THOUGHTS ON No. 1.

people in Sunday Schools, I beg leave to put them in mind, that the beginning is a very important part of every business; and that the making a beginning is a very important act, perhaps the turning point of our lives. How many an easy task has been glanced at and sulked over, as impossible to be accomplished; whereas it only wanted a beginning, and then all would have come easily. How many a good habit is not yet attained, because no beginning is made! How many a good resolution dies away, not because the thing was impossible, but because no beginning was ever attempted! I will venture to say to such dilatory children, let us but see N°. 1, and we shall begin to hope well of you.

It sometimes happens to the young, that their time and opportunity will not last for doing much. Let not any child say, it is not worth while to begin, as I must so soon leave off; rather say, as my time is so short and uncertain, let me begin at once. Suppose it is only for a few months that you can come to the Sunday School, be not disheartened at that, but begin; you will learn something, and that beginning may enable you to go on alone afterwards.

2ndly, I say No. 1. is the best to begin with. Who is it that smiles, and is ready to sneer, at so obvious a remark? Now let me ask, if some young people whom you know are not ignorant of this, or at least forgetful of it? How often do we see, that when any thing is to be done, children will not begin at the beginning, but want to jump at once into the middle of it; by which they are sure to spoil all: and if they are obliged to get on, they are obliged too to come back, to lose all their past labour, and to begin at No. 1. Some want to read before they know their letters; or to have a Testament when they have not yet

mastered their primer: they wish to be at the head of the class, without taking the necessary pains to qualify them for that station; or to be monitors, and watch others, though they are not yet able well to conduct themselves.

3dly, No. 1. is only a beginning; how much more is there to be learned, if you do but begin well, and follow it up. Would it not be a pity to stop here, and so lose all that might be had,-all that others obtain.

A child is glad to be able to tell all the letters of the alphabet, without making any mistake; but of what use is this, unless you go on to spell; and then to read the easy lessons of three or four letters to each word. When you can do this, shall you not wish soon to be able to read better, that you may have a Testament, and get into a higher class; and then the Bible, the whole Bible, invites you farther on. And you will naturally wish to be the best reader in the Bible class; why should you not? it is only taking pains enough. Those who make a good beginning, with the hope of going on farther, and farther still, may in time do any thing.

4thly, No. 1. may be regarded as a promise of continuance. It implies No. 2, No. 3, and so on. In this view it is that I contemplate with pleasure all I see a child begin to do; whatever it is, little or much, it gives me to expect more still. If a child reads but poorly at first, I am not discouraged, because I think he will read better in time: and if a child seems to be clever and quick in taking its learning, although I am pleased, I am not satisfied; because I regard this only as a promise of something far more satisfactory

in future.

Taking No. 1. as a promise of more, we shall look to you, Mr. Editor, to let us have something new and

A LETTER TO ALL SUNDAY SCHOLARS.

striking, and well calculated for Sunday Schools, every month; and then we shall be glad to present your Work to those Sunday scholars who come in earliest, who read clearest, and who behave best; Pleased with their improvement, we shall say, what will these children be by and by; this is only a beginning, but it promises well. Happy will they be who see these good dispositions grow up to maturity, and bear sweet fruits of real piety!

Piety this reminds me, that often indeed we may place No. 1, on early symptoms of religion; on good resolutions, private prayer, attentive hearing, too often No. 1, and no more. Let me hope that your publication may become the means of rousing some careless child to seriousness, of urging some dilatory ones to exertion, and of keeping up good beginnings; that their parents, and teachers, and ministers, and all around them, may see not only No. 1, of early goodness, but number after number, as months and years come on; see them increasing in stature, and in wisdom, growing in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, who so kindly says "Suffer little children to come unto me."

*T*

A Letter from a Teucher to all Sunday Scholars. My dear Children,

I AM a stranger, unknown to most of you; but as I have long been a teacher in a Sunday School, I cannot help feeling an affection for the children in all Sunday Schools, although I may never have seen their faces nor heard their names. I hope, therefore, whoever may read these lines will take them as from a true friend.

Now I intend to tell you something about the different dispositions of a few of the children under my care; thinking it may be of some use to you for me to do so. There are at present eight girls in my class. One of them, whom I shall here call Nancy, (for I shall not tell you their real names,) is a girl of good parts: she can read well, she can behave well, she can learn her tasks well, if she pleases. What a pity to be obliged to say if! There are many times when Nancy is not able to say her tasks nearly so well as some of the dullest children in our school. Now this is a great disgrace. Nancy, I am sure, would be very sorry to be thought as slow in learning as some others; and yet it is a much worse thing to be able but not willing, than to be willing but not able.

The next I shall mention, by the name of Hannah, is a very different child to Nancy. She has been many years in the school; but she is so exceedingly slow and dull of comprehension, that for a long time we were afraid we should not be able to teach her any thing; and yet, at last, she is able to read in the Bible, and is beginning to learn her tasks very tolerably. Hannah often reminds me of the old saying, "slow and sure." It is no fault of hers that she is not so quick as some; and, in the end, I hope it will not prove a misfortune; for by her regular attendance at school, by her industry and good behaviour, she has, in a great measure, made up for her want of quick parts. Not long ago, I have the pleasure to say, this very Hannah received a present of a new Bible, as a reward for her constant and diligent attendance at school. It is, indeed, very much to her credit, that although she has between three and four miles to come every Sunday, she is never absent from her class, summer nor winter, fair weather nor

TO ALL SUNDAY SCHOLARS.

11

foul weather; and she is always there in good time. This may be a useful hint to those who come late, although they are within a few minutes walk of their school. We shall not be at all surprized if Hannah should, at last, be much forwarder than some who are twice as clever, but who take less pains.

Betsy is a girl of whom I cannot speak with so much satisfaction, although she is certainly the most clever and forward child in the class, and has many good qualities as a scholar. She reads extremely well, in a slow, distinct, and audible manner: she learns her tasks accurately, and will often repeat several more verses of a chapter than she had been required to learn: she has also a good memory to retain what she learns; so that she can repeat several long chapters in the Testament, and several Psalms, with very few mistakes. Betsy can also give a very pretty account, when questioned, of the history of Noah, of Joseph, and of other entertaining parts of Scripture history. Now you will be ready to ask what fault I can have to find with her; and I am very sorry to say that there is scarcely any fault that is worse in a child than that which I am obliged to mention,Betsy is sly. No girl can behave better than she does when her teacher's eye is upon her; but I have good reason to know, that the moment it is turned away she is sure to be laughing and joking with her companions, and tempting them to do the same. I am much afraid that she even makes a jest of the serious things that she is taught. I cannot at all depend upon her for speaking the truth; and have reason to fear that she is used to bad ways at home: indeed when children do not fear to lie, one cannot trust them in any respect. Children who are sly make a very great mistake in thinking that their artful words and looks