master, teaching the unlettered insect the profoundest results of human science. The migratory bird, without chart or compassand all unskilled in logarithms-is guided in safety from one zone to another. The waterfowl, brought into life upon our northern lakes, with no almanac to predict, no experience to instruct, still hears a voice in the breeze, whispering of winter, and warning it away to far-off climes of southern summer. In all these cases, in stinct is the voice of truth. There is no instance in which an universal instinct is a lie. And if the voice of Nature, calling the birds away, and guiding them from one zone to another, be true, surely that Voice is true which has assured man in all ages, that he, too, is bound to another country, and another home! SEPARATE SERVICES FOR SUNDAY-SCHOOL CHILDREN. BY THE REV. SAMUEL MARTIN. THE times in which we live, are marked by earnest inquiry into the utility and rectitude of all public institutions and procedure. The "fan" is in every man's hand, and it is employed on every "floor." Thoughtful men regard this universal winnowing with mingled feelings: complacency and disapprobation, joy and sorrow, hope and fear are excited by different aspects of this same circumstance, and alternate with the character of the phase which this circumstance wears. It cannot be expected that no wheat will be driven away with the chaff; but yet it may be hoped that immediately an extensive separation will be effected between things useful and things useless; and that ultimately every grain of precious wheat will be garnered, and the chaff burned with unquenchable fire. He who has truth and right on his side will not faint when his own opinions and procedure are subjected to a sifting process; and although when he sees the threshing instrument recklessly and wantonly used, fear and kindred emotion may disquiet his heart,as he looks on the results which must ultimately be gained, the lan guage of his soul must be, "I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.". The real friends of Sabbath-school instruction will not barricade their floor and say, "No man with fan in hand shall enter here." They wil not, by repressing discussion among Sabbath-school teachers, "muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn." But we overdrive our figure. Who is there, having an intelligent and earnest attachment to Sabbath-school teaching, that wishes to perpetuate modes and plans, simply because they were established some twenty, thirty, forty, or fifty years ago? We ought to grow out of our modes of working, as in the days of our childhood, to the cost of our parents, our extending limbs exceeded the dimensions of our garments. 'I said days should speak and years teach wisdom." As we learn by experience in other matters, we ought to gain wisdom in our Sabbath-school operations by the trial of past labours, and the test of by-gone years. Let us go on unto perfection. If in our Sabbath-school enterprise some instrumentality appear useless, let us take away the branch that beareth not fruit; if any mode of action 66 appear to need revision, let us prune that branch that it may bring forth more fruit: if the whole tree appear sickly and weak, let us not hesitate to ply even the root-let us dig about it, and dung it; and by every available means let barrenness be kept far away from our Sabbath-school vineyard. With these remarks we introduce the subject of this Paper, viz., "The attendance of Sabbath-school children on religious services professedly conducted for adults; and the propriety of establishing an order of worship and ministration suited to the juvenile mind." The public services of most Christian congregations consist in worship and preaching: the former including prayer, praise, confession of sin and thanksgiving; the latter including instruction, warning, correction, reproof and consolation. Blended with worship and preaching is the communion of saints. Those who conduct these services contemplate, chiefly if not exclusively, the minds and hearts of adults. Liturgies have been compiled, and extemporaneous prayer is offered, in view of the state and feelings of the adult. And so far as the individual conducting these exercises throws himself into the services, it is the thought and feeling of a man that is expressed. The minister could by the aid of memory and imagination cast himself back into the position of a child; and he could put forth the thinkings and the feelings of those who have not put away childish things; but he does it not in these services, and for obvious reasons. In the majority of instances children are a minority in the congregation; but even if children be the majority these services are not instituted for them. The minister has been called on these particular occasions, to lead the devotions of adults and to preach to adults. On these occasions the case of the adult is the more important; and no man, in our judgment, can at the same time successfully minister to persons of widely distant years. Let us define the word "children." We mean by it, all whose modes of thought, currents of feeling, and forms of speech, are some grade or grades below the mind and heart and tongue of men and women; and who are in this inferior position by reason of their tender years. There are infants in age who are men in soul; there are men in years who are infants in soul. These cases are, however, exceptions: the rule is, that a human being between five and fifteen years, is in capacity a sphere below his fellow-creatures from above twenty years of age. If the Bible contained any law upon the subject of children's attendance on Divine worship, we need but to direct every Sabbath-school teacher to that book of statutes, and ask, "What readest thou?" But we have found no precept concerning this matter. If instances of children attending general worship were rcorded in the New Testament, we might refer to the authority of precedent. But we are not aware that the Bible records such cases. The Hebrew male children from twelve years old were required to go up with their fathers three times a year to Jerusalem; but in this is neither law nor precedent on the question before us. We are left to judge by what appears wise and likely to be useful. And thus judging, we are prepared to advise-" Appoint and conduct separate services for Sabbath-school children." Our reasons for this advice are as follow: First, Services adapted to children can alone be expected to beget among the young, the habit of attending public worship.—We take this argument from the lips of those who advocate the attendance of children on ordinary public services. They say, "hereby you form the habit of attending God's house." From this we entirely dissent. Is it in the character of our ordinary services to interest children, and can it be? Is not the heart of an adult-in its tones, and the mind of an adult-in its operations, and the circumstances of an adult-in their seriousness, distinct from the condition, feelings and thoughts of children; and is there sufficient in common to the adult and child to render what is interesting to the former interesting to the latter? Distinct amusements, separate pursuits, individual companionships, say-" Decidedly not." But where interest is not felt habit is not formed; or, if habit be formed, it is destitute of the element of intelligence and of conscience. Without appealing to facts, therefore, we affirm, that the habit of attending public worship cannot be formed by children attending services not adapted to their case. But what is the evidence of circumstances? So far as our personal observation and our inquiry extends, we are constrained to say, the habit affirmed is not created by children attending general worship. The habits of listlessness, wandering of the eyes, restlessness, playing, talking, wishing for the final Amen, longing for the time when they can spend their Sabbath as they please, and such like, are formed; and regarding our Sabbath-school children en masse, we know of no other. Upon this point there are certain forward witnesses whose testimony must be rejected. These are the Christians who sit comfortably in their pews on the Lord's day, and who pleasantly dream that children sit as they sit these are the Sabbath-school teachers who never sit in the children's gallery, but who talk most glibly of the ease with which children are kept quiet-these are the church-members and church. officers who would put children into places of worship for show, or to occupy vacant pews, as the hair-dresser puts blocks in his window, or as the clothier suspends suits in his show-room-these are the religious conservatives who imagine that when they protect from invasion the customs which years have sanctioned, they necessarily preserve what is useful and good. Such witnesses are not competent, and their testimony is little worth. But the Sabbath-school teacher who sits with the children, and who wishes to see them enter into public worship, will tell us that bad, not good habits, are formed by the attendance of Sabbathscholars on the services of ordinary worship. We do not mean to assert that no careful, intelligent and earnest teacher will defend the present system; but we speak of majorities not minorities, of rules and not of exceptions. Appealing to the bulk of devoted teachers on this subject, we think we can anticipate the nature of their reply. If we say to them, "Is it a fact that the majority of our Sabbath-scholars attend public worship when they leave our schools?" Their answer will be, "We think not." And if we add, "Of those who continue to frequent the house of prayer, how many come because they were brought in the ranks of the school?" Their reply will be, "Few, very few-perhaps none.' Now we do not affirm, that services for children would necessarily and invariably beget the habit of attending worship; but this we say hereby no impediment would be put to its formation as in the present case; means adapted to the end would be employed, and on دو the adaptation we may plant some hope of success. Appealing to the Christian adult we might ask, "Are you in the habit of attending public worship where your heart is not interested, and where your mind is not instructed? Have you chosen such a ministry for yourself? or, if it be your misfortune to be placed under such a ministry, is it not your habit to absent yourself for another spiritual leader?' Can more self-denial be expected from an unconverted child than from a pious woman, or from a godly man? Secondly, Separate Services can alone speak with children to God, or speak for God to children.-If prayer breathe the desires which the hopes and fears, the joys and sorrows of an adult have begotten; and if these feelings are excited by the care of business, the charge of a family, the toil of earning daily bread, the discipline of suffering, the state of trade, the politics of the government, the condition of the nations-can children follow that prayer? If adoration expresses conceptions beyond their reach, and if thanksgiving acknowledge mercies they cannot have received, and if confession mention sins beyond their sphere-can children unite? Yet the worship of our public services does all this, and to be effective must do it. But prayer with children alone, can not only use those simple forms of speech which infant lips employ, it can embrace those particular objects which the sphere of a child's life involves. Thanksgiving and confession can also, as the exercise of prayer, refer to the scenes of school and of play, to the circumstances of the errand-boy, of the apprentice, and junior servant; and can exclude those objects with which children are not familiar. The same remarks apply to preaching. The preacher who would interest children must, to a considerable extent, think as a child, and speak as a child. A congregation of adults often suffers considerable loss through a preacher using Lexicon words, and not everyday-life-words; and a congregation of children, when not addressed as children, is in a far more evil case. The mental condition, and the external circumstances of children, are so different from the inner and outer state of the adult, that to speak with them, and to speak to them, we must employ a separate tongue. We may speak for them and over them without this distinction; but a recognition of childhood's state is essential for carrying the minds of children with us, or for conveying ideas to their intellect and sentiments to their heart. Thirdly, Separate Services can alone be expected in any large measure to be the means of the conversion of children. In what does converting power abide, or with what is it connected? There is no virtue in the place of Christian assembly: "The heart alone can make divine There is no abstract and absolute God's house. God's house is that spot or structure which to our hearts is a meeting-place with God. The building which is "amiable" to the Christian through associations of God's presence therewith, is not lovely to the mind that has not connected with it corresponding thoughts. So that to the case we are contemplating, no more advantage is derived from assembling our Sabbathschool children in our places of worship than would be obtained by the young, the habit of attending public worship.—We take this argument from the lips of those who advocate the attendance of children on ordinary public services. They say, "hereby you form the habit of attending God's house." From this we entirely dissent. Is it in the character of our ordinary services to interest children, and can it be? Is not the heart of an adult-in its tones, and the mind of an adult-in its opera tions, and the circumstances of an adult—in their seriousness, distinct from the condition, feelings and thoughts of children; and is there sufficient in common to the adult and child to render what is interesting to the former interesting to the latter? Distinct amusements, separate pursuits, individual companionships, say-" Decidedly not." But where interest is not felt habit is not formed; or, if habit be formed, it is des titute of the element of intelligence and of conscience. Without appeal ing to facts, therefore, we affirm, that the habit of attending public worship cannot be formed by children attending services not adapted their case. But what is the evidence of circumstances? So far as our personal observation and our inquiry extends, we are constrained say, the habit affirmed is not created by children attending general wor ship. The habits of listlessness, wandering of the eyes, restlessness playing, talking, wishing for the final Amen, longing for the time whe they can spend their Sabbath as they please, and such like, are formed and regarding our Sabbath-school children en masse, we know of other. Upon this point there are certain forward witnesses whose testi mony must be rejected. These are the Christians who sit comfortably in their pews on the Lord's day, and who pleasantly dream that childre sit as they sit these are the Sabbath-school teachers who never siti the children's gallery, but who talk most glibly of the ease with whic children are kept quiet-these are the church-members and church officers who would put children into places of worship for show, or Occupy vacant pews, as the hair-dresser puts blocks in his window, or a the clothier suspends suits in his show-room-these are the religion conservatives who imagine that when they protect from invasion the cus toms which years have sanctioned, they necessarily preserve what useful and good. Such witnesses are not competent, and their testimony is little worth. But the Sabbath-school teacher who sits with the chil dren, and who wishes to see them enter into public worship, will tell us that bad, not good habits, are formed by the attendance of Sabbath scholars on the services of ordinary worship. We do not mean to assert that no careful, intelligent and earnest teacher will defend the present system; but we speak of majorities not minorities, of rules and not of exceptions. Appealing to the bulk of devoted teachers on this subject, we think we can anticipate the nature of their reply. If we say to them, "Is it a fact that the majority of our Sabbath-scholars attend public worship when they leave our schools?" Their answer will be, "We think not." And if we add, "Of those who continue to frequent the house of prayer, how many come because they were brought in the ranks of the school?" Their reply will be, "Few, very few-perhaps none." Now we do not affirm, that services for children would necessarily and invariably beget the habit of attending worship; but this we say hereby no impediment would be put to its formation as in the present case; means adapted to the end would be employed, and on A |