Our schools are of two classes, the High schools or Seminaries for
young men and young women, and the common schools for children of both
sexes. In the former, Biblical instruction is the great thing, the chief
design of the High schools being to train the young to a correct and
thorough acquaintance with Divine truth. The course of Bible instruction
conducted by Mr. Calhoun in Abeih Seminary, is, I doubt not, more
thorough and constant, than in any College or High School in the United
States. While the sciences are taught systematically, the Bible is made
the principal text-book, and several hours each day are given to its
study. In our common schools, likewise, Bible reading and instruction
hold a prominent place. Owing to the paucity of books in the Arabic
language proper to be used as reading books, a reading book was prepared
by the Mission, consisting almost exclusively of extracts from the
Scriptures. In addition to this book, the Psalms of David and the New
Testament are used as regular reading books in all the schools. There
are daily exercises in reading the Bible and reciting the Catechism. It
will be observed from what I have stated, that the amount of spiritual
knowledge acquired by the children, in the very process of learning to
read, is not small. Being obliged to commit to memory texts, paragraphs,
and whole chapters, from year to year, their minds become stored with
the precious words of the Sacred Book. Very much depends upon the
teacher. When we can obtain pious, praying teachers, the Scripture
lessons can be given with much more profit and success, and it is our
aim to employ only pious teachers where we can get them. And the example
of the teacher receives a new auxiliary, as it were, in impressing these
lessons on the mind, where the pupils can attend a preaching service on
the Sabbath. Sometimes a pressing call comes from a village, where it
seems important for strategic reasons, to respond at once. A pious
teacher cannot be found, and we send a young man of well-known moral
character. But only necessity would oblige us to do this, and a change
for the better is always made as soon as practicable.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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