Sunday-school times

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VOLUME IV.
THE SUNDAY-SCHOOL TIMES,
A WEEKLY RELIGIOUS PAPER,
PRICE ONB DOLLAR A YEAR,
PAYABLE IN ADYANCB.
PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY AT ONE DOLLAR A YEAR.  -PHILADELPHIA, MAY 10, 1862.
NUMBER Ifc
JOHN   S.   HART,    Editor.
Please address all communications to
THE SUNDAY-SCHOOL TIMES,
148 South Fourth Street,
Philadelphia, Pa.
Subscriptions are also received by
A.  D.  F.  RANDOLPH,
( .683 Broadway, N«w York.
HENRY HOYT,
9 Cornhill, Boston, Mass.
J. W. McINTYRE,
9 South Fifth Street, St. Louis, Mo.
49- For further particulars, see NoiiOBS on four* .hijwjje.
For the Sunday-School Ttoaa
PRIZES km PREMIUMS.
A COMMON and growing evil in owr13ua-i
day-schools is the distributio .n <df pre¬
miums and rewards for proficiency• in aequi--
ring knowledge, ot for excellence o £ behavier.!
In some schools it'has not been curried far
enough to do much mischief. In ■others'it
has gone so for tbat children v rho go home
without some kind of reward thi nk that some¬
thing is wrong, while their pare nts think they
have been neglected or impos- sd upon. The
child who at the- expected time fails 'to receive
a premium, goes 'home so sul'fcy as to lose all
the benefit df the "religious in struction he has
had; the parent grumbles -at the injustice
which has deprived so prf raiisiiaga child of
what was due him, and decl ares tbat in future
he will patronise some school ^here the
child's merit will be appreciated.
There is - some reason why tho "man who
sends to a cattle-show th.e most woolly sheep,
the fattest cowf or the newest fang-led churn,
should receive * a prize for the -same. But
there is no reason why children in" Sunday-
school should be continually stimulated with
premiums'' forr-receiving the instruction be¬
stowed -on them, any more than-why grown
people#hculd be rewarded for going regularly
to cbc&ch aud staying awake during the
preaching.
Theobjecfrcf the Sunday-school is the in¬
struction and conversion of the souls of the
children who attend it. The object of an ex¬
hibition,- cattle-show, or fair, is to encourage
vaiious branches of worldly industry. Eaeh
has its distinct field of operation, and each
should be distinct in its way of management.
So 'fap ao concerns the articles which are
given to children as premiums,Ttbey are gene¬
rally good enough. Picture tickets, text of
Scripture 4icketB, verse of hymn (tickets, little
tracts, >books, small and great; there is no
objection to the things themselves, only to the
manner in which they are administered to the
children. A good book, or t& card with a
verse 'Df the Bible on it, will of itself do a
child good rather than harm. •'•But the pre¬
mium'business brings with it* a very objec¬
tionable system of semi-religious currency,
somehow on this wise:
4 blue tickets make 1 red ticket.
4 red tickets make 1 gilt ticket.
4 gilt-tickets make 1 small book.
6 small books confer the right to speak a
dialogue at some anniversary " exhibition," or
in some other way to be held up to the school
and its'friends as the smartest, meet learned,
most orderly, or most punctual scholar. The
use of Scripture tickets in this way is, to say
the best-of it, trifling with the word of God.
It teaches children meanness, over-reaching,
pride, and, in many cases, theft. A assigning
child frequently steals a simple child's tickets,
the simple child believing, in his simplicity,
that they are lost.
The mere we examine what premiums are
given for, in Sunday-school^ the more absurd
does the-whole system seem.
Some teachers give them for sitting'still. I
was recently in an infant-school where the
teacher had, by careful training and liberal
distribution of red and blue prise tickets, (the
same dismal things that used to be given to
me when I*was a child,) brought her children
to a high degree of excellence in this respect.
They looked as if they were tied fast. They
were perfectly orderly. A photographer caald
have taken a good picture of the whole com¬
pany. Had they been asked what is the chief
dnty of man, they would have replied, "to sit
still." She had made very dulLchildren out
of them. Had she given them the right
amount of instruction in this breach of de¬
portment, without stimulating them into mo-
(Monies s stupidity by prizes, her seheol would
iiave been a moeh better one.
Not talking is-in other schools .selected as
<&Le price of rewards. At the close of school
the teacher asks,■•" Who talked ?" JSaek child
gives his own aocount. " Sammy, did you
talk ?" " No ma'am, not a bit." " <0-o-o-*o-h!
teacher," says a little girl near Sammy, "what
a big.sto-o-o-ry ! He's been a talking all the
time; I seed him myself I" Sammy inflicts
that he has been speechless, while his fair
fellow student insists with equal vehemence
that he has done nothing but talk since school
opened. Teacher holds a court of justice in
the matter, and presently the whole school is
in a wrangle. The dullest dunce in the school
is very apt to carry off the highest premium
for this branch of good behavior.
Rewards for coming early are customary in
certain quarters. And it does seem that if
anything should be rewarded, it is punctuality,
not that it is in it*elf meritorious, but that
late comers disturb those who are punctual,
and damage the good order of the sehool. A
better way to secure punctuality is to lock
the doors when the opening exercises com¬
mence ; those who are in the habit of coming
a few minutes too late will soon learn to come
early,   Scholars who come later, lay 20 or 30 [
"
minutes after the time, can »e dealt with in
some other way. Teachers who habitually
come late are not worth much to the school,
and might as werl be locked owt as not.
Reciting yreaZ numbers of vtmes of Scripture.
At a recent anniversary the -"Secretary men¬
tioned that tk«3 scholars had, in the aggregate,
learned fourteen thousand -six hundred and
sixty-two 'verses of the Bible. The pastor
the* proceeded to bestow prizes on certain of
the girls'und boys for their share of the same,
anSl to • commend them highly. Children may
thus be -stimulated to leara the words of the
Bible,'or may do St as a penance, but I do
mot believe that Leis «nd Eunice pursued this I
plan with the youthful Timothy.
■Bringing new sdhdlars is very productive-Of*
i prfz es. Children 'can «"o no better missionary
work, provided they-do it in the right way,
atfd with right motives. But when they are
-paDQ for it, their ■missionary effort degenerates
into filibustering-expeditions against other
schools. The school which gives and promises
the greatest amd "best rewards generally in-
j Increases at the expense of the plainer and
weaker ones.
Some schools < go so far in the premium
business as toigive premiums for /giving the
most money. <I*have no other remark to make
on this, than'that it must induce the same
self-righteousness that the Pharisee felt when
he said, "I give tithes of all that5 possess."
The souls of these children who come to
us to be taught are precious beyond price.
Let us not trifle with them. Givethe children
tickets, hymns, books, pictures, feasts, anni¬
versaries—anything that is good; *but let them
be free gifts to all the scholars alike, and then
we will avoid much jealousy, pride, and the
miserable -spirit which says, '"Hee I I've got
a premium and you haven't." A. T.
ing.   In fact it is a model school, and why I words which are hard one day become easy
should it oet be, when we say that T. A. New- J the next.   The way to learn to read long
ton is tbe superintendent, and that the State
Sunday-school officers, President Louis Cha-
pia, and Secretary E. T. Huntington, are his
helpers, together with a large band of live
teachers and workers. We advise visitors from
other schools to look in and see the admira¬
ble arrangements, and get Mr. Chapin to show
you the long record, kept since 1827, of the
minute facts concerning this school, and you
all will feel as I felt, encouraged to go home
and work, doing the many things left undone,
which ought to be done, for the advancement
of the cause. On Sabbath afternoon the
children and friends of the school were assem¬
bled at the usual time of the afternoon ser¬
vice, when the very large audience were ad¬
dressed by the Rev. Dr. Shaw, the pastor,
John G. North, of New Haven, €t., and John
B. Gough, of Worcester, Mass. These exer¬
cises were exceedingly interesting, and none,
we think, could go away without feeling a
greater desire to work for the salvation of the
dear children and youth in our Sunday-
schools. SCATTBB-GOOD.
For the Sunday-School Times.
tmo AND GEORGIE;
OR,
PRACTICAL SUNDAY-SCHOOL INSTRUCTION.*
D1
For the Sunday-School Times.
THiLIBRARY-OUR^LAN.
EAR TIMES:—In addition to-being super¬
intendent, I am also librarian of a Sab-
bath-scbeol in this city, having a regular
attendance of nearly 500 scholars. I perform
all the duties of librarian—without neglecting
those of-superintendent—without any assist¬
ance, and in such a way as not to interfere in
the least with the regular exercises of the
school, or give the teachers any trouble with
it. Besides, the scholars are all pleased with
the way the work is done, and comparatively
few books are lost. Now if any librarian can
show a better record, let him speak out, if not
let him -acknowledge, not that I am smarter
than-many others, but that we -have a better
system of giving out books. After a trial of
two years it has proved itself far superior to
the old way of recording the numbers with
any-of its* variations.
First-we have our book-case divided up by
putting in partitions about an inch apart.
This is perhaps easiest done by sawing creases
in the' upper and under side Of the shelves,
and Gliding in pieces of stiff tin, cut just the
right length, and about the widtbef the books.
It«would< perhaps be preferable if each book
could have a space to itself, but-we get along
by putting three or four of the smallest books
in a space. The numbers are put on the back
of the books, and also on the edge of the
shelf where each one belongs. W$ give each
scholar a card, (a specimen of which I send,)
filled up with his name and residence, num¬
ber of classic. He then goes to-a catalogue,
a number of which are hung ia- convenient
places, and selects from that <feke book he
wants. On his calling out the j number the
booh is handed him and his caruVput in the
place. Thus 4io record is needed, as the card
in the place of a missing book tells who has
it. i Half an hour before time for-school, the
scholars coma-ence coming, and go directly
to the library to exchange their books, and as
a steady stream is coming, it makes it a busy
half'hour for the librarian. But when it is
up, nearly all the scholars are supplied. Any
who are not can stop a few minutes after
school. Any further details of the plan can
be given, or objections answered if wished.
H.iB. O.
Cincinnati, Apnl 21, 1862.
Juno in the Summer House.
IT was in the summer house oa the high hill
in the woods, behind the garden, that Juno
was sitting with Georgie, when she read to
him the story of Moses in the bulrushes.
She held the book open upon her lap, so
that Georgie could see, and then took hold of
the end of his finger to point to the words, as
she read along fronvline to liae.
"Now," said she,-^first I'll read it myself
alone, and then you and I will read it to¬
gether."
So she read very Slowly, explaining as she
read, whenever she*-came to any word which
she thought Georgie would not understand.
She began thus, reading very slowly, so that
Georgie could seensvery word as she read it.
"And there went a man qf the house of
Levi."
" That is of the family of Levi," said Juno,
explaining. "You see all the Hebrews were'
the children and grandchildren and great
grand children, he, of twelve brothers, that
came to this country together. And one of
the brothers was named Levi. This man was
of that branch of the family."
"And took a wife of the daughter of Levi.'"
"So you see that they were both descended
from the same brother." -
-"And the woman conceived and bare a son."
" That is, after a time she had a little baby:"
"And when she saw that he was a goodly
child she hid him three months."
"That was for fear that they would come
aad carry him off and drown him in the river,
according to the law that the king had made."
"And she did not want to have him drown¬
ed, becaase he was sach a good boy," said
For the Sunday-School Times.
ROCHESTER *gUND A Y-SCHMfoOLS.
AS a stranger I was delighted to witness
the deep intesest taken in the Sunday-
school caase ia the city of Rochester, N. Y.
I visited t lately some eight schools, and saw
the childrea aad teachers ia their " Sabbath
homes," and althoagk some of them were ia
very pleasant school-rooms, (splendidly adapt¬
ed to the work,) aad others ia little, over¬
crowded, ,»d ill-veatiiated departmeats, all
alike seemed to say, ^.Oh I we love to come
to onr Sabbath home.*' Ia the aew brick
charch (the rRev. Dr. Shaw's) can be foaad a j
model school-room. The seats are circular,
thus briagiag the scholars ia close coatact
with teacher. The iafaat-class roomjs spa¬
cious, and shat-off from the school by glass
doors, which, Tthen tbrowu,open for general
exercises, makes a splendid sight. At the
other end is a la^ge platform for superinten¬
dent's desk and for Bible-classes. At the side
of one of these large classes hangs a beautifal
paiatiag,represeati«ig the teacher aad scholars
in a ship, boaad for a beaatifalharbor. Upoa
iaqairingtheaameof'the class, it was said to be
tailed "Homeward Boaad,"and thattraly they
were liviag with good evidence that they were
passing over the ocean of life, making good
progress towards the heavenly shore. On the
walls were varioas mottoesor names of classes,
among which tbe beautiful banner ° fowsley
Givers" made a deep impress on my mind.
That noble Sunday-school missionary of the
American Sunday-School ffnfon had made
his mark in this school, as he has in many
others, and they were proud to be called
"Towsley Givers," in honor to one who had
no doubt prompted them to noble deeds of
benevolence.   Tho singing here was cbarm-
-"Ah I but goodly does not mean good, ex¬
actly;"-said Juno. "It means good looking.
He was a handsome baby, and looked well
and strong, I suppose. So she coald aot
bear-to have him drowned. So she kept him
hid away ia the hoase somewhere for three
months, but then he grew so big and strong,
and his voice "became so loud, that she was
afraid to keep him any longer. And for some
time, 'I suppose, she did not know what to do
with him. She was afraid to leave him any
where near the people's houses, for then who¬
ever Should -find him would know that he!
belonged to somebody that lived near by.
And so you see they might suspect her and
perhaps 'find her out, and so at last not only
drown the poor baby, but also kill her for
having hid him-ao long.
"So she'formed the plan of making a little
basket-boat for him, out of bulrushes, and leav¬
ing him among the flags by the river, at a place
where tbe princess used to come to bathe.
Then the princess might think that he came
from some other town, up the river, and that
his little boat had-floated down, and at last
got caught among >the flags that grew along
the bank."
In this manner Juno went on reading and
ezplaiaing aatil she had come to the ead of
the story, reading the whole acconat herself,
bat gaidiag Georgia finger aloag the liaes,
so that he coald see every word as she pro¬
nounced it. This helped him very mach ia
being able to read his portion when it came
to his tara.
I advise all my (readers to adopt this plaa
with their little brothers or sisters wheaever
they attempt to teach them to read. Read the
lessons first to them very slowly, pointing to
every word as yoa speak it. Indeed it is a good
,plaa to get some pretty thiag for a pointer,
aad let the child poiat himself to the words,
one after another, along the line, and not
speak any word until he points to it. This
mode of reading pleases the little fellow very
much, for it seems to him as if he was direct¬
ing the exercise, aad you were obeying his
orders; aad yoang children are always very
much pleased with enjoying anything like the
semblance of command.
After going throogh the lesson once, Jaao
begaa it again, ia order, as she said, that she
aad Georgie might read it together. Readiog
it together meant that Georgie was to read all
the small and easy words, and Juno the hard
ones. This way of reading made the task an
easy and pleasant one to Georgie, and at the
same time it was very improviog to him, for
it gave him practice, which, after all, is the
main thing in learning to read. If a boy
reads a great deal of what he can read easily,
he sooa finds himself  fast advancing;  the
•Bnteredaccordi Dg to Act of Congress, in the year 1862,
by Jacob Abbott, to the Clerk's Office of tho District
words is thus to read short ones a great deal
till you can read them easily; whereas for a
boy to stop at a long word, before he is far
enough advanced with short oaes to read it,
aad puzzle over it and try to guess what it is,
and be scolded or laughed at if he does not
succeed, does no good, but only discourages
him and keeps him back.
Georgie was ambitious to read all the words
that he could, and Juao did aot tell him what
the loag words were aatil she had givea him
time to pronounce them if he kaew how. He
was ambitious to try, and in trying he made
many mistakes; but iu such cases Juao, in¬
stead of discouraging him by finding fault,
aad telling him to be more careful, always
seemed pleased to find how near he came to
the true sound. In reading in this case, he
called brink, drink, and daubing he read
dabbling. '
" That is a very hard word," said Juno,
when Georgie pronounced it dabbling. "I
did not think you could read it so well. You
got it very near. It is really daubing. And
that is only a little different from dabbling,
either in souad or meaning. Pretty sooa
yoa'll get so as to read a great maay hard
words exactly right."
So whea Georgie came to the word pitch,
he read it pitcher.
"Very well iadeed," said Jaao. " Yoa read
it right, aad pat oa a little more besides. It
is pitch oaly, without the er. So you read it
perfectly right as far as the end of the word,
and the only mistake you made was beyond
■the end."
Some people might imagine that it was not
honest for Juno to praise Georgie in this way,
When he read wrong, but that is because they
do not properly understand the case. To learn
to read is a very diffioult thing, aad for ahoy
as old as Georgie to be able to read such hard
words so nearly right as he did shows that he
has made great progress, aad that he is doing
the best he can to make more. If a man is
firing at a mark with a gun, aad does aot ex¬
actly hit it, he is -praised nevertheless for
making a good -shot, provided he comes as
near as could be expected considering his
distance, the'Character of his gun, the state of
the wiad, aad the time he has had to practice;
while at the same time another man, who had
had a great deal of practice, aad'fired from a
rifle and at a mach less distance, would be con¬
sidered as making a very bad shot, withoat
.getting aay farther from the mark thaa the
-ether.
; la the same way, it might be a very bad
miss for you, who are perhaps twelve or four-
teea years did, to say dabble for daab, or
pitcher for pitch, in reading; while yet either
of those approximations ought to be considered
quite a good hit for a small boy or girl who
had not yet learned to read words of more
than three or four letters
'I have been very particular in explaining
all this, because I think that-one of the great¬
est difficulties in the way of older brothers or
sisters teaching the yoaager ones is that they
are so apt to dishearten aad discourage them,
by not being satisfied with the attempts they
'make. They judge the mistakes and short
comings of the little child gust as they would
if'the same mistakes had been made by per¬
sons as old as they are themselves ! This is
a-very erroneous way of Judging them, aad
tends to discourage and dishearten the child
very mach iadeed.
This is the way that poor Habert was treat
ed. 'Habert was coasiderably older thaa
Georgie, aad yet he could not read aay better,
because there had beea no oae to help or
eacoarage him. At the time whea his class
had the lessoa of Moses and the bulrushes,
he tried all the week to get some oae to read
aad explain the lessoa. Bat every body
seemed to be so basy that they coald not
attend to him.
At 'last, on Saturday evening, his mother
told him to 'take his Bible and go and read
the lesson himself to his grandmother, who
was sitting on the stoop at the back door,
knitting.
"But, mother," said Hubert, "I can't read it
myself, there are so many hard words that I
don't know:"
"But how are you ever going to learn to
read them," said his mother, " unless you try.
I begin to think you will never learn to read.
You are so backward. You are'nine years
Old, and a great many children can read better
than you that are not more than seven. Take
your book and go and sit down by grand¬
mother and try and see if you can't read the
lesson as well as other boys of your age."
So Hubert took the book and went and sat
down by his grandmother. She was to tell
him the words which he coald aot read, aad
to explain to him the meaning of tbe words
which he did not understand.
The first mistake that Hubert made was ia
sayiag godly for goodly, where it is stated
that Moses's mother saw that he was a goodly
child, aad so she hid him three months.
"No, not godly!" said his grandmother,
speaking in an impatient tone. "I should
think you'd know better than that. How
could his mother see that he was a godly child
when he was jast bora aad had hardly got
his eyes opea ?"
Jast as if Hubert coald be thiaking of sach
considerations as those, when his mind was
wholly engrossed ia trying to find what sound
a certain number of letters that he was look¬
ing at made.
The next hard word that Hubert came to
he did not attempt to pronounce himself, not
daring to run the risk of being again taunted
with his mistake if he should make oae. So
he read off the letters one by one, and then
asked his grandmother what they spelled.
"Think what they spell yourself," said his
grandmother.
"I can't think," said Hubert.
"You have not tried," said his grandmother.
it once more, and then tell me what it spells.
Jt is something that groWs about so high."
Hubert felt perplexed and embarrassed, and
n to wish that he had not come to his
grandmother at all. He, however, looked
over the letters again, aad thea making a des¬
perate effort at a gaess, aad gaided somewhat
by his grandmother's hint,
"Blaeberry bashes."
The word was really balrashes.
If Georgie had hit as near as that, in read¬
iog to Jano, she woald have appeared well
satisfied, aad woald have commended him for
the progress he was making in learning to
read. Bnt Habert's graadmother attered an
exclamation of peevish contempt, and then said,
"Oh, Hubert 1 I am ashamed of you. Such
a great boy as you and can't read any better
than to call bulrushes blueberry bushes I What
do you think will become of you when you
are a man, if you grow up such an ignoramus
as that ?"
So poor Hubert shut up his book, and after
sitting still a minute or two, rose from bis
Beat and went away, completely disheartened.
r,
For the Sunday-School Times.
"There Shall Be No Night There."
the summer of '59, I was journeying
homeward, and was overtaken by the
night, within less thaa a score of miles of
ray father's hoase. I was anxions to reach
home that aight, as I was so aear, aad so I
pressed oa my way. I was very fortunate ia
finding a conveyaace to carry me half the
distance, withoat aay delay, aad at the end of
this ride, I keptoa afoot. The night was dark,
and, as I walked along, everything aronad was
still, aad my thoaghts were running hither
aad thither. Bat these waaderings of my miad
were sooa to be checked, for suddenly ak|
brilliant illumination occorred. The whole
sky must have been lit up for a moment, for
it was very bright all around me. I looked
up to the heavens as soon as I could, and just
in time to see the shootiog meteor. After it
had disappeared, the bright track which it
left behiad remaiaed for a moment. I had
witnessed shooting stars before, but never
anything like this. This sight alone was a
rich reward for my midnight walk.
After all traces of the bright wanderer had
disappeared from the heavens, and it had grown
dark agaia, my thoughts coatiaued to dwell
upon it. I began to think of him who lit up
that meteor, and directed its flight. I thoaght
of heaven, his dwelling-place. I thoaght of
him as my Saviour, aad of the glory which
oae day he will Bhow me. " Father, I will
that they also whom thoa hast givea me, be
with me where I am ,* that they may behold
-my glory, which thoa hast givea me."
thoaght of the paradise above, chiefly ia con
aectioa with the sight of that night.
Heaven is a place of light. Its inhabitants
are never overtaken by the night, for " there
is no night there." Darkness never gathers
round the " many mansions." No sky of
clouds ever overshadows the celestial city.
And yet there is no created sun or moon
which pours down its light. There "they
need no candle, neither light of the sun; for
the Lord God giveth them light." John, de
scribing his apocalyptic vision of heaven, says
further, "tbe glory of God did lighten it, and
the Lamb is the light thereof."
O, what a blessing the light of the natural
sun is! Its beams fall upon us, and make as
and everything around as cheerful. We can¬
not help rejoicing with the birds ia the warm,
geaial sunshine. How oftea has a change
come over oar feeliags, when sitting in a dark
room, as the sua, peeping oat now and then
from thick cloads, has poared ia at oar win
dow his eoliveaiag rays I Bat oae beam of
light falling oa as from the face of Jesus will
do us more good than the light of ten thou¬
sand created suns. It will reach onr hearts,
and illuminate our souls. The light which
Jesus gives his children now, by faith, makes
this world a happy place, even in the darkest
days. But in heaven our joy will be perfect.
" Beloved, now are we the sons of God ; and
it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but
we know that, when he shall appear, we shall
be like him, for we shall see him as he is."
What would heaven be if the Lamb was not
there 1 One of the sweetest thoughts which
the Christian has of his eternal home, is this
with regard to the Saviour,—"his servants
shall serve him, and they shall see his face."
Well do I recollect how, on one dark day
in college, our good professor illumined the
lecture-room by igniting some phosphorous.
Bat heavea is a brighter place thaa that room
was then. The city which is "pure gold,
like unto clear glass," is made still more beau¬
tiful by reason of the light which shines in
it. Those old college walls appeared more
dingy and gloomy that day thaa ever, ia con¬
trast with the bright light which shone apon
them. Bat the glory which fills the mansions
of heaven does not reveal aay deficiencies ia
the work of the Bailder. There are no im¬
perfections in natnre, aad there are no flaws
ia the homes which Christ has provided. His
work is perfect.
Aad the light of heavea will aot make the
faces of its redeemed iahabitaats look pale
and ghastly, as oars thea did; bat a radiance
of glory will beam forth from every counte¬
nance.
If we should have the light aad glory of
heavea now, while we have these corrupt
and sinful hearts, we woald be miserable.
Bat sooa we shall be separated from sio.
The things of time aad sense, which aow
tempt aad aaaoy as by their deceitfalaess,
will trouble as ao more forever. Christ will
wipe away all tears from our eyes as we eater
the gates of the New Jerusalem, and he will
present us before the throne pure and holy,
" arrayed in fine linen, clean and white," the
robes of righteousness, with which he clothes
his saints.   Then we shall go no more out,
For the Sunday-School Time*.
" What a Pleasant Morning '.»>■
THIS was my impromptu thought one Sab¬
bath morning, not long since, as I left the
house of God after the earlier services of the
day. It was not the bright blue sky and
warm Bunshine, the deepening green of the
spring-clad earth, the matin song of birds,
and the music of the breeze that made it so.
No, none of these, for " the rain upon the roof""
was the first morning sound that I had heard,
and a sunless sky the first sight that met my
gaze when I awoke. But I remembered that-
" every cloud has its silver lining," and I
looked upward through the light of faith for
higher and brighter beauties thaa even nature
can present in all her fair array.
Anon the Sabbath bells began their chim¬
ing, and the sound floated as sweetly amid
the rain drops as whea the pure morning
breeze sent back the sacred echo. Soon my
heart caught the melody, and I went gladly
forth to meet my class of scholars. Few were
gathered in our pleasant "Sabbath-home,"
but we trust those few had come to sit " at
the feet of Jesus," and with his promise that
" where two or three are gathered together in
my name there will I be in the midst of them""
inscribed over the morning hour that seemed
so dull without, a glowing radiance was shed
within that lighted up each soul.
My own scholars being absent, I took the
seat of aa abseat teacher, of whose well in¬
structed class oaly two were preseat. The
lessoa was a beaatifal oae, aad as we talked
together of the "tender mercy of our God,,
whereby the day-spring from oa high hath,
visited as, to give light to them that sit in-
darkaess aad ia the shadow ef death, to guide
oar feet iato the way of peace," each heart
seemed warmed with gratitade aad lifted up
Ha prayer for this light of heavea that casteth.
oat all darkaess, aad leads oar stumbling feet
ia the way of that peace " that passeth all
understanding," and which flows from the
preseace of oar God, giving pure and calm
refreshment to every pilgrim along life's jour¬
ney who will accept it.
The hoar drew to its close, but seemed'all-
too brief for our enjoymeat. Faia would we
have lingered longer to talk together of " the
mercies of our God," but the softly pealing bell
and the open door of the sanctuary bade us
enter therein and be silent listeners of " the
truth as it is in Jesus." A most beautiful
sermon, preached by a beloved pastor from the
words " Occupy till I come," completed the
programme of the morning, which was a
bright index to the whole Sabbath.
Reader, are you not sometimes tempted, on
a dull and rainy day, to remain absent from
yoar class aad the courts of the Lord's house,
and perchance idly dream away God's holy
time ? Oh! then, how often must you lose
the sunlight of his presence, who has said,
"Go work to-day in my vineyard." There is
always work to do, and room enough for
every laborer. Go forth, then, with joy in the
sunshine and in the storm, at morning and
at noon, to sow beside all waters " the good
seed of eternal life." Thus every hour will1
be a happy one to thee, and when thy worfc
is finished, thoa shalt find many a golden.
sheaf gathered for the garner of thy Lord.
New York. Ada Evbltk.
, .   ., ■■ ia. ,   ,   „   „  .      *>-. ,     ,i        - — — ■>   — 0-- -—-•   but dwell with God aad the angels ia light
Court of the United SUtef for the Eastern Bistriot of I .. „ , „ .„, , . .   .,   a    „ I       ..      _      „   ,       & two
Pennsylvania.        ~ I "How can you tell till you have tried? Spell I and joy to all eternity. J. F. H.
For the Sunday-School Times.
A PRACTICAL QUESTION.
THE question is often asked, is it right to
have teachers in a Sunday-school who
are not converted? Bearing on this impor¬
tant inquiry, and perhaps aiding in answer¬
ing it, are a few facts taken from a superin¬
tendent's journal. If they shall prove to bo
acceptable and useful, I shall give the- more
striking of them from time to time.
One of the entries states that oa a eertain.
occasion in a Sunday-school prayer-meeting^
the Lord was present by the power of his
Holy Spirit, and great solemnity prevailed.
Notwithstanding the great interest, the im¬
penitent teachers (who were only employed)
because no better could be secured) did not
appear to manifest much feeling. Two ofi
them during the exercises were in faet very
light and trifling in their manner before the
classes. The superintendent had a good
mind to tell them that their services were no
longer needed. But he had learaed that oae
of them had already determined to leave,
feeling that she was not qualified for a posi¬
tion that was becoming very unpleasant, and
involving a responsibility she had not before
thoaght of. Oa informing the superinten¬
dent of her intention to leave, he would not
consent. She thought that she must leave.
Before the next Sabbath, however, the teacher
changed her mind—no doubt by the silent
operation of the Spirit of God who was
abroad in the school. Her views of respon¬
sibility became clearer. She took her seat,
on the next Sabbath, before her class, and
the flowing tears attested the new interest
that had sprung up in her heart for her pre¬
cious charge. A change came over the other
unconverted teachers. The words they spoke-
no longer seemed to be to them or to their
scholars only idle tales. They were made
the wisdom of God and the power of God
unto salvation to many in their classes.
A young man, who had been a scholar, and
who at the time of his conversion was secretary-
of the school, had the privilege soon after to
record with delight on his minute book the
sentence, " Glory to God in the highest for
what he has done in bringing all our teachers,
sixteen ia aamber, to the feet of Jesus."
This is oae fact bearing precioaa testimony
to the value of the Sabbath-school to teachers
as well as scholars who are brought under its
blessed influences. Results ia this ease, mer¬
cifully voachsafed of the Spirit of God, seem
to settle the qaestioa. Other facts ar« ia hand.
XIX Cintoxt.
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