Somerville Female Charity School. 207 Some friend has been so obliging as to enclose to us a manuscript copy of the last semi-annual Report of the Somerville Female Charity School Society. We publish with pleasure a sketch of its contents. The Managers express their regret that the number of the scholars who attended the school last summer, and were deriving great benefit from the instruction they then received, had fallen off during the last winter: which they ascribe partly to the prejudice still existing in the minds of some of the slave-holders against teaching the blacks to read, and partly to the indolent and vicious dispositions of the servants themselves. About fifty have persevered in attending regularly on Sabbath mornings. These have all made greater or less progress. About 27 of them can read tolerably well in the Bible. Of those who had retired, eight or ten returned in the spring, and embraced the opportunity afforded them of learning to read. Many more would have imitated their example, had their masters and mistresses generally manifested a readier disposition to promote this object, by enforcing or encouraging their punctual attendance at the Schools, or even by giving them some instruction at home. Here The plan of Sunday School teaching has been enlarged this spring, by extending it to the children of the village and its vicinity, generally. About fifty, of 14 years old and under, are statedly collected every Sabbath morning at the church, and as many more in the afternoon at two other Schools distant from each other. the children repeat their catechism and hymns, and are examined on certain portions of Scripture previously appointed, and which they have had an opportunity of studying through the week. The managers state that in this exercise they and all the teachers have experienced great satisfaction, and they trust it has been highly beneficial to their scholars. They are desirous of seeing this plan of instruction embrace all the children of the congregation. In the day school under the care of the Society twelve children, whose parents were very poor, have, during the past year, not only been taught to read the Bible, but provided with suitable clothes to enable them to appear with decency in the house of God on the Lord's Day. The managers have now fourteen charity scholars of that description under their care, who are improving not only in learning, but in habits of industry, cleanliness, and good order. They look up with confidence to their fellow citizens for a continuance of their liberal support of this useful charity. In reading the above statement, one is sensibly shocked by the lamentable fact, that there should be found heads of families either so blinded as to oppose, or so supine as to neglect, the enjoyment of advantages thus providentially offered to meliorate the intellectual and spiritual condition of their servants. Happy that child of Adam, who, by a blessed experience, knows how to estimate the preciousness of the sacred volume, who, while he traces in its pages 208 Poetry.-Good use of Public money. the history of inan's apostacy from God, which "brought death into the world and all our wo," beholds on the other hand the exhibition of the glorious plan and wonderful operations of redeeming love as revealed in the gospel which has brought life and immortality to light.' The Christian who is in the habit of regarding the word of God as "the man of his counsel," "a lamp unto his feet and a light unto his path," a sweet solace under the most trying solici tudes and adversities, and the charter of his eternal hopes, cannot but deplore the infatuation which would deprive a fellow creature of the means of becoming partaker of the same invaluable privilege. Indifference about the possession of such an advantage, either for ourselves or for those whom Divine Providence has placed under our immediate care and control, is shocking in one who professes to believe in the christian religion, and must awaken the deepest commiseration when manifested by such as, like Gallio,' care for none of these things.' The following lines are from the pen of MONTGOMERY. Thy word is a light unto my path." Psalm exix. 105. What is the world ?—A wildering maze, Where Sin hath track'd ten thousand ways All broad, and winding, and aslope, Millions of Pilgrims throng these roads, -One humble path that never bends, Is there a Guide to show that path? The State of Connecticut has received from the United States fifty thousand dollars, for services of the militia of that State in the general defence during the late war. This sum has thus been distributed for the support of religion and learning To the Congregational Societies The Episcopal Bishops' fund The Baptist Societies The Methodists do. To Yale College $16,666 66 7,142 85 6,250 00 4,166.61 2,582 41 THE CHRISTIAN HERALD. VOL. III.] Saturday, June 28, 1817. LIND 14. EXTRACTS FROM THE APPENDIX TO THE FIRST ANNUAL REPORT OF THE AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY. (Continued.) Bxtract of a letter from Alexander Tourgueneff, Secretary of the Russian Bible Society. (TRANSLATION) SIR, ST. PETERSBURG, 21st August, 1816. Permit me to express my sentiments of acknowledgment and satisfaction for your letter of 23d May, which you did me the honour to address to me, and in which you communicate such interesting particulars respecting the establishment of an American Bible Society. I make not the least doubt, Sir, but that your projects for the propagation of the word of God will be crowned with full success; and at the first session of the Committee of the Russian Bible Society I will gladly give an account of the happy result of your deliberations. They will undoubtedly participate, with me the joy excited by the intelligence of this event, and the hope of shortly seeing (thanks to your efforts) the divine light of religion penetrating the most distant regions of your hemisphere. and illuminating those who, by the impenetrable ways of Providence, have hitherto been deprived of it. Sir, your most humble, And most obedient servant, ALEXANDER TOURGUENEFF, Secretary of the Russian Bible Society. From the Secretaries of the Hamburg and Altona Bible Society, communicated through the hands of the Right Rev. Willian White, President of the Philadelphia Bible Society. We have learned with great satisfaction from the publications which have reached us, that the loud voice of the friends of the Bible in America has demanded and produced a union of the interests of all the Provincial Societies, by the establishment of a National Bible Society. We cannot better express our joy at this event, than by a request to be made acquainted, through the medium of your printed Reports, with the result of your endeavours to diffuse the word of God throughout the wide dominions of the States of North Ame rica. pure However great the distance at which we live from each other, we feel ourselves associated with you in the blessed vocation of offer ing those revered documents, upon which the faith of all Christians rests, to such of the children of men as do not possess them; and of thereby leading them to a nearer and fruitful knowledge of our Holy Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who "of God is made, unto all that 210 Appendix to the 1st Report of the American B. S. believe on him, wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." To glorify the name of Christ be, therefore, the aim of our exertions; exertions which cannot fail to receive the approbation and blessing of God, even though but few evidences of it should be seen in this life. We send you along with this epistle twelve copies of our Report for this year, to be distributed among your provincial Societies; and by this act commence an intercourse and connexion with you, which we desire to render as extensive as we can. You will undoubtedly be able to make it as instructive to us, as it will be interesting, by the rich fund of experience which your activity will supply. How much will you discover favourable to the advancement of our design! and, on the other hand, how many difficulties will you encounter! A wise application of the former, and a careful consideration of the latter, cannot but yield valuable information to us who have scarcely yet begun to mature our plan of operation. With joyful aspirations we look forward with you to that day when the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea :" when "there shall be one fold and one shepherd;" and when all differences among Christians shall end in the worship of God and his anointed, in spirit and in truth.. May the head of his Church, the Lord Jesus Christ, who knows all the true members of the same, of whatever name or people they may be, exceeding abundantly increase their number by smiling upon the labours of Bible Societies in all parts of the world; thereby marking them out and lifting them up for a sign of the times, to which the nations shall look and praise him! Do not misconstrue it as presumption, that we address you in our own language. There are among you many who were formerly inhabitants of Germany, and still speak German; and these will be our interpreters. We shall, on our part, thankfully receive your answer in the English language, with which we are acquainted, as soon as it shall be agreeable to you to honour us with the same. Please to accept the assurance of our inmost veneration, JOHN DANIEL RUNGE, Secretaries to the Hamburg and Altona Bible Society. Letter from the Hon. Elias Boudinot, President, to the Board of Managers of the American Bible Society. BRETHREN AND FELLOW-LABOURERS IN THE GOSPEL, AMONG the innumerable blessings of this life, wherewith it hath pleased a gracious God to favour me, the permitting my union with you in those labours of love which it is to be hoped will be made instrumental to the raising a monument to his glory, which may Appendix to the 1st Report of the American B. S. 211 last till the recording angel shall announce to an astonished universe that "It is finished," is one of the most dear to my heart. The consoling hope was once cherished that the unspeakable pleasure would, in one instance at least, have been afforded me, in the last decline of life, of meeting with you personally, to have testified my approbation of all your exertions in this glorious work. But a kind and merciful God, who knows all my deficiencies, has thought it best in his infinite wisdom to refuse this favour, in which dispensation of his all-wise Providence I do most sincerely acquiesce, firmly believing it will be most conducive to his own glory and the best interests of the Institution committed to our care. I once thought I had much to communicate to you, but the extreme debility of both mind and body prevents my attempting it. Suffer me, however, as a last effort, however weak and feeble, to say a few words before I go hence. It is not vanity in me to say that I have laboured hard and suffered much in this great cause, occasioned in some measure by a ve ry low state of health; yet such has been the apparent interposition of an overruling Providence, that my faith and hope have never failed, even in the darkest days; and although there have been great temptations to despair of final success, yet have I been se strengthened with the assurance that it was a work of God, and that he would show his power and glory in bringing it to maturity in his own time, and by his own means, that I had determined, in case of failure in the last attempt, to commence the great business at all events, with the aid of a few laymen who had testified their willingness to go all lengths with me. But no sooner had the work been brought to an issue, than the clouds began to disperse, and every one was obliged to say in his heart, "this is the work of God." Thus, my beloved friends, hath God in his condescending grace appointed us to become his humble instruments in opening the eyes of the blind; in cheering the abodes of primeval darkness with the joyful sounds of redeeming love; in fulfilling the encouraging prophecy of the Angel flying through the midst of Heaven, having the everlasting Gospel in his hands, to preach to all nations, languages, tongues, and people on the earth. This, indeed, is an event devoutly to be wished, and most gratefully to be acknowledged. That such comparative worms of the dust should become fellow-workers with Christ in making the wilderness to blossom as a rose, and the nations of the earth to become the nations of our Lord and his Christ, is an honour in which the highest angels would rejoice. Is there then the least reason for fearing the great result? Shall any one be discouraged at the arduous prospect before us? Ey no means. Look at the Disciples of our dearest Lord, and compare their relative situation when they beheld their blessed Master given up to the power of his enemies-condemned as a base malefactor-stretched on the cross, breathing out his precious life in a prayer in favour of his unrelent ing persecutors-forsaken by all-every one fleeing to his own home, and one even repeatedly denying his Lord and Master, though forewarned of it but a few hours before! |