On the 17th, at noon, brother Heckwelder, and some other brethren from the neighbourhood, once more visited him. Being no longer able to express his thoughts in words, he testified his joy unto them by friendly looks. Soon after these brethren had returned home, a change was observed in him, whereupon all our Indians, by degrees, assembled in his room. Every now and then they sang verses for him, and nearly till his last moment, he testified, by signs, that it was very agreeable to him. About half past two o'clock, he breathed his last, very quietly and without a groan. Brother Mortimer immediately knelt down with the company present, and thanked our dear Lord for the peaceful consummation of this brother, whom He had employed as a blessed instrument for the conversion of so many heathen; in like manner for the blessing with which his faithful ministry in this place had been crowned, and concluded with this petitionthat his departure might have a blessed impression on all present, and excite them to follow after his faith. He entered the mansions of eternal rest at the age of 87 years, 7 months, and 6 days.* Thus, O my Saviour, let me die Were mine such faith, such hope, such love, Such heav'n-born peace serene Then might I call for instant death Swift to remove the screen : Then, too-my body might return My spirit wing its flight to God, But ah! while I myself confess In truth I am compell'd to say- If such a death-bed be the test יי! That mine 's the bliss of heav'n Then, dearest Lord, let such great grace To me at last be giv❜n. * In this narrative, the time of the ordination of Mr. Zeisberger, it appears, has not been noticed. It took place, I am assured, in early life. B. M.. To this note we take the liberty of adding the following, from the same reverend gentleman. Mr. Editor,-I have read over, with much pleasure, the whole of the account which you have sent me, concerning the late excellent Mr. Zeisberger. In the sheets herewith returned, I have had occasion to make but few remarks. The principal one is, that at the conclusion I have noticed Mr. Z.'s ordination, which surely ought to be mentioned somewhere. But please to dispose of this note just as you think proper. B. MORTIMER. Yours, very respectfully, Like humble "David," then shall I CITY AFFAIRS. THE CHRISTIAN AND CIVIC ECONOMY OF LARGE TOWNS. In again bringing before our readers the justly celebrated work of Dr. Chalmers, bearing the above title, we shall pass over the remaining part of the first chapter with only a remark, or two; not because we consider it of little consequence to avail ourselves of the clear elucidation of the subject of which it particularly treats, viz." The advantage and possibility of assimilating a town to a country parish"-but because we are not aware that the errors of which he complains exist, to any great extent, in our country. He has arranged the subject of this chapter under three topics. First, the error of those political philanthropists who do not admit Christianity, as an element, into their speculations; secondly, the errors of Christian philanthropists who do not admit political science, as an element, into theirs. These two classes of philanthropists do exist in our country, to be sure, and it might be considered improper thus hastily to pass the subject by; but we cannot conceive the possibility that these two classes, we say it with great deference, will ever afford any great mutual assistance in the great work of moral reform, except so far as mutual information goes; for, as to acting together, we apprehend that is never likely to take place. They may indeed come together at the anniversary, but the Christian philanthropist will find all the detail and drudgery left to himself, and probably hear no more of the political economist, except at public meetings to witness the display of his eloquence, study, and research. And we should say, as has been justly remarked, "that when it comes to acting and to detail, the Christian, in labouring for Christian objects, can only act with Christians." The third leading topic especially, discusses an error which could be made to have but little application to our own state of society, and we shall merely state it :-"The mischief of those secularities which have been laid on the clerical office, and invaded the sanctity of the profession, and laid it open to all the rude and random invasions which threaten to overwhelm it." However, as a minute and constant study of the scriptures is indispensably necessary to the spiritual health and professional usefulness of every minister of the gospel; and as they are undoubtedly too frequently interrupted by unnecessary visits from the members of their congregations, we shall present one extract of general importance. "But there is one principle in human nature, which, if the system be not done away, will, in time, give a most tremendous certainty to all our predictions. It does not bear so hard on the natural indolence of man, to spend his life in bustling and miscellaneous activity, as to spend his life in meditation and prayer. The former is positively the easier course of existence. The two habits suit very ill together; and, in some individuals, there is an utter incompatibility betwixt them. But should the alternative be presented, of adopting the one habit or the other, singly, the position is unquestionable, that it were better for the ease, and the health, and the general tone of comfort and cheerfulness, that a man should lend out his person to all the variety of demands for attendance, and of demands for ordinary business, which are brought to bear upon him, than that he should give up his mind to the labours of a strenuous and sustained thoughtfulness. Now, just calculate the force of the temptation to abandon study, and to abandon scholarship, when personal comfort and the public voice, both unite to lure him away from them-when the popular smile would insinuate him into such a path of employment, as, if he once enter, he must bid adieu to all the stern exercises of a contemplative solitude; and the popu lar frown glares upon that retirement, in which he might consecrate his best powers to the best interests of a sadly misled and miscalculating generation-when the hosannahs of the multitude cheer him on to what may be comparatively termed, a life of amusement; and the condemnation both of unlettered wealth and unlettered poverty, is made to rest upon his name, should he refuse to let down the painful discipline of his mind, by frittering it all away amongst those lighter varieties of management, and of exertion, which by the practice of our cities, are habitually laid upon him. Such a temptation must come, in time, to be irresistible; and just in proportion as it is yielded to, must there be a portion of talent withdrawn from the literature of theology. There must be the desertion of all that is fine, and exquisite, and lofty, in its contemplations. There must be a relapse from the science and the industry of a former generation. There must be a decline of theological attainments and theological authorship. There must be a yearly process of decay and of deterioration, in this branch of our national literature. There must be a descending movement towards the tame, and the feeble, and the common-place. And thus, for the wretched eclat of getting clergy to do, with their hands, what thousands can do as well as they, may our cities come, at length, to barter away the labour of their minds, and give such a blow to theology, that, amongst men of scholarship and general cultivation, it will pass for the most languishing of the sciences."-pp. 45-47. We now come to the second chapter, which treats of "the influence of locality in large towns." The general plan of benevolent and philanthropic societies, whether for relief or instruction, is to spread their exertions over too large a tract of ground. We believe that facts will warrant this assertion, when the remark is applied to the city of New-York; for who, that is at all acquainted with the subject, does not know, that amidst all our VOL. VII. 4 I excellent and benevolent institutions, with such numbers of persons engaged on Committees of management, there is still a deadly moral disease beneath the surface of society, which, by this generalizing plan, remains undisturbed, a prolific source of moral death? Let it not be forgotten here, that, notwithstanding the legal and benevolent means of relief, and the legal and bencvolent means of instruction, there is a large number in our city who daily suffer for want of the necessaries of life; and probably not less than 8,000 children and youths, who are destitute of the means of common instruction in the simple arts of reading and writing. To this excursive plan of operation, Dr. Chalmers decidedly objects; and, combining his illustrations, in the first instance, to the case of Sunday Schools, undertakes to show the advantages of a more limited system; or, as he says, "to illustrate a principle of philanthropic management, for which he can find no better designation, than the influence of locality in large towns," and leaves it to his readers to apply his remarks to other benevolent and religious societies. "In most of the sabbath school societies with which we are acquainted, this principle is disregarded. The teachers are indiscriminately stationed in all parts of the city, and the pupils are as indiscriminately drawn from all parts of the city. Now, what we affirm, is, that the effectiveness of each individual teacher is greatly augmented, if a definite locality be given to him; and that a number of teachers spread over any given neighbourhood on this principle, is armed, in consequence of it, with a much higher moral power, over the habits and opinions of the rising generation. "Let a small portion of the town, with its geographical limits, be assigned to such a teacher. Let his place of instruction be within this locality, or as near as possible to its confines. Let him restrain his attentions to the children of its families, sending forth no invitations to those who are without, and encouraging, as far as it is proper, the attendance of all who are within. Under such an arrangement, he will attain a comfort and an efficiency in his work, which, with the common arrangement, is utterly unattainable. And, we farther conceive, that if this local assignation of teachers were to become general, it would lead to far more precious and lasting consequences of good to society."-p. 54. The first advantage of this system regards the teacher "He, with a select and appropriate vineyard thus lying before him, will feel himself far more powerfully urged, than when under the common arrangement, to go forth among its families. However subtle an exercise it may require from another, faithfully to analyse the effect upon his mind, he himself has only to try it, and he will soon become sensible of the strong additional interest that he acquires, in virtue of having a small and specific locality assigned to him. When the subject on which he is to operate, thus offers itself to his contemplation, in the shape of one unbroken field, or of one entire and continuous body, it acts as a more distinct and imperative call upon him, to go out upon the enterprise. He will feel a kind of property in the families; and the very circumstance of a material limit around their habitations, serves to strengthen this impression, by furnishing to his mind a sort of association with the hedges and the landmarks of property. At all events, the very visibility of the limit, by constantly leading him to perceive the length and the breadth of his task, holds out an inducement to his energies, which, however difficult to explain, will be powerfully felt and proceeded on. There is a very great difference, in respect of its practical influence, between a task that is indefinite, and a task that is clearly seen to be overtakeable. The one has the effect to paralyze; the other, to quicken exertion. It serves most essentially to spirit on his undertaking, when, by every new movement, one feels himself to be drawing sensibly nearer to the accomplishment of it-when, by every one house that he enters, he can count the lessening number before him, through which he has yet to pass with his proposals for the attendance of their children and when, by the distinct and definite portion which is still untravelled, he is constantly reminded of what he has to do, ere that district, which he feels to be his own, is thoroughly pervaded. He can go over his families too, with far less expense of locomotion, than under the common system of sabbath schools; and, for the same reason, can he more fully and frequently reiterate his attentions; and it will charm him onwards, to find that he is sensibly translating himself into a stricter and kinder relationship with the people of his district; and, if he have a taste for cordial intercourse with the fellows of his own nature, he will be gladdened and encouraged by his growing familiarity with them all; and thus will he turn the vicinity which he has chosen, into a homewalk of many charities; and recognized as its moral benefactor, will his kindness, and his judgment, and his Christianity, be put forth, with a wellearned and well-established influence, in behalf of a grateful population.”— pp. 56-58. The second advantage is, that it procures the attendance of the pupils. "The invitation comes upon them with far greater power, when it is to attend the weekly lessons which are given out in the close vicinity of their own habitations, than were it to attend at some distant place, where children are assembled from all quarters of the city. And the vicinity of the place of instruction to the taught, is not the only point of juxtaposition which goes to secure and to perpetuate their attendance. There is also much in the juxtaposition of the taught to one another. This brings what may be called the gregarious principle into fuller play. What children will not do singly, they will do with delight and readiness in a flock. This comes powerfully to the aid of the other advantages which belong to the local system-where the teacher will not only experience a kind reception at his first outset among the families, but will find, that in the course of a very few rounds, he engages, for his scholars, not a small proportion of the young, but a great majority of those in the district. And if he just follow up each act of absence, on the part of the children, by a call of inquiry upon their parents, he will succeed in controlling them to regular and continued attendance-a habit, which, with a slight exertion of care upon his part, may be so kept up and strengthened, as to obtain, in the little vicinage over which he presides, all the certainty of a mechanical operation." pp. 58, 59. |