Questions for Young Persons. Nisbet. Questions for Young Persons of riper years. Nisbet. A Practical Treatise on Infant Education, by James Rodgers. Practical Remarks on Infant Education, by Rev. Dr. and Miss Mayo. Publications of the Home and Colonial Infants' School Society. DAMES' SCHOOLS. Should want of funds, room, co-operation, or other causes, prevent the adoption of the regular infants' school system, much good may be effected, with the divine blessing, by improving the DAMES' SCHOOLS already in existence. A little time given to them weekly; occasional supply or exchange of books; hearing the children read; repeat the church catechism, hymns, or portions of Scripture; rewarding those who answer the most questions with a small tract; assisting in the payment of their school wages-but, on no account whatever paying the whole; by these and other means much may be effected. ADULT SCHOOLS. "Redeeming the time.' EPHES. V. 16. The utility of Adult schools is beyond all calculation. The smallness of numbers must not discourage. It is a great matter to persuade a person in the middle or decline of life, that in commencing his alphabet, he may be able, by a few months of patient application, to read his Testament. An assembly of three or four is well worth regular attention. The opportunities thus afforded for spiritual instruction; the employment furnished for the leisure hour (which otherwise might have been spent in idleness and sin); and the beneficial results to the domestic œconomy, from a more intelligent acquaintance with relative duties and obligations, render this system peculiarly important. The following admirable rules and regulations are extracted from the appendix to the "Memoir and Correspondence of the Rev. J. G. Breay." Male Adult School. "The object of this school is to afford instruction to those persons whose education was neglected when they were young. It is open to all who are of a sufficient age; but it is calculated to be particularly useful to such as are engaged in manual labour during the day, and who therefore can have but few opportunities for improving their minds." Regulations. 1. No person can be admitted under eighteen years of age. 2. The school is held every Tuesday and Friday evening, from halfpast seven until nine. The first half hour is appropriated to writing; the remainder of the time to reading the Word of God. when the teacher has directed what boy or girl shall bring up the children, let him or her take five, holding each other by the hand, to the chalk line at bottom of the school, when the teacher whistles, these five are brought, with their toes to the chalk line, round lesson 1.; the monitor then takes his pointer, and pointing to each figure on the board names it, the children repeating after him—and this, till he has mentioned every thing on the board-when he has finished, he puts his pointer at the top of the lesson post; the teacher whistles, these five are taken to lesson 2, and five fresh ones are brought to lesson 1, and so on in succession, till all the monitors are employed. After having named all the objects on the last lesson, the teacher whistles, when these five go into the playground, each succeeding five following them on finishing the last lesson, until all the children are gone out. On returning from the playground, they march into the school singing some table, or hymn, and proceed to their seats, or the gallery, as the teacher directs. If they go to their seats, they repeat words of opposite meaning. This lesson is called, "Contrast." These words are afterwards all spelt by the children. If the children go into the gallery, they are examined on the geometrical figures, &e.-chronology of the kings of England-elliptical lessons or converse on cleanliness-coming in time-holiness of heart and life-duty to God-to our neighbour-to ourselves-love to God and man-love of Christ-teaching of the Holy Spirit-sin-pardon-obedience to parents duties of children-sins of children, lying, theft, self-will, using bad words, pride, sloth-cruelty to animals-creedten commandments-Lord's prayer-God sees and knows every thing— judgment—death-heaven-hell-Sabbath-going to church-miscel laneous. At the time of dismissal the children march from the gallery to their respective places, in silence,-standing up, they sing the evening hymn, -and conclude with prayer-after which they return home. List of Works to be consulted. The System of Infants' Schools, by Rev. William Wilson, Walthamstow. Infant Education, by S. Wilderspin. A Manual of Instruction for Infants' Schools, by Rev. W. Wilson. Lessons on Objects, as given in a Pestalozzian school, at Cheam, Surrey. Questions for Young Persons. Nisbet. Questions for Young Persons of riper years. Nisbet. A Practical Treatise on Infant Education, by James Rodgers. Practical Remarks on Infant Education, by Rev. Dr. and Miss Mayo. Publications of the Home and Colonial Infants' School Society. DAMES' SCHOOLS. Should want of funds, room, co-operation, or other causes, prevent the adoption of the regular infants' school system, much good may be effected, with the divine blessing, by improving the DAMES' SCHOOLS already in existence. A little time given to them weekly; occasional supply or exchange of books; hearing the children read; repeat the church catechism, hymns, or portions of Scripture; rewarding those who answer the most questions with a small tract; assisting in the payment of their school wages-but, on no account whatever paying the whole; by these and other means much may be effected. ADULT SCHOOLS. "6 Redeeming the time.' EPHES. v. 16. The utility of ADULT schools is beyond all calculation. The smallness of numbers must not discourage. It is a great matter to persuade a person in the middle or decline of life, that in commencing his alphabet, he may be able, by a few months of patient application, to read his Testament. An assembly of three or four is well worth regular attention. The opportunities thus afforded for spiritual instruction; the employment furnished for the leisure hour (which otherwise might have been spent in idleness and sin); and the beneficial results to the domestic œconomy, from a more intelligent acquaintance with relative duties and obligations, render this system peculiarly important. The following admirable rules and regulations are extracted from the appendix to the "Memoir and Correspondence of the Rev. J. G. Breay." Male Adult School. "The object of this school is to afford instruction to those persons whose education was neglected when they were young. It is open to all who are of a sufficient age; but it is calculated to be particularly useful to such as are engaged in manual labour during the day, and who therefore can have but few opportunities for improving their minds." Regulations. 1. No person can be admitted under eighteen years of age. 2. The school is held every Tuesday and Friday evening, from halfpast seven until nine. The first half hour is appropriated to writing; the remainder of the time to reading the Word of God. 3. Every scholar must pay one penny on entering the school, and one penny on the first Tuesday in every month afterwards. Every thing necessary will be provided for the scholars, except copy books, which must be paid for by those who wish to have them. 4. Every scholar, on coming into the school, is expected to sit down quietly in his place. No talking on general subjects is permitted. 5. If any scholar absent himself four nights, without a satisfactory reason, he will be excluded. Every scholar is expected to attend the house of God on the Sabbath day. The school is open on Sunday, for reading only, at half-past nine in the morning, and at half-past two in the afternoon. Female Adult School. "The object of this school is to afford instruction to those females whose education was neglected when they were young. It is open to all who are of a sufficient age; but it is calculated to be particularly useful to young women who are engaged during the day in manufactories, and who therefore can have but few opportunities of improvement in needlework and reading." Regulations. 1. The earliest age of admission is fourteen; excepting the regular and attentive scholars of Christ Church Sunday school, who are admitted at twelve. 2. The school is held every Monday evening, from six till nine. The first hour is appropriated to writing, the second to needlework, and the third to the reading and explanation of the Word of God. 3. For those who belong to the Monday evening school, or for the Christ Church Sunday scholars, there is a school for writing only, on Wednesday evening also. No one can be admitted to this without a ticket of recommendation from the superintendent of the Sunday or Monday school. 4. Every scholar must pay one penny on entering the school, and one penny on the first Monday in every month, if she attend on Monday evening only, and two-pence if she attend on Wednesday evening also. Every thing necessary will be provided for the scholars, except copy books, which must be paid for separately. 5. The scholars are not allowed to come in curl papers. They should be neatly dressed, without necklaces. N.B. There is a large separate room, in which elderly women, who wish for improvement in reading only, may receive instruction on Monday evening, from seven till nine. These will not have to pay anything. The female adult Sunday school meet every Sunday afternoon, at half-past two o'clock. * Appendix, pp. 446-448. DAY SCHOOLS. The design of WEEK-DAY SCHOOLS is to provide instruction for every child in the parish. In village schools, the variety of ages, and the great difficulty of ensuring regular attendance, are more sensibly felt than in towns. It is, however, impossible to say how much may be effected by good superintendence. The inducement of some trifling reward, for regular attendance, at the end of the quarter, would prove very useful. The children's payment of a penny, more or less, connected with this system of rewards, by giving a personal interest in the school, would tend to insure regularity of attendance. Undoubted piety, firmness, judgment, regularity, alacrity, strict probity, and real love for the employment, are requisites which every minister would desire to see combined in the master or mistress of his week-day school. The value of REWARDS is of far less moment than their just distribution, so that the children may be assured that they will be connected proportionably with their conduct and improvement. In PUNISHMENTS, certainty is much more to be considered than severity. In general disgrace, or forfeiture of rewards, will supply the place of corporal punishments; which at least ought never to be resorted to until milder measures have been tried, and failed. Day schools may be conducted either on the Madras system, or on that of the British and Foreign school society, or on a mixed plan. Each system has its advantages and disadvantages. The Madras system is decidedly the least expensive. Much information relative to the formation, &c. of schools may be obtained from Dunn's Popular Education; Stow's Training system; Wigram on Sunday Schools; Stoat's Circulating system; Hints on Sunday Schools, published in Dublin; Ironmonger's Dr. Bell's system of Instruction. Orders and Rules. 1. The parents are to send their children regularly to school at the hours of nine and one, clean washed, with their hair cut short, and combed. 2. The parents are never to keep their children from school, except in cases of sickness, or by especial leave of the visitor; and in both cases they must obtain a leave ticket from the master or mistress. 3. No parent or guardian is allowed to take a child out of the school, without first appearing before the committee; and any child taken away in defiance of this rule, will lose it's rewards, and be incapable of being admitted again, unless the committee make especial order for it. 4. No child will be permitted to continue at the day-school, who is not very regular in attending at the Sunday school. 5. The children will not be allowed to remain, unless they are diligent at school, and attentive and reverent during divine service. 6. The parents are to mind that the children take care of their books; for any child losing a book, the parents will have it to pay for. |