American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1868-04-18
THE FIRST SUNDAY scHoa1,

= sn mat place, united in ORGANIZING .
1t oaobafh School, but as their uumho,
Y was Small, they solicited other ladies
!. VI ,heir acquaintance in the town
e ana country to join them in this rood
e Work. In this way a sufficient nu,n.
. oel Vi teachers was soon obtaiped
2 ana all set to work to secure schoI.rS
90 IN a short time a very interestino o.
NIUE oabDath school was made nm
But these good ladies had sarions
+ u'lncultles to contend with in carry.
ing out this enterprise they had M
cnurcn 10 hold their school, for 7
must inform you, my readers. that
at tllat day, here was not = sinola
frotestan church in all that conn.
tiy. There was but one cl,urch j.,
the village, and that was Poman
SaChollc Church. SO the best those
ladies could do under these circnm,
s'ahceS was, to take these littla
scholarS to the village school housa
aoouI h'llt mile out of town. and
'nere teach their school. Rut daar
cnildren there was another difticuItr
sun 10 De Stlrmounted-one which
you Know nothing abOut-and that
was, There were no Sunday School
DOCKS TO be had at that early day.po
question books, not even catachisms
not even library books atall. But for
Cihately most of the children po,seSs.
eu pIoieS OF their own. This YOU
may think was nothing strange, bnt
chi'oren, assure you it had been
very strange III that part of the coun.
tiH, lor IL being catholic country
ana verv much under the intinence 6,
VI VI 'he priests, opposed the circula. r.
Lioh m ol the scriptures, bibles had -
oeeh very scarce indeed, until a short !, u
,ine before the establishment of the :.
SABBATH school large number had .,
'een sent to our village, | presume 10 10
" some Bible agent, and the read. ~; ~,
hg OF the scriptures had been intro. ~
luced into our day school. by ths y, y,
then many of the children ar
ad been furnished with bibles of a. a.
heir own. lie
well remember what valuable -,
lece OF property considered mire w
nj how | used to read it at homa II"
; well as at school. Well, the LITTLE =,
IRIS went to the Sabbath School tio
FINISHED with their bibles. and those ~; u.
no "ouin not read the biblo took or,
'eir spelling books, and the princi. op
IL exercises 6f the school were read.
g the scriptures and repeating the oh.
'alms and chapters the scholars oet og'
to memory the previous co,
eek. co'
There was one peculiarly | must CO.,,
It omit to mention about this Sab. o,,i az
tn school: the superintendent and
the teachers were ladies, and all
e pupils were little girls. There .,e a'e
is no male department at all. WHY .ns
is it so, do you ask Well, | pre-. la'' M
me for the reason that there were oI'e
~ female teachers, and as the en-. oHe
prise was some thing new to them. 10 y
IS probable that they thought it A.,
ylsable at first to commence with np: trc
little girls, as the most easily a'
verned, before admitting the lit vs." vs.
boyS-but | beg to be Understood. VIC
eally done intend any disparage ns men Il
MT to the dear little fellows, in y.
king this surmise, for it is only A WA
'posltion with me, fol- really | do not Ore
wv what the reason was, but one One {
ng l am very certain of, that some O"e
lie boys are much more easily gov
ed than some little gnls. W,
Veil, so it was. there vcre non, iad +
little girls in the school. 1t was nav
privilege to have made one of il wi
I favored hand, for it certainly will
very pleasant little school aiI ona ,
med to engage in it with beart y
80 H.. ~ 'o"'iicrs seemed to Gad
were NoTklhg Tor SeSae
nifty, and the children set to
k apparently with the consci.
ness that they were there to learn
ons OF heavenly wisdom. Our Fa
would. with a great man
OF dignity and solemnity, opei whic
exercises with a most excellent ,1o.
yer. lie
is now nearly fifty years since S"'c'
existence OF that Sabbath school. such
well remember my first lesson w
e-the nrSt chapter | committed try a
lemory-lt was the 4th chapter ture
Matthew, another was the 10Th Their
m, and another the 104th Psalm, of "A
others; and though that time is once
n the distant past, l believe | heart
II read or repeat those portions knee
rupture, but thatmy mind reverts az su
lat blessed little Sunday school who
ng ago. staut
NV dear children, how MANY of over
Will remember the lessons vou enoui
low learning at Sabbath school the Y
You have reached beyond your npllfl
eth year! For L
love 70 think of ,bot ,roo;o,,s is rig
band of teachers and scholars TOW =
l believe tbav h. hoan L. up tia
to me all my life, and | hone w
be to all eternity. So | vould save
'e you to lay up the sacred les u:, ,,aul
You are now learning in the very i" I'o' noe
rs of your hearts, have your "ettr
S well stored with them, that oou'l
may be as well-spring of iov asi'd'
u IN all your future life. and .oSe u
comfort to your dying hours. W I've
to return to the history of III, o''eS-