from beginning to end did harm rather than good.

2. A long continuation of any exercise whatever, whether singing, or prayer, or instruction, especially a continuous battery directed at their memories and understandings, was found most inexpedient. Their weakness cannot bear a long continuation of the same thing. Hence we will enquire later whether it be not possible to introduce some alleviation into that most painful task for children, of long continued repetitions of answers. We quote on this subject a work which has had a very large circulation, "Papers for the Schoolmaster." "The best way of promoting the welfare of a Sunday school is constant and varied employment and frequent singing and exercises.

3. Frequent singing for a very short time had also the very best influence on the children. But it was found that singing could be employed not only to attract and please the children, but to a considerable extent as a substitute for the painful task of learning by heart. There were present in these missions children in large numbers who did not know the principal mysteries, prayers, &c. The labour and difficulty of getting them learnt by heart in two or three weeks was exceeding great. Singing of the mysteries and prayers was then tried instead of or rather in addition to learning by heart, and the object was accomplished with tenfold facility.

4. Vocal prayer was found to have no great attraction for the mass of the poor children. The reason of this was soon made plain. It was not prayer in itself which was disliked by children, but it was long prayers, with the accompaniment of hard words and long sentences. simple prayers said aloud, in unison, with pauses, were the delight of the children and those who

Short and

heard them were struck with the beautiful effect of children's prayers.

5. We confess that at the beginning we had no idea of any ascetical exercise for children, at least the poor and uneducated children, beyond that of morning and evening prayer. We were therefore astonished to find that when the most important ascetical exercises were divested of all formality and put into a simple, child-like form, the children took them up with the greatest eagerness.

6. Of all things stories were found beyond measure attractive to children, with stories we may add descriptions and comparisons. It was found almost impossible to keep their attention fixed for any length of time by any other means.

It is not an uncommon supposition that the poor children are, as a class, little capable of appreciating and profiting by what you do for them. The very fact even of their being children at all is supposed to imply levity and inattention. We also held the same opinion before knowing much about them. Nihil volitum nisi præcogni tum. After working amongst them and being in the midst of them for years we are prepared most completely to deny the truth of the above suppositions. It is necessary to study children and to know their ways. On the surface you will meet with plenty of what is annoying and troublesome. But penetrate beneath the surface and you will find in great numbers of them the most enchanting qualities. You will discover the reason why our Lord said, "of such is the kingdom of heaven." You will find in them the simplicity of God, a docility something like that of a perfect religious, a beautiful freshness of heart, à meek and affectionate spirit. We have times without number discovered a superabundance of these quali

ties in children the most rough, despised, neglected, and unknown. You must accommodate yourself to their ways and not their ways to yours. You must work for them affectionately, that is, not merely with external signs of affection, but, ex corde, with a real sincere affection and earnestness, for children are excessively sharp and keen in finding out when one works in earnest for them. So you will gain their hearts and then you may mould them as you please. You will then see the difference betwixt the gentle confiding spirit of childhood, and the hard unyielding spirit of more advanced age, from which all simplicity has been worn away by passions and the spirit of the world. You will see how labour bestowed on meek and simple children may do more for the Church of God than the same labour bestowed on manhood. We take the following from the Annals of the Propagation of the Faith: "The mission of Madagascar, in spite of all its devotedness, and the immense sacrifice of apostolic lives, has hitherto made but little progress. After repeated, and in every instance fruitless attempts, it became evident that the age of maturity presented but little hope of an abundant harvest. The regeneration of this people was to be effected only by exercising an influence over childhood."

One more observation. We may as well remark once for all that we do not profess to offer any grand scheme, or high theory, or any notable invention or discovery. We merely suggest things which have been found to suit children, pleasing and attractive and useful to them. These things are very little, so little that their littleness may shock those who are not acquainted with the littleness of a child's mind. But those who are familiar with the ways of masses of poor children

will perhaps recognize in the suggestions which will be offered some additional means of inducing the poor children to come to Sunday School.

We take for granted the principle that it is desirable to have an interesting variety in the exercises of a Sunday School. Monotony disgusts the children and drives away the teachers. For many Sunday is the only day of relaxation; and they will scarcely spend the best hours of the day in a task which is repulsive to them. On this subject we quote "Papers for the Schoolmaster." "The best way of promoting the welfare of a Sunday school is constant and varied employment, frequent singing and exercises."

The subject will be divided into four chapters— I. Singing. II. Ascetical exercises and pious Practices. III. Prayers for children. IV. Spiritual reading.

CHAPTER I.

SINGING.

1. Difficulty of learning the Christian Doctrine.- 2. Method of Learning the essentials of the Christian Doctrine easily and quickly by singing. 3. Parts of the Christian Doctrine which are sung.-4. Remarks.

1. Difficulty of learning the Christian Doctrine.— Our object is not at all to enquire how a select number of children may attain the highest amount of knowledge. We have already reminded our readers of the declaration of His Lordship the Bishop of Birmingham, that "there is a huge difficulty to get hold of the great mass of the poor children, even for a short time, to give them the commonest rudiments, the grounds of the Chris

tian Doctrine." There may be accidental differences in the amount of this difficulty in various localities. But we confess that having for years been constantly in the midst of the masses of poor children in England and Ireland, we found that substantially facts coincided exactly with his Lordship's words. It is then for this great evil, the evil of masses of poor children living and dying in ignorance of what is essential to salvation, that we seek a remedy.

2. Method of learning the essentials of the Christian Doctrine easily and quickly.-The method proposed is that of singing the Christian Doctrine. This method is proposed, First, because the principle of it is suggested in the Roman Catechista Instructio page 27. Secondly, because it has been tried in a number of Sunday Schools and has been found to be very successful. It has been found that children by this method are more attracted to Sunday School, learn the elements of the Christian Doctrine more rapidly, and with more pleasure. We may add that St. Francis Xavier adopted this plan in the Indies. (See his life, page 369.) Children love singing, they are passionately fond of it. Pope says, "What will a child learn sooner than a song?" It is of the highest importance to turn this singing propensity to the most useful account. "Omne tulit punctum qui miscuit utile dulci." To learn by repetition only the prayers, principal mysteries, sacraments, commandments, &c., is to a child a fatiguing and distasteful task; to learn them by singing is a child's delight. They learn by this method without being aware that they are learning.

The singing of hymns is an excellent exercise for children, but still hymns are not the prayers