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I have learned with pleasure, that the Central Baptist Association in this State at its last meeting, recommended to the Churches composing it, to find out and adopt the best plan for giving Religious instruction, orally, to the colored people. The Pastors of some of these Churches are now actively engaged in carrying out the recommendation: and from their known faithfulness and perseverance, I have no doubt much will be accomplished by them. The cause is certainly moving onward. The Lord is for it. Who then can be against it?
Stations.{{--))The Stations regularly supplied with Preaching and Sabbath School instruction have been five: namely, Midway, North-Newport, Pleasant Grove, Sunbury and Hutchison. For our mutual convenience, in the early part of the year, as intimated in Mr. Law's Report, we divided the Stations, so that two, North-Newport and Hutchison were served by him, and the remaining three by myself. The Sabbath Congregations at the three Stations, have maintained their usual fulness sobriety and order, with ordinary but no uncommon attention to the preached word.
Sabbath Schools.—The average attendance at Midway has been 74: at Pleasant Grove, 86, and at Sunbury 82: and North Newport until relinquished to Mr. Law, 130, making a total average at these Stations of 372. These Schools have been going regularly through with the new Historical Catechism, which I am now preparing and correcting in the Schools. We have advanced in the Old Testament History as far as the Book of Exodus: and the interest has been gratifying especially among the larger scholars and adults. I have connected with this Historical Catechism, a section every Sabbath, of the Doctrinal Catechism, and so carry forward both at the same time. It would facilitate instruction were it possible to separate the younger from the older scholars and adapt the method of teaching and the truths taught more particularly, to their different ages and state of advancement. We have not been able heretofore to do this for the want of assistants in the work. I hope to have prepared, in a short time a Catechism of sufficient length designed for and adapted to very young children, from five to ten years of age. When this Catechism is prepared, we may then divide the Schools into two classes, the first class embracing the younger children, and the second, the older children and adults.
