fitted, comparatively speaking, for intellectual progress, yet curiosity is even then sufficiently active to enable the superintendent of such an establishment, to convey much useful knowledge to his pupils, by means which are calculated to call forth, without oppressing their faculties. No parent, for example, can be ignorant of the effect produced by pictures, whether of animate or inanimate objects, in engaging the attention, and developing the faculties, even of very young children. And this is only one of the many modes by which ideas may be communicated to infants, without the necessity of resorting to any harsh expedients, or of imposing any strain on their faculties.

But these first years of life are still more valuable, with a view to the formation of the temper and moral character of the future man. No doubt can be entertained of the susceptibility of right impressions which belongs to the earliest age, or of the unhappy permanence of those vicious or selfish propensities, and of those peevish or violent tempers which are then too often contracted; and which, when suffered to expand, lead in after life to domestic misery,—to profligacy,—and to crime.

To counteract such propensities, and to prevent the growth of such tempers, is the prime object of the proposed plan; and it is, with a view to this object, that the whole frame and discipline of infant schools ought to be regulated.

The incidental acquisition of useful knowledge, which cannot fail to accompany this course of early tuition, though in itself a circumstance of no mean value, is but of small account, in comparison with that moral culture, with those habits of self-government, and with those feelings of mutual kindness which form the characteristic tendencies, and indeed the grand recommendation of the whole system.

It is by instilling into the infant mind the principles of religion, that the effects even of the most perfect discipline can be rendered permanent, and that those higher ends can be secured for which man is formed, and which infinately transcend in importance, all the temporal advantages, great as they are, to be derived from education. To produce, therefore, in the minds of the children, feelings of reverence and gratitude towards their Creator and Redeemer, to impress upon them a sense of their moral responsibility, to convey to them a knowledge of the leading truths of revealed religion, and to familiarize them with the bright examples of piety and benevolence which the Scriptures furnish, ought to form the leading features of the system of instruction pursued in these infant schools.