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hurtful influences, to produce or maintain that spirit in their schools, without which the doors should be rather closed, and the children should wander over the fields. Our meaning will appear more clearly, by considering the formation of character in a school collective and personal. By character, we mean habits of truth, openness, generosity, kindness, reverence, obedience, and the like and these, since with us character is Christian or irreligious, these graces based upon religious grounds, strengthened, sanctified, and in practice connected with the position and creed of a child of God. It is impossible to say how much children depend in the growth of their character upon that of their teachers. The child learns by the heart, by fine perceptions and feelings it is not influenced by reasoning, nor by what is taught so much as by what is done; nor by either teaching or doing so much as by the manner and spirit of that teaching and doing. The child's eye watches the master's eye, and its ear listens to the tone of his voice. It estimates the justice and fitness of a punishment by the spirit in which that punishment seems to be administered. It knows whether idleness is visited as a sin, or as a bar to progress; whether quarrelling is in the master's estimation a breach of discipline or of love. The child knows when it is taught the history of Joseph, whether its teacher desires it to know that history or to feel it. The very manner in which the Bible is taken into the hand, opened, held, laid down, all is marked. And as are these things in the master, so are they generally in the school. A reverent, thoughtful, affectionate, open-hearted, trustworthy set of scholars are, as a rule, only to be found under a master who has these qualities. The scholar learns what the master is. No words, no rules suffice. Character alone produces character.

But the private treatment of scholars is of very great importance. The great fault of home education is its absence of probation, and its keeping the young so much the special objects of care as to cause vanity and selfishness. The great fault of school, a fault so great that it has counterbalanced all advantages, is the merging the young so much in masses, without adequate strengthening and protecting influences, that they sail in the general flood, that they sin without repentance, try to rise without support, become hardened and selfish, have little confidence in and less affection for their teachers. This great and crying evil all earnest teachers are now endeavouring to remedy by private and personal guidance. After every punishment except those of the most trivial character, there should be private admonition. Repentance should be produced, and then sus→ tained. Faults such as slyness, unkindness, vanity, cowardice,

irreverence, should be the subject of private warning and advice. Other faults capable of public notice require private also. Serious rebuke and caution should be given from time to time to those who are thought trying to amend; they should be told of the fruitless branch cut off, and of the polluted temple at last deserted. Affectionate encouragement should be applied to those who are trying to amend; rules of conduct and devotion supplied for their assistance. It should be ascertained what prayers a child uses, how regularly, in what position, and the like. It is as important for teachers systematically to have private intercourse with their scholars, as it is for a clergyman to visit in the cottage as well as seen in the church. The happiest consequences may be anticipated from such pastoral care of children, great safety from sin, great growth in grace, humbly and carefully undertaken, and watchfully and steadily discharged. Systematic private intercourse with the children of the upper classes is of vast importance; and this intercourse, although so priestly in its character, yet must ordinarily devolve upon their schoolmaster, as well because he is the representative of the parents, as because the clergy have seldom either time for the work, or that individual knowledge of the character and conduct of the scholars, which would be necessary for the advantageous discharge of the duty.

What sort of men, then, are required for this work,-how affectionate, how thoughtful, how reverent, how sympathizing they should be, is only so plain, that perhaps many clergymen would be afraid to let their masters undertake it, necessary as it is, and incapable of being performed by others. Far, far better nothing should be done than that most delicate work of God, the conscience of a child, should be rudely handled and tampered with. The public and private training of character in children depends upon character in the master, and that in a very high and Christian sense. But will it not be hard to obtain men possessing this character, after so short a training as most masters can rarely receive, a training influenced more or less by the popular notions of education, and issuing in a course beset by such a host of trials and temptations to vanity and secularity? We require men of singular firmness and wisdom, not of the spirit of this world, nor of this age, whilst the prevalent system not only does not awaken them to the necessity of being such, but, when of themselves, they endeavour after higher things, thwarts them, casts them down, and almost by force makes them that which they would not be.

The remedy, so far as there is one, seems to lie very much in the hands of the parochial clergy. No conscientious incumbent thrusts the deacon, to whom he has given a title, into all the

temptations and difficulties of ministerial work, without counsel, support, and guidance. Yet no deacon but has had a longer education than the master, and twenty-three is the earliest age at which he can commence his calling. What is done, then, for the young clergyman, should be done for the young schoolmaster. A friend and guide should be ever ready to correct, encourage, and instruct. We are not speaking so much of guidance in schoolwork. The young master will often be as well acquainted with the system of a school, and with good modes of teaching, as the clergyman, and, not unfrequently, better. We have in mind, rather, the guidance of the master himself, of his studies, his manner of life, his tastes and character. The clergy should be ready to point out and supply those books which they see their masters severally require. They should explain difficulties, converse upon the views contained in them, modifying or extending them as required. The schoolmaster ought to know his way well to the clergyman's study. Kindly intercourse should be added. It need not be familiar or level, but still kindly; such as shall soothe after the labours of one day, strengthen for that of another, and win trust and regard. The evening meal at times, and the walk, together with conversation on the parish and such matters of ecclesiastical and national interest as are common to all thinking sons of the Church, should not be omitted. In such ways, and on such occasions, suggestions on minor points might come in, so as to be, without effort, given and received. And especial pains should be taken to prevent the deadening and superficializing effects of school routine in religious teaching, by a continual supply of deep and hidden truth. inward Christian meaning of the events of Old Testament history, the interior lessons of parable, miracle, and action in the Life of the Saviour, should be drawn out. The clergyman should give the heart and sweetness of the fruit to him who is necessarily so much occupied with the shell and surface. Choice interpretations of the elder Christians, beautiful and favourite thoughts and views from the Fathers and best divines might be pointed out from time to time, and enlarged on; and such intercourse rendered a continual refreshment and advance.

The

And more than this: a strictly pastoral office should be exercised. The master is, indeed, not only a master, but a coadjutor and friend; yet is he also a parishioner. He should be spiritually directed. His own habits of mind should be the subject of watchful guardianship. Hastiness or sloth, hardness or too great softness, want of reverence or scrupulousness, should receive their medicine from a kind and gentle hand. He who

feeds the tender lambs, should not himself be destitute of pastoral care.

And as the priest and the master are, together, the great human instrument of truth and godliness in their parish, so their labours should be united, not only in principle, and system, and feeling, but in that best bond of unity, common worship, special worship in relation to a special work. It would be well, perhaps, for the clergy to do for their masters, what some or many do for their assistants-pray with them; have certain set times for a short service of admonition and supplication relating to the common work of folding and feeding the lambs of the flock of Christ.

We cannot believe that such intercourse would make the master forget his position, or think more highly of himself than he ought to think. On the contrary, it would rest upon the recognition of the spiritual authority and superiority of the clergyman. Neither do we fear that our masters will overstretch their work in a religious point of view. The vanity and ambition which endangers them is secular, comes from the pride of reason and the inventions of man: and the more they recognize themselves as a kind of order in the Church, as religious officers, the more sensible will they become of their real subordination.

The clergy must not fear intercourse as lowering to themselves or exalting to others. The reason why the farmer and the upper tradesman is proud and presuming, is not because the clergy are familiar with them, but strange. They lift themselves up because the clergy do not condescend. They stand on a basis of their own, and are proud of having parochial influence independent of their rector, because they feel separated from him. Where cordiality thrives, rivalry dies. So with the master: if he loves and trusts; if he is rendered sensible of the need and advantage of spiritual counsel and guidance, he will not set up an independent authority, nor wish a private glory.

These practical suggestions may, perhaps, serve for the present. The future is uncertain. The whole prospects of education are uncertain. And it is impossible to foresee whether or not our masters will eventually be admitted to the deaconate, a measure possessed of great advantages, both to the clergy and to them, if properly guarded and restricted, both as to admission, and direction, and function; and already partially and not unsuccessfully adopted in one diocese. The difficulties which lie in the way of such an advance, are principally those connected with the character of the master; and, therefore, the line now recommended, by guarding and raising that character, would serve alike

to prepare for a further development, or to improve the working of the existing system.

We have almost forgotten to direct attention to the really excellent tract which we have mentioned at the head of this article, and which has in fact drawn our attention at this moment to the deeply important subject on which we have been writing. The tract is addressed to Parish Schoolmasters, and deserves attentively to be weighed by them. The following passage expresses with much truth and reality the idea which we have been endeavouring to develop :

"My heart sinks within me at times when I go into a well-worked school, see the order, quickness, promptitude of all; behold proofs of the quantity of work done in it, and of the knowledge acquired; and then only look at the children's faces and hear them read. Their very tone and manner is enough. There is a catchy, hard, selfish, irreverent, worldly manner, which springs from a corresponding spirit. The scholars appear and speak like little merchants on Change, all eager indeed and business-like and alive for their own interest; but the one thing is wanting, a child-like heart. This which they once had, their best possession, is taken away from them by their very friends. I call a child-like heart God's presence in a school; and when I find it not, the place seems to me forsaken, deserted as a ruined Church. Thus our lambs are turned into wolves even in the fold and under the shepherd's eye that which is soft, sweet and good is taken away, that which is their own; and whilst childhood's weakness of resolve and quick desires are left, the hard ways of mid-life, its isolation and selfishness, its cold, insensible reception of solemn and moving thoughts, are given them in exchange.

"Against such mischief I know no safeguard except the firm belief so often mentioned, that character is all in all; a belief rooted in the teacher and grown up, and filling his whole mind and actions. Only feel and be sure, and then your scholars will feel also, that how they do, in what spirit they do that which they do, is all-important; then they will see that you value a thoughtful answer more than a clever one, a patient and industrious disposition more than showy talents; that openness, kindness, truthfulness, are the qualities which lead you to single any from their fellows; that you had rather they never took a book in their hands than learn jealousy and vanity by it; had rather they could not read their Bibles at all than read them without reverence and solemnity.

"But the pastoral care, the personal and individual observation and treatment of your children, will be one of your greatest assistants. Perhaps you may not hitherto have looked at your school in this light; but it is well for you to regard it as your parish. Your children are your flock, and you are their pastor. Now consider how a parish would fare, if only instructed and exhorted by classes and congregations, by catechizing and preaching. Is it not necessary to have private personal