Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1855-10-03

SUNDAY ScHooLs.-The Cambridge Chron-
icle closes an article in regard to the history
of Sunday Schools in this country, a sfollows :
If our readers are acquainted with facts in
regard to the existence of Sunday Schools in
this country, earlier than 1900, we should be
pleased to hear from them The earliest
Sunday School in America of which we have
any knowledge, was established in Philadel-
phia in 1871. 1t was started by benevolent
individuals. Joshua Coffin, Esq, the histo-
rian Of Newbury, mentions the circumstance
in his history, and quotes from the N~ewbury-
port Herald of January 18th, 1871, the fol-
lowing captious comments, which were made
by the editor in noting the circumstance
8 Pity their benevolence did not extend SO
far as to afford them tuition on days when it
was lawful to follow such pursuits, and not
thereby lay the foundation for the profana-
ton of the Sabbath Will not the historian
of the present times find much OF the spirit
which dictated the above remarks, in many
Of the newspapers of our own day?
The Southern Times in a recent article on
Sunday Schools, claimed that the first insti-
tuition of the kind in America was established
by the Rev. John Wesley, in Savannah, Ga,
in 1877. 1t was continued by the Rev.
Charles Wesley and the Rev. George White
field. 1t is also claimed that a Lutheran
clergyman, named Stouber, established a
Sunday School in the northeastern part of
France in 1760. Neither the schools of Wes-
, ley or Stouber were Sunday Schools in any
modern sense of the term. The English
Church had a similar service long before
these men gave instruction in the Bible to
children and adults. In l641 the Puritan
ministers of Massachusetts composed cate.
chisms for children and youth. We quote
: the following from the article in the South.
q ern Times:
The first Sunday School was established
, in England, in 1869, by Miss Ball, at Higf
WaycOmbe. This was fourteen years before
G the efforts of Ralkes, at Gloucester. ShC
caused them to read the Scriptures, and re
k peat the catechism and collect before going
6 to church. In the Old Church at High Way
combe, it is said, a place is still pointed gu
where Miss Hannah Balls Sunday scholar
used to sit. Mr.. Ralkes, though he did no
originate Sunday Schools, adapted them t.
4 the moral and intellectual wants ofthe ignor
ant children of England, and thus ~constitu
. ted himself a great benefactor to the world
l. Immediately after his recommendations il
t the Gloucester Journal, the system sprea
rapidly over the Kingdom, and in four years
time not less than 100000 poor children en
ioyed it's blessings. In 1885, the first Sun
a day School Society was formed in England
10 -- saS-
q WETTING BRICK.-We take the followin
h article from the Scientific American, as it
very important that every one engaged i
y building should be we'll informed in regard
US the durability of materials
I'd Very few people, or even builders, al
. aware of the advantage of wetting bricks b
fore laying them, or if aware of it they d
|" not practice it for of the many houses no
er in this city, there are very few in which W.
he bricks are used: A wall twelve inches thicl
Of build Of good mortar with bricks well soaked
is stronger in every respect than one sixtec
!" inches thick built dry. The reason of tn
is, that if the bricks are well saturated wit
en- water, they will not abstract from the morts
nj the moisture which is necessary to its crysta
%ization, and on the contrary, they will uni
chemically with the mortar, and become
IN solid as a rock. On the other hand, if tt
en- bricks are put up dry, they Immediately tai
va all the moisture from the mortar, leaving
to dry and harden and the consequence
'e that when a building of this description
or taken down, of its accord the mortar from
nd is like so much sand