WRITTEN FOR THE USE OF CHILDREN,

By the Rev. John Black, Woodbridge, Suffolk.

Through all

glorious

skies his circuit run,

?

At rising morn, closing day,
And when he beam'd his noontide

3 When darkness had o'erspread the Hast thou e'er seen the

arise,

And with a mild and placid
Shed lustre o'er the face of night?

4 Hast

e'er wander'd o'er the plain,
And view'd the fields and waving
The flowery mead, leafy grove,
Where all harmony love.

And

5 Hast thou e'er trod the sandy
the restless roar,
When rous'd by some tremendous
It's billows rose

6 Hast thou beheld the

dreadful form?

stream

Thro' nights dark gloom, sudden gleam,

While the bellowing thunder's

Roll'd rattling

the heaven's profound?

7 Hast thou e'er the cutting gale,

The sleeting shower,

biting hail;

Beheld snow o'erspread the
The water bound icy chains?

8 Hast thou the various beings That sport the valley green, warble on the spray,

That

Or wanton in the sunny

9 That shoot along

Or

ground their

?

briny deep,

dwellings keep;

That thro' the forest range,

Or frightful wilds deserts strange?

10 Hast the wondrous scenes survey'd,

11 'Twas GOD who form'd the concave

And all the glorious orbs

high;

gave the various beings birth,

That people all the spacious

CHAPTER XVII.

VARIOUS ANECDOTES OF INFANT SCHOOL CHILDREN.

THE subjoined anecdotes, will not I am persuaded be found unworthy of perusal by those who are interested in the welfare of young children. They will afford the teacher in particular an opportunity of drawing many useful inferences as to the management of infants.

PLAYING THE TRUANT.

A little girl, whose mother was dead, was often absent from school. She was never at a loss for excuses, but from their frequency I was at last induced to suspect their truth. None of the children knew where she resided; so I was obliged to send the eldest boy in the school home with her, to ascertain whether or not her stories were true. I gave the boy positive directions to make haste back; but, much to my surprise, I saw no more of him for six hours. When he returned he told me that the little girl refused to shew him where she lived; and had taken him so far, that he at last determined to leave her, but could not find

his way back sooner. In the evening I went myself, according to the direction I had entered in the admission book, but found that the family were removed, and the persons in the house could not tell me where they had gone to reside. I saw nothing of the child for the five following days, when a woman, who had the care of her and her little brother, in arms, came to inquire the reason why the girl came home at such irregular hours, stating, that sometimes she came home at halfpast eleven, at other times, not till two, and sometimes at three in the afternoon; in short, often an hour after school was over. I told her that the child was frequently absent, and that it was five days since I had seen her. The woman appeared quite surprised, and told me, that she had always sent the child to school at the regular time; that when she came home before the usual time, she said her governess had sent all the children home a little sooner; and if she came home after the time, then she said that there had been some ladies visiting the school, and that the children had been kept for their inspection.

Here I must acknowledge, that I have frequently detained children a little while after school hours, when we have had visitors, but since it furnishes the children with an excuse for going home late, I think it would be better to discontinue the practice; and would hint to those ladies and gentlemen who feel inclined to visit such schools, that they would come between the hours of nine and twelve in the forenoon, or two and four in the afternoon. I have only to observe, that the child I have been speaking of came to school very regularly afterwards,

BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF PICTURES:

A little boy, the subject of the following anecdote, being six years of age, and forward in his learning, I considered him fit to be sent to another school, and sent word to the parents accordingly. The father came immediately, and said, he hoped I would keep him until he was seven years of age; adding, that he had many reasons for making the request. I told him, that the design of the Institution was to take such children as no other school would admit, and as his child had arrived at the age of six, he would be received into the National School; moreover, as we had a number of applications for the admission of children much younger, I could not grant his request. He then said, "I understand that you make use of pictures in the school, and I have good reason to approve of them; for," said he, "you must know that I have a large bible in the house, Matthew Henry's, which was left me by my deceased mother; like many more, I never looked into it, but kept it merely for show. The child, of course, was forbidden to open it, for fear of its being spoiled: but still he was continually asking me to read in it, and I as continually denied him : indeed, I had imbibed many unfavourable impressions concerning this book, and had no inclination to read it, and was not very anxious that the child should. However, the child was not to be put off, although several times I gave him a box on the ear for worrying me; for notwithstanding this usage, the child would frequently ask me to read it, when he thought I was in a good humour; and at last I complied with his