"And now he rests: his greatness and his sweetness
No more shall seem at strife;

And death has moulded into calm completeness
The statue of his life.

"And round his grave are quietude and beauty, And the sweet heaven above,—

The fitting symbols of a life of duty

Transfigured into love!"

At the conclusion of our three-days' survey, we felt that great and potent as was all this activity for good, it but touched the border of the vast need that lies around us on every hand, whilst the opposing forces of evil are equally numerous and more subtle. How intense in this day becomes the conflict between the two! How little had we seen of the tragedies of real life that are going on in so many hearts and homes of this teeming population, beyond the reach of human help! But the amount of unrelieved sorrow does not lessen the amount of positive good that is done, and as we sped rapidly on our homeward journey, we felt that we had seen enough to animate and cheer us with the conviction, that wherever there are willing hearts ready to carry on the Divine work of overcoming evil with good, and carrying on a holy warfare against sin and its accompanying misery, God is manifestly blessing them. In these, and in a multitude of other ways, this grand manufacturing Midland Capital of Birmingham affords a conspicuous example of what Christian energy and devotion can accomplish.

RICHARD WESTLAKE.

POSTSCRIPT.

Since the above was written, a Friend has kindly furnished me with the first Report of the "Severn Street Schools," from which I feel sure a few extracts will interest the readers of the Examiner, more espe

cially as I believe the Report has never been published. It shows in striking contrast the small beginning as compared with the present magnitude of the work.

"The first meeting with direct reference to establishing a First-day school was held at Joseph Sturge's on the 12th of Eighth Month, 1845; it was numerously attended, and a resolution passed that it was desirable a school should be established for those who had not been in the way of receiving instruction in other schools. . . .

"At the next meeting it was fixed that the school should be held from six to eight o'clock p.m. in the schoolroom in Severn Street, and should commence on the 12th of Tenth Month, 1845; circulars inviting the attendance of youths and young men who were desirous of instruction in reading and writing were printed and freely circulated. On the appointed day the teachers met and took tea together, previous to entering on their unaccustomed labours. The novelty brought many scholars from motives of curiosity; more than 100 youths were present the first evening, many of them in the darkest ignorance, unable to tell the letters of the alphabet; and, if we may judge by their disorderly conduct, quite destitute of moral training. The attendance continued large for some time, but then gradually decreased so much that it was decided to change the hour and hold the school from 7.30 to 9.30 in the morning instead of the evening, and for the teachers to meet at seven to breakfast, they agreeing, in order to ensure punctuality, to suffer a small fine if behind time.

"This alteration took place in the Fourth Month, 1846; the attendance of scholars, however, continued to decrease till the Sixth Month, but those who did come were much more orderly and attentive than formerly; the numbers increased during the latter part of last year, and since the beginning of this have been rapidly increasing.

"The following table will show the average weekly attendance since the beginning of last year (1846):

First Month, 49 | Second Month, 84 | Third Month, 84

"About thirteen teachers usually attend at present. Our scholars are divided into two portions in separate rooms, one for adults and the other for the younger portion; in both the first hour is devoted to writing. One of the scholars and a teacher then read a chapter aloud, and the remainder of the time is devoted to Scripture reading, spelling, and questioning by the teacher.

"It was very soon felt that much good might be effected by a small lending library, and a Committee was appointed for the purpose. . . . The books have been in great demand, and, with a recent addition, now number 350 volumes.

"At the end of First Month a tea party was given to the scholars which gave great satisfaction, a lecture (with interesting chemical experiments) followed, and appropriate addresses were delivered during the evening.

"The business of the school is conducted by the teachers, who meet once a month at Joseph Sturge's for that purpose. "Soon after the school was established an appeal was made for subscriptions to defray the expenses of its formation. The result was very satisfactory, and has furnished funds to carry us on to the end of last year (about £30). . .

"We cannot conclude without the expression of our warmest thanks to the Committee of the Lancasterian School, for their kindness in allowing us the gratuitous use of the school rooms in Severn Street."

From this Report we see that the Severn Street Schools have risen from a minimum average in June, 1846, of 25, to a maximum in June, 1879, of 2,303. This is a multiplying in thirty-three years of nearly a hundredfold! whilst tens of thousands must during that period have passed through the schools.

It would be interesting to trace the gradual increase of this, year by year, until 1867, when the number was about 600; and the more rapid increase afterwards, till in 1870 it reached nearly 1,100. In 1875, 1,300; whilst in June, 1879, the number has risen 1,797 men.

to

....

....

Such a remarkable development has rarely been known, and infers great sagacity in the means employed. It shows how great was the need, how judiciously it was met, and how successfully the work has been carried out. From the first appeal to the desire for simple instruction, has grown up between teachers and scholars a strong human interest and sympathy, whilst this in its turn has developed in the case of a large number, into a deeper fellowship in the bonds of Christian union. Surely the moral of the story to us all is-" Despise not the day of small things." "Cast thy bread upon the waters, and thou shalt find it after many days."

R. W.

REMINISCENCENCES OF NEW ENGLAND-
PAST AND PRESENT.

"The riches of the Commonwealth

Are free strong minds and hearts of health,
And more to them than gold or grain
The cunning hand and cultured brain."

WHITTIER.

To every Englishman the States of New England possess more than a common degree of interest and importance, so closely allied as they are to our own country in one common descent, and retaining to a great extent the same customs, notwithstanding those peculiarities acquired by the force of habit, in manners, mode of life, and phraseology; having, too, like the other States of the American Union, for more than a century been united under the same Government. There is also handed down to us the memory of the glorious renown, won by our forefathers and theirs, through their virtues and heroism, as shown by the perils they encountered, and the hardships they endured in planting a colony on so distant a shore and in the midst of a wilderness, that they might emancipate themselves from the tyranny of persecution, and secure the privileges of freedom of worship and of a pure faith for themselves and their posterity. They lived to see peace and prosperity smile upon their little city of New Plymouth, and the colony so small at its commencement has attained to vast proportions. "A heavy night hung dark,

The hills and waters o'er,

As a band of exiles moored their bark

On the wild New England shore.