THE SWORD AND THE TROWEL.
APRIL, 1868.
CAN NOTHING MORE BE DONE FOR THE
because we think we see our way to a great real gain out of a small apparent loss. Children are to lose the religious training which they
received in National and British schools: we admit that there may be cases in which the loss will be appreciable, but we think they are few and far between. The lads of the village might generally carry in a hollow tooth all the religion they receive at the charity school. Do not they learn .the church catechism? Yes, but that is not religion, it begins with an assertion of Baptismal Regeneration, maunders about behaving one's-self lowly .and reverently to-one's betters in a manner suitable for an American negro previous to the late war, and' has not a fraction of the simple gospel of Jesus in it from end to end. It will be highly beneficial to the morality of youth to dispense with this miserable farrago, in which the false of superstition and the true of law are hopelessly jumbled. The present religious teachings of our week-day schools is as we believe as nearly as possible a sham, and a most mischievous sham too, since it satisfies the Christian conscience, and lulls to sleep energies which need to be aroused to the performance of a much-neglected Christian duty. Concerning that duty we now offer a few hints preliminary we hope to other suggestions by abler hands; we invite such suggestions, and shall be only too glad to publish them.
Should the Christian church ordinarily expect the week-day schoolmaster to do her work of instructing the young in the fear of the Lord? Will her expectations be fulfilled? The duty rests primarily with ;he parent, and then with the schoolmaster, so far as he stands in the parent's stead; but who will say that the general run of day-school 'teachers, with from one to two hundred children around them, can act as parents to the boys and girls?
The fact is, that for the five or six hours in the day in which the children are at school, it is quite as much as 'the master can do to keep order and instil the elements of useful knowledge; he cannot, even if he thinks of such a thing, talk personally and affectionately with each child, and labor for its conversion; and yet this is, to our mind, the only true religious education.
The godly schoolmaster may, and doubtless does, attempt this, but piety is not always found in schoolmasters, nor, indeed, is it the main qualification for the office. The fact is, that the church Of God had better herself see to the work which, we hold, is only occasionally, by a happy chance, within the province of the ordinary day-school teacher. Let the teacher of
arithmetic keep to his figures, and if he can sow the good seed at the same time, by all means let him do it, but let not lovers of souls depend much
upon the likelihood of his doing so. It is the duty of every tradesman in his business to promote the interests of religion, so far as he has Opportunity, but if there were no especial exhorters and teachers of the gospel, it is to be feared that the stray warnings administered by our grocers and tailors, however praiseworthy, would .not fulfill the lack of ministerial services; in the same way, it is the duty of the pious secular teacher to propagate the faith, but the faith .will soon 'be in a- poor way if it 'expects much from his exertions, and its votaries slacken their direct and special efforts. There must be means used for the religious education of the young above and apart from any good work done in the ordinary day schools, and the sooner such 'means are instituted and in vigorous operation the better. To the teachers 'of our Sunday schools of the true sort, zealous, intelligent, and hardworking, we look for the supply of a great, and growing deficiency.
We 'think it was an Irish man who-recommended the holding of Sunday schools on week-days. The Hibernian has very accurately thrown our suggestion into shape. We have our week-evening services for adults, and these are so valuable that Whitfield said, "When-week-day services are given up, farewell to the life of godliness ." can we not
have week-day gatherings for the little ones as well? These have long been in operation in our more flourishing and well-conducted schools; could they not become universal and systematic? Why not come to the
understanding that the reading, writing, and arithmetic should be the work of the day school, and the word of God the delightful study of. the
evening? Might there not be one or two evenings every wed; given by the devoted teacher to his class? Could not all the school meet on such
occasions in full force as it does on the Sabbath, names being marked in the attendance book, and the gathering being looked upon as a part of the program of the school? One hour might be long enough, and would neither be burdensome to the teachers nor wearisome to the children. If not
practicable in the summer, the winter months might be found in every way suitable. Would it not be well to have courses of lectures, illustrated with diagrams and dissolving views — lectures full of holy truth and godly precept, open freely or at a nominal charge to all the young? This would give the charm of variety and be an admirable plan of fastening truth in the mind. Should there not be more frequent services and meetings for the young, specially aiming at their decision for Christ? With a warm-hearted minister in the chair, two or three lively, earnest adult speakers, and one or two gracious lads to talk a little to their companions, it is marvelous how
pleasant and how intensely spiritual such a meeting may become. Prosy talkers, who run on by the half-hour about nothing, being denied the luxury of spoiling the meeting, and the interstices between the addresses being filled up with a few lively revival tunes, the children will be delighted, and with the liberty of clapping their hands and cheering every now and then, there will be no fear of their going to sleep. Prayer meetings for boys and girls, judiciously conducted, will be of abundant service. There should always be an experienced lover of children at their head, and then the fewer grown-up persons tolerated in the room the better. When there are half-a- dozen praying children present, their earnest prayers and tears will be with those of their own age the most potent instrumentality imaginable, Never fear precocity, there is much more danger of indifference and levity. Let wisdom and love preside. The fact of not being able to pray will often, by the blessing of the Holy Spirit, force home conviction upon the young conscience and lead to the best results. Nor is this all; young people may get good by being enabled to do good. We know classes where the young believers have multiplied till they have become the majority, and then they have, of their own accord, formed a sort of religious society for bringing in others of their playmates and relatives, for looking after absentees, for writing to the unsaved, and for generally seeking the glory of God within the bounds of the class. Fine education, this, for future church members.
These young people, have in addition to looking after one another, instituted weekly subscriptions to religious agencies, and formed themselves into a society for giving away tracts, governing all their
operations by their own officers, who have been as diligent and vigorous in their duties as the officers of the church. Here, again, unconsciously, the young believers were tutoring themselves as recruits for the army of the Lord. To have a nucleus of godly youths is. the main thing, to foster the idea that youth is the very best time to serve the Lord is the next, but to give frequent occasions for the exercise and fostering of youthful religious principle and feeling is absolutely necessary if much is to be done. We want Bands of Hope, and Life-boat Crews for other purposes besides Total Abstinence. We have never developed the capabilities of youth as we should have done. We have been afraid of encouraging too much, and have discouraged. We have been dubious of the depth and sincerity of children's graces, and consequently have seen comparatively few young converts. It is partly our pride, the pride of our superior age and knowledge, and partly our unbelief which has deprived us of a great blessing: delivering ourselves from these, we may hope yet to see our churches increased and blessed by
bands of Timothies and Samuels, who shall not only be saved from the evils of the age, but shall grow up to be the future strength and glory of our Israel. The Prophet of Nazareth confines not his grace to gray heads and maturity, but he says to-day, as in the days of his flesh,
"SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN TO COME UNTO ME."
In obeying the spirit of his gracious words, we shall discover the balm for England's ills. Politicians may safely keep to their own proper sphere and educate the brain — no harm will come from the tree of knowledge if the church of God by educating the heart shall furnish the rising generation with fruit from the tree of life; but the matter presses, it is a problem for immediate solution, a work which our hand findeth to do, and which it behooves us to do a; once with all our might, seeing there is no work nor device in the grave whither we are all hastening. C.H. Spurgeon.