viz. "I was obliged to keep him at home to mind his little brother."

Thirdly, I am convinced, that it confers a benefit both on the children and parents: many of the latter freely acknowledge it; and I trust that Infant Schools will tend to verify that portion of Scripture, which says, "Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it." Although this seems not to be the case in all instances, still we are quite certain that if good seed is never sown, it can never spring up; for the minds of children, and indeed of men, may very justly be compared to a garden, which, if not attended to, will be soon over-run with all kinds of noxious weeds, which will take such root as frequently to choke every good thought and affection, and even conscience itself.

Lastly, every argument that can be brought forward in support of education in general, and the National and British systems in particular, may be brought forward in support of Infant Schools, with this additional weight, that infancy is the time in which we receive our first impressions, and if those impressions are bad, they are not easily effaced. We find that little children were the particular objects of our Divine Master's care, when he was on earth, as we thus read in the Gospel :"And they brought unto him little children,

that he should touch them; but the disciples rebuked those that brought them: but Jesus, beholding, was much displeased, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of heaven: and taking them up in his arms, and putting his hands upon them, he blessed them," Mark x. 13 to 16.

The Infant School in Quaker Street, Spitalfields, was opened July the 24th, 1820, and twenty-six children were admitted the first day; the next day twenty-one; on the 31st sixty-five, and on the 7th of August, thirty-eight; at which last date I and my wife were engaged by Joseph Wilson. Esq. to take the management thereof. This gentleman built the school-room, and supplied every thing necessary, at his own expence, and settled our salary.

Thus situated, we commenced, and soon found that we had a complete desert, as it were, to cultivate; for the children were mostly strangers to each other, and few of them knew their letters. The first thing that appeared necessary, was to form the children into classes, which being done, we endeavoured to select two children out of each class to act as monitors: but finding that there were not more than six children in the whole school that knew their letters, it was impossible to derive any assitance from them,

in the way of teaching the others. The consequence was, we were obliged to take the children by one class at a time, and having supplied each child with a card, on which the alphabet was printed in large letters, we formed them into a square, and commenced by calling out A, and likewise desiring each child to point with his finger to the letter, which being done, the next letter was called, and so on, till the whole alphabet was repeated. By pursuing this plan, in course of time, we were enabled to find monitors who knew their letters, and by these means adopted a regular system, an account of which will be laid before the reader in the following pages.

ON

INFANT EDUCATION.

Rules to be observed by the Parents of Children admitted into the Spitalfields Infant School.

PARENTS are to send their children clean washed, with their hair cut short and combed, and their clothes well mended, by half past eight o'clock in the morning, to remain till twelve.

2.

If any child be later in attendance than nine o'clock in the morning, that child must be sent back until the afternoon; and in case of being later than two in the afternoon, it will be sent back for the day.

3.

Parents may send their children's dinners with them in the morning, so that they may be taken care of the whole day, to enable the mother to go out to work.

4.

If a child be absent, without notice being sent to the master or mistress, assigning a satisfactory reason for the absence, such child will not be permitted to return again to the school.

Saturday afternoon is half-holiday.