TEACHER'S VISITOR.

No. 61.

MAY, 1849.

VOL. X.

MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS.

EXCUSES FOR NOT TEACHING ANSWERED.

PERHAPS you say, "There are enough others to teach in the Sabbath School." There would not be enoughthere would not be any, if all were like you. But it is a mistake; there are not enough others. You are wanted. Some five or six children, of whom Christ has said, "Suffer them to come to me," will grow up without either learning or religion, unless you become a Teacher. Are all the children in the place where you live, gathered into the Sabbath School? Are there none that still wander on the Lord's Day illiterate and irreligious? Is there a competent number of Teachers in the existing schools, so that more would rather be in the way than otherwise? I do not know how it is where you live, but where I live there are boys and girls enough, aye too many, who go to no Sabbath School. It is only for a Teacher to go out on the Sabbath, and he readily collects a class of children willing to attend; and where I reside there are not Teachers enough for the scholars already collected. Some classes are without a Teacher; and presently the children stay away, because they say, they come to the school and there is no one to attend to them. He who said, "Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not," knows this; and he knows who of 'his sacramental host" might take charge of these children, and do not. They say every communion season, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" and the Lord replies, "Suffer little children to come unto me." And there the matter ends.

I visited recently an interesting school, composed of coloured adults and children. It is taught partly by

white persons, and partly by intelligent coloured persons. It is languishing now for want of Teachers. There were present some twenty-five or thirty females, and only two female Teachers. I wondered to see no more than two there of those who were last at the cross and first at the sepulchre. I thought it a little out of character. One of these told me that often there had been forty present; but as two could not attend to them all, they had gradually become discouraged, and had dropped off one after another. They found they must give up learning to read, though they wanted very much to learn to read the Bible. Some large classes of fine looking boys sat there without any Teacher. No man cared for them. I said it was a pity, but I thought it was a shame. The church with which this school is connected, abounds in ablebodied professors of religion, who could easily supply this want. But they don't do it. They say they can't; but the truth is they won't.

But I hear one say, "I was once a Teacher." And do you not blush to own that you became weary in this species of well-doing? "But I think I taught long enough." How long did you teach? Till there were no more to learn? Till you could teach no longer? Are you dead? If not, you are resting from your labours rather prematurely. This excuse resembles one which I heard of, as from a lady of wealth, who, having for several years been a subscriber to the Bible Society, at length ordered her name to be struck off, alleging that she thought she had done her part towards disseminating the Bible! The world was not supplied: oh, no, not even the country; and her means were not exhausted. But she had done her part. Had she done what she could! The woman whom Jesus commended had done what she could." But this is a digression.

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But one says, "I want the Sabbath for myself-for rest and for improvement." And who does not ? Are you busily employed all the week? So are some of our most faithful Teachers. You ought to be "diligent in business" during the days of the week. Six days shalt thou labour." "But is there any rest in Sabbathschool teaching ?" The soul finds some of its sweetest

rest in the works of mercy, and often its richest improvement in the care to improve others.

But perhaps you say, though with some diffidence you express this objection, that you belong to a circle in society, whose members are not accustomed to teach in the Sabbath-school. Do you mean that you are above the business? You must be exceedingly elevated in life to be above the business of gratuitously communicating the knowledge of God to the young and ignorant. You must be exalted above the very throne of God itself, if you are above caring for poor children. "But I should have to mingle with those beneath me in rank." Ah, I supposed that Christianity has destroyed the distinction of rank; not indeed by depressing any, but by elevating all. Should Christians, all cleansed by the same blood and Spirit, treat other Christians as common?

"But I am not qualified to teach." If you are not in reality, you should undertake teaching for the sake of learning. The best way to learn any thing, is to teach it. If you only think yourself not qualified, your very humility goes far towards qualifying you.

"Oh, it is too laborious: there is so much self-denial in it." And do I hear a disciple of Christ complaining of labour and self-denial, when these are among the very conditions of discipleship? Is the disciple above his master? Can you follow Christ without going where he went? And went he not about doing good? Pleased he himself?

Ah, I know what is the reason of this deficiency of Sabbath School teachers, and I will speak it out. It is owing to a deplorable want of Christian benevolence in them who profess to be Christ's followers. They lack the love that is necessary to engage one in this labour of love. They have no heart for the work.-Nevin's Practical Thoughts (an American work.)

THE CRY OF THE CHILDREN.

THE Ragged School movement is extending itself through the length and breadth of the land. Every

Christian must rejoice to see the warmth with which this great cause is advocated, and the energetic efforts which are made on all sides to benefit the condition of the poor outcast children with whom our large towns abound.

We have been much interested while perusing a little pamphlet on this subject, which we have just received.* Mr. Caird, by whom the address was delivered, is a gentleman well known in his district as an able and energetic officer of the crown, whose duties as public prosecutor necessarily bring him much in contact with the forlorn children for whom he pleads.

What a picture does the following extract exhibit :

"I have spoken of one of them that was motherless : many of them are so. And, to a little friendless child, one might almost think this was the greatest of all calamities. But some are worse than motherless. A few weeks ago three boys were brought before me for theft. The names of two were very familiar to me, though I was not conscious of having seen their faces before. On enquiry, I found that their parents were convicted thieves. The third told me that his mother had sent him out to steal—that she often put him out of the house, and beat him, when he did not succeed—that he had repeatedly stolen money-that he was taught to watch the coal and potato carts on the streets, and that by snatching a little, at every opportunity, he was sometimes able to carry home a bushel of potatoes, and a considerable quantity of coals, in a day. I verily believe that the black mail so levied on the public, by that single boy, would have sufficed, if voluntarily given and properly guided, to feed, and clothe, and train in habits of industry, not him alone, but half a dozen more.

"These wretched beings are taught no fear of Godno love of Christ—no regard for man, beyond the risk of present punishment-not even any useful employment,

*The Cry of the Children. An Address delivered at Stranraer, on 8th January, 1849, by Alexander M'Neel-Caird, Esq., Procurator Fiscal of Wigtownshire. William Blackwood and Son, Edinburgh and London. 1849.

by which they might come in time to earn an honest living."

Our next extract is long, but our readers, we hope, will not find it too long.

"If you will analyse your own experiences, I suspect that not a few of you could tell of the enduring influence of little actions. For the human mind is peculiarly susceptible to their suggestive effect. What, then, must be the blighting influence, on these children, of whole years of crushing misery and vicious example, if you continue to neglect them? Yet how beautiful the promise, if you will only bring to bear upon them, in time, the mighty power of human sympathy and kindness. As one ray of sunlight would brighten up in a moment a spot which had lain in darkness since the creation, so a kindly deed or word, or look, may penetrate at once through the accumulated gloom of their whole lifetime of neglect, and even shed a light on their hearts, to be extinguished only with their lives.

"But whence is that sympathy to come? Year rolls on after year-the leaves of the trees spring and flourish, and wither and fall, as before. The gardener and the forester are not idle in their duties. But still these little outcasts are neglected. Every year adds to their number, confirms their habits, sharpens them in their practices, and nurtures that vicious standard of opinion which it will soon be so difficult to eradicate. Oh! when the cry of the children shall rise up before the judgment-seat, who shall dare to answer in the impious language of Cain, Am I my brother's keeper?'

In a few years more, they will be men and women— such men and women. Educated? Ah! yes. If we neglect our duty, Satan will not omit his opportunity. Educated they will be, whether you will or no : educated, by long experience, to prey on their neighbours by all the ingenious craft of mendicancy and crime,God's righteous retribution on society for its culpable neglect of their youth.

"There is a beautiful allegory in Scripture, of a