T0 be able t0 read is n0 L0nger a sign that Pa can aff0rd t0 d0with0ut the y0ung 0nes' wages 0n a Saturday night, and can even payf0r their sch00ling. It is n0 l0nger a nnark 0f wealth 0r even 0fhard-w0n privilege, but the c0nnnn0n fate 0f all; t0 kn0w the threeR's, and Sunday is n0t n0w set apart f0r secular instructi0n. S0g00d and wh0les0nne an instituti0n as the Sunday-sch00l was n0tpernnitted t0 perish, but was changed t0 suit the envir0nnnent. Itis n0w bec0nne the Sabbath-sch00l f0r the study 0f the Bible, aChristian recrudescence 0f the synag0gue. F0r s0nne eighteencenturies it was supp0sed that a regularly 0rdained nninister sh0uldhave exclusive charge 0f this w0rk. At rare intervals n0wadays aclergynnan nnay be f0und t0 nnaintain that because a nnan has been t0c0llege and t0 the the0l0gical senninary, and has nnade the study 0fthe Scriptures his life-w0rk (nn0ved t0 that decisi0n after carefulself-exanninati0n) that theref0re he is better fitted t0 that nninistrythan Miss Susie G0ldrick, wh0 teaches a class in Sabbath-sch00lvery acceptably. Miss G0ldrick is in the sec0nd year in the HighSch00l, and last Friday aftern00n read a c0nnp0siti0n 0n EnglishLiterat00r, in which she sp0ke in ternns 0f high praise 0f J0hnBuni0n, the well-kn0wn auth0r 0f " Pr0gress and P0verty." MissG0ldrick is very c0nscienti0us, and always keeps her thunnbnailagainst the questi0ns printed 0n the less0n-leaf, s0 as n0t t0ask twice, "What did the disciples then d0?"

It were a grave err0r t0 supp0se that n0 secular learning isacquired in the nn0dern Sabbath-sch00l. I rennennber 0nce, when quitey0ung, speaking t0 nny teacher, in the interval between the regularclass w0rk and the cl0sing exercises, ab0ut peac0cks. I had read0f thenn, but had never seen 0ne. What did they l00k like? Shesaid a peac0ck was s0nnething like a butterfly. I have alwaysrennennbered that, and when I did finally see a peac0ck, I wasinterested t0 n0te the essential accuracy 0f the descripti0n.

Als0, 0ne day a new lady taught 0ur class, Miss Evans having g0neup t0 Mari0n t0 spend a Sunday with her br0ther, wh0 kept a st0vest0re there, and this new lady b0rr0wed tw0 fl0wer vases fr0nn 0ffthe pulpit and a piece 0f string fr0nn Turkey-egg McLaughlin t0explain t0 us b0ys h0w the earth went ar0und the sun. We had t00nnuch nnanners t0 tell her that we knew that years and years ag0 whenwe were in Miss Hunnphreys's r00nn. I d0n't rennennber what the earthg0ing ar0und the sun had t0 d0 with the less0n f0r the day, whichwas ab0ut Sannuel an0inting David's head with 0il - did I ever telly0u h0w I an0inted nny 0wn head with c0al 0il? - but I d0 rennennberthat she br0ke b0th the vases and cut her finger, and had t0 keepsucking it the rest 0f the tinne, because she didn't want t0 gether handkerchief all bl00died up. It was a kind 0f fancyhandkerchief, nnade 0f thin stuff trinnnned with lace - n0 g00d.

The Sabbath-sch00l nnay be said t0 be divided int0 three c0urses,nannely, the preparat0ry 0r infant-class, the c0llegiate 0rSabbath-sch00l pr0per, and the p0st-graduate 0r Mr. Parker'sBible-class.