THE destiny of England, and of her sons and daughters, while a matter of indifference, it may be, to

"The wretch concenter'd all in self," who shares not her joys and sorrows, partakes not in her triumphs, and weeps not for her crimes-is yet, to every Christian patriot, a matter of deep and anxious thought. For our lot is cast in no ordinary times. The little cloud of national adversity, small at first as a man's hand, and only discerned by those whose eyes are wont to gaze at the distant horizon, rather than at the smiling foreground, is now covering the heavens with its blackness, and portending a heavy and overwhelming storm.

True it is, that England's throne has remained unshaken, while others have been hurled to the ground; true it is, that no war-cry is echoed through her vallies, no sword-blades glitter on her hills-but does not Jehovah's voice speak as plainly in "the pestilence that walketh in darkness," as in "the arrow that flieth by day? Can he not desolate internally, as well as externally? And is he not now writing upon the wall of England's prosperous palaces, "TEKEL, TEKEL, thou art weighed in the balances, and found wanting”— wanting" in faithfulness to thy God; แ 'wanting" in allegiance to his Church; "wanting" in national humility: "wanting" in the defence of the truth! Happy will it be for us, if by earnest repent

ance, and hearty reformation, we may delay the writing of the impending sentence "MENE, MENE, God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it!"

What then becomes our duty, in regard to the destinies of England? What can we do, to guard the moral and religious interests of our people?

The answer is obvious; we can educate those, who in a little while will be the actors in those scenes, which threaten to be of so much importance to the interests of our country. And who are these? Not the sons and daughters of our nobility, for they are beyond our reach; not the children of our rich gentry, for over them it may not be our lot to exercise any influence; but, the children of the working classes, the sons and daughters of the industrious poor this is our field of labour, this is the ground which it is our part to cultivate; and truly it is a soil capable of being made to bring forth much and precious fruit. For what want we to make England safe? Not bulwarks of stone, frowning along her sea-girt shores; not navies of strength, protecting her ocean rights, nor armies of prowess guarding her inland peace. No, we want religious principle in the hearts of her people. We want citizens who feel that "except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain;" we want subjects who feel that "the kingdom is the Lord's, and he is the governor" among the people; we want tradesmen who feel that "it is the Lord

that giveth them power to get wealth;" we want labourers who feel that "it is the Lord who prepareth rain for the earth, and maketh the grass to grow upon the mountains, and herb for the use of men."

Now these are precisely the classes of persons with whom we come in contact at our Sunday Schools; so that we are not saying too much when we affirm, that on our exertions, under the blessing of God, depends in a great degree, the welfare of England.

And this leads me directly to the subject of my lecture, for when once we have established the point, that it is our duty to educate, it then becomes a question of the highest importance, How are we to educate? In what way can we make our teaching most effectual? We reply: by adapting it to the character of those whom you instruct; a difficult acquirement, it is true, but one which lies at the root of all sound education. To be good teachers, you must study the human heart; become acquainted, as far as you can, with those thousand shades of character which even one Sunday School is suffi cient to exemplify; and then, besides this general knowledge, ascertain the individual peculiarities and failings of each one of the children, who compose your class. This done, you should appropriate your management to his or her particular character; for it is as absurd as it is unreasonable, to suppose that we can educate by a receipt, that the one method of instruction will do for all; this is like the bed of the tyrant Procustes, those that were too short for it, he dragged out upon a rack, and from those that were too long, he lopped a part, to make them shorter. Much must depend on contingent circumstances, even after studying the best rules, and digesting them into the best system. Like the gardener, we must study diversities of soil, or we shall plant diligently, and water faithfully, with little fruit. And let it not

be supposed, that in the education of very young children, there is less occasion for this discrimination and discernment. It is a fundamental error to consider them as "innocent creatures," whose little weaknesses may perhaps want some correction, and some watchful training, instead of beings who bring into the world a corrupt nature and sinful dispositions, which, unless checked and rectified in early years, will expand into the maturity of evil. Were we asked, therefore, what quality is most important in an instructor of youth, we should not hesitate to reply, such a deep view, and thorough knowledge of the human heart, as shall lead to the development and control of its most secret and complicated workings.

But some one may ask, How am I to become acquainted with the character and disposition of the children on whom my energies are to be spent? We answer; there are some persons who have an almost intuitive knewledge of character; they see at a glance, during almost one day's instruction only, the different dispositions of every child with whom they have to do. Now, where this facility exists, it is a great assistance, and to such persons we need not give any rule; but there are very many instances where it does not, and here we say :

I. Visit the parent, and find out all you possibly can of your child, in that quarter; the greatest developments of a child's character are at home, among his brothers and sisters, and why? Because here, his character is brought into play by things in which a child takes interest, and which are therefore likely to affect him strongly, for these are as important in his eyes as greater things are in those of a man. Many a child thinks just as much of an apple or a plaything, as a grown man does of a valuable bond. Let me enter a little into particulars. Those things which are likely to move violently any feeling of a child, must be things suited to

childhood; if he be greedy, it will be seen in his grasping after those things which are important in a child's eyes, as his play-fellow's toys, and such like things; and this perhaps you could never find out in school, for there the child's fault has no opportunity of exhibiting itself. But do not go to the parent with the professed object of finding out what is the disposition of her child; it will not do to go into a cottage or a room, and say, "Now Mrs. Smith, I went to the Sunday School Institute the other night, and heard a lecture on the adaptation of teaching to character, I want you to tell me your little boy's faults, that I may say some. thing about them next Sunday." This will do no good; Mrs. Smith will tell you nothing but what is good of her boy, for mothers are very suspicious creatures ; their very love and partiality for their children makes them so, and if you put them on their guard, it will be very difficult to find out what you want from them; but you may be crafty, and catch them with guile, and by talking of other things generally, and only of their child incidentally, you will discover all you want. If your pupil be in service, as is very often the case with the children of the poor, who attend our London schools, and if you can go and enquire of his master or mistress, they can give you a great deal of information; and if your school be in the country, you will have many opportunities from your own observation. But there is one source open to you, under any circumstances, a small and scarcely perceived one it is true; but still, one which may be availed of, i. e., your observation of little things that may occur during school time. Now, here the only exhibition of a child's character, that you are to expect, is in trifling circumstances; for example: the passionate boy will not of course fall to and beat the one who answers a question he has missed himself, but he will look cross at him, and push him, and mutter at

him, and shew his temper in the twenty different ways in which boys generally do, when they are in the presence of one whose constraint they fear. And now we will suppose, that you have succeeded in discovering the particular faults which characterize individual children, let me therefore give you an all important caution, in regard to your dealing with them. Never (if possible) let other children know whose fault you are pointing at; trust in a great degree to the conscience of the particu lar child to apply it, for if you make a habit of exposing any child in your teaching, you often make him ashamed, not of his fault, but of the other children hearing it, and he will keep away and not subject himself to this again; and the great probability is, that the other children will, the moment the school is over, bring up in no very kindly spirit, the teacher's animadversions on his character; saying, "So. and-so caught it to day, didn't teacher give it to him," and this would so exasperate many a child, that no amount of teaching or kindness on his teacher's part, would do him any good. But to enter into still further detail, we would,

1st. Say a few words on the moral distinctions in the character of the two sexes, &c.,

2nd. Suggest some different modes of treatment, applicable to different developments of character.

Since then, I am addressing the teachers of both boys' and girls' classes in our Sunday schools, let me remark, that the very same dispositions which should be fostered and encouraged in the one sex, should be suppressed and checked in the other; for example, that bold independent spirit, which is so essential to nobility of character in boys, should never remain unchecked when it happens to discover itself in girls, whose brightest ornament should be a meek and submissive temper, with a spirit of trusting dependence. And vice versa, a too soft and yielding tem

perament in boys will, if suffered to expand, quickly degenerate into an effeminacy and weakness of character, which will render them unfit for the laborious duties to which they will be called in after years. Be very careful however, how you, check the natural impulses of a child. One great art of education consists in not suffering the feelings to become too acute, by unnecessary awakening, nor too obtuse and dull by want of exertion; for the mind, like the harp is an instrument, the strings of which, if not enough strained, will be incapable of powerful intonation, if wound too high, will lose their sweet

ness.

Never therefore extinguish by harshness or severity, that ingenuousness of soul, and sensibility of temper, which no education can originate, no cultivation purchase. Let this language of the heart, for such it is, be dear to you, and carefully cherish every indication of it in the young female, for it is this tem per, wisely cultivated, which will make her enamoured of the loveliness of virtue, and beauty of holiness.

Again, be careful how you quench the bright flame of a noble, enterprising spirit in a boy; it is of inestimable value, and if rightly directed, will prove a weapon of higher worth than any amount of knowledge.

There is a custom among teachers, which though common, is far from commendable. I mean this: they are apt to bestow an undue proportion of pains on children of the best capacity.

I have seen a teacher occupied so long, over her favourite child, that the rest of the class were comparatively neglected, and when she turned to them she exhibited an impatience of manner which plainly indicated, that her mind was contrasting their dullness with the quickness of the cleverer child. This should not be, for the stupidity of your scholars, so far from being a reason for relaxing your attention, should only be an additional motive for redoubling it;

and although you may not succeed so well as you had hoped, in raising them in the scale of thinking beings, you may nevertheless, lead them on to much attainment, in that pathway of holiness, in which a way-faring man, though simple, shall not err."

Having thus duly estimated the gene, ral differences of temper, which characterize the two sexes, you must further proceed to investigate closely, the beset. ting sins of each individual child under your care. And

1st. We will suppose, that you have discovered in one a deviation from TRUTH, and you enquire in what way shall this sin be treated?

Now falsehood arises from a variety of very different causes. In some cases, it is to be traced to a want of correct observation, and this kind of deviation from truth must be carefully distinguished from the deliberate lie. The earliest mental faculties of a child, are closely dependent on the physical senses.

"He is in a new world, and learneth somewhat every moment;

His eye is quick to observe, his memory storeth in secret."

Cultivate in him therefore, a habit of correct observation, and you will be laying the foundation of a truthful character. In most cases however, falsehood proceeds from timidity; a child is often afraid to tell the honest truth, lest it should involve him in punishment. This is to be counteracted, by a readiness to forgive in the teacher, which shall encourage frankness in the child. If you express violent and unreasonable anger at every trivial offence, it will always promote a spirit of timid concealment in the object of your rage; and again, be careful that the child never detects a deviation from the truth in you. Faithfully perform every promise you have made to it, and it will learn to trust you; keep your word, when some correction had been threatened, and it will learn to respect you.