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your nature. No language can be better suited to your case, than that of the penitent publican-" God be merciful to me a sinner!"

5. In all your seeking, realise your utter inability and unworthiness; your entire dependance on the mercy of God; that the atoning mercy of Christ is the only ground of hope for a condemned sinner; that though God may be pleased to work through and by the means, yet the heart is changed by divine influence alone, and your sins pardoned by the free act of God's mercy.

6. If you thus come to Christ, he will in no wise cast you out. Such weary and heavy ladened sinners shall find rest. The favor and image of God shall be imparted; peace and joy in the Holy Ghost shall be the blessed fruits. These shall be accompanied by an earnest of the inheritance of the saints in light.

7. When the evil heart of falsehood is thus changed by the power of evangelical truth, you will find a cure of former evils; of which you have not now power to conceive. Truth will appear lovely, falsehood hateful; and grace will enable you to love and serve the God of truth, and resist the temptations of the father of lies. And walking in Christ Jesus the Lord as you received him, you will grow in grace, and in the knowledge of Christ; till freed from sin's remains, you are prepared to enter on the purchased possession, and enjoy God forever. May God grant this to be the happy portion of us all, for his Son's sake. Amen.

Though Mr. Barton had spoken with much plainness, yet there was so much gravity and tenderness expressed in the delivery, that all present were convinced that he spake not from anger, but from a sense of duty, clothed with grief and compassion. Indeed, as he had the command of his passions he was never rough and austere; but he had the happy art of blending severity with tenderness, plainness with an easy address, instruction with pathos; he never rhapsodized for argument, nor starved his hearers with cold, philosophical essays.

The reader need hardly be told, that so plain a discourse, accompanied with a delivery so pathetic and spiritual, did not fail to have a saving effect. Prevailing falsehood was checked, and some of its miserable disciples became the disciples of truth. Seriousness and attention pervaded the assembly, and all seemed to feel and secretly acknowledge, that truth is powerful.

for the honor of the town, and the good of the youth, he will not be employed. Mr. Studious is a man of my acquaintance, well taught in the first branches of science, judicious in the management of a school, and will engage with us at eighteen dollars per month, exclusive of board.”

"Abominable price!" (exclaimed Loveland,) "Only think! Mr. Ignoramus will keep three months for the same money. And he knows enough to larn my children; they can raise taters without your thography, your jography, and grammar, and whole heap such stuff, nobody knows what it means, and what its good for.”

The majority joined with Mr. Loveland, and Mr. Barton seeing it in vain to contend any farther, retired, with a few others, mortified and grieved; hoping at the same time, that the committee would not be biased by the majority, but employ such a man, or the very same he had recommended. But to his further mortification and disappointment, Ignoramus was set at work. He commenced his school.

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The preceding letter will furnish a specimen of his orthography, and placing of capitals; it will, therefore, be necessary only to examine his qualifications in a few other branches. Some of the people thought him to be a very learned saint, because he sung when he read; and they could hardly refrain from tears when they heard his godly tone.' But as this tone can neither be written nor printed, my readers must content themselves with mere guess-work; unless they have been fortunate enough to hear Ignoramus, or some of his pupils. I can only add, as a little more descriptive, that being frequently at a loss what to call his words, he shewed great readiness of mind by filling every chasm with the airs of a melancholy tone; so that the old women thought they could almost hear the angels sing.

Finding it would be pleasing to some of his employers to have the bible read in school, he ordered the first class to bring it, and read in it once a day. One of them who was a little blundering, was reading Gen. 10, 47, and read as follows: "And I asked her, and said, whose dafter art thou? and she said the dafter of Bethuel, Nahor's son, whom milka-bear unto him." "Stop!" said the master, "milk-a-bear is it? I believe its right on the whole-for a bear may be milked, especially if it be a tame bear.”

A scholar who had just begun in the Single Rule of Three, came to him for instruction on the following question:, "If

$20,25 will buy 4 3-4 yards of cloth, how much will $40,75 buy?" He looked seriously on it for some time, and then said, "I know'd this rule once, but never had a scholar that wanted to larn it, and can't do it now. I studied well the rules of cyphering and can do any of 'em, such as edition, destraction, multiplying, dividing, &c. Bring me any of them sums and I'll do it in a minute-I know cyphering enough for any body. Them puzzling sums, made by some big fop of a feller, to show his larnin, needent never be larn't to do any thing."

When he first entered the school, his presence inspired a little fear, because he was a stranger. He made as much swashing as Jupiter's log, he sent to be king over the frogs; and it was not long before he was treated with the same respect. In a few weeks, it was difficult to say, whether the scholars were most noisy in the school-hours, or in the intermission. Frequent and loud complaints were made, which coming to the ears of the committee, they inquired into the matter, and thought best to dismiss him. Though some thought this persecution for righteousness' sake; yet others were convinced, that half-penny masters are worse than none. The committee now acted their own judgment, unbiased by others, and employed Mr. Studious at eighteen dollars per month.

CHAPTER VI.

MR. STUDIOUS was a young man of about twenty four years of age; moral, regularly educated, and recommended according to law. He wrote handsomely, read gracefully, could parse the English language readily, was a correct arithmetician and accountant, and intelligent in geography. Possessing a religious turn of mind, from principle, therefore, he daily addressed the throne of grace, with his pupils, by solemn and impressive prayer. He was not so enthusiastic, as to imagine himself at liberty, to neglect his literary labors, to make room for religious lectures; yet he deemed it time well spent, to guard and mend their morals, by motives and instructions drawn from the gospel; knowing that literary acquirements are likely to be far more useful to the possessor,

and those connected with him, when sanctified by divine grace.

He was no lover of party politics; but he judged it to be proper, to teach submission to the constituted authorities; to explain, as far as they could understand, the nature and good properties of our constitutional form of government; and though he did not suppose, that implicit confidence in the infallibility of the administration could be required, yet he taught, that measures should never be hastily condemned, nor rashly opposed; but there should be the fullest evidence of their being wrong, and then opposed only in such a manner as the constitution authorises.

No one need be more particular in teaching the powers and sounds of the letters; knowing, that on this much depended, for a right pronunciation-one of the first and most important qualifications of a good reader. Drawling, whining, speaking through the nose, a singing tone, mumbling in the throat, a cluttering confused manner of speaking, were faults not to be endured, and to cure which, he thought no pains too great. An observance of the stops and marks, a right use of cadence and emphasis, modulating the tone of voice to correspond with the sentiments expressed, without descending to theatrical mimicry, were beauties on which he insisted, and was successful in teaching. The classes were not allowed to read, unless attentively overlooked, for the correction of faults, and for the purpose of marking and commending what was graceful. He rightly judged, that short lessons thus read, were better calculated for instruction, than much longer ones carelessly read, without being attended to by the master. A few favorite scholars did not occupy his whole attention, to the neglect of the rest; but his time and endeavors were equally distributed, aud the fruit of his exertions was more or less seen in all.

No part of the art of writing was too minute to deserve attention. The form of the pen, the manner of holding it, the consistency of the ink, the quality of the paper, the position of the scholar, the size, proportion, slope, and shape of the letters, the dark and fine strokes, were all dictated with so much judgment, that his pupils failed not to make pleasing advances in this useful and ornamental art.

The learners of arithmetic were taught to commit each rule as they proceeded, before they were allowed to take off, or operate a single question. He did not operate for them,

so as to leave them ignorant of what they should know, in this branch; yet, when any thing was obviously too difficult, or by some means their minds were bewildered, he was ready to afford them such assistance as cast light on their studies, and encourage them to proceed. Puzzling scholars, even to discouragement, was no favorite maxim of his.

Nor was he less happy and successful in teaching the other branches of science. No step was so unimportant as not to deserve attention; and no one was allowed to proceed until he understood what preceded. When his pupils had thus gone his round of tuition, they were able to give their why, and wherefore; and reduce their learning to ornamental and useful practice. It is not, however, to be supposed, that all had equal attainments; for neither himself, nor any other teacher, could supply the defects of age, capacity and attention.

He was no less happy and complete in the art of governing: strict, but mild, consistent, and even. Love, mixed with fear, was the temper of mind sought in his pupils; and he laid it down as a principle not to be controverted, that if the good will of the scholars was not gained, they could neither be successfully governed nor taught. Reducing to practice this principle, procured him the respect and obedience of those, in general, who had arrived at manhood; and the younger part regarded him as a second father. As individuals in all schools may deserve punishment, and as he found it necessary sometimes to punish; he was careful to suppress anger, to be cool and deliberate, and proportion the punishment to the nature and aggravation of the offence. Pains were also taken to convince the offender of the evil of disobedience; and the good resulting from obeying with a ready mind. He was made to believe, that punishment was not inflicted because the master was angry, revengeful, and delighted in pain and torture, but because his own authority, the good of the culprit, and the good of the school required it. This conviction sometimes sunk deep, produced a sorrow for the offence, and a resolution to amend. Corporeal punishment was rarely inflicted, and never on scholars grown to manhood. If such were not subject to known rules, they were expelled the school, or otherwise shamed into compliance. The laws extended to the whole school; particular favorites were not exempted from rules, and the rest put under a discipline severe as that of West India slave holders. Long sticks, of a size to whip.

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