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In schools where the constant system is adopted, it is found to work far best.

We might refer you to schools that have come under our notice, where the superintendents say that their schools were never in so good a condition until the change now recommended was effected.

The teacher whose love for the work does not prompt to constant attendance, is not likely to be the old teacher, or the successful teacher. We would say that the exception to the general rule, should be only the absolutely necessitous cases. There are perhaps in every school many who are willing to be teachers, who possess superior abilities for the office; men of decided piety, and apt to teach, but who could not possibly teach the whole Sabbath day, nor every succeeding Sabbath. We would by no means reject the services of such teachers; but we seek so many advantages accruing both to teachers and to scholars under the constant plan, that we earnestly advise all who can to become at once whole day and every-day teachers.

Though regularity of attendance has so much to do with the success and progressive improvement of our schools, it is but one of the requisites that go to make up the efficient teacher.

Let it, however, be the habit of all who cherish an earnest desire, so to addict themselves to fervent prayer, that they may be the happy instruments in the hands of God, of "winning souls" to Christ. Skipton, Yorkshire.

THE SELF-INTERESTED TEACHER.

"The Self-interested Teacher, eh?" I imagine some one exclaiming in a mystified tone: "Of all places in the world, how could self be benefited (except in a spiritual and good sense) in a Sunday school! What worldly benefits would ever be sought or gained there? I know of nought but wearisome and unrequited toil in connexion with the work, and can think of no temporal advantages whatever; at least I never found any."

"The Self-interested Teacher!" indignantly cries another: "Well, that is a curiosity I have yet to discover. For my part, I do not believe any one could be base and hypocritical enough to go to such a place actuated by selfish motives, were there a possibility of carrying them out. Not a single teacher I know would I suspect of such meanness." Certainly you would do wrong to judge any one's motives, or to regard any of your fellow labourers suspiciously.

Could all see the shades of selfishness, and the approaches to that evil, too often at work in the heart, and did all feel as really indignant at the sight as you and they express, dear warm-hearted teacher, it might be better to say no more. But it is not so. There are some languid, lukewarm, dolittle, care-little sort of workers in this as in all other fields of labour. They have not love, nor zeal, nor gratitude warming their hearts and stimulating their heads and hands to action. No, their pulses beat too

feebly over the affair; they creep or shuffle through their work tardily, distastefully.

But why do such appear as teachers at all, occupying, half unwillingly, the ground and tools which others might use with far better effect? The motive sometimes rises beyond the surface, and then all are ready to perceive and denounce it; but more frequently the springs which feed this sluggish action are latent-perhaps in some cases unknown even to the possessor. Were we to probe our hearts deep enough, some form of selfinterest, vanity, or personal gratification would, alas! too often be found as the ruling power. The operation may be a painful one, very mortifying to our much-loved selves, but very necessary to the health and vigour of our souls. Let us not, then, shrink from the task, but look and look again, and seek diligently for help to root out each unhallowed motive.

"Oh, 'tis Sunday morning!" says a professional teacher; "how much earlier one is obliged to rise than he likes, and hurry over breakfast to get to, and open that school in time. I am sure I have hard work and trouble enough with the boys for five days in the week, without taking them on the seventh. If it were not for that, I could sometimes make a long holiday, from Friday night till Monday morning; but, as it is, this is quite out of the question. I would not have all the worry, and the long walk in all weathers, marching those children through the street, and keeping them quiet in church, only I should lose 107. a-year from my salary did I not."

Well, it is only natural that you would prefer a quiet Sunday after teaching all the week; the employ may seem more monotonous to you than to the mere Sunday-school teacher; and if the only constraining power be the £. s. d., rest assured you have your reward, and all you may ever expect to have.

Then there is the self interested son, clerk, or assistant, &c. The first goes to the Sunday-school merely to secure the approbation of parents, or the good opinion of friends; and because there is a certain degree of respectability connected with the office, The last two, perhaps, vote it "a bore"-would far rather take a stroll, or a nap; but the "family" all go, and they would appear odd ones, and would certainly fall many degrees in the estimation of society did they not attend.

"By their fruits ye shall know them." What seed do they sow? What fruit does it bear.

Another phase of this same self-interest is vanity. Some people like to be dressed early and well on the Lord's day. They go to the early meeting, to the Sunday school each time, to all the services. This seems good and proper enough, did you not know the amount of pains and thought, bestowed on their appearance, and did not hear the after remarks on the appearance and actions of all present.

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To see and to be seen" is their object; and this they accomplish. Even the Sunday school furnishes them with its meed of admiration. Others are attracted by self-gratification. Some people cannot be idlethey must engage themselves in one way or another. Now, Sunday school teaching can be made to acquire a nice degree of bustle and eclât which just suits them. They are active and intelligent; and such qualities will

tell here, and bring them into notice. They are introduced to a circle of respectable acquaintances; meet with a good deal of attention; are often invited to interesting meetings, &c. &c. Out of the school they might be nobodies: in it they become somebodies; are looked up to by the children, respected by the congregation, and perchance obtain the special patronage of the minister. "Verily I say unto you they have their reward." Sift and analyse your motives, Sunday school teachers; disdain all that savour of selfishness, any that are not perfectly pure and transparent.

Deeply mistaken are they who seek only to serve or gratify themselves while professing to do the Master's work: blessed, thrice blessed are they who strive to " serve Him with a perfect heart."--Christian World.

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SPECIMEN OF A SUNDAY SCHOOL ADDRESS.

THE ARITHMETIC OF LIFE.

"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto
wisdom."-Psalm XC., 12.

WHEN Moses wrote these words, perhaps he was thinking of the past. He remembered how few were living of those who had quitted Egypt with him many had died; many had been stricken down for murmuring against God; and he prays that those who are spared may improve the remainder of their time. This is a very proper prayer for us. We have just closed another year; we ought to be serious, and think of the days that are gone, and ask whether we have improved them. The youngest have seen some changes. Where is Spring, with its blossoms? Gone! Summer, with its bright skies and flowers? Gone! Autumn, with its waving corn and ripe fruit? Gone! And now we are in the midst of Winter! And like the Some who began the year seasons, people have been passing away! healthful and strong, have been cut down. In the morning they flourished like the rose, in the evening they were withered. In the spring-time some were rejoicing, like the girl who was to be "Queen of the May,"-all was bright! She said,

"If you're waking, call me early, call me early, Mother dear!

To-morrow is the happiest day of all the glad new year;

There will not be a drop of rain, the whole of the live-long day,

For I'm to be Queen of the May, Mother! I'm to be Queen of the May.

But when the winter came, the girl was on her death-bed, and sang a sadder song to her mother

"If you're waking, call me early, call me early, Mother dear!

For I would see the sun rise upon the glad new year:
The new year's coming up, Mother, but I may never see
The flower upon the blackthorn, the leaf upon the tree!

Many, who, in the spring, were as joyous as the season, have fallen like the leaves of autumn! Our days are soon told-" they are cut off, and we fly away." Let us, as we bid welcome to the new year, learn this prayer, "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” Here, then, is a lesson in arithmetic. This is a very important art. In these days, the child who cannot reckon is thought stupid, but the grown up person more so. It is important to know how to count money; but more

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necessary to understand how to “number our days." These are our riches, and if rightly used, will make us wealthy indeed. Nearly all, however, who would learn arithmetic, desire to have a wise teacher-one who understands the rules himself. Who then can best teach us how to number our days? Why, He who gave them! God is the great arithmetician. "One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." Eternity is His! What a teacher! He who gave us time, can best teach us how to use it; and if we are diligent pupils, we must grow wise. Let us begin with the first rule.

I. Numeration. Without this, we could not understand the value of figures. When we are able to make figures, it is important to understand what they stand for. By this rule we know the difference between 1 and 0, and can distinguish hundreds from tens, thousands from millions. It would be rather a bad job for a boy to make out a bill for one of his master's customers and only charge 10 when he ought to charge 100! He would have to go back to school. In life we have only units and ten of years. But when we speak of days we have hundreds and thousands! Take the child of 10 years. How many days has he lived? 3,650! More valuable these than as many pounds. A man was once dying, and he said he would give all he had (and he was not poor) for one hour! Then what must a day be worth! Oh, let me learn this rule thoroughly that we may learn the value of our days." II. Notation. By this rule we learn to write figures correctly. A boy might understand the value of numbers, and yet put them down wrong. O stands for nothing, but when joined to other figures means a great deal. Put 0 between 11 and you make 101, a very serious alteration. It makes all the difference whether you put down 0 to the left or the right hand of a figure. There are some who do not appear to know this rule for their days. Some are proud and make a great show, and pretend they are very wise! But the real value of their days has perhaps been mistaken, they forget that a long line of noughts does not give real numbers, unless the O's stand to the right hand of the unit. Of what value is this? 0001! and the value is no more if you add a thousand O's to the left hand of the unit! Do not let us cheat ourselves; let us take care that we do not have blank lives. Titus, a heathen emperor, if he had not performed some good action during the day, used to say at its close, "I have lost a day." Oh! that all Christian children knew "notation of days" as well as he.

III. Addition. It would not do to stop at the previous rule. We might be able to understand the real value of our days, but this would be of little use if they did not amount to any good. It looks foolish to put down lines of figures if we do not learn to add them up. He knows this rule who makes the best use of his days, and the total is very large indeed. A child's life may look well in addition; his days may have been so numbered that he has applied his "heart unto wisdom." Although Methuselah lived to be 969 years old, his life did not look so well in "addition" as that of his father Enoch, who only lived 365 years. For we only read of the son that he died, but of the father we read that "he walked with God." God was his teacher and thus he became wise and good.

IV. Subtraction. The use of this is, to take the less from the greater and see what remains. Some spend every minute of the time they do not give to sleep in work. If they are obliged to do this they are to be pitied, but many do it who need not. They have no time they say to read or think. Of course then we must expect them to be very ignorant people. It is certain they can know nothing of the subtraction of life. With all their thousands of days they have no remainder! Why they are worse off than a horse, for the poor brute does not work every hour. Let us take care while young to learn this rule of days. See what opportunities children may have by a right use of subtraction! Take a boy who goes to school! Leave out the winter, only consider the six months, when the evenings are long, from April to September. Say from the 24 hours of the day, with school and lessons, meals and play, with sleep, you use 22 hours, still you have two hours a day to spare, and these, leaving out Sundays, amount in all to 312 hours! What splendid use might you make of these! Remember the old true words "waste not, want not.”

V. Multiplication. This rule is only a short way of addition. But how our days multiply! How can we turn them to good account-this is the question! Suppose you were intent upon learning something useful with the two hours a day you have remaining, multiply 365 days by 2 and you get 730! all these extra hours in a year to turn to some good purpose. Cardinal Wolsey, the minister of State, at one time in the reign of Henry 8th, said in the hour of his distress, "If I had served God, as well as I have served my king and country, he would not have forsaken me in my old days!" He learnt the value of this rule too late in life. Learn it while you are young, and if you live to be aged you will be wiser than he!

VI. Division. By this we learn how many times one number is con tained in another. I take the child of 7, and place him beside the old man of 70. I find by this rule that he has lived as long as 10 children of seven years old. Learn division well. Do not use all your days to obtain things of no value, divide them between earth and heaven! Our lives are divided between time and eternity. Oh! that we remembered it; they will leave an eternity after having been divided by time, "So teach us to number our days," and do not forget the use of this arithmetic, "that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom."

WHAT IS TIME?

"I asked an aged man, a man of cares,

Wrinkled, and curved, and white with hoary hairs;

Time is the warp of life,' he said, 'oh tell

The young, the gay, the fair, to weave it well.'

I asked the seasons in their annual round,

Which beautify or desolate the ground;
And they replied (no oracle more wise),

'Tis folly's blank, and wisdom's highest prize.'

I asked my Bible, and methinks it said,
Time is the present hour, the past is fled.
Live, live, to-day! to-morrow never yet,
On any human being rose or set.

I asked the mighty angel who shall stand,
One foot on sea, and one on solid land.

Bermondsey.

By heavens!' be cried, I swear the mystery's o'er,' 'Time was,' he cried but time shall be no more.'

J, E.

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