some of its contributors. It is a subject which merits the earnest and careful attention of parents and instructors. There is a singular contrariety of opinion prevailing in regard to it. Much has been said and written cn both sides of the question-the one party conceiving that outward marks of approval may be so employed as to exercise a beneficial influence on the youthful character, the other rejecting all records of conduct, and all expressions of approval in the shape of tangible reward, as unnecessary, and even injurious-insisting that no other inducement to well-doing ought to be held out to the young than the pleasure arising from the consciousness of having fulfilled the demands of duty. I leave it to abler pens than mine to enter upon further discussions on these much-disputed points. It has occurred to me, however, that the following little address may not be altogther uninteresting to some Teachers, inasmuch as a simple, practical illustration sometimes arrests our attention, when a theoretical narrative fails to do so. It was my first address to the assembled children of my recently formed Day-school; and fearing that in my new position I might speak unadvisedly before my juvenile audience, I made copious notes on the subjects which I wished to bring forward. From these notes the following portions of the address, bearing on the subject of reward, are selected.

It will be perceived that reward, and not competition for reward, is the plan pursued. A mark of approbation for doing well-not for doing better than another-conferred without any invidious comparisons of intellectual superiority-without any reference whatever to the merit or demerit of others—the question being, not whether one child have one talent, and another two, but whether all have, by regular exertion and general good conduct, so traded with the talents intrusted to their keeping as to merit the approving testimony of those whose favourable opinion I anxiously hope I do not err in thus stimulating them to obtain. It is plain that my own views on this very important and very difficult subject have a decided bearing towards the employment of rewards when cautiously and judiciously bestowed. Let it, at

the same time, be understood, that I utterly condemn the manner in which the bestowment of rewards is too frequently conducted. Did my opinion coincide with that of "A Devonshire Teacher," who, in the last num ber of the "Visitor" asserts that "any system of rewards and prizes produces emulation," I would at once remodel the system by which my little school is at present governed. It is doubtless true that a system of reward, to be carried on without exciting a spirit of emulation, is not to be framed without serious and deliberate thinking. We venture to express our humble hope that the task has been performed, and that the plan which the follow ing simple address lays open is free of the fearful sin of inculcating in the hearts of the young those very feelings of pride and envy which it ought to be our great aim to restrain and subdue.

That so many advocates of youthful competition are to be found, is to us a matter of surprise and sorrow. It is unaccountable that competition, in any and every form, is not perceived to be a deadly poison, contaminating, to an alarming extent, the plans of that too numerous class of parents and instructors who admit it into their systems of education. In adopting it, we foster and encourage that pride of heart which is but too natural to all human beings; we train the young to triumph in their own superiority, and to regard their own individual benefit at the expense of injury to others.

One proof of the truth of these remarks lies before me at this moment, in the public account of an examination of the children of one of our schools a short time ago. The examination is stated to have taken place in the presence of a numerous assemblage of ladies and gentlemen. It began by the principal scholars, boys and girls, reciting portions of the service of our Church. A chapter in the New Testament was then read, and the children were afterwards examined with respect to the extent of their understanding concerning it; their answers for the most part being very satisfactory. "There was a spirit of emulation," says the writer of the article, among the scholars, both the boys and the girls, which is always satisfactory, to be observed by the

judicious promoters of education of the people: in fact, the only confusion that arose during the proceedings, which lasted three hours, was that caused by the eagerness of one to answer the questions before another."

Alas! dear children, yes, we can well imagine your eager anxiety to display your own superiority-your secret hope, all hateful and sinful as it is-that your companions may fail, in order that you may succeed. We understand somewhat of the feelings which are at work in those young hearts of yours. Oh! we understand them too well not to tremble for you when we see you excited to exertion by means of a stimulant which cannot stand the test of God's unerring word. If your hearts be what that word declares them to be, then have the sins of pride, envy, jealousy, strife, and resentment been fostered and strengthened within them-moral crimes pronounced to be deserving of eternal condemnation.

Bear with us, instructors of the young, while we entreat you to consider whether these things ought so to be. We do not ask you to bestow more than a passing thought on the few feeble words which we venture to lay before you. We do ask you to open the sacred volume, and to pause in serious meditation on the apostolic directions. "Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love. Let nothing be done through strife or vain-glory. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others." Consider

those inspired words with reference to the immortal minds on which your plans are operating; and say whether you ought not instantly, and for ever, to discard from your systems of education every thing which might tend to encourage feelings so completely the reverse of those which the word of God declares to be necessary.

My little address will probably be better understood by the insertion of one of the rules of the school, explanatory of the system which, after repeated consideration, I felt justified in adopting; and which, I may add, has produced, as I thankfully believe, too happy an effect on the conduct and character of the children for me to experience one feeling of regret in having subjected them to its influence.

“RULE 12.—A report of the attendance, lessons, and conduct of each girl is entered in the class-book every evening at the close of school. The class-book marks are summed up four times in the year, and each girl has a card given to her, which is read aloud in the schoolroom, and on which is stated her attendance, lessons, and conduct. At Christmas, the quarterly cards are summed up, and rewards given as marks of approbation. The rewards are divided into three classes, (Nos. 1, 2, 3,) according to the merit of the girl, as stated on her quarterly cards."

My dear children, before I give you the quarterly cards, I wish to say a few words to you about the meaning of rewards, now that the end of the year has arrived when, as you know, the rewards are to be given. You must all listen to me very attentively; for, as I do not view rewards in the light in which they are sometimes regarded, I am particularly anxious that you should understand what I mean when I give you rewards. I think the clearest and easiest way for me to explain to you what our rewards are is first to tell you what they are not. They are not a sort of paying you for being good -your goodness would be of a very poor kind indeed, if you could not be good without being paid for it. I hope you are trying to do your duty first, and above all other things, for the sake of serving God; and if this be the case, you will not fail to please those whom it is God's will you should endeavour to please—your parents and Teachers. Now, I feel assured that your parents and friends at home, as well as you yourselves, would like to know whether we believe you to be desirous of thus learning to do your duty-would like to know what we think of your improvement in your learning, and especially what we think of your conduct during the past year-whether we consider you to have been diligent in your work, attentive and obedient to your Teachers, and also whether you have been kind and gentle, forgiving and forbearing one towards another. These cards, and the rewards belonging to them, will do this. When you look at them, you will see our opinion of you, so far

as we have the means of judging. They will outwardly express what we think. They will tell whether we approve or disapprove; and in this light only we would have you to regard them—not by any means as a bribing or paying you for that which it is equally your duty to do, whether we gave you rewards or not. Still it is natural that you should wish to know, and I conceive it to be right that you should know, our opinion of you; and these cards and rewards tell you what we think in a very pleasant way. I am always glad to give you pleasure when I have the power to do so, and that is the reason why I add the reward to the card, simply because it may perhaps give you a little more pleasure than the mere card—not certainly that I could for one moment suppose that you would value the reward, instead of that which the reward expresses-that you would prize a little book, or work-bag, instead of rejoicing in the feeling that God had blessed your efforts to do well.

Try, girls, to understand what I have been saying to you, and I am sure you will feel as I do. You will value the reward, not because it is a pretty book, or work-box, or whatever else it may be, but because the book or work-box shews openly that we are satisfied with you, and you feel that in pleasing us, you have pleased Him whom we must all seek to please above the whole world besides-God himself. I hope you all feel in this way. If I thought you were trying to have good marks for the sake of the reward, I would never give you a reward again. I would not have rewards, because I should be only teaching you to seem good, not to be so; and to seem good without being so, would render you miserable and wretched, both in this world and the next. I believe, however, that your reason for wishing to gain a reward is very different from this; and I know that if you felt you did not deserve our approval, you would care absolutely nothing about the reward. Suppose I were a girl in this school, and were so unhappy as to have no reward; and suppose a strange lady came into the schoolroom while the rewards were being given, and, seeing me look very sad, should say to me, "I am very sorry you have no reward, and I see you are not one of those