Mr. Boyle died in 1691, regretted and beloved by all whose love is desirable; he had no enemies but the enemies of the best interests of mankind, and will live in the memory of the good so long as unlimited benevolence, and sincere and evangelical religion, shall be esteemed amongst men. He was the greatest man in a family, which, from the time when it was first known in the annals of England, has never wanted one at least of its members to dignify our annals with what was great in science, or wise in counsel, or splendid in the field. An account of the family of Boyle was written by Eustace Budgell, with much of the feebleness and all the usual pomp of that gentleman's compositions.

ACCOUNT OF A VISIT TO STOCKPORT SUNDAY SCHOOL.

(IN A LETTER TO A FRIEND.)

I am about to give you an account of my visit to the Stockport Sunday School, agreeably to your request. I had long been prejudiced against it, and more than once refused an invitation to assist at its annual service; but hearing some better accounts, and having lived long enough to know that things cannot be well judged of, unless persons examine them for themselves, I determined to use my own eyes and ears with the greatest diligence and caution on the spot. The Tally Ho" conveyed me to Birmingham, and the train on the rail-road from thence to Manchester. By the way, that rail-road mode of travelling is not very advantageous for views of scenery, or for changing very frequently the position: still, as it promises to all but annihilate space, and so to bring all parts of the world together, ultimately, I believe, for the diffusion of religious knowledge through the whole mass of society, I hail it as a discovery almost equal to that of the art of print

66

ing, which gives wings to thought, and multiplies the presence of individual minds.

Stockport is a large town, seven miles south from Manchester, and celebrated for its cotton manufactories. The surrounding neighbourhood is picturesque, and the town itself not unromantic; the houses standing, some in the vale, some on the acclivities of the hills, and some on their summits. The large factories, of which there are nearly fifty, with their lofty, pyramidical, and smoking chimneys, some of which are nearly eighty yards in height, meet your eye in every direction. These, with their different tiers of long rooms, all of them with glazed windows, and lighted up with gas at night, give to the whole, especially at the latter season, a unique and interesting appearance; exciting in the mind the most lively ideas of activity, cheerfulness, and abundance.

The population is about sixty thousand, one-third of which are probably children and young persons. About thirty years ago, some benevolent individuals, observing the deplorable want of instruction for these children, on anything like a scale commensurate with their numbers and their necessities, resolved on the erection of a building for that purpose, of far greater than the usual dimensions, and somewhat adapted to meet the exigencies of the case. The spot chosen was the broad summit of a moderately high hill in the midst of the town. Some were surprised at the proposed extent of the ground-plan, and particularly of the principal room, which is not less than a hundred and sixty feet long and sixty wide. But the event has shown that the spirit of enterprise which commerce is apt to engender, is equally likely, when carried into religion, to be crowned with successful results.

A committee was appointed, consisting in part of some of the principal proprietors of the factories, and the plan of instruction arranged and settled in an exact and thoroughly organised manner. The principle that runs through the whole system, is to make the school

conduct, and, in a great measure, support itself. The children are led, from the very beginning, to look for advancement, according to their improvement, through several stages, till they reach the highly valued and respectable station of Teachers, and, finally, of Visitors and Members of the Committee. When they enter, they are put, for a period of trial, into one of the rooms appropriated for teaching, (of which there are seventy-eight, besides the principal room,) and, unless regular in their attendance here, and manifesting a disposition and capacity to acquire knowledge, they receive no "order" for admission, and become no part of the school. Thus, in the very first stage, a good habit is formed, which is seldom afterwards impaired. The junior classes, as they improve, advance to the higher ones, the committee and visitors, who attend regularly for that purpose, inspecting their testimonies and pretensions. When they get into the Bible class, they are prepared for an entrance to the large room, the occupants of which are instructed in writing; from thence they become eligible themselves for the work of teaching, and the most approved of them are occasionally taken to fill up the vacancies caused by the unavoidable absence or illness of the other teachers. The force of example is here seen to the greatest advantage. Uncleanly, disorderly children, on entering the school, struck with the order and decorum that reigns throughout, are insensibly brought under its influence, and relinquish their uncleanly and disorderly habits, without scarcely needing a word to be spoken to them on the subject. A little benevolent society is formed among the children themselves, for the visiting and relieving of those of them who are sick, whom also the teachers visit at their own abodes, and for defraying the funeral expenses, when death takes place. In addition to this, enlargements and improvements in the building at several times have been subscribed for by the teachers and the children, who, feeling an interest in the concern as their own, have raised comparatively considerable sums for such

purposes, and by their own spirited movements, urged many others forward to co-operate with them, who were well able to afford them pecuniary assist

ance.

The whole system of instruction is religious. Parts of the church catechism are taught, and other elementary works of piety; texts of scripture are given out and committed to paper by those who are taught writing; addresses also are delivered by the teachers, and prayer is offered both at the commencement and the close of instruction in every one of the departments. Besides these religious exercises, there are monthly lectures or discourses delivered in the large room, and an annual service for the benefit of the school, one portion of which is especially devoted to the children, their parents, and the teachers. I found, upon diligent inquiry, that numerous instances had occurred of children departing very happily out of this life, under the influence of the religious instruction they had received at the school; short memoirs of whom, under the vigilant superintendence of the committee, are regularly published and distributed or sold among the survivors.

The boys and girls are kept separate in the school; but they associate in the factories, and in their respective neighbourhoods; and by belonging in common to the school, take a particular interest in each other. When any of them out of the class of teachers, at a suitable age and in proper circumstances, form a connexion for life, the committee, on being made acquainted with it, present them with some token of regard, such as a Bible with their names written in it, and they commence housekeeping under the happiest auspices; while they still continue to attend the school in some capacity or other, (for it is the happy peculiarity of this school, to continue the fostering care of its pupils up to the age of maturity, and beyond it, if required) until they have children of their own to supply their place, or to associate with them. The number of scholars at present is five thousand

four hundred. Many who have been in the school formerly are now resident householders in the town; some in the head places at the factories, some partners in large mercantile houses, and some who have risen to be considerable proprietors themselves. A valuable cast of character is thus given to the town itself, which is continually extending and deepening its influence, nor can any reasonable mind doubt but that, in the course of a few generations, the effect will be of the most benign description. That all ignorance, all vice, all profaneness, all low habits, will be entirely done away, among a population of such a kind, no one acquainted with human nature would venture to anticipate; but that, compared with other places, these features will be so softened, reduced, and almost merged in others of an opposite description as to form a perfect contrast, may be confidently expected. Moral causes, especially on virtue's side, operate but slowly, yet as surely as natural ones. While " one sinner destroyeth much good," many upright persons will as certainly destroy much evil. Already, the voice of religious joy and praise, instead of the boisterous sounds of ribaldry, and rude and licentious mirth, is heard amongst the scenes of labour: and I was assured by several persons, fully informed on the subject, that the children brought up at the school, are always engaged at the factories, in preference to others.

It was at the annual service before alluded to, that I was called to officiate. I shall never forget the impression made upon my mind when I entered the large room and ascended the desk, a pulpit at one end of it. Figure to yourself a room as long as the large one at Exeter Hall, though not so wide, with two side galleries for a short way, from the upper end, and with a rising ascent, in the form nearly of a half-circle, towards the further end, so that all in the place could see the speaker and be seen by him. A partition of white rods and of short poles at a certain distance, serving, I believe, for candlesticks, ran up the middle; on one side of which the girls were seated, and on the other the