*Abridgment of the History of the Bible, which may be well bound up at the Beginning of the Bible, or at the End. The Anatomy of Orthography: Or, a practical introduction to the Art of Spelling and Reading English. The Duty of Public Worship proved, &c. Lessons for Children, Historical and Practical, &c. Hymns for the Charity-Schools. *The title-pages of the two above indicated by asterisks are reproduced here, somewhat reduced in size. (b) Digest of Lewis' "Exposition of the Church Catechism" W. W. Kemp, in his Support of Schools in Colonial New York by the Society for the Promotion of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (New · York, 1913, pp. 273-74), gives the contents of the fourth book in the above list, the full title of which was: "The Church Catechism Explained by Way of Question and Answer and confirmed by Scripture Proofs: divided into Five Parts and Twelve Sections; wherein is given a brief and plain Account of: I. The Christian Covenant. II. The Christian Faith. III. The Christian Obedience. IV. The Christian Prayer. V. The Christian Sacra ments." The contents of its ninety-eight pages are as follows, all of the sections given being arranged in the form of question and answer: Dedicatory Epistle to members of the S.P.C.K. Preface..... Introduction by Dr. Comber.. Part I. The Christian Covenant.. Sec. 1. Of the Benefits of Baptism; or the Mercies Of the Vow of Baptism; or the conditions re- The Christian Faith... Of the Creed; particularly what we are to Of God the Son; particularly his Names, Sec. 2. Part II. Sec. 3. Sec. 4. Sec. 5. Sec. 6. Of Christ's Exaltation. Sec. 7. Part III. Of God the Holy Ghost, and the remaining Sec. 8. Of Christ's Humiliation. Of the Ten Commandments; particularly of Sec. 9. Of our Duty towards our Neighbor; con- Part IV. The Christian Prayer.. The Christian Sacraments.... Of the two Sacraments; and first of Baptism. Sec. 12. Of the Lord's Supper. Sec. the last. Of Confirmation. Morning and Evening Prayer... Prayers for the use of schools.. 240. A Charity-School Subscription Form 22 9 17 (An English form, of the period 1699-1718. After Leach) 2 2 The following represents a common English subscription form of the early charity-school period: Whereas Prophaness and Debauchery are greatly owing to a gross Ignorance of the Christian Religion, especially among the poorer sort; And whereas nothing is more likely to promote the practice of Christianity and Virtue, than an early and pious Education of Youth; And whereas many poor People are desirous of having their Children Taught, but are not able to afford them a Christian and Useful Education; We, whose Names are underwritten, do agree to pay Yearly, at Four equal Payments, (during Pleasure) the several and respective Sums of Money over against our Names respectively subscribed, for the setting up of a Charity-School in the Parish of . . . . . . . . . . in the City of..... or in the County of . . . . . . . . . . for Teaching (Poor Boys, or Poor Girls, or) Poor Children to Read and Instructing them in the Knowledge and Practice of the Christian Religion, as profess'd and taught in the Church of England; and for Learning them such other Things as are suitable to their Condition and Capacity. That is to say I A. B. do subscribe £ s. d. 241. The Charity-School of Saint John's Parish, Southwark (From an account of the school printed by the Parish, and reproduced in the American Journal of Education, vol. 1, pp. 314-15. Boston, 1826) The following account of a parish-supported charity-school for training girls for domestic service is an interesting and typical example of many English eighteenth-century charitable schools, organized for the education of a limited number of “children of the industrious poor of the parish." This school was established for the purpose of maintaining, instructing, clothing, qualifying for useful servants, and putting out to service, the female children of the industrious poor of the parish. The school dates its existence from the year 1735, when, in consequence of the increasing population, this parish was taken out of the adjoining one of Saint Olave: among the first acts of the inhabitants of the newly-established Parish was the formation of a school similar in many respects to that which had, already, for many ages, existed in the mother parish; it provided for the instruction and clothing of a certain number of the female children of the parish, with a view to fit them for service when they arrived at the age for leaving the school; but there was one alteration made in the system of the then infant school, which the experience of now nearly one hundred years proves to the committee to have been most wise and beneficial, viz. the reception of a certain portion of the children so educated into the house, wholly to be maintained, constantly to be under the eye of a vigilant mistress, and the regulations of a domestic family. The obvious tendency of this arrangement is, besides the benefit afforded to the parents, by taking their child entirely off their hands, to secure to the child the full advantage of the instruction, to rescue her from an exposure to vice and temptation, (by which exposure at home, too frequently, all the good derived at school is lost,) and by the blessing of Providence to train her up in that moral and religious way from which when she is old she may not depart. The accommodations of the school-house will allow eighteen children to be thus wholly received into it, and maintained; and though this number has for the last few years been necessarily reduced to fifteen, the present committee have now the pleasure to report that the full number will in a few weeks be put into the establishment, and they indulge the hope that long will be the time before that full number is again obliged to be curtailed. The number of children, therefore, now in the school is as follows:- Forty children educated and clothed, of whom eighteen, besides education and clothing, are wholly maintained. This number is certainly small when compared with the size of the parish, and much it is to be wished that more of the female population could derive the benefit of gratuitous instruction; happily, females are the only children for whom provision need be made, on account of the royal and munificent foundation of the grammar school of Queen Elizabeth, which not only holds out the advantage of a classical education to those whose parents are desirous that they should avail themselves of it, but extends to some hundreds of the children of a lower class of persons, that measure of useful learning which, were it not for the existence of this institution, the parishioners of Saint John would, undoubtedly, feel the expediency of providing for them. 242. Eighteenth-Century Indenture of Apprenticeship The following is a transcript of the record of an Indenture of Apprenticeship preserved at Corsham, England, and dated January 16, 1708. Its similarity to the thirteenth-century document, given in Reading No. 99, will be evident by comparison of the two, and will reveal how little the regulations of apprenticeship changed during five hundred years. This Indenture made the sixteenth day of January in the seventh yeare of the Reigne of our Sovraigne Lady Anne of Greate Brittain ffrance and Ireland Queene Defender of the ffaith ex Annoqo Dom 1708 Betweene William Selman of the pish of Corsham in the County of Wiltes Husbandman and Richard Selman son of the sd William Selman of the one pte and Thomas Stokes holder of the pish of Corsham aforesaid Broadweaver of the other pte Witnesseth that the said Richard Selman of his owne voluntaire will and with the consent of his sd ffather William Selman Hath put himselfe an Apprentice unto the said Thomas Stokes and with him hath covenanted to dwell as his Appntice from the day of the date hereof untill the full end and terme of Seaven Yeares fully to be Compleate and ended during all which tyme the said Richard Selman shall well and faithfully serve him the said Thomas Stokes his master his secrets lawfully to be kept shall keep his Commandmts lawfull and honest shall doe and execute hurt unto his said master hee shall not doe nor consent to be done Tavernes or Alehouses hee shall not haunt Dice Cardes or any other unlawful games hee shall not use ffornication with any women hee shall not committ during such tyme as he shall stay in his Masters service Matrymony with any woman hee shall not contract or espouse himselfe during the said Terme of Seaven yeares The goods of his said Master inordinately hee shall not wast nor to any man lend without his Masters Lycense from his Masters house or business hee shall not absent himselfe or plong himselfe By Night or by day without his Masters leave, but as a true and faithful servant shall honestly behave himselfe towards his sd Master and all his both in words and deedes And the said Thomas Stokes doth for himselfe his Executors and Administrators promise and Covenant to and with the sd William Selman and Richard Selman his Appntice to teach or cause the said Richard Selman to be taught and instructed in the trade Art science or occupation of a Broadweaver after the best manner that he can or may with moderate Correction finding and allowing unto his sd Servant meate drinke Apparrell Washing Lodging and all other things whatsoever fitting for an appntice of that trade during the said term of Seaven yeares And to give unto his sd Appntice at the end of the sd terme double Apparell (to witt) one suite for holy dayes and one for worken days. In witness whereof the said pties to the psent Indentures interchangeably have sett their hands and seales the day and yeare first above written Sealed and Delivered in the psence of Thomas Stokes. 243. Learning the Trade of a Schoolmaster (City of N. Yorke Indentures, 1694-1707. MS. folio volume. Copied by Seybolt) The following New York City indenture of apprenticeship, under registry date of July 18, 1722, indicates that, so general was the apprenticeship plan in use, that at times even the schoolmaster served an apprenticeship to learn his calling. This Indenture witnesseth that John Campbel Son of Robert Campbell of the City of New York with the Consent of his father and mother hath put himself and by these presents doth Voluntarily put and bind himself Apprentice to George Brownell of the Same City Schoolmaster to learn the Art Trade or Mystery . . . for and during the term of ten years. . . . And the said George Brownell Doth hereby Covenent and Promise to teach and Instruct or Cause the said Apprentice to be taught and Instructed in the Art Trade or Calling of a Schoolmaster by the best way or means he or his wife may or can. |