The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1871-03-02
ESSAY ON SUNDAY SCHOOLS.
BY HON. R. F. SIMPSON.

Church for Pendleton Circuit, we give below an
Essay by Maj. R. F. Simpson on the impor-
tance and method of Sunday School education
70 tie Members of the Quarterly Conference for
PendLeton Circuit .
Pursuant to the direction of your body, l
have attempted to prepare an Essay on the
proper mode of Education for children at our
Sunday Schools. I feel no confidence that ]
shall be able to prepare anything that will meet
universal approval !; but if it may meet your
approval, / shall be sufficiently gratifed.
Before proceeding to the plar of instruction
I shall propose, 1 had intended to say some
thing as to the great value of the system OF
Sunday Schools, not only to the pupils, but to
society and the government. / find, however,
to my hand, laudatory sentiments by Senator
D. Webster, President Jefferson and Mr.. E.
Burke, England's. great statesman, all famed
for wisdom, and whose opinions know will be
highly appreciated by you. Mr. Webster says:
"The Sunday School is one of the great insti-
tutions of the day It leads our youth in the
path of truth and morality, and makes them
good men and useful citizens. AS a school for
religious instruction, it is of inestimable value;
as civil institution it is priceless, and has
done more to preserve our liberties than grave
statesmen and armed soldiers Let it, then, be
fostered and preserved to the end OF time. y
President Jefferson says that Sunday Schools
presented the only legitimate means, under the
Constitution, of avoiding the rock on which
the French Republic was wrecked, and Mr.
Burke never expressed wiser sentiment than
when he said "a religious education was the
cheap defence of nations"
How important, then, to use that manner OF
instruction the best calculated to secure and
IL. I {1,,e tf,,fr
is so we'll calculated to promote. The plan
now in use is doing, and has done, great good,
and all would venture upon is, to amend the
present systern-to make it more perfect. And
while venture to strike out into what may be
thought new direction, so far as our commu-
nifty is instructed, beg You will give to such
views a fair examination before you decide up
on their merits or dement's. Then to 1T at
once.
i believe in the science of Phrenology, which
Iexplain thus: There is a muscle, called an
"organ," in the brain, to answer to all the diff
ferent parts of the mind; and further, that
these muscles or.organs of the brain are sub
iect to the same laws of growth from exercise
that the muscles of the body are. Now, we
know that if an arm is tied up and not used at
all, the muscles of that arm will shrink away,
and the arm become useless On the other
will grow quite large from constantly using
the hammer This is one of our Fathers laws,
given, too, with the kind intention to compel
us to exertion, that both body and mind may
grow strong, and be useful to our fellows.
There are two organs, "Ideality and Eventual
ity," that indicate, when well developed. the
possessor to have great facility in acquiring
knowledge These are called the intellectual
organs 1t is with the moral faculties our
great concern should be- When the moral fac
ulties are so far strengthened as to influence
and guide the will, then the will, actuated
through the intelligence, will control the ami
NAL passions. There are three organs OF the
brain, called "Benevolence, Yeneratlon and
Conscientiousness, more important IN forming
a good man and citizen than all the rest.
To Beneyolence is assigned disposition OF
kindness and good will to all, and disposes the
possessor to pursue such q course OF conduct as
is suitable to the maintenance of social order.
To Veneration is assigned predisposition
in the possessor to love and venerate his pa
rents, and to feel profound respect for any one
great and good. 1t is the source Of natural re-
Ggion, and produces disposition to worship
some superior power This tendency mani-
tests itself in every tribe of men yet discovered.
Among the heather, it is this organ, when not
cultivated, that leads them to worship the sun
and moon, defy men and worship animals, and
leads to all sort ofreligious absurdities. Hence
YOU will see the immense importance OF cultl-
waiting this organ, by which the child may be
taught who to worship.
To Conscientiousness is assigned the disposi-
ton to do Justice in all cases. Its real function
Is to produce an emotion Of justice or injustice,
on the presentation of particular facts to it, by
the intellect. When largely developed, it con-
trolls most of the other organs, and acts with
out partiality.
If these premises are admitted, the conclu-
sion is inevitable that these are the organs that
Sunday School teachers should bend their
whole energies to develope. How to do this,
though, is question not 80 easily solved.
To cultivate Benevolence, I will give you
the practice of friend in an adjoining county,
who has been very successful in attaching the
scholars to the Sunday School. The children
are induced by persuasion to bring every Sun
day some little trife that they labored them
selves for-if only piece of lightwood, an
apple, peach, broom, walnut or hickory-nut,
biackberries, or whatever else, so it be some
thing. that the child may be able to bring.
These are all taken care of by the Superinten-
dent. and at the proper tine.put up at auction,
and the proceeds applied to the missionary So
ciety, or to purchase of books or papers for the
school. The blackberries may be made into
wine and sold for books. At Christmas have a
ssChristmas Tree" Induce the parents to aid
in supplying this "tree," and especially have
all the scholars to put something on it for some
one of his or her school-fsllows, which may be
made known or kept secret as the giver may
desire. Let this day be a holiday for the
school A May decoration Of the Church with
eyergreens and flowers would afford another
holiday highly interesting to the children: If
the "Christmas Tree" should be furnished by
the teachers and parents with apples, oranges,
crackers, gingerbread, &C., the day would be
made one long to be remembered by the de-
lighted children:
Then the teacher might present every Sum
day some short history of some poor orphan in
distress--put it to the scholars each one to say