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
The senior class of boys consisted of about a dozen promising lads, whose
ages varied from nine to fourteen. They were placed under the care of two
respectable moral young men, but who, with very many excellent qualities,
were devoid of religion. The boys were encouraged to commit to memory
portions of Scripture, for which they received small rewards; and thus a
spirit of emulation was created as to who should possess the greatest
number of these. Among those who distinguished themselves were three
brothers, named James, Thomas, and George. James, the eldest, remained
but a short time in the school: but Thomas and George continued much
longer, and learned the whole of the three first Gospels, and part of St.
John. They were very regular in their attendance, and when in school
behaved just as others did, only that for their generally correct answers
in the catechetical exercises, which usually followed the reading of
Scripture, they were almost constantly at the head of the class. They had
comparatively little time during the week; but often on a Sabbath morning
have they repeated one or two hundred verses of Scripture. And here let
me remark, that Thomas has since assured me, it was not a love for the
Scriptures, nor a desire to become acquainted with them, which induced
him to commit such large portions, week after week, to memory! it was a
desire,--a kind of emulation,--to be at the head of the class, and to be
thought highly of by his teachers and the superintendent. In this he
gained his reward; for he was looked upon by them as the most promising
lad in the school.
There was one thing connected with M---- Sunday-school, which is worthy
of notice and of imitation. The superintendent never dismissed the
children without giving them a short address of from five to ten minutes.
It was usually his custom on these occasions to impress upon the mind of
his young hearers some important truth, through the medium of an
interesting anecdote, or some well-conceived figure; so that, though the
remarks he made might be soon forgotten, yet the anecdote and subject
illustrated by it remained, and will, I doubt not, be remembered to the
latest period of their lives by many of those who were privileged to
listen to him. I am thoroughly satisfied that an effectual method of
reaching the ear and the understanding of children, is through some such
medium as that used by the superintendent of M---- Sunday-school. I hope
the period is not far distant, when it will be more generally adopted.
A few years ago, the village of M---- was visited with a very gracious
revival, during which a great number were soundly converted, most of whom
have continued steadfast in the faith. Many of the teachers and scholars
were among the number of those who gave their hearts to God.
The following extracts show the extent and reality of the revival:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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