The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-12-25 00:00:00

CHURCH OF ENGLAND SOUTH SCHOOLS

Yesterday the half-yearly examination of the children edu-
cated in the Church of England South School, Cornwallis-
street, took place in the presence of a numerous auditory.
Even to those who are in the habit -of taking an interest in
the religious education of the rising generation, the examina-
tion we are about to describe would have had additional
charms. This was peculiarly the feeling of those who were
present; but if our account should not seem to glow with
the same lively interest, it must not be attributed to lack of
appreciation.

The examination commenced with the upper classes of
boys and girls in the first room. The Rev. Thomas. Bold
took the chair, and after efew remarks appropriate to the
occasion, he read a statistical table comprising the number
of boys, girls, and infants receiving education, the average
attendances of each class on Sundays and week days, the
number of boys and girls reading the scriptures, and the re-
ligious books in use in the schools, and the respective stages
in arithmetic to which they had attained, together with a va-
riety of other minute yet interesting facts. All the scholars,
the rev. gent. stated, were learning, the church catechism.

The Rev. Mr. PRINCE having been requested to conduct
the examination, then desired the scholars, who were ar-
ranged in a long square class, to read the Ist chapter of the
Gospel according to St. John. Each boy and girl accord-
ingly read a verse alternately, and we feel bound to say that
we have seldom heard the Holy Scriptures read with more
correct emphasis, with greater care, or with more solemnity
than by these little ones. They indeed seemed to realize the
saying "that out of the mouths of babes and sucklings He
has perfected praise." The reading being concluded, the
books were closed, and Mr. Prince proceeded to put to the
scholars a number of extempore questions relative to the
prophecies concerning our Saviour, his forerunner, John the
Baptist, his birth, parentage, and generally on all the facts
narrated in that sublime chapter. They were also required
to define the terms under which our blessed Saviour is al-
luded to by the Evangelist. All their answers, given with
as much readiness as could be expected when the fo, m of
them was left to their own judgment, were remarkably cor-
rect. Not a single instance of error occurred.
The ehtirch catechism fOimed the neit-subjedt fot—eiami-
nation. They repeated the whole of it as it appears in the
book of common prayer, with great propriety ; and also an-
swered the questions which are suggested by each article in
a manner to. convinee the auditory that they understood, and
were fully impressed with, their duty towards God and their
neighbour,

Mr. PRINCE, at this stage of the proceedings, addressing
the interesting objects before him, told them that their duty
towards God was the foundation of all other duties ; and that,
without they practised that, every branch of education given
to them in the school would be found of little use when they
became men and women in society.—The scholars by their
profound attention, appeared to feel the value of this excel-
lent advice.

Luther'S magnificent hymn, with Dr. Collyer's additions,
was then Sung by a number of boys and girls from', the class.
Music or this sort is a part of the system pursued in the
school, and really we never heard anything so moving as the
modulations of these infantile voices, accompanied, as they
were, by a solitary flute, in the hands of a little Nicholson,
whose age might be said to be somewhere about eight years.
The class having been re-formed, the boys and girls were
examined in geography, some of the elements of natural phi-
losophy, and arithmetic. This part of the proceedings was
necessarily short, but in every branch of it was evident, that
whilst the scholars had themselves been attentive, their mas-
ter and mistress had executed their important offices with
most exemplary care.

The andiern. " Before Jehovah's awful throne" was next
sang. Although'this is a popular anthem, there is considera-
ble difficulty in it, particularly in the two last strains. The
vocalists, however, kept excellent time in the quick passages.
Their voices were in perfect harmony, and a most beautiful
effect was produced. .

The Rev. Mr. PRINCE then closed the proceedings by
congratulating the teachers on the proficiency of their pupils,
as manifested by the result of that day's examination. He
then briefly addressed the children, exhorting them to show
by their subsequent conduct that they profited by the in-
struction which was imparted to them.

The children in the 'lower, or Infants' school, were then
examined.- This room appeared to be the principal point of
attraction. A great number of the parents of the children
were present, and took' a lively interest in the proceedings.
The school-room was decorated with pictures, maps, di-
agrams, &c.—the usual paraphernalia of art Infants' School.
The examination of the children in this school, was con-
ducted by the master. The children occupied several tiers
of raised forms at the north end of the school. They
marched to their places singing several of the rhymes which
they are taught, keeping time with their feet. Whatever
truth there may be in the recently published statements re.
specting the health of Liverpool, we venture to say that it
would be difficult to collect together, in any other part of the
United Kingdom, a finer or more healthy-looking set of,
children than were yesterday arrayed before us. The looks
of the great majority of them would have done credit to the
most salubrious of our rural districts. They appeared to be
mostly from three to six years of age. It must have been a
source of great delight to the many mothers who were pre-
sent to have witnessed the cheerfulness, the contentment,
and, we may add, the happiness which beamed in the coun-
tenances of their little ones, as they went through their
various exercises. Nor was it less a source of pride to them
to witness the marks of approbation elicited from the nume-
rous ladies and gentlemen present, as the examination pro-
ceeded. On the whole, we may safely say that we never at-
tended any similar examination which was more satisfactory
than the one which we are describing.
After singing the hymn commencing " Who is yonder
little stranger," the master proceeded to question his little
flock on several scriptural subjects, such as the history of
Abraham, the_ tower of Babel, the temptation and fall of
man, the history of our Saviour, &c. The replies to these
questions were given with great promptitude and correctness.
We sh .uld state that the several subjects were suggested in
succession by one or other of the boys or girls. It was
quite delightful to witness the eager rivalry which prevailed
among them. It is a leading feature in the system of teach-
ing adopted in this school not to confine the attention of
the children for two long a time to one subject. In accord-
ance with this rule the exercises were next varied by the
singing of " For unto us a child is born, &c.," as an anthem.
This was exceedingly well got through. The harmony was
perfect. One of the pupils was then selected for the pur-
pose of going through a " scripture letter lesson." He
was a fine boy of between four and five years of age. He
was placed on a table, with his face towards the audience,
and then challenged, if we may so speak, to recite a verse
from scripture commencing with any letter in the alphabet
that might be called out by any of bis schoolfellows. He
repeated a great number of texts with great correctness,
failing only in the letter T, which was called out about a
dozen times. The children were next relieved by the intro-
duction of a variety of manual exercises, which seemed to
afford them great amusement. They were afterwards ques-
tioned on the subject of geography, physical and general,
and acquitted themselves admirably in that department.
The history of Mahomet, the natural history of the giraffe,
the repetition of the various arithmetical tables of measure,
time, money. &c., next occupied their attention. The man-
ner in which they went through all these exercises proved
the excellence of the system upon which they are taught.
The singing, in particular, seemed to interest the feelings of
every one present. After the examination was closed the
children were regaled with buns and oranges. The audience
separated highly delighted with the exercises of the day.

A radical cockney having been told by a political opponent
that a cradle, in the shape of a sea-shell called the nautilus,
had been prepared for the royal infant, observed that the
calling the child a naughty lass so soon after her birth, was
another instance of toffy disloyalty.

It is rumoured that Sir Digby Mackworth will come for-
ward for the representation of Monmouthshire on the retire-
ment of Mr. W. A. Williams, M.P., who accepts the Chil-
tern Hundreds on the meeting of parliament, on account of
ill health.

BEFORE ELDERS' HOURS.—" If I'm not home from the
party to-night at ten o'clock," said a husband to his better-
half, " don't wait for me." " That I won't," said the lady,
significantly—" I won't wait, but I'll come for you." He
returned at ten precisely.

Mr. Barry, the architect, is to receive as his professional
remuneration the sum ,of £25,000 from the Lords of the
Treasury, fordesigning, superintending, and completing the
Wow of korliwent. , _