Page:History of Barrington, Rhode Island (Bicknell).djvu/295

 THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. 233 "The Church met according to adjournment. The Com- mittee raised at the last meeting recommended the estab- lishment of a catachetical society among the youth in this place, and that Wilbour's catechism be used as a text-book. They also recommended the use of Emerson's Catechism among children, to be taught by minister and people." " It was voted, That the Committee chosen at the last meeting propose a constitution for a Catachetical Society among the youth, and report at the next meeting." June 7, 1818. The Church were detained after public worship, and the pastor proposed the establishment of Sabbath Schools in this place. After free discussion it was : 1. "Voted, without opposition, that Sunday Schools be set up among us for the religious instruction of children and youth." 2. " Voted, That Deacons Joshua Bicknell and Kent Brown, and brethren Anderson Martin, Daniel Short, and Noah Read be a Committee with the pastor to superintend the Sabbath School." The Committee met immediately and appointed Mary Bosworth, Permilla Paine, Sally Tiffany, Nancy Viall, and Mary R. Bullock, sisters in the Church, to be teachers in the Sabbath School." While the records state that the Sunday School was estab- lished by the vote of the Church in 18 18, there are good reasons for believing that the children were gathered for instruction in the Bible, on Sundays, in the year 1817, and possibly a year earlier. I have the personal testimony of Mrs. Eliza (Martin) Ide and Mrs. Elizabeth W. (Allin) Bick- nell that both were engaged in such work with the youth of Barrington in 1817, teaching classes in the meeting-house and also in private houses near, as there was at first much opposition to the work, on the ground that lay-members, especially young women, were not qualified to teach the truths of the Bible, clearly or correctly. The found-