Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-05-20


posal. then waited on the clergy
man, the Rev. Mr.. Stock, and I'm.
parted to him my plan. He was so
much satisfied with the idea that be
engaged to lend his assistance bv
going round to the schools on a Sun.
day afternoon, to examine the prog
ress that was made, and to enforce
order and decorum among such a
set of little heathen."
This was the germ of the Chris-
tim Sunday-sch0ol system, which
has in one hundred years spread
over the whole world. In all
all he did Raikes showed the good
sense of the hard-headed, practical
Englishman. The only condition of
admission to the schools was clean.
Illness. Gail that 1 require" said
the philanthropIst to parents, aare
clean hands, clean faces, and their
hair combed." To some one who
tried to beg off from attendance he
replied, at you have no clean shirt,
come in that you have on" The
excuse of another he adroitly par
ried by saying, "If you can loiter
about without shoes, and O ragged
coat, you may as we'll come to
school, and learn what may tend to
your good" Being full of kindness
himself, he continually inculcated
upon the children the duty of being
'kind and good.natured to each
other, and not to provoke one an
other" When the scholars quar-.
relied, Raikes required the ageres.
sor to beg pardon. and the Injured
one to forgive. He soon acquired
such an influence over the little rag.
amuffins that his displeasure. was
feared, and his approval greatly de.
sired.
1t is not easy, in the altered cir
cumstances of the times, to draw au
exact picture of the first Sunday
school, but an approach to distinct
ness is perhaps possible. The place
was an ordinary private house. The
occupant was Mr.. King, who was
also one of the early teachers, and
continued long 10 the service, living
till the year 1882. The children
were assembled by half past eight 10
the morning. Robert Raikes was
usually present, and inspected them
all, commencing the neat, and re.
proving the slovenIy. The boys
were taught apart from the girls.
Each teacher had charge of about
twenty children. The twenty were
divided into four classes, with a
leader-the bost scholar usually-to
each class. The pupil-teacher heard
the lesson in spelling, and took the
beginners through the alphabet.
Rewards were given to the profile
lent 10 the shape of "books, combs,
Shoes" or other articles of wear.
The moro advanced scholars were
taught to read the New Testament,
and committed TO memory portions
OF the Church cateehism and Watts's
hymns. The school met again in
the afternoon. In time the practice
obtained of taking the scholars in
procession TO the church service.
The effect of Raikes's we'll directed
energy was prodigious. The streets
OF Gloucester became quiet and
peaceable on Sundays, and the same
change for the better was effected
throughout the county. In 1886
the Gloucestershire magistrates
passed q resolution declaring that
"the benefit of Sunday-soh 1o!s to the
morals of the rising generation is
too evident not to merit the rooog-
milton of the bench and the thanks
OF the community to the gentlemen
instrumental in promoting them. -
In 1873, after three years. expert
ence, Ralkes ventured to speak OF
the schools in his paper. Inquiries
OF information began to pour in up
on him. His letters in reply found
their way into the Gentleman'S Mag.
aslne, the European Magazine and
Wesley's Arminian Magazine. Adam
Smith, the author of the Wealth of
Nations, was so much impressed
with the utility of the schools as to
say, "No plan has promised to effect
change of manners with equal
ease and simplicity since the days
of the Apostles John Wesley
thought there WAS more in Sunday.
schools than appeared on the SUR
face, and wrote in his journal, per.
hsps God may have deeper end
therein than men are aware Of"
Bishops noticed thsm IN their charge
to the clergy. Teaching poor chill
drcn for time became the fashion.
Even the Queen, wife Of George ILL.,,
sent for Robert Raikes, when he
CHANGED to be at Windsor, 10 learn
from his own lips of his work among
the poor. She wished to know "by
what accident a thought which
promised so much benefit to the
lower orders of people as the insti
tuition of Sunday-schools was sug-
gested to his mind" The rapidity
with which the idea was adopted is
one of the most remarkable facts of
this history. In Leeds, in one year
after the first notice was published
in the Gloucester Journal, there
were twenty-six schools and 1000
scholars. In Manchester there were
very soon 1856 children 10 the
schools.
As yet there was no Sunday.
school Society, and the teachers
were paid. Without organized sup
port, and dependent upon paid Ia.
Dor, the Sunday-school must in
very few years have proved fall
cure. In 1885 William Fox, o CORE.
spondent of Robert ,Raikes, and q
few associates, formed the Society
for the Establishment and Support
of Sundsy.schools throughout the
Kingdom of Great Britain" Thorn.
as Raikes, brother of Robert, was
made one of the organizing CON-
mittee, and Robert Raikes an hons
orary member. A source of supply
for the funds needed was now pro-
vided and in fourteen years, from
1856 to 1900, the society expended
$4,000 for the payment Of teachers.
A long continuance of the policy of
payment would have crippled the
Institution. The suggestion of usinO