but all their endeavours proved unavailing, she still continuing to promote the ideas she had formed, and strenuously defend the ground she had taken: and although we deeply lament her sorrowful declension from the unerring standard, the Spirit of Truth, yet apprehending we have done our duty, in the extension of our care and best endeavours, under the influence we trust of pure love, and unfeigned desire for her welfare and recovery; and there appearing at present no prospect of advantage to result from further forbearance or labour:-We therefore, for the support of our Christian testimony, and in order that, as a religious body we may acquit ourselves with propriety, (as in the sight of that Being who is perfect in all his ways,) by bearing our testimony against a spirit of infidelity, which appears evidently to have gained too great an ascendancy in the present day-hereby testify that we can no longer hold religious fellowship with the said Hannah Barnard; but disown her from being any longer a member of our Society; until, by attending to the convicting operation of the Spirit of truth in her own mind, she may become sensible of her deviations, and evince a change of heart and sentiment, and manifest a disposition to become reconciled to us.

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Signed on behalf and by direction of the Monthly Meeting of Hudson, held the 22nd day of the sixth Month, 1802, by

"TIDDEMAN HULL, Clerk,

"HANNAH JENKINS, Clerk of the Women's Meeting.”

Hannah Barnard appears to have survived her connexion with the society about twenty-six years. I am informed she died in 1828; was never reunited to Friends; and (for aught that appears) never retracted her deistical sentiments, nor avowed any fuller belief in the value and authenticity of the records of Divine Truth. Ed.

A. D. 1805.

ART. III-A Chronological Summary, &c.

JOSEPH LANCASTER'S SCHOOL for poor children is made a Free School, under the King's patronage, and enlarged to contain a thousand pupils, of both sexes, under one master and a mistress.

The connexion of this head with the origin and progress of the doctrine and practices of the Quakers' lies in the facts, that Joseph Lancaster was at this time in profession, and is believed to be yet in principle, a Quaker; and that his System of Education has been from the first mainly promoted, and is of late publicly adopted, by the Friends.'

It is now so well known to the country, and so constantly in operation before us, with the aid and under the protection of Government, through the BRITISH AND FOREIGN SCHOOL SOCIETY, that I shall have little to say here in the way of commendation. To the Founder and his merits I have endeavoured to do justice in different parts of my work; and that on his own terms of solid pudding as well as empty praise.'

"In the year 1798, Joseph Lancaster opened a school in St. George's-fields, for the education of the children of the poor at a very reduced charge. In the prosecution of this work he was obliged to devise plans of Economy, in order to diminish the expense of books, paper, &c. ['necessity' becoming, in this

case, the mother of invention,'] and also a particular kind of discipline, that he might be able to manage a large number of children without the necessity of employing ushers, or assistants with salaries. The expense of education is [by these means] reduced to a very trifling sum. Schools for

three hundred children may be supported at the rate of seven shillings per annum for each child; and for a greater number of children it may be reduced to four shillings.-[The training of masters for new schools, on the same system, is also thus very advantageously effected.]

6

The HOLY SCRIPTURES form the only religious book taught in the school. For here, as Sir William Jones expresses it, we have purer morality than can be collected from any other book in any language:' or, as Locke has well observed, a volume which has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture of error for its matter.'-The improvement in morals, and the habits of order among the children who are educated on this system in town and country, is of the most gratifying nature." Account of the Progress of Joseph Lancaster's plan for the Education of poor Children and the training of Masters for country Schools. 12mo. 12 pages, printed at the Royal Free-school press, Borough-road, Southwark, by J. Lancaster, 1809.

At the head of the List of Annual Subscribers annexed to this short account, stand the King for 100l., the Queen for 501., the Prince of Wales for 50l., and eleven other members of the Royal Family for 10l. each. It appears that (in the year 1808-9) with subscriptions and donations from the public to the amount of 14071. 15s. 2d., and a contingent profit of 2401. 91. 10d. on slates and printing, the institution had been educating 800 boys, and 200 girls, at the average rate of 4s. per head, and training, clothing, and boarding a number of young schoolmasters and mistresses, and promoting the object of education on the same system in different parts of the country, with the remainder. The more wealthy members of the Society of Friends will be found, on inspection of the list, to have been at this time among the principal supporters of the institution. This responsible financial Committee were, at this time, John Jackson, M. P. William Allen, William Corston, Joseph Foster, Joseph Fox, and Thomas Sturge.

I cannot omit recording in this place the Founder's own account of his plans, in a few extracts from his Improvements in Education,' published 1803. They will give the reader (along with the information they convey) a taste of sentiments, then admitted to be highly worthy the Christian and philanthropist but since too nearly lost (among all classes) in the asperities of controversy, and the bitterness of sectarian strife about the means and methods of effecting that for the people, which all profess to feel it their duty to do!

"The rich possess ample means to realize any theory they may choose to adopt in the education of their children, regardless of the cost; but it is not so with him whose subsistence is derived from industry. Attention to this as a primary object, ignorance, and incapacity, often prevent his having proper views on the important subject of education, and when he has, slender resources as often prevent their being reduced to practice; yet, among this class of men, are found many who are not only useful members, but ornaments of society and from the labours of these it is, that the public derive the conveniencies, and many of the comforts of life; but while they are

:

toiling for the production of those comforts, their children are left destitute of a suitable education. Therefore, it has long been acknowledged that education, as it respects those who are unprovided with it, ought to become a national concern; and this has been so long the public opinion, that no doubt it would have become so, had not a mere pharisaical sect-making spirit intervened to prevent it; and that in every party.

"Above all things, education ought not to be made subservient to the propagation of the peculiar tenets of any sect, beyond its own number; it then becomes undue influence, like the strong taking advantage of the weak; and yet, a reverence for the sacred name of God and the Scriptures of Truth, a detestation of vice, a love of veracity, a due attention to duties to parents, relations, and society; carefulness to avoid bad company; civility without flattery; and a peaceable demeanour, may be inculcated in every seminary for youth, without violating the sanctuary of private religious opinion in any mind.

"Impressed with these sentiments, I feel a wish, as every friend to mankind must do, that names may perish, but truth prosper.

“The Institution, which a benevolent Providence has been pleased to make me the happy instrument of bringing into usefulness, was begun in the year 1798. The intention was, to afford children of mechanics, &c. instruction in reading, writing, and arithmetic, at about half the usual price. As soon as the Institution became known it was well attended by scholars, whose number soon exceeded eighty. In this situation, as master of the school, I have continued to this time. During several years, the number of scholars continued to vary with the circumstances of their parents, who severely felt the exigencies of the times. The season of the year, and consequent inclemency of the weather, often contributed to reduce them. In summer, one hundred and twenty was common; in winter, they would sink to fifty or sixty. In a trying season of recent scarcity, many of them were provided with dinners gratis, chiefly at the expence of a noble and generous minded body of Friends. From forty to sixty children at a time were supplied to general satisfaction. During several years I had essayed to introduce a better system of tuition into the school, and every attempt had failed.-The non-attendance of many in winter, I had reason to fear, originated in poverty. As an individual, it would not have been proper for me to alleviate the evil to a large extent at that time; I did a little, and happily knew who were able and willing to do much; and, of course, did not remain long without their liberal co-operation.

"From this time the internal organization of the school was gradually and materially altered for the better. The public reputation of it also increased, to such a degree, that more than two hundred scholars were admitted in about eight months.

"As one of the chief deficiencies, in this class of schools, is a defective stimulus to emulation, it became my duty (having the power) to remedy it in my own.

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Commendation, joined to a consciousness of merit, has a powerful effect; of this I was aware, I therefore engaged the book-binder to make some leather tickets, gilt and lettered differently, expressive of the various degrees of merit they were intended to distinguish; these were suspended, by a small piece of ribbon, from the button of the wearer's coat, as a badge of peculiar approbation.

"We have near two hundred of these tickets. As to the method of distributing them, I inspect the writing, arithmetic, &c. and distribute paper tickets, No. 1, 2, 3, &c. according to merit. This number, one, two, three, &c. is a small, square piece of paper, numbered, corresponding with a si

milar number of the (leather) gilt commendatory ticket the bearer is to receive he carries this to the monitor appointed for that purpose, who gives him the ticket he is entitled to, and registers it in a book. When a scholar has, by merit, obtained a fixed quota of those numbers and commendatory tickets, he is entitled to a prize of an appropriate value. These tickets vary, from No. 1, to be obtained six times before the bearer obtains a half-penny prize; to No. 6, forty times, entitled to a shilling prize. The numbers are a valuable paper currency, and the boys who obtain them go to present them to the monitor, with as much avidity as a miser converts his paper into hard cash. The prizes consist of bats, balls, and kites, &c. &c. in great variety; -thus they are kept on the tip-toe of expectation. One says, "I wonder what number I shall get to-day?"-Another rejoins, "I have had No. 3 twelve times; only four times more, and I shall have a four-penny prize." "I was induced to establish several orders of merit, from conviction that emulation, well directed, becomes a useful servant; and, that the latent genius of some youth is more easily brought into action this way, than by the more sordid gratification of self-interest. The members of these honorary orders of merit are also distinguished by a badge, worn daily, until forfeited by bad behaviour. And the effect these marks of distinction have upon the youthful mind is very powerful; so far beyond my expectation, that I think I should scarcely have believed it, unless convinced, as I am, by experience. This system of encouragement proves serviceable as a preventive of punishment, the attainment of the tickets being a reward, the forfeiture of them the reverse; and, as such, boys seem often more affected by their loss than by coercion. The influence a master has over his scholars is very great; the veneration wherewith they regard him is almost equal to idolatry, and that simply by his conduct in his station; so much so, that they are all his willing servants, and doubly proud to be his ambassadors on trivial occasions; his smiles are precious, and even bitter things are sweet, when bestowed by his hand.

(To be continued.)

ART. IV.-Notices of Friends' Books deposited in Public Libraries and given to Public Officers, &c. Continued from vol. ii. p. 336.

MEETING FOR SUFFERINGS.-1801, 4th mo. 3rd. This meeting being informed that Sir John Mitford is appointed Speaker of the House of Commons in the room of Henry Addington, desires the following Friends to request his friendly attention to such matters as may be brought before the House, whereby our Religious Society may be particularly affected. [Four names.]

5th mo. 1. Richard Chester reports that the Committee appointed waited on the Speaker of the House of Commons, who received them in a friendly manner, and encouraged application to him when any matter relating to the Society in Parliament required it. [A present of Books as usual. Six Works of William Penn, &c.]

1802, 3rd mo. 5th. Charles Abbott appointed Speaker: Three Friends are desired to wait on him as before. 4th mo. 2. Richard Chester reports the Friends waited on Charles Abbott, who received them civilly, and expressed his readiness to assist the Society when necessary. [The usual Books presented.]

ART. I. — A Chronological Summary of events and circumstances connected with the origin and progress of the doctrine and practices of the Quakers.

(Continued from page 80.)

"The predominant feature in the youthful disposition is an almost irresistible propensity to action; this, if properly controlled by suitable employment, will become a valuable auxiliary to the master, but, if neglected, will be apt to degenerate into rebellion. Active youths, when treated as ciphers, will generally show their consequence by exercising themselves in mischief; this is often the cause of that unpleasant riotous disposition evinced at our public schools, where the pupils brave every thing but the censures of their friends, or the disgrace of expulsion.

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Aware of these things, I have endeavoured to render the degree of knowledge I possess subservient to the interest of the institution, by reducing theory into practice. My school is attended by near three hundred scholars. The whole system of tuition is almost entirely conducted by boys; the writing-books are ruled with exactness, and all the writers supplied with good pens by the same means. In the first instance, the school is divided into classes; to each of these a lad is appointed as monitor: he is responsible for the morals, improvement, good order, and cleanliness of the whole class. It is his duty to make a daily, weekly, and monthly report of progress, specifying the number of lessons performed, boys present, absent, &c. &c.* As

*SPECIMEN OF REPORTS.

FIRST CLASS, DECEMBER 3, 1802.
SPELLING.

Began at Preceptor, sub. master, Universal

Spelling Book, left off at Retinue, sub. at

tendants

VOL. V.

Words

10 2562