INSTITUTE.

ON reviewing the work of our society during the past quarter, we observe with thankfulness a growing number of members, and an increase of activity amongst them in general, We all need to be reminded occasionally that teaching is one of those things in which it is impossible to help those who will not help themselves; and the exertions of our kind friends who furnish us with Lectures, &c., will be comparatively useless, unless teachers determine to make diligent use of such opportunities. We, therefore, notice with great pleasure the good attendance at our lectures and meetings, and the demand for our books of circulation and our publications.

LECTURES.

These have been delivered as announced, excepting that by the Rev. J. W. Reeve, which a serious illness prevented that gentleman from delivering. The evening allotted for it was very kindly occupied by the Rev. E. Auriol, by an Exposition of Scriptures. It will be observed that Mr. Reeve has permitted us to insert his name in the list for the next quarter.

DISTRICT LECTURES.

Two of these have been delivered during the past quarter one in the Parochial School Room, Baker-street, Portman-square, by the Rev. J. W. Lyons; the other in Park Chapel School, Chelsca, by the Rev. P. B. Power. Both these lectures were on a subject which the committee feel it their duty to urge everywhere, viz., "The claims of the Sunday School upon the Church ;" and they trust to obtain Lectures on the same subject in several other quarters of the metropolis.

TRAINING CLASSES.

The Wednesday Evening class has been discontinued for a time, the attendance having fallen off. The class for female teachers has been held on six alternate Monday afternoons, ending Dec. 10th, as announced; and, as it appears to have been attended with benefit, it may probably be resumed, of which, however, notice will be given.

THE QUARTERLY PRAYER MEETING was held at the rooms of the Institute, and conducted by the Rev. E. Auriol, the Rector of the Parish.

OUR PUBLICATIONS.

The double series of Lessons for 1850, have been completed, and are published in the form of an Almanack, or Teachers Note Book and Scholars' Slips; similar to those for last year. The plan which has been adopted is described in a Circular, headed "Explanatory Notes on the Lessons," published by the Institute.

THE MONTHLY NOTES

will be continued during the ensuing year. Those for the past twelve months are now complete, and can be had bound in cloth, for 3s.

THE LESSONS ON THE COLLECTS

have been revised and generally remodelled, and are now published in a volume, bound in cloth at 1s. paper 8d.

OF THE LESSONS ON THE GOSPELS

Three quarters are now published, Those for the ensuing quarter will be found in this number of the Magazine, and can be had separately, price 3d. or 20s. per 100.

The Committee have, at the request of many teachers, carefully prepared a SERIES OF FIFTY-TWO LESSONS, for the use of those who require a

Series complete in one year; and as a connected Scripture History in so short a compass is quite impossible, the Committee have pursued the plan of select. ing the chief topics of the Bible, following the order of the Elementary Class Book, so that Schools using the latter book can be examined on one uniform Lesson.

A new edition of the Conduct Card has been printed. The key to the Elementary Class Book, is now, we are happy to say, in a forward state, and we hope to be able to publish it in the course of a month or two.

TUNE BOOK.

The Committee hoped to have completed the Tune Book, as announced; but have as yet been unable to get more than a part of the work through the Press.

CONVERSATIONAL MEETINGS.

Two of these meetings have been held since our last Number. We are glad to report that the attendance at these was much larger than usual. In accordance with the new plan lately adopted, circulars were sent to the schools, both in town and country, and some very interesting and valuable communications were received.

Subjoined are notes of the two meetings, which we are sure will be read with much interest.

Oct. 10.-Subject-"The best methods of maintaining order in Sunday schools." Communications were read from Hull and Norwich; we extract the following heads from the report from the latter place.

1. That the superintendent and teachers together should consider it to be their duty to maintain the utmost order in the school generally, and in each separate class.

2. That the great importance of order should be duly impressed upon the minds of the children, and that they should be made to feel an interest in maintaining it.

3. That the great object of a Sunday school, namely, the imparting of religious instruction, should be constantly kept in view, and the

necessity of seriousness and quietness should be pointed out.

4. That all noise in the school should be avoided, especially that which arises from loud reading, loud studying, and the movement of the children's feet, and that the lessons should be repeated in a tone of voice scarcely exceeding a whisper.

5. That each class should be in the form of a square, the teacher forming one side, and that he should sit as near the children as convenient.

6. That no teacher should allow the children to talk in the class, or permit more than one at any time to ask a question, or make a remark.

7. That in the higher classes, reading aloud together, or repeating lessons together, should be strictly prohibited, only one being allowed to speak at a time.

8. That punctuality in the attendance of children should be insisted on, and that they should all be required to prepare their lessons before coming to school.

9. That the teachers should not leave their classes during school hours, and should tak care never to be too late at school, except in cases of unavoidable necessity.

10. That the superintendent should have no particular class of his own, but should exercise complete supervision over all the classes, and that if he perceives any one of them to be in a disorderly state, he should take charge of it until order has been restored.

11. That order should be strictly enforced in the school, and the children punished for a breach of it.

12. That for disorderly conduct the children may be punished, by being made to stand up in the middle of the room, by withholding good marks or tickets from them, by keeping them from Church in certain special cases, by their receiving corporal punishment from the super. intendent in extreme cises, and when all other means unhappily fail, by expulsion from the school.

As promised we now give minutes of our own meeting.

Whatever rules are adopted in a school, it is the teachers' own working of them which makes the difference between an orderly and a disorderly school.

There are two faults:-to much, and too little, order. Both bad; but the latter by far the most prevalent.

It is a most fatal mistake to regard order as the end, instead of the means.

Our great object is, spiritual instruction. There are schools in which so great a discipline has been kept up by stern coercive measures, that the children have never learned to

love their teachers. Such a state of mind is most unfavourable for the reception of religious instruction. The influence of the teacher in the Sunday school should be founded on love, not fear.

Perhaps these cases are exceptions. It most commonly happens that there is too little order and discipline. The effect of this is most discouraging.

An enquiry into the sources of the disorder found in our schools would point out the following as some of the chief :

1. Bad conduct in the streets, in coming to, and returning from school. It seems impossible altogether to repress this.

2. Late attendance of teachers. The children being allowed to assemble by themselves are sure to play. Their animal spirits naturally become excited, and it is very difficult to calm them down. Prevention is the only means of avoiding this result. The teacher should be the first person present in his class, the superintendent being the first of the teachers in arriving. The teacher should be at his post at least a quarter of an hour before prayers, so that he may receive his children as they come and they may at once be brought within the influence of school discipline.

3. Irregularity of teachers - absence. This not only spoils the absent teacher's own class but materially injures neighbouring classes. There is quite enough under the best circumstances to make the attention wander. How much is this inattention increased by example. Sometimes the vacant class is added to another. This last is then much injured.

If teachers are really unable to attend, they should send word to the superintendent beforehand, that he might make provision for their classes.

4. Teachers sometimes leave their classes to fetch books.

This should never be done; a minute's absence will often spoil an hour's instruction. One of the boys appointed by the teacher should go for the books.

5. The tone of voice in which the children read, is often loud. The teacher must likewise raise their voices in order to be heard, and thus a continual noise is kept up. The children should be taught to repeat, read, and answer in a tone of voice very little above a whisper. If lessons are learnt in school they should not be repeated aloud whilst being learnt.

6. A great cause of confusion is the disposition of caps. The best method to avoid this is to have moveable stands with pegs, one for each class. They may be procured at very little expense. Some prefer ranges of pegs near the door, so that the boys may leave their caps on coming in, and take them again as they go out. Others use a frame to be drawn

up and let down from the roof; others adopt forms with shelves underneath.

7. Teachers often think their labours are over when prayers are finished. Thus great confusion arises from the children being left to themselves at the close of school. The children should be made to sit down, and their caps should be distributed to them; then the classes should go out in order, one by one, the teachers accompanying them to the door.

8. The children should not be allowed to rise after prayers till they are told. In one school in Islington the children are bid to rise by the gentle shake of a bell.

The best form in which to range the children seems like a semicircle, where possible; but if this cannot be done, the children should form three sides of a square, the teacher making the fourth side. It is of great consequence that all the children should be kept in front of the teacher. Thus he can always keep his eye upon them all.

Many teachers set up so high a standard that as they cannot attain to it, they are discouraged. There are many little things which a judicious teacher will overlook, that is, will not appear to see. If he notices them he must punish them. Much can be done towards maintaining order by separating inattentive boys from each other-making a restless boy stand up or sit by his teacher. The posture too should sometimes be varied, the object being to keep up the interest, not to weary.

All punishment of any magnitude should be administered by the superintendent.

The school should never be dismissed till perfect silence has been attained; and when dismissed it should be by classes.

Great advantage has been found from making the children kneel inwards towards the teacher with their backs to the forms. The teacher himself should kneel as well as the children.

Some discussion took place as to the best method of speaking to a teacher whose class is unruly-whether to address him before the boys, or speak to him privately. The objection to the former course being, that the teacher may be lowered in the eyes of the children, who are very shrewd in detecting such a thing.

Dec. 5.-Subject, "The most efficient means of interesting our Sunday School children in the missionary work at home and abroad," Communications were received from Hull, Norwich, Harwich, and from St. Mary's Southwark: That from Hull was as follows:

The chairman of the evening made some brief introductory remarks on the importance of the subject, it being one of great general

interest, and urged that the getting the Church to feel the value of their own privileges was the best foundation on which to raise anxiety to promote God's cause abroad.

The enquiry was made, "What are the means now used ?" and the answer, "The sending a missionary box from class to class once a month, and an occasional address on the subject from the superintendent." In another school, the box goes round once in two months, an address having been given the previous Sunday, and the amount of collection is always announced from the desk.

At St. Mary's school the active curate makes a very free circulation of the Church Missionary Society's little publication called the "Juvenile Instructor;" he encourages the children to take little collecting boxes, and he holds monthly Missionary meetings.

The opinion was taken on the question of their being monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly Missionary meetings of the children and decided in favour of the latter.

It was thought desirable to make the children collectors.

The importance of unity in operation was urged, as also the great result that would arise from teachers being more careful to interest their children in the work of missions.

The concentrating of the efforts of the children on one particular mission, say Abbeokuta, or New Zealand, &c., was well put by one speaker, and a school at Cambridge named, where a sum of forty pounds had been so raised. The suggestion was approved, and four members to select the special object.

The importance of missionary hymns being taught the children, and missionary maps supplied to them was dwelt on and recognized.

Some conversation then took placce on the practicability of our schools being in any way connected with "The Juvenile Missionary Association," which holds a quarterly meeting in the town; and it was resolved that the children in the senior classes have tickets of admission given to them for the next meeting.

After these had been read, the Chairman briefly brought the subject before the meeting, calling their particular attention to the wording of the subject "Missions at home and abroad." He urged that while it is our bounden duty and high privilege to exert ourselves for the heathen abroad, we must not overlook the almost heathen at home. He endeavoured to impress upon the boys in his own School, that they might be missionaries without ever going abroad, even without so much as leaving their

own houses. Some might be able to do one thing in Christ's cause, some another, but all could and all must teach either for good or bad, by the influence of their example.

Enquiry was made into the method at present adopted to excite a Missionary spirit. In one school there was a Missionary address once a month, but no meeting of the children; a collection was made, but it was small. In another, where quarterly Missionary meetings were held, the utmost interest was felt by the children, and about £3 10s. per quarter was collected among them. At these meetings one or two of the teachers prepared a subject for an address, and whenever possible they obtained the presence of a Missionary, In this school a teacher said he always impressed upon the children the duty of being themselves Missionaries, and he suggested to each of them some particular point in which he might be useful, as it is too generally found that what is everybody's business is nobody's. The result in some instances had been most satisfactory.

A teacher suggested the use of the magic lanthorn, which Mr. Beilby, Clerk of St. Mary's, Islington, exhibits. It brought strongly before the minds of the children scenes in foreign countries connected with the Missionary work, which could hardly fail to make a deep impression.

Some little discussion ensued, as to the legitimacy of such a method of exciting interest, but it seemed to be the general feeling that, at all events, there is no harm in it.

Some conversation followed, on the great difficulty of exciting an interest in Home Missions, such as the Church Pastoral Aid Society, and in our Colonial Missions. It was remarked that one reason why the cause of Missions abroad meet with more support than that of efforts at home, is, that the Heathen abroad are absolutely without the means

of grace, whilst there is in our own country have the means, but neglect them. Our Churches, it is true, are quite insufficient to accommodate all, but they are seldom so full that there is no room.

A teacher gave a very interesting account of a Missionary Meeting in Guernsey, at which he was present, where there were from 700 to 800 children.

The question of allowing children to collect, was discussed, and some objections made; among others that it taught the children to beg, and was a temptation to dishonesty. All seemed agreed that great caution should be used in selecting children to be intrusted with collecting books or cards.

A member read an account of a meeting which had been held in the school to which he was connected, and stated that the circular read from the Institute, calling their attention to the subject, had been the means of exciting them to try what they could do.

The following SCHOOLS have joined us since our last publication.

North-West London Auxiliary: Bayswater Sunday School Hammersmith Ragged School

15 Teachers.

MORNINGS AMONG THE JESUITS AT ROME.-By the Rev. M. Hobart Seymour, M.A., p.p. 251. Svo. Seeley's.

(Continued from page 300.)

IN this resumed notice of the valuable work before us, we had anticipated presenting our readers with a summary of the arguments adduced on both sides on several important points. This, however, we now find to be impossible, as we have not space enough at command. We must, therefore, be content with a hasty glance at the remainder of the volume, and trust our readers will

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be induced to supply the deficiency by a perusal of the work itself.

The question of Infallibility is handled at some length. Mr. Seymour's first opponents on this question handed to him the following syllogism :

The Church of Christ, in all her parts, claims to be infallible.

The Church of England does not claim to be infallible.

Therefore, the Church of England is no part of the Church of Christ.

Mr. Seymour, instead of denying, as he would otherwise have done, the