“O God, our heavenly Father, thou art good to us:  we would serve thee; we have sinned and done wrong many times.  Jesus Christ died on the cross for us.  Forgive our sins for Jesus’ sake; may the Holy Spirit change our hearts, and make us to love God; help us to-day to be good children and to do what is right.  Keep us from wicked thoughts and bad tempers; make us try to learn all that we are taught; keep us in health all the day.  We would always think of God, and when we die may we go to heaven.  God bless our fathers and mothers, and sisters and brothers, and our teachers, and make us obedient and kind, for Jesus Christ’s sake.  Amen.”

Perhaps it would be better under all the circumstances, to use a simple prayer out of the Book of Common Prayer.

The children afterwards repeat the Lord’s prayer, and then sing a hymn; for instance, the following: 

  When first the morning light we see,
    And from our beds arise,
  We to our God should thankful be,
    Who every want supplies.

  ’Twas God who made the brilliant sun,
    That gives all day its light;
  And it was God who made the moon
    And stars, which shine at night.

  The fish that in the water swim,
    The beasts upon the land,
  Were all created first by Him,
    And shew His mighty hand.

  The food we eat, the clothes we wear,
    ’Tis God alone can give;
  And only by His love and care,
    Can little children live.

  Then let us ever caution take,
    His holy laws to keep;
  And praise him from the time we wake,
    Until again we sleep.

Immediately after this they proceed to their lessons; which are fixed to what are called lesson-posts.  To each of these posts there is a monitor, who is provided with a piece of cane for a pointer.  This post is placed opposite to his class; and every class has one, up to which the monitor brings the children three or four at a time, according to the number he has in his class.  We have fourteen classes, and sometimes more, which are regularly numbered, so that we have one hundred children moving and saying their lessons at one time.  When these are gone through, the children are supplied with pictures, which they put on the post, the same as the spelling and reading lessons, but say them in a different manner.  We find that if a class always goes through its lessons at one post, it soon loses its attraction; and consequently, although we cannot change them from post to post in the spelling and reading lessons, because it would be useless to put a child to a reading post that did not know its letters, yet we can do so in the picture lessons, as the children are all alike in learning the objects.  One child can learn an object as quick as another, so that we may have many children that can tell the name of different subjects, and even the names of all the geometrical figures, who do not know all the letters in the alphabet; and I