portunities for the teachers to give their time to other useful purposes; one advantage on the part of such a visiter was more complete leisure to perform his duty, not having it connected with the cares of teaching; and also a farther facility was obtained by having a particular district assigned him, and compactly under his controul, while the teacher visiting, might find the objects of his pursuit in every different direction. He allowed that no teacher could expect to have the same influence with his class without visiting, for it would be as it were, rowing against wind and tide an opposition scarcely to be contended with; for without a knowledge of the habits and dispositions of his scholars, the teacher was quite in the dark, and could not succeed with success or safety. A social acquaintance would quicken affection on either side: this can only be understood by those who visit. He thought that special visiters, not otherwise connected with the school, was a plan that had more advantages than had been generally allowed, in the opinion of others. He would state, however, that the teachers connected with his school, found much facility in the plan of visiting on Sabbath afternoon. They usually made two visits after the hour of worship, at which time the whole family was likely to be at home, and at leisure this plan, he thought, offered a more suitable season and opportunity than working days in the week; and a teacher, by so occupying his time, might visit all his class in a month. If teachers were to be visiters, he would strongly recommend the practice.

(To be continued.)

STORY OF BENEVOLUS-continued.

The following anecdotes, said the superintendent, are strong arguments in favour of my method of treating juvenile delinquents. Two of my boys, Charles and Edgar L. had behaved very improperly during divine service, and persisted in their fault although they were repeatedly reprimanded by their teacher. After the congregation were dismissed, these boys were detained, and when I had sent away the rest of the scholars, I called them

up to me, and sitting down on a bench, I placed one each side, and as near as I can recollect addressed them as follows: Do you not know that one of our rules is, to be always still, and do you not know, that our first rule is to mind your teacher? You first broke the rules of the school, you have disobeyed your teacher, you ought to come here to listen to the man of God, who comes to teach you to be good, and to show you the way to Heaven, you will not listen yourself nor let others hear. You know, as well as I do, that it would be impossible for us to teach a Sunday School, were all the boys to do as you have done ; and I think it would certainly be unjust not to punish you for the great crime you have this day committed. At the mention of the word punishment, the younger of the two looked as if he would have absconded, if he had an opportunity, and the eldest as if he would have punished me if he dared. I dwelt particularly on this, that I not only disliked to punish them, but that I would much rather receive the punishment myself, than think that after all the pains I had taken to instruct them, and to keep them in the right way, that they would still disobey me. And it was more painful to my heart than any punishment that could be inflicted upon my body-and how great will be your mother's grief, my dear boys, when she hears of your misconduct. If you would only think, for a moment, how happy your mother would be to hear of your good behaviour, how rejoiced I should feel; and it is so easy to make me glad and your mother too, who loves you so much. You could make her heart glad; and would you not like to make your dear mother happy? They still remained sullen, and did not appear to be at all affected. I had expected that the mention of their mother would have touched their feelings, and now there remained but one resource, to forgive, had I punished them I might have acted justly towards them, but would that have carried any conviction to their minds? They thought of nothing but the punishment they were to receive, and perhaps were determined in their own minds, if they were punished this time, they would play truant so as not to be in danger a second time; therefore, taking them each by the hand, I said slowly and emphatically, I forgive you both, and if you are sorry, and do so no more, may God forgive you,

and your mother and I will be so happy. These words were so unexpected, they acted like an electrical shock. When I had taken their hands, they had shrunk back and exerted themselves to release their hands, but when they heard the word forgive, the blood that anger had called, flew from their cheeks, and they both burst into tears, it was a triumph of mild and temperate discipline; it was even more than I had expected; I was now assured that they were truly punished, for they felt a deeper wound than the marks of the rod, and more lasting in its effects; they wept, and their tears were those of soul-felt penitence.

:

Thus, sir, I gained my object, and accomplished more than I could expect from corporal punishment; and I am convinced that a mild and forgiving disposition, patient and even temper, with a little discretion, will be found by Sunday School Teachers, if they will only give it a trial, much more effective than sternness, inflexibility, and force. But it would be much better, said B., to gain such a victory over the boy's feelings in presence of the whole school; could it be done, it would be preferable It would be better, but it cannot be done. There are always a sufficient number of boys in every school, who would laugh at any thing of the kind; it would be very difficult to keep a boy's attention fixed upon you for any length of time, and if they saw one boy laugh at them, it would destroy all the impression your words might make upon them. The next thing to be considered is the difficulty of maintaining perfect silence in the school, which is always necessary in an affair of this description; few boys can be found who would not be made more obstinate and hardened by being reprimanded in public. I have seen boys myself laugh when reprimanded by the visiter who was a stranger to the boys, and who might be expected to produce a more striking effect than a reprimand from one whom they had been accustomed to see.

The effect of mental punishment can be seen in the following anecdote John B. was a restless, troublesome and very inattentive boy. Nothing that we could do was sufficient to keep him in his seat or make him look on his book; his teacher kept him in school when the rest of the scholars had been taken to church; the doors were locked, the windows were closed, and

he was left with his teacher who ordered him to stand up on a bench; a book was given him, and he was told as a punishment for his restlessness and inattention, and since he was determined to stand up in school hours, and not look on the book which was given him, he must stand up one hour on the bench, and he must hold his book up in his hands, but must turn his head either one way or the other so as not to be able to see the book; he was told that the reason of this was to tire him so that he might wish to sit down when he came in the afternoon, and that by keeping his head turned to one side or the other, he might perhaps be inclined to keep it straight for the other part of the day; had this been done in school, perhaps he would have stood on the bench and made wry faces, or the boys would have made wry faces at him, which would have been equally as bad; the boy in a moment after he stood up, began to cry, the reason was he had nothing to engage his attention, but the thoughts of the punishment; and, indeed, from practice I know that the punishment is increased ten fold. As the boy held the book in his hands, he was the most pitiful object I had ever seen, the tears running down his cheeks, the silence of the place, no answer to his cry. ing but the echo, and his thoughts of having to stay there an hour were, in such a situation, to him insupportable; he turned his face first one way and then the other, increasing his crying every time his eye met the book.

After he had been standing about five minutes, which to him appeared tedious as hours, he asked his teacher if the hour was up yet-when he was told not more than five minutes had elapsed, he hung his head in silent disappointment. Such a moment as this, was well adapted to reproof, the tone of mind, the darkness, the silence, the slow impressive voice of the teacher as he calmly and tenderly told the boy his duty, produced an effect upon the child's mind almost indelible. This, said the superintendant to B., is the system of punishment; inflict it on the mind, not on the body, make them think of their crime, not of its punishment. I give you this word of advice, let your punishment be given mildly, your reproof tenderly, your advice affectionately, and it will always have double weight, and your work will be done effectually.

A.

210

THOUGHTS ON EARLY RISING.

The order of Sunday Schools is too often déranged by the late appearance of the teachers at their posts, which, doubtless, in many cases, may be referable to late rising. I would present, for the consideration of such, and the imitation of all, the following holy patterns from the divine records; from which it appears that Patriarchs and Prophets, and holy women of old, following the steps of their divine exemplar in the pursuit of their pious duties, went ardently and early to their holy work, strictly according to the apostle's memorable precept," not slothful in business"—" fervent in spirit, serving the Lord." Let S. School Teachers "go and do likewise." Let their first and earliest occupations be with God, that they may be kept unspotted from the world" and thus entering early on their labour of love, before the temptations of the world alienate their hearts from duty, they shall have done something, however little, to the praise of the master whom they serve, who requireth in a steward, "that he be found faithful."

"Jesus came unto the mount of Olives; and early in the morning he came again into the Temple; and all the people came unto him, and he sat down and taught them." (John viii. 1, 2.)

"And all the people came early in the morning to Him, in the Temple, for to hear Him.”—(Luke xxi. 38.)

"And they (the Apostles) entered into the Temple, early in the morning, and taught"-(Acts v. 21.)

"And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Salome, had bought sweet spices that they might come and anoint Him, and very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the Sepulchre at the rising of the Sun.”—(Mark xvi. 1.)

Abraham got up early in the morning, to the place where he stood before the Lord."-(Gen. xix. 27)

Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillow, and set it up for a pillar, and vowed a vow.”—(Gen. xxviii. 18.)

,, Moses rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar".Exod. xxiv. 4.)