church connection; and it was only when experience shewed that there was really no antagonism between the work of the Sabbath school teacher and the duty of the Christian parent, that the valuable and voluntary efforts of the teacher began to be appreciated by the Church and general community.

On the 2nd of July, 1816, was formed the "Glasgow Sabbath School Union," in connection with the "Sabbath School Union for Scotland;" but as one of its main objects was to promote the circulation of useful books amongst the young, the commercial distress which prevailed about that time seriously interfered with its usefulness, and eventually led to its dissolution.

For the encouragement of teachers there was maintained an annual dinner, at which delegates from the various societies and schools reported verbally as to their condition and progress. Not until January, 1838, however, were these reports collected or tabulated; and this may be regarded as the first year of the existence of the present Sabbath School Union for Glasgow, although it was three years later before it assumed the name, or adopted a constitution.

Fortunately one of the articles of the constitution requires that affiliated societies shall report annually such statistics as may enable the committee to compile a complete report of the condition and progress of the schools in the various districts of the city. From these reports the following extracts have been taken, to shew the remarkable increase which has taken place in the number of societies, teachers, and scholars :—

These returns embrace all the Sabbath schools in the city and suburbs connected with the following denominations:-viz., Church of Scotland, Free Church of Scotland, United Presbyterian Church, Reformed Presby terian Church, United Original Seceders, Congregational Church, Baptist Church, Wesleyan Methodist Church, Primitive Methodist Church, Church of England; as well as numerous societies unconnected with any denomination, but "which hold the doctrines of the Divine Inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, the Deity and Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Personality and Influence of the Holy Spirit."

The statistics, of course, have their true value only when compared with the population; but it may appear strange that in 1837 there were twenty scholars for every teacher, while the present proportion is ten. The explanation consists in the circumstance that now the great majority of our schools are conducted upon the general plan of having a variety of small classes in one hall, whereas thirty years ago the local system twenty-five scholars. It may be remembered that it was this system of was very common of one teacher occupying one room with twenty or

small schools planted in the very courts and densely populated districts of the city which Dr. Chalmers so strongly advocated, and introduced into St. John's Parish. There are many of the poorly clad and neglected youth of our city who cannot be enticed into our large and regular school rooms, situated, it may be, at some distance from their wretched homes, and it seems to be a question worthy of consideration whether we should not, to a larger extent, carry out this most effectual method of reaching the most degraded and careless.

When this Union was formed, thirty-four years ago, the number of scholars on roll amounted to one for every nineteen of the entire population; at present the proportion is one for every eight of the inhabitants. Although this is very encouraging, the figures shew that there must still remain several thousands in the city of school age requiring the attention of the Sabbath school teacher, even after we make ample allowance for the number of Roman Catholic children who dare not attend our schools, and those of Christian parents who may be faithfully discharging their duty in the family circle upon Sabbath evening.

II. OBJECTS AND OPERATIONS.

The specific objects of the Glasgow Sabbath School Union have been "to encourage, unite, and increase Sabbath schools in the city and neighbourhood; and to improve the methods of conducting them, by circulating information, and giving currency to useful suggestions." To accomplish these objects it was essential that the committee of management should be thoroughly representative and unsectarian. The directorate, accordingly, for a few years, was composed of one representative from each society. Their rapid increase, however, and the extension of the city, led to the formation of five local or district Unions in 1845; but as each of these have exactly the same objects and general plan of procedure, and is conducted under the supervision of the general committee, they may be regarded as so many district or sub-committees for the purpose of carrying out matters of detail or local interest, such as the allocation of necessitous districts for domiciliary visitation, the visitation of schools and societies, district prayer meetings and conferences of teachers, lectures and sermons to teachers and scholars. These and many kindred objects continually engage the attention of the district unions; and in this way the directors of the general Union are left free to concentrate their attention upon questions of more general interest affecting Sabbath schools, while at the same time they continue to form a bond of union between the teachers throughout the city and suburbs.

Of the various subjects in which the committee have long taken a deep interest, the proper observance of the Lord's day may be noted as the most important, being one which lies at the very foundation of our religious and social prosperity. Petitions to Parliament, memorials to local magistrates and others, appeals, by means of tracts and otherwise, to the children attending the schools and their parents, have repeatedly been resorted to as appropriate means to aid in the preservation of the Sabbath.

But so far as the young are concerned, it must be apparent that their share of the Sabbath breaking which prevails is, to a large extent,

involuntary, the result of thoughtlessness; and that it arises chiefly from the want of proper training and suitable employment for them during the early hours of the Lord's day. For this reason and others the subject of special Sabbath-day services for scholars and non-church-going parents has, for nearly seventeen years, occupied the attention of the committee. Since 1855 the directors have been specially careful to encourage and foster these services. In the course of that year the North-Eastern Union established one as a model which societies might imitate, and in 1859 there were fifteen societies maintaining such services. Their success and usefulness was so marked that the directors memorialized the Established, Free, and United Presbyterian Church Presbyteries to consider whether they could by any means assist in promoting their extension and efficiency. According to last annual report sixty-three of the societies of the Union are maintaining Sabbath Forenoon Services for their scholars-several of them under the auspices of the Foundry Boys Religious Society.

To retain our senior scholars under religious instruction until they are drafted into the membership of the Church, is a problem which has long tested the patience and baffled the skill of most intelligent teachers, and yet the committee of this Union believe that there is an important solution of it in the constitution or nature of several Young Men's Bible Institutes, which have been in existence for a number of years in this city. The salient features of these consist, first, in a Bible class on Sabbath evening, under the presidency of an intelligent and experienced teacher; and second, in a variety of week-evening classes for mutual improvement, the study of natural science, the theory and practice of music, grammar, geography, mechanical drawing, &c. Among the conditions essential the success of such institutes there must be premises or rooms, of easy access, rented at a small cost, which the members may resort to and occupy at any time, as a place entirely their own; and they must be entrusted, to a large extent, with the management of the week-evening classes. If such institutes were multiplied a hundredfold over the city, and placed under proper teachers, or committees of the various societies, they would soon become an immense power in retaining and reclaiming our adult scholars, and probably be found to be the link which is amissing between the Sabbath school and the Church.

With the view of aiding teachers, a variety of schemes have been organized and kept in operation, such as, 1st, a Magazine, having a circulation of 8000 copies monthly, and which has now attained the twentythird year of its existence, a circumstance unparalleled in the history of the religious periodicals of Glasgow; 2nd, a Scheme of Scripture Lessons, of which 80,000 copies are this year in use throughout the country, and in connection with which valuable explanatory Notes are regularly published; 3rd, a Model Lesson Class for the Training of Teachers, which has met weekly during the winter for the last twenty-seven years, and which is very numerously attended; and 4th, Books specially helpful to teachers are supplied at reduced rates, such as commentaries, concordances, harmonies, &c.

In addition to these subjects there are many others, equally important, which from time to time occupy the attention of the committee; but the limited space allotted to this paper forbids even an enumeration of them

all. Annually there is issued to the scholars, at the New Year, an appropriate address, which is widely circulated over the city and country. The formation of District or Country Unions, and the encouragement of those already in existence, is provided for by the appointment of delegates to their annual meetings; and it is by this means the committee are enabled to contribute to the success of the National Sabbath School Conventions which are now held annually in the principal towns of Scotland.

THE SABBATH SCHOOL CONVENTION AT ABERDEEN.

THE Fourth Annual Scottish Sabbath School Convention was held at Aberdeen, on Wednesday and Thursday, the 6th and 7th September. In the small space at our disposal in this month's Magazine it will be impossible to give particulars of what transpired, but a few general remarks will be interesting. All the meetings were largely attended; the arrangements made by our friends in Aberdeen were all that could be desired; and everything passed off with great enthusiasm and success. Of delegates from different parts of the country there were probably not less than eighty or a hundred present. Among those from Glasgow were Bailie Miller, Messrs. J. N. Cuthbertson, Thomas Morrison, Colin Brown, A. K. Murray, John Henderson, M. Wotherspoon, James Templeton, Andrew Aird, William Ronald, J. B. Galbraith, Henry Taylor, James White, James C. Brown, James Howatt, and Robert Corbet. We are also gratified to learn that the clergy, both from the city and country, were very largely represented; and that the proverbial hospitality of Aberdeen, as experienced by the delegates, exceeded itself on the occasion. The forenoon conference on Wednesday-held in the Music Hall Buildings, Union Street-was presided over by William Henderson, Esq., Devanha House, President of the Aberdeen Sabbath School Union, who delivered a very appropriate address, concluding with "a hearty, Christian, loving welcome" to all the delegates and friends from a distance, and the hope "that none would go away disappointed with the meetings; but that they would all return home cherishing many pleasing reminiscences of them, and of their sojourn there." The papers read at this sederunt were"The Sabbath School Superintendent, his office and duties," by Mr. Charles Inglis, Edinburgh; and "Suggestions towards the improvement of the Sabbath School System," by the Rev. Robert Milne, Towie; besides a report of the Committee on the proposed National Sabbath School Union for Scotland, which was read by Mr. Henderson, Dumfries. After some discussion on the latter topic, it was resolved, on the motion of Mr. Cuthbertson, Glasgow, to form the desired Association; and, in accordance with the recommendation of the report, the present members of the committee were constituted a provisional board of management for it. Their names are as follow:-The Rev. R. B. Blyth, and Mr. John Tawse, W.S., Edinburgh; Messrs. Michael Connal, James A. Campbell, John N. Cuthbertson, and James Richmond, Glasgow; Mr. John M.Phail, Greenock; Mr. Thomas Hector, Aberdeen; Mr. James Waldie, jun., Leith; Mr. James Parlane, Paisley; Mr. John Crawford, Kirkcaldy; Mr.

R. Fotheringham, Stirling; and Mr. John Henderson, Dumfries. Mr. Cuthbertson, Convener; Mr. Henderson, Secretary; and Mr. M‘Phail, Treasurer.

The evening meeting on Wednesday was held in Belmont Street Congregational Church, which was filled in every part by an attentive audience. W. D. Fordyce, Esq., M.P., occupied the chair, and delivered an address which was highly appreciated. Our townsman, Mr. Thomas Morrison, then read a paper on "The Practice of Teaching," which, according to arrangement, he illustrated by a class. It is needless to say that he was rewarded by very hearty applause at its conclusion. The other papers read were "On the Means that should be taken to interest Young People in Christian Missions," by Mr. R. Chalmers, Greenock; and "The Teacher's Machinery, embracing the consideration of Roll Books for Superintendents and Teachers, Books on Teaching, Notes on Lessons, Commentaries, Libraries for Scholars, &c.," by Mr. R. M. Murray, Glasgow-read, however, in that gentleman's absence, by Mr. A. K. Murray, Glasgow.

On Thursday, at 8 a.m., there was a public breakfast in the Music Hall Buildings, presided over by the Lord Provost of Aberdeen, who, in the course of his speech, stated that he was one of the oldest Sabbath school scholars and teachers in that large assembly which he was addressing. Short addresses were also delivered by Mr. William Clark, on "The Special Characteristics of a Christian Teacher;" Mr. Butchart, Manchester, on Sunday School Work in Lancashire;" Mr. Dickson, Edinburgh, on "The Easy-going Teacher;" and Mr. Hartley, London, on The Earnest Sabbath School Teacher."

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The forenoon conference was held in the same buildings, William Yeats, Esq., occupying the chair. The papers read were "The Old Testament, the place it should occupy in religious instruction," by the Rev. Professor W. R. Smith, Aberdeen; "Training Classes for Sabbath School Teachers, their necessity, and the different modes of conducting them," by the Rev. R. B. Blyth, Edinburgh; and “Music in the Sabbath School, its place and power," by Colin Brown, Esq., Glasgow.

A novelty in these conventions-and a very interesting one-was witnessed in the South Free Church, on Thursday evening, at half-past six o'clock-viz., a large gathering of Sabbath school children, who sang several hymns, and were suitably addressed by Mr. Haslett, Belfast; Mr. Hartley, London; and Rev. R. B. Blyth, Edinburgh. James Aiken, jun., Esq., presiding.

At eight o'clock the same evening, and in the same church, a public meeting was held, under the presidency of Mr. Ferguson, of Kinmundy, in room of the Earl of Kintore, who was unable to be present. The church, which is a very large one, was crowded, about seventeen hundred being estimated to be present. The chairman delivered a very earnest and impressive address; and was followed by the Rev. J. M. Sloan, Aberdeen, who read a paper on Religious Instruction at Home and in the Sabbath School a necessity of the Family and of the Church;" Mr. A. K. Murray, Glasgow, who spoke on "Sabbath-day Services for the Young;" and the Rev. Mr. Jarvie, Greenock, whose subject was, “Salvation by Jesus Christ the end of all religious teaching."

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