Wesley Corpus

person whatever. Nor is any child received, unless his parents agree, (1.) That he shall observe all the rules of the house. And, (2.) That they will not take him from school, no, not for a day, till they take him for good and all." The reasonableness of this uncommon rule is shown by constant experience: for children may unlearn as much in one week, as they have learned in several, nay, and contract a prejudice to exact discipline, which never can be removed. 12. "The general rules of the house are these: The children rise at four, winter and summer." This I know, by constant observation, and by long experience, to be of admirable use, either for preserving a good, or improving a bad, constitution. It is of peculiar service in almost all nervous complaints, both in preventing and in removing them. "They spend the time till five in private; partly in reading, partly in singing, partly in prayer; and in selfexamination and meditation, those that are capable of it. "At five they are all together with the Master. Then till seven they breakfast, and walk or work: for as we have no play-days, the school being taught every day in the year but Sundays, so neither do we allow any time for play on any day. It is a wise German proverb, 'He that plays when he is a boy, will play when he is a man.' If not, why should he learn now what he must unlearn by and by? "On fair days they work, according to their strength, in the garden; on rainy days, in the house. But particular care is taken that they never work alone, but always in the presence of a Master." This circumstance I adopted from the great school at Jena, in Germany. It lays much labour upon the Masters; but the advantage is worth all the labour. It prevents abundance of evil; (and it is far better to prevent evils, than to punish them ;) not only rudeness and ill manners, but many sins that children would easily teach each other.