“Our Father in Heaven, who hast kindly preserved the pupils and the teacher of this school during the past night, come and grant us a continuance of thy protection and blessing during this day.  We can not spend the day prosperously and happily without thee.  Come, then, and, be in this school-room during this day, and help us all to be faithful and successful in duty.

“Guide the teacher in all that he may do.  Give him wisdom, and patience, and faithfulness.  May he treat all his pupils with kindness; and if any of them should do any thing that is wrong, wilt thou help him, gently but firmly, to endeavor to bring him back to duty.  May he sympathize with the difficulties and trials of all, and promote the present happiness as well as the intellectual progress of all who are committed to his care.

“Take care of the pupils too.  May they spend the day pleasantly and happily together.  Wilt thou, who didst originally give us all our powers, direct and assist us all, this day, in the use and improvement of them.  Remove difficulties from our path, and give us all fidelity and patience in every duty.  Let no one of us destroy our peace and happiness this day by breaking any of thy commands, or encouraging our companions in sins, or neglecting, in any respect, our duty.  We ask all in the name of our great Redeemer.  Amen.”

Of course the prayer of each day will be varied, unless in special cases the teacher prefers to read some form like the above.  But let every one be minute and particular, relating especially to school—­to school temptations, and trials, and difficulties.  Let every one be filled with expressions relating to school, so that it will bear upon every sentence the impression that it is the petition of a teacher and his pupils at the throne of grace.

2.  If the pupils can sing, there may be a single verse, or sometimes two verses, of some well-known hymn sung after the prayer at the opening of the school.  Teachers will find it much easier to introduce this practice than it would at first be supposed.  In almost every school there are enough who can sing to begin, especially if the first experiment is made in a recess, or before or after school; and the beginning once made, the difficulty is over.  If but few tunes are sung, a very large proportion of the scholars will soon learn them.

3.  Let there be no other regular exercise until the close of the afternoon school.  When that hour has arrived, let the teacher devote a very short period, five minutes perhaps, to religious instruction, given in various ways.  At one time he may explain and illustrate some important truth.  At another, read and comment upon a very short portion of Scripture.  At another, relate an anecdote or fact which will tend to interest the scholars in the performance of duty.  The teacher should be very careful not to imitate on these occasions the formal style of exhortation from the pulpit.  Let him use no cant and hackneyed