The Portland daily press., 1871-06-23
Before sunday schools,

PAGE FROM SIXTY YEARS AGO
A venerable clergyman of the EnisconaI
church in the Connecticut valley. reccntIv
communicated the annexed paper to minis
telial circle of which he is member as a
contribution to discussion of the effects of
Sunday schools upon the Christian education
OF the young. He kindly permits it to be
Puohshed, as pleasant pictIr OF old times,
at the request OF those 10 whom it was sent
first heard of Sunday schools in 1913; but
remember the days OF faithful catechetica
instruction by Consregationalists and Episco-
paians. In the place of my nativity, B.,
Ot', mere were at that time no other kinds
oi CHRISTIANS. The two bodies eft" more
than was fitting for the followers of the
Lamb. No wonder, for the Congregational
pastor Elijah,-nOt the 1lshbte, tbourb IL
might have been Fshbite, for twas Elijah
Waterman - this Elijah every Christmas
poured into the hapless "church people, such
charge cf round and grape shot, that they
had to keep snug behind our church walls and
ramparts. Our venerable old PASTOR Shelton,
having faith in the church, though he saw
the box and the fir scattered into senseless
fragments OF popery, was wont to work into
every Christmas sermon that "these ever
green's are symbols of life and Immortality
that winter dares not to touch" But Elijah
proved to hair that it was utterly impossible
to designate the day. He growled some at
Easter, and piled up munitions offensive and
defensive against the next 25th of December
El1ah's son was of my own age, and we
we're intimate friends. We knew nothing of
Sunday schools. We only knew that every
month OF summer we were sure to be indus
triously and carefully catechiscd by the two
NOS on bnf On a 1ax,
he by his father with all the children of his
parish, and by the rector of st. Johns.
Elijah the warlke had singular crotchet
which the young Elijah shared till we reach
ed the halls of mother Yale. Both father
and son were dead against "chewing," not
the weed but our mother tongue; not the
tongue our mother gave us, but.the good old
English speech. They insisted on "nater"
and 'virtoo," and "creeter" and "eddycation."
One day when the father was catechizing in
the church, young maiden imbued with the
corrupted pronunciation of the schools, in
her answer said as the Assembly's catechism
has it, "habitual sin." The Rev. Elijah
sternly rebuked her: "Habitool, Miss Ann;
no bitches here" The old gentleman went
into ecstacies when young, beautiful girl, a
convert to bis theory of pronunciation, re-
cut butcherfy is the most beautchifn Great
chure ever produced" He laughed amid
tears of extreme delight, and called for it
over and over again.
The summer monthly catechisms had
something behind them and supporting them.
Sometimes l confess to truant expedition
away into the woods for nests, or on the beach
for crabs and gulls' eggs. Anon hec memin-
isse juvabit." say, behind this summer dis
cipline in dogma there was the true system,
which my judgment and my heart commends
TO- day. think the family instruction was
almost universal. was the youngest OF ten
children, but one, sister now at lest, dying
four years ago in her New York home, while
all her children sung around her bed, "Near-
er my God, to Thee" hymn first brought to
her by the venerable DIR. Hewitt. Well, ev-
| cry Sunday night we made great semicircle
around the big wood fire in the old keeping
room. My father sat at one end of the semi.
circle and my mother at the other. My
mothers end was my delight, though my ap.
pointed place was in a low chair near my
fathers feet. At a very youthful period my
habit was to slide slowly out of my chair and
"swing around the circle" or rather creep
around The semi circle TO the side OF my
mother and sisters. In case of a successful
expedition, mother would keep still to save
trouble. But 1t often happened that sup
pressed snicker from Henry, Fred or Frank
would lead to my dftection ON the way, when
a stern parental voice took me back, caught
| in the act. / almost feel the thwack OF the
prayer book which always lay on the table,
and out OF which he was drilling the cateeho-
| mens-a tair asstI; a ent oil boys and girls,
Obi blessed days, thwack of prayer book and
| all; days of blessed, dign6ed maternity in the
Christian family; days of humble, Christian
hope, of faith ia Jesus, a merited retrbution,
| peaceful heaven.
Well, the day of Sunday schools came. 1t
| was to witness the Inauguration of a better
| and more perfect system. Its object at first
| was noble one; ii was to give light to the
poor and ignorant, but not to supersede the
i scriptural system OF home and the Bible and
! God What change! the teacher, in a
thousand Instances, deplOrably untitled Tor
| his deIcate and responsible DUTY; the teacher
no longer regarded as benelactor, hut in
fact the beneficiary of his or her pupil; the
pupils swamped in defective and often per-
nicious literature; the pupils again courted in
excursions, picAics, parties, parades, even the
lure of money ana other rewards for regulari-
ty and obedience which should have their
own reward. Obligation has changed sides.
1t is now often on the side OF those who i'm
part the most precious of all gifts, but who
are compelled to hide them behind hands
filled with candy lures. Aud we have invok-
ed the aid OF the drama, and in concerts and
festivals we give representations which are OF
the essence OF the dramatic shows OF Roman
ism in the darkest days OF her power.
Under the old family system, there were,
in my native place, as part OF that system,
seven candidates for the ministry in the
churches. There was then population Of
1900 inhabitants. There has not been so
large number, as the result of the Sunday
school system, any time since. The popula-
tion to-day is more than 10000. There are
populOus Baptist, Methodist, and Romish
churches. In the Protestant portion ] bear
OF none preparing for the ministry.
DETAILS OF THE DIFFICULTIES ON THE ASH
ATTIC COAsT.-About five years ago the Ameri-.