The million-peopled city
Garwood, John
1853
Case of Usefulness reported to the Author by a Clergyman.
The following case is reported to the author, in a letter which he recently received from a clergyman, who is Incum- bent of a large parish in London. It refers to a lad, only a very short time since one of the ragged class, now training to be a schoolmaster of a National School, to whom will be entrusted the important charge of the teaching of the poor children of a parish. How great the change between the two positions of life ! And of this change, a was the instrumental cause: | |
"Two years and a-half ago, a young man, aged 17, came to our evening for the first time. His regular attendance, his evident desire to improve, and his intelligent countenance, soon attracted our attention. We found that he had never been to a day or Sunday-school, but that when he was 14 years of age he went to an evening school for a | |
68 | short time, where he felt no interest and learned very little. But now, feeling a desire to learn to real and write, he resolved to go to some evening . While in this state of mind, he saw one of our bills, headed, 'Evening Classes for Young Men." He was only able to read the heading, and got his mother to read the rest. Soon after this, he came to the school. He had not been to a place of worship for years, and spent all his evenings in low theatres, concerts, &c. At the school he improved wonder- fully. He soon learnt to read, write, and cipher, well. In the latter he was much interested, and so excelled that he became wiser than his teachers. He had been regularly attending the 3 months, when he was pre- vailed upon by the teachers to come to church on Sunday evenings. He afterwards said, that he had no better motive for coming than gratitude to myself and the teachers. There the Word was blessed to his soul. He regularly attended church morning and evening on Sunday, and on Wednesday evening, and became quite a changed character. After he had been with us a year, he was most desirous to become a Sunday-school teacher in the . He became a very efficient teacher, was confirmed, and became a regular communicant. All this time he was wretchedly poor, and living with ungodly friends, but 'adorning the doctrine of God his Saviour in all things. After 2 years, he was sent to the , at Highbury. He has been there 4 months, has made great progress in his studies, and is conducting himself to the entire satisfaction of the Principal." |