The Beneficial Effects of Sabbath-Schools
from Munro's Prize Essay, 1850
Sunday-School Department;
The Beneficial Effects of Sabbath-Schools
The Sabbath-schools organised by the Primitive Methodists were very important in maintaining the innocence of youth and preventing their corruption from influences of modernity.
Sunday-schools provided children with the backbone to their moral and spiritual ideal and offered the Divine love of God to sate the ignorance of childhood and the temptations they may face on the path to piety. Primitive Methodists prided themselves on the moral education they provided and saw them as moral rulings of the modern world.
These schools enlightened children, gave them respite from their long labouring hours and promoted peace and honour amongst all its youths. It was a place of equality rarely seen in society during this period. Opportunities were not class-based, gender-related or racially-biased – it was a safe place for all walks of life.
Sabbath-schools taught children to rise above the base indulgences tempting them by modern day society. It preached a pledge of temperance and offered to reduce crime levels in a bid to ensure all its students the ultimate goal - a place in heaven.
In regards to how successful these schools were is harder to judge through the rejoicing message of the Primitive Methodists but it did lay the foundations for a pious and prosperous future for many young generations.
Source
From Munro’s Prize Essay, an essay by Alexander Fraser Munro from Dundee, Scotland. A Primitive Methodist local preacher who won a £5 prize for his Working Men’s Prize Essay.
The Primitive Methodist Magazine, 1850, p. 406-407
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