two; but after that they began to fall off, and
frequently was the superintendent obliged, in addition to his regular
duties, to place the senior boys of the first class over the lower ones,
and take the remainder, with the second class, under his own care.
Laboring under so many disadvantages, it cannot be expected that M----
Sunday-school should in any respect be very prosperous: yet this I may
say, that though I have been connected with Sabbath-schools for some
years, and have had an opportunity of examining several, I have rarely
ever met with a more orderly set of children, or a better conducted
school.

But who, from such a school as this, would have expected anything like
success? and yet the sequel will show, that, even under such unfavorable
circumstances as these, God did not fail to work for his honor and glory!

The senior class of boys consisted of about a dozen promising lads, whose
ages varied from nine to fourteen. They were placed under the care of two
respectable moral young men, but who, with very many excellent qualities,
were devoid of religion. The boys were encouraged to commit to memory
portions of Scripture, for which they received small rewards; and thus a
spirit of emulation was created as to who should possess the greatest
number of these. Among those who distinguished themselves were three
brothers, named James, Thomas, and George. James, the eldest, remained
but a short time in the school: but Thomas and George continued much
longer, and learned the whole of the three first Gospels, and part of St.
John. They were very regular in their attendance, and when in school
behaved just as others did, only that for their generally correct answers
in the catechetical exercises, which usually followed the reading of
Scripture, they were almost constantly at the head of the class. They had
comparatively little time during the week; but often on a Sabbath morning
have they repeated one or two hundred verses of Scripture. And here let
me remark, that Thomas has since assured me, it was not a love for the
Scriptures, nor a desire to become acquainted with them, which induced
him to commit such large portions, week after week, to memory! it was a
desire,--a kind of emulation,--to be at the head of the class, and to be
thought highly of by his teachers and the superintendent. In this he
gained his reward; for he was looked upon by them as the most promising
lad in the school.

There was one thing connect