was taken, and in fourteen days 200 members were enrolled. The room was painted, and fitted up with every convenience, and opened in less than five weeks from the starting, on the 16th of October. The room is in a good part of Bolton, affording accommodation for upwards of fifty reading at once. THE WITHERED HAND HEALED. | by the Operative Conservatives, THE miracles of Jesus are full of interest and instruction. Before us is one. The paralytic man's right hand was useless: it hung upon his body, as a dead branch on a tree, not partaking of the vital sap. Jesus proposed to heal it. His enemies watched him, hoping to found a charge against him of breaking the sabbath. But Jesus showed, that if we refuse to do good on the sabbath, we are chargeable with the evil we perpetuate. Hence, he, without touching the man, spoke the word and effected a perfect cure. These miracles, thus wrought openly, proved him to be a divine and almighty Saviour. THE EFFECTS OF UNION.-The Sunday school Union, of Bolton, (says a correspondent,) which comprises fourteen schools, has lately achieved a good work, in opening a public reading-room for teachers and scholars of all denominations, and the public in general. A room, formerly occupied The papers, weekly and daily, number twentysix, amongst which are the 'Nonconformist,' 'Patriot,' 'Witness,' Watchman,'' Wesleyan,' 'Leeds Mercury,' etc. The magazines amount to twenty-four, the quarterlies to two. The charges are, per quarter, 9d. scholars, 1s. teachers, 1s. 6d. others, or a penny per hour, honorary members 10s. per year. The income is after the rate of £60 to £70 per annum, and is more than sufficient for all the expenses at present current. Any surplus is to be set aside for a reference library: and, no doubt, when trade revives, the friends of Sunday schools will be found ready to help the cause. SPECIAL NOTICE. As Great changes will henceforth be made in this periodical. Messrs. GILLETT AND MOORE are retiring from business, the printing of this Magazine is transferred to the eminent house of Messrs. TYLer and Reed, London. The Editor rejoices, that though his connexion will be continued, he is to be relieved in its management. Having raised the state of the Magazine, during his seven years of office, from one of ruinous expensiveness to one of remuneration and of profit, he cheerfully retires from its sole editorship, in order to devote himself more completely to his ministerial duties. The arrangements made are not only to him satisfactory, but he is certain that they will secure vast improvements in every department of the Magazine. To the following points, special attention is requested. 1. All communications must, in future, be addressed to the Editors, at 34, Paternoster Row, London. No others can be noticed. 2. The Stamped Edition will be continued; but those friends in various parts of England, and at various Missionary Stations in every quarter of the Globe, who have received it gratuitously from the Editor, will understand why their copies are discontinued. 3. The former volumes have been bound in a neat and uniform style, and the price has been reduced to One Shilling and Sixpence. This has been done, with the strong desire to get these pictorial and useful volumes at once into all Sunday Schools and Families, W. R. THE TEACHER'S PRAYER. When we toil in grief and pain, When our fainting spirits fail, But above all else impart From a Teacher's lips be heard; Let not pride our bosom swell, POETRY FOR TEACHERS. SPEAK gently to the little child,. Who with a trustful, loving heart, If on his brow there rests a cloud, Speak loving words, and let him feel And do not send him from thy side The joyous look and sunny smile O teach him, this should be your aim, Some radiance to impart. To love, with pure affection deep, The Ragged Schools. RAGGED SCHOOLS & ROBERT RAIKES. AMONG the unnecessary questions often put to the friends of Ragged schools, a common one is, ' Who founded them? When or where did they begin?' And many and strange, have been the answers given to such queries. We lately heard a Rev. gentleman declare at a public meeting, that Luther was a ragged scholar, and therefore endeavoured to persuade us that we owed far more to the Ragged school system than what we were then, or even now inclined to suppose. While we would not date their origin from the times of Luther, neither do we think they owe their commencement to the laudable efforts of John Pounds. The truth is, England's first Sunday school was a Ragged school, and to Robert Raikes be ascribed the honour. Had those praiseworthy individuals who followed his example adhered strictly to it, by directing their efforts to the same class of children, such schools would long ago have ceased to be a novelty, and their necessity at the present time much less urgent. But in a short time we find this class almost entirely overlooked, and Sunday schools attended by those of a more respectable, and in many respects less needful order. In proof of this let us contrast the class of children ordinarily found in our Sunday schools, with the objects of Raikes' sympathy and benevolence. We are told that when calling at a house at Gloucester 'he was greatly disturbed by a troop of wretched, noisy boys, who interrupted him while conversing with the man's wife on the business he came about. He inquired whether these children belonged to that part of the town, and lamented their misery and idleness.' 'Ah, sir,' said the woman, 'could you take a view of this part of the town on Sunday, you would be shocked indeed, for then the street is filled with a multitude of these wretches, who, released on that day from employment, spend their time in noise and riot; playing at chuck, and cursing and swearing in a manner so horrid, as to convey to a serious mind an idea of hell rather than any other place.' We are further informed that Mr. Raikes, in a letter to Colonel Townley, says, 'It is now three years since we began, and I wish you were here to make inquiry into the effect. A woman who lives in a lane where I fixed a school, told me, some time ago, that the place was quite a heaven upon Sundays, compared to what it used to be. The numbers who have learned to read are so great, that I am astonished at it. Upon the Sunday afternoon the mistress takes the scholars to church, a place to which neither they nor their ancestors ever entered with a view to the glory of God. what is more extraordinary, within this month these little ragamuffins have in great numbers taken it into their heads to frequent the morning prayers.' But Such, then, is Mr. Raikes' description of his own scholars, and in vain do we look for such a set of 'ragamuffins' in our ordinary Sunday schools, neither can we find them nor their ancestors in the house of God with a view to His glory. But we find them in abundance in the courts, lanes, and alleys of London and other towns, ing and swearing in a manner as horrid' as those in Gloucester, and if we do find them in a better and more hopeful place, it is in our present Ragged schools. Such are our reasons for believing Robert Raikes to be the author of the Ragged school system. More than sixty years have passed away since he taught us an important lesson-he directed our attention to a portion of our neglected youth, who are wretched and depraved, because ignorant and uncared for-he told us they existed as a distinct class, for their 'ancestors' were as godless as themselves. He showed us that it was not only possible to learn them to read God's word, but to love it too; and by the influences conveyed through its simple truths, effect in them a reformation of character. He told us that prisons, and police and penal settlements are not the men nor the means by which this moral evil could be cured. But his important lessons have been long neglected, and much have we suffered in consequence. Great and glorious indeed have been the results of Sunday school labours, which eternity alone can disclose ;-through their instrumentality has many a lamb been gathered into the fold of Jesus, and many a footstep guided into the paths of peace. But many a hopeful youth, the object of a teacher's care, a father's hope, and a mother's joy, has made shipwreck of faith, and been plunged into the vortex of ruin, through the baneful influences exerted upon them by that large and wretched portion of society whose claims we have so shamefully neglected. example of Robert Raikes before their eyes, they have made no effort to stem the torrent. But thanks be to God that the minds of men are becoming enlightened; that Gloucester schools are again revived, and efforts made to stem the torrent at its source. London, Nov. 1847. EDINBURGH.-The children in the Female Ragged school, at Edinburgh, have recently testified their gratitude to the Rev. T. Guthrie, their friend and advocate, by working him a very handsome bed coverlet, LONDON.-The first School for Ragged children in the north-east of London, was opened four years back, in a place called 'little hell.' It is now used in preparing souls for usefulness on earth, and for glory in heaven. In many places it is now found, that so much do the children improve in their condition by Ragged school instruction, that they are no longer qualified for them, and are transferred to schools of a higher order. On one occasion, says the report of another Ragged school, a strict examination was made in the school to ascertain the kind of characters frequenting it. On that evening the room contained as follows, out of about 100:Three had been in prison: two had run away from home: two slept in lodging-houses: three lived by begging: one had no bed to lie upon and ten were without shoes or stockings. About 30 copies of the Bible have been sold at 6d. each; also many Testaments at 4d. Many who were without this blessing (the Word of Life) have become the joyful possessors of it. Our average attendance for the past year on Sunday evenings, has been ninety-four children and sixteen teachers. The Library. Foster's Memoirs: French Revolution: Paragraph Bible, Vol. 2: Christian Almanack: Scripture Pocket-book: Robinson's Harmony of Gospels: Emily Grey: Am I a Christian? Caves of the Earth. Nine more of the admirable issues of the London Religious Tract Society. Its publications harmonize with all that is good in morals, as does the green of nature with every landscape on earth. The wise course it has pursued, and its promise of future usefulness, should induce all Christians to thank God on its behalf, and to take courage in advancing its interests. Child's Scripture Text Book: Dublin: Hardy. A tiny affair, meant to convey to young minds, by prose and poetry, the leading truth of revelation. The Candidate for Heaven : London: Ward. A good little book, written by a devoted Primitive Methodist minister, on the nature and advantages of Christian fellowship. Daily Companion, and Daily Monitor: Ward and Co. Small pocket volumes, containing a text for daily meditation through the approaching year, with an anecdote illustrative of the text, and a verse of poetry to fasten it on the memory. Delightfully cheap, and blessedly useful. Sunday School Illustrated Almanack: Green. At our own suggestion this almanack has been prepared: so let us bespeak the widest attention to it. Let it ornament every school-room in the kingdom. Order it, brethren, at once and blame us if you don't think it good, cheap, useful, at Manchester Children's Tracts. Messrs. Harrison and Sale, of Manchester, two faithful Sunday school brothers, have commenced the issue of a series of rewards. They have opened an agency with Messrs. Partridge and Oakey, of London. As the series is but commencing, we cannot say much about it. The first reward is, how-tractive. It is on a broad sheet. ever, good, and, from the character of the publishers, we predict and bespeak for the series a very prosperous course. Sabbath Tracts for the Times : Partridge and Co. The fourth of the series of Tracts on the sabbath, issued by friends of the Catholic Theology: Snow. A Evangelical Alliance, has just small volume, designed to show reached us. It is really good. that the doctrinal basis of the Had we not been so pressed for Evangelical Alliance is in accord-space, we should have said much ance with the word of God, and more. With all the tracts we are adapted to man's moral constitu- highly pleased. We do beseech tion. all teachers to read them. Good Books on the Editor's Table.-Mary and her Mother, a sequel to Scripture Stories: published by Ward, with capital en The Sunday School: Davis. This is a prize Essay, written by a fair lady, and published by the London Sunday School Union. We have not yet had an oppor-gravings: Christianity in Power, tunity of fully mastering its varied contents. It appears, however, to go into all the details of a Sunday school, and we judge it to be, by very far, the most practical and thoroughly useful work in its subject ever published. by Dr. Morrison, also sold by Ward: Child's own Hymn Book: School Songs: Child's own Tune Book: all by our friend Rev. J. Curwen: Ward and Co. Bible Almanack, by Cobbin: Partridge and Oakey. |