absolute Being, and homage to a Divine Lord, and so to fit him for exercising those highest endowments which belong to him, not as the member of a limited nation, but of a universal commonwealth,-this, and this only, is to EDUCATE."-Educational Magazine, vol. i. pp. 2, 3.

Mr. Maurice rightly insists, that ecclesiastical education is not only the crown and consummation, but the ground and support of all other education ::--

"We hold that domestic education will not avail to its grand purpose of calling forth the affections and senses of the child, teaching it the worth of human relationships, and interpreting to it the strange world which is speaking to its eye and ear, unless it be hallowed from first to last by Christian ordinances. The parents who, under any fancy of making their child more sincere and independent, withhold from it a continual and abiding witness that it is dwelling in an invisible, as well as a visible world, do their best to make its whole life hereafter confused and incoherent; to make it either a mere slave of its senses, or else a superstitious trembler at the realities to which it has never become habituated; and have themselves to blame, if it never recognises a father's authority, nor a mother's love.

"We hold that school education will never avail to its great purpose of cultivating in the mind the reverence for government, the sense of order, the feeling of society, or its subordinate purpose of bringing forth all the faculties which exist, where government, order, and society are known; and only there, unless the same ordinances which hallowed the years of infancy preside here also, and teach the school-boy that his present life is connected with the past, and will be connected with the future. We hold that the schoolmaster, who, from any notion of not enforcing upon his boys what they do not understand, and do not relish, or from any wish to accommodate himself to the tastes of his patrons, dispenses with this influence, does his best to cause that the sense of obligation and duty, the feeling of reverence and fealty, the acknowledgment of an order which may not be violated, shall never be awakened in them; that they shall go forth bad mutinous citizens, understanding the meaning of no power but brute force, believing in nothing but individual will, and, as a necessary consequence, regarding all art, science, and cultivation, which do not minister directly to the animal wants, with hatred and contempt.

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And therefore, of course, we hold, that the last and highest education, which is to prepare men, in whatever sphere of life they may be born, for the highest human duty of guiding and cultivating their brethren,-the education of the University or the Training School,-must, above all others, be ecclesiastical. If the teachers of these seminaries do not cause their pupils to understand that the highest faculties with which God has endowed his human creatures are not those which He has conferred upon the few, but those which He has given to all; that the most glorious possession is that inward eye which is open in those, be they peasants or philosophers, who are pure of heart, and content to be little children; we hold, that they are doing their best to send forth proud, selfish, hard-hearted men, who will be the despisers or the tyrants, not the helpers or the teachers of their brethren.

"And yet it is the Christian Church and the Christian ordinances alone, which have enforced and do practically enforce this lesson; which have enabled, and do enable us to feel that every poor man may hold converse with the Infinite Wisdom, because that Wisdom has manifested Himself to the poor, and has sent forth His messengers, above all others, to them.” "On this account also, then,-because we maintain the duty of educating all, high and low, rich and poor,-we have chosen a CHURCH as the emblem of our purpose, and the pledge of our principles."-Educational Magazine, vol. i. pp. 3, 4.

Our next extract shall be from a temperate and useful letter, signed "T. C.," on the use of the BIBLE as a class-book in schools.

"In any contemplated improvement of our national-school system, one of the first subjects requiring attention must be the selection of books to be used in them. It is well known that in many of our schools, the only reading-book is the Bible; either in its integrity, or as abridged by Mrs. Trimmer, or in the various portions of it printed by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, as the Miracles' or the 'Parables of our Blessed Lord,' 'Ostervald's Abridgement,' the Psalms in Monosyllables,' or the Bible Reading-Book.' The feeling which led to the adoption of this practice is very intelligible. The period during which the children of the labouring classes remain at school, was observed to be so very limited, that it was thought that the whole was not too much for acquiring such a minimum of acquaintance with Holy Scripture as is indispensable for every intelligent Christian; nor indeed is it thus far short of what will be required. But we must remember, that the object of education is not so much to teach knowledge or to store the memory, as to form the mind and the heart. The instruction conveyed at school is not in itself an end, but a means to knowledge; and therefore we must trust much more to the formation of a correct taste, and instilling sound principles and a desire for knowledge, than to any definite amount of information which we may succeed in communicating to our pupils. It is very important that both teachers and taught should bear this in mind; for the effects of losing sight of it are manifest, in the utter aversion to reading, which seems to be universal with boys emancipated from the parochial school."-Educational Magazine, vol. i. pp. 111, 112.

The writer then proceeds to show, how by the practice of using the BIBLE as the sole text-book for acquiring or exercising the mere art of reading, the learner, in consequence of the limited range of the phraseology and the subject-matter of the Sacred Volume, seldom acquires a general facility in the art of reading, or a practical acquaintance with the necessary language of ordinary life.

"Viewing education as a means of preparing us to live in the world, and above the world, it will surely have failed in its object, if it does not send out pupils from the school with so much of taste for literary pursuits, as shall qualify them for studying their worldly calling to the best advantage, even as its higher object is to fit the heart for the due performance of its spiritual duties. But if the pupil, on leaving school, finds himself unable to read and to understand matters connected with his trade or business, we can scarcely be surprised to find our schooling, in many instances, thrown away; and the first-class school-boy present himself for Confirmation, after a few years, ignorant almost of his letters."-Educational Magazine, vol. i. p. 112.

The second objection urged by this writer against the habitual use of the BIBLE, as the ordinary reading-book, is a still more forcible one; and we can add our own testimony, as to the irreverence engendered by this well-intentioned but ill-working practice.

"My second objection to the use of the Bible as THE text-book of the school, is, that it is apt to beget a habit of using the sacred volume irreverently. Who can have failed to observe this in our schools? Children toss off a text as if they were saying their multiplication-table, and the material volume is handled with no greater reverence than Murray's Grammar. It may be said, 'These are little things.' True; they are. But

the experience of every thoughtful person will tell them, that the tone of their mind and whole character has been sensibly affected by trifling things, which date back almost to the period of infancy. It is no answer to this objection, that it has been pressed to extravagant conclusions by the enthusiast, even to the exclusion of prayer, or the very mention of GoD, from educational systems. The essential attribute of an enthusiast, is to seize on a portion of truth, and strain it beyond its legitimate application, forgetting those appropriate counter-truths which, in religion and morals, are ever 'set one over against the other.' Granted, that we can hardly expect to bring a number of children to that serious frame of mind in which the Word of God should be approached; still, if there be any truth in the proverb, which assigns contempt to be the effect of familiarity, we must be manifestly encouraging that pernicious tendency, when the memory is exercised in a degree beyond that in which the mind is informed. And such must be the case when the same passage of Scripture is read, time after time, as the daily task; and more especially when, as is too often the case, the teacher is not of a capacity to impart, on each occasion, some fresh novelty of illustration or enforcement."-Educational Magazine, vol. i. p. 113.

There is, indeed, no subject of more pressing or painful interest, in connexion with the course and methods of instruction at present pursued in the majority of our national schools, than that irreverent handling of sacred subjects which constitutes-we say it in sorrow, not in anger-one of their prominent characteristics. On this subject we fully agree with Archdeacon Samuel Wilberforce, in the sentiments expressed by him in the Preface to his admirable little book, entitled " Agathos ;" in which, as he tells us, his greatest care has been, while interweaving, in his beautiful parables, as much instruction as he could about the Holy Scriptures, to keep as far as possible from all lowering down of holy things, or making the mysteries of the faith common and cheap to childish imaginations. This most dangerous evil infests and poisons many of the current religious books for children: such books, for instance, as "Line upon Line," and "Peep of Day." By such methods of teaching, as well as by the careless, secular repetition even of unexceptionable forms of sound words; and by the mechanical reading, perhaps to a thoughtless or a petulant monitor, of Holy Scripture, we lay the foundation of untold evils; for we accustom the young mind to look curiously, and with levity, on subjects which mortal man must never approach but with humility and adoration. This should be, from the first, the temper carefully wrought into our children's minds, if we would have them approach God with acceptance. To teach them to think boldly of mysteries, in the vain hope of explaining to their childish minds what, in the fulness of the highest understanding, they can never truly comprehend, may make them shrewd and forward questioners, but cannot make them meek and teachable disciples. And whatever tends to secularise religious instruction is pregnant with results equally disastrous.

Mrs. Tuckfield, in her "Education for the People," has some just observations on this subject. "It is not the formal repetition of the Catechism, or of any number of texts of scripture, at certain

prescribed hours of the day, which will give what is called religious knowledge; and what is religious knowledge apart from religious emotions-apart from pious awe, dread of offending, hope, love, joy, peace apart from all the train of heart-stirring, soul-ennobling feelings which the gospel will awaken, if the right moment is seized, if the right method is used of presenting the great truths it reveals, of associating them incidentally with all that naturally affects and interests the youthful mind." Religion must be taught in the spirit of religion. There can hardly be a greater contrast than between the spirit engendered by, and accompanying the cold, dry, mechanical repetition of the Church Catechism; or the equally cold, dry, and unintelligent reading of Holy Scripture; and the deep, simple, unaffected reverence and awe which inspired Hooker, when he said, "Dangerous it were for the feeble brain of man to wade far into the doings of the MOST HIGH; whom, although to know be life, and joy to make mention of His name, yet our soundest knowledge is, to know that we know Him not as indeed He is, neither can know Him and our safest eloquence concerning Him is our silence, when we confess, without confession, that His glory is inexplicable, His greatness above our capacity and reach. He is above, and we are upon earth; therefore it behoveth our words to be wary and few." Passionate emotion is, indeed, greatly to be dreaded, carefully to be avoided but seriousness and reverence ought to affect even the youngest minds, when in the presence of awful mysteries. "The manner in which all that is mysterious affects our imagination, and rivets our attention," says the educational writer quoted above, a providential constitution of our minds. A religion, divested of mysterious inscrutable doctrines, would, by the very nature and construction of our minds, soon reduce us to infidelity. . . . . How manifold are the links in that mysterious chain which unites our soul with an unseen world-a world which 'eye cannot see, nor ear hear, neither can it enter into the mind of man to conceive!' Were it possible that religion should be otherwise than full of mystery, such a religion would cease to interest us, and soon cease to be believed. All that concerns our existence, whether temporal or eternal, must to us be full of mystery." Let us ever be careful, then, to present religion to the minds of children reverently veiled by its own. inscrutable mystery; remembering that the holy angels hid their faces with their wings, and sank into an attitude of calm repose, when they approached the mercy-seat. To spread the leaven of piety through secular things is difficult; but, alas! to secularise religion, and religious teaching, is all too easy.

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"Nor does the evil end with the present profanation of the Sacred Volume:-it is calculated to lead to a neglect of it hereafter. The writer, not long since, interrogated an experienced master of a national school, where the Bible was the only reading-book used, whether he considered the effect beneficial or otherwise? 'Nothing can be worse,' was his reply: I have known many of my best scholars fall into a state of heathen careless

ness after they have left me; and the reason they have given to persons who have remonstrated with them on their neglect of public worship, is, that they knew the Bible just as well as the parson did, and so it was no use for them to go to church.' We may allow that such a case can only occur where children are kept later at school than happens in our country schools; and the cases, we would fain hope, are extreme ones. But how fearful is the approach to such a state of feeling! How anxiously should we guard against one of Christ's little ones receiving such a venomous serpent, when he is looking to us for good, wholesome food! How shall we be able to answer the inquiry- Where is thy flock, thy beautiful flock?' if one babe shall have been so offended."-Educational Magazine, vol. i. pp. 113, 114. And the writer goes on to remark, with great truth, that

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"It is essential for keeping the mind of the scholar in due and healthful subordination, that at each fresh lesson he should feel that he has acquired some fresh information. The average class of masters are unable to go beyond a very narrow round of questioning upon religious subjects, (where of course they are under more restraint than on indifferent ones ;) and the consequence is, that the children come to their task with dull and heavy feelings, as to a thrice-told tale."—Educational Magazine, vol. i. p. 114.

This subject is resumed in a paper "On the religious instruction in national schools, with especial reference to learning by heart;" signed "G. M." This writer seems at first sight to differ with the one from whom our last extracts have been made; but the difference is in seeming only. He rightly observes, that——

"The mind can be exercised and developed upon religious, quite as well as upon secular things. . . . . The education given by the Church is not the less intellectual because it is spiritual."-Educational Magazine, vol. i. p. 160.

And then he proceeds, with perhaps unnecessary caution, to press upon the managers of church-schools a question which must be answered by them;-" Is not the religious instruction given in our schools, in many instances, mere rote-work ?” No one, he observes, who has not had considerable experience among children, would ever suspect how utterly they detach words from ideas. Not that they do not often give the meaning of certain words in other words, but the explanation is got by rote just as much as is the thing explained.

"The words may be as simple and easy as the best old Saxon words can be, and yet not one child in twenty will attach any meaning to them at all. There could not be shorter or easier words than the common explanation (in monosyllables) of Amen,' viz. So be it; or, Let it be so and yet I have tested one hundred children at once, all of whom snapped out in a moment, that 'Amen' meant 'So be it,' or, ‘Let it be so ;' and yet not one had any notion of the use or application, and only a few could tell why it should not be said after anything else as well as after a prayer or a blessing it was the 'it' that puzzled them. It is evident from the quick off-hand mode of answering, that they seldom dream that they have anything to do with the meaning. The evil, however, is not so ready of detection, because the books they learn by rote include almost all the questions that the examiner is likely to put; the net is of so fine a mesh, that not many common or easy questions escape. Now and then the new form of the question poses them; as, e. g. asking, What is a sacrament?' or even, 'What do you mean by a sacrament?' will probably not be answered