CHRISTIAN LEADERS OF THE 18th CENTURY - ( CHAPTER 5 ) - { PT. 4 }


 ( CHAPTER  5 )  -  { PT.  4 } - The way of teaching was this: the day before a child began to learn, the house was set in order, everyone's work was appointed to them, and instruction was appointed to them, and instruction was given that no one should come into the room from nine to twelve, or from two to five, which were our school hours. One day was allowed for the child to learn his letters, and each of them did learn all their letters, great and small, in that time, except Molly and Nancy, who were a day and a half before they knew them perfectly, for which I then thought them very dull. However, the reason why I thought them so was because the rest learned so quickly. Your brother Samuel, who was the first child I ever taught, learned the alphabet in a few hours. He was five years old on February 10. The next day he began to learn, and as soon as he knew the letters, began at the first chapter of Genesis. He was taught to spell the first verse, then to read it over all over until he could read it easily without any hesitation. Then we moved on to the second verse, etc., until he took ten verses in a lesson, which he quickly did.  He could soon read a chapter very well, for he read continually, and had such a prodigious memory that I cannot remember ever having to tell him the same word twice. 

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