taught in pews divided from each other, secured a quietude around which I have sought in vain in any school-room; and the sacredness of the place seemed to inspire the teachers and children with becoming reverence and attention to the holy truths taught there. In consequence of the church being used for funeral services during the whole afternoon, the assembly of the children for the second school gathering was postponed till five o'clock, when they remained till the evening church service, and, except the very young ones, stayed till its close. In a letter I addressed to the Editor of this Magazine some years ago, I pointed out the advantages of Evening Sunday schools, but it is a point I can only mention here, as being deserving of imitation; for although in our case the plan arose from necessity, not choice, yet when, a few years since, we obtained a school-room in which to conduct our Sunday school, we did not deem it advisable to alter the hour to assimilate it to the time usually fixed for opening school in the afternoon.

When I first joined the school as a very young teacher of little boys, we had a Superintendent (advanced in years, with sons and daughters teaching in the school), who was a father to the children in his care of them, and an exemplar to us all in simplicity and earnest piety. We formed a goodly band at the opening of school, as we knelt down in a large open space in front of the communion table, while he offered up prayer; and his devout spirit seemed to pervade the school. He has long since entered into his rest, and his family have been scattered; but his son-in law, long a pupil, was afterwards for several years a teacher in the school, until he fell a victim to the cholera; and his little orphan son is now a scholar, and thus this link with early years remains unbroken.

The first superintendent of the school, however, is now a clergyman, the rector of a parish in York; and it must be a pleasing recollection to the founder of the school to look back upon the long list of teachers in it, during the period of his ministry among them, and to know that so many of them have been led to devote themselves to the preaching of the gospel at home, some to become City missionaries, and others to go abroad, to make Christ known to the heathen and to our colonists. Several of those who were once teachers in this school are now in Africa, Australia, and India, thus employed; alas! some have "rested from their labours," having finished the work God gave them to do, and left very many who loved and honoured them to mourn their loss.

Some fifteen years ago, the school sustained a severe shock, in consequence of the church in which it was held being closed for several months for repairs, and there being no means of keeping the teachers and children together in the interval. On the re-opening,

only the faithful mistress of the girls' school, a single teacher in the boys' school, and some 20 scholars were forthcoming; but in a few weeks a hundred children were entered on the books, and a few additional instructors for them were found. This was accomplished, in great measure, by the superintendent and the only male teacher besides himself then in the school, going in company through the streets of the neighbourhood on Sunday afternoons, and persuading any children who did not go to a Sunday school to come to their's. Many of those thus brought in remained for years, and proved hopeful pupils ; others, as might be expected, soon left us :— but on the whole the plan is one deserving of imitation where a new school has to be formed. From that time the school remained under the same superintendence until very recently, and may be regarded as a new one, although still watched over with affectionate concern by the founder of it, until he entered upon the duties of another parish.

One of my most earnest fellow workers in re-organizing the school was one who had until that time been a scholar in it, and who then began a course of active service for Christ which he pursued untiringly for five years, despite of constant and hard labour during the week, and frequent sickness, until at last he was suddenly called to his reward. So greatly was he beloved, both by his brother teachers, and by all the scholars, that on his decease they combined together to erect a tomb over his grave to record their affection for him. A similiar testimony of regard was made only last year on the occasion of the death of the mistress of the girls' school, who had been working patiently and devoutly in it from its first formation, and who had won the respect of all who knew her by her Christian simplicity and earnestness.

A striking characteristic of the school was the class of children who attended it. They were much more of the middle class, than is usually found in London Sunday schools; the well-to-do tradespeople of the neighbourhood seemed to be glad to have their children taught there, and although there were (I am glad to say) many children of the very poor, yet the general aspect of the children, their neat and good clothing, and their respectable appearance, would strike any one on entering the school. We were fortunate too, in obtaining the aid of teachers both of position and ability, suited to scholars who were not wanting in general education. Many ladies devoted their talents of no mean order, to the good work; and among the male teachers were some men of learning, and many good scholars. Especially do I now recall with sad thoughts, one who afterwards gained high honours at Cambridge, became the Tutor of his college, was on a fair way to preferment in the church at home, but

gave up all to become a missionary in India, and has recently, after a few months sojourn there, been called, in the midst of his youth and strength, to his heavenly home. Others held appointments

under government, or in the law, were artists, merchants, or clerks; some (especially those who were formerly scholars in the school) were of a humbler position in life, but were beloved among us for their work's sake, and found that as with God there is no respect of persons, so also was it with those who were engaged in doing His work. We were a very happy band, and during the last fifteen years, only one instance of anything like contention arose among us, and that caused by one individual, who soon saw his mistake, and rejoined us amicably afterwards. Not that we had no differences of opinion, for among some 30 teachers working together that could not be expected, but we were all of one mind, and "kindly affectioned one to another," and felt a bond of christian love and forbearance uniting us in spirit as fellow-workers with the Lord.

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Our Teachers' Meetings were the principal occasions of our holding converse together, beyond the pleasant greetings one with another as we came into, and after the close of the school. When I first joined the school, we had a very primitive mode of proceeding at our monthly meetings; there was a book of questions on Scripture subjects (I think by Dr. Short, the present good Bishop of St. Asaph), from which some three or four were selected at one meeting to be answered by all the teachers in writing at the next; and the answer which was considered by all assembled to be the most satisfactory, was then adopted and recorded. In those days there was no Church of England Sunday School Institute" to enlighten us, or show us a more excellent way; but when that Society began its work, we soon became anxious to adopt its suggestions, and one of our first acts, under the new superintendent, was to connect our school with the Institute. We soon afterwards established periodical meetings "for the mutual instruction of the teachers in carrying on their work, the consideration of the progress, government and discipline of the school, and any other subjects directly bearing on the interests of the teachers or children." It was a rule of the school, made at an early period of its history, that new teachers should be first elected by the existing teachers, and afterwards confirmed in their appointment by the president; and it was required by him that they should be members of the Church of Englandy and communicants, being only accepted on probation until the latter condition was observed. Whenever teachers left us, it was our practice to propose at these meetings a vote of thanks for their past services, which the superintendent conveyed in writing to them. Thus a kindly spirit was kept up even with those who were separated from us, and this intercourse

has been continued for ten or twelve years with some dear fellowlabourers who have since been residing permanently in the country, and at a distance.

It was at these meetings that all plans for the welfare of our little community were discussed, and they were very frequently attended by our pastor, who helped us by his deeper experience of divine things, his larger knowledge of the human heart, and his extensive learning, in all our designs for the benefit of the school. Occasionally he gave us addresses from the Communion Table on a week evening on the nature of our work, and the necessary qualifications for carrying it on, according to the ability of our several classes. At other times we met, first to take tea together, and then to discuss some appointed topic connected with religious teaching. At our ordinary meetings, we arranged the removals to be made from class to class periodically, and every six months heard the superintendent's abstract of the half-yearly reports of the condition of the several classes; determined on the measures of discipline and government to be followed in the school, and established the collateral agencies for carrying on our work. Thus in 1847, a "Magazine Fund" was formed, for the purpose of purchasing magazines for the children, who gave their subscriptions for them to their teachers. The surplus of this fund, arising from discount allowed on taking several dozen copies monthly, was applied in part in buying special presents to children leaving the school, and the remainder to the purchase of new books for the children's library. The latter was first formed by donations of books from the teachers and other friends, and enlarged yearly by purchases out of the school funds. It was managed with great ability and patient perseverance, by one of the ablest teachers in the school, during many years, and proved a great benefit. The children were only allowed to use it as a privilege, and their teachers generally aided them in selecting the books they would find most useful and attractive to them. In order that each child might, if possible, possess a Bible and Prayer Book, we invited them to buy them for themselves, allowing them to have them considerably under cost price. Thus, £25 worth of Bibles and Prayer Books, were circulated among them at a cost of only £5 to the school, and the children took the more care of them from having expended their own money in their purchase. Although we had no missionary addresses, we made regular subscriptions in each class for the Church Missionary Society, and gathered together in this way, in a few years, £30 towards the good work of conveying to the heathen the knowledge of Christ. Some eight years ago, one very talented and enterprising teacher established, and himself conducted a singing class, at which at one time, as many as 136 boys and girls

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attended to be instructed by him on a week evening, in that most humanizing art. He taught them on Hullah's system, and many of the elder scholars rapidly acquired tolerable proficiency.

The internal arrangements of the school were of the simplest kind. As it was held in a consecrated building, we kept strictly to the use of prayers selected from the Liturgy for the opening of the school, of late years introducing some of the petitions from the Institute's Liturgy. The singing of a hymn, and the reading of a lesson from Scripture, concluded the opening of the school, as the superintendent did not deem it desirable in that place to give addresses, except on special occasions. Boys and girls met together for the opening of school, and then repaired to their several classes in the galleries on either side of the church. The infant classes were taught in front of the Communion Table, and were for a long time under the charge of ladies, by whom it will be found little boys are better taught than by any male teachers, especially if they try (as the two sisters to whom I now especially refer, so effectually did,) to make them love them as friends, rather than obey them as teachers. Some of our elder boys and girls occasionally gave us anxiety by their waywardness and dislike of restraint, and we yielded to their feelings as they grew older, so far as to release them from the ordinary discipline of the school, to assign them an especial pew during service, and (for the girls) the vestry as a class room. The little children were seated in front of the Communion Table during service, and the remainder in the galleries; some in the school seats, and others in adjoining pews, for at one time there were 380 scholars to be accommodated. The infants did not stay the evening service, and several other of the younger children were also allowed to go home at the close of school, but there were always a goodly number left, who attended Church morning and evening.

In our courses of lessons we anticipated to some extent, those since prepared by the Institute. When I first entered the school, the plan was to learn the Catechism, Collect, and Gospel, and read a chapter (selected by the clergyman) from the New Testament; but after a while we began to teach chronologically the life of our Lord, selected parables and figurative teaching, the discourses of our Saviour and his Apostles, Old Testament characters, fulfilled prophecies, the Christian graces, doctrines and duties, and the Liturgy; and latterly, we followed the courses of lessons prepared by the Institute. Sometimes also we had lessons in addition, on chronology, history, topography, Eastern manners and customs, and natural history, as applied to the elucidation of Scripture. This gave variety, and was useful as affording an insight into subjects of a general character, illustrated by Scripture, whereas the usual plan of teaching, is to explain Scripture by general knowledge. In order to ascertain what real progress was made, sometimes the clergyman,