The Village Sunday School, with brief sketches of three of its scholars — John Shaqi
The Village Sunday School, with brief sketches of three of its scholarsSymons, John C. (John Christian)
Religion
The Village Sunday School, with brief sketches of three of its scholars
Symons, John C. (John Christian)
Sunday schools
Few, perhaps, are more sensible of the advantage of pious teachers, than
myself: and, whenever it is possible, I would have no others in a school.
How is it to be expected that a teacher, careless--at least comparatively
so--about the salvation of his own soul, can faithfully and earnestly
enforce the duty of salvation upon his young charge: and yet this is the
principal design of Sabbath-schools. It is not so much to teach the
children to read,--though this is a great object,--nor even to give them
a superficial acquaintance with the Bible; but to lay before, and as it
were rivet upon, their minds the practical duties of Christianity. How
can one who loves not the Lord Jesus Christ, successfully enforce the
duty of love to God with the whole heart, and soul, and mind, and
strength? How can one who knows nothing of the saving faith of the
gospel, successfully exhort his children to believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ? For, as he does not feel the necessity of these and kindred
truths himself, he cannot enforce them so as to win the affections, and
touch the hearts of the children. But of the privilege of pious
teachers, M---- Sunday-school was deprived.
The superintendent was a man well known and much respected, and was
eminently qualified for his arduous task. With the exception of the
senior female teacher, he was the only decided person in the school. He
had much to contend with: and I am sure, from my own observation, had
many been situated as he was, the school would have been speedily
abandoned. He resided about a mile and a half from the chapel, but
morning and afternoon, winter and summer, wet or dry, he was at his post!
The numbers which attended the school might have been about seventy. The
teachers, considering that they were not members of society, were pretty
attentive for a year or two; but after that they began to fall off, and
frequently was the superintendent obliged, in addition to his regular
duties, to place the senior boys of the first class over the lower ones,
and take the remainder, with the second class, under his own care.
Laboring under so many disadvantages, it cannot be expected that M----
Sunday-school should in any respect be very prosperous: yet this I may
say, that though I have been connected with Sabbath-schools for some
years, and have had an opportunity of examining several, I have rarely
ever met with a more orderly set of children, or a better conducted
school.
But who, from such a school as this, would have expected anything like
success? and yet the sequel will show, that, even under such unfavorable
circumstances as these, God did not fail to work for his honor and glory!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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