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144 RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION.
A ;
moral worth, whether they can or cannot
claim alliance with the first families in
the place. I f I have mentioned their
labours in the pulpit with less respect than
their own countrymen may think them
entitled to ; I am ready to admit that their
attention to the religious instruction of the
youth of both sexes, in every situation of
society, whether rich or poor, is entitled
to unqualified praise. Ministers are appointed
who devote four days in every week
to the purpose; the young people, from
about sixteen to seventeen years of age,
are divided into classes, to suit the hours
of attendance to their convenience ; a regular
course of instruction is gone through
in one year, on the history, evidences, and
doctrines of Christianity. The boys are
publicly examined in two of the churches
on the Sundays, and the manner in which
this is done is particularly clear and judicious.
No unintelligible questions are proposed,
couched in quaint or mystical terms,
according to the words of a printed form ;
but the subjects are stated in the simplest
and plainest manner, and the boy to whom
the question is addressed, is expected to
answer it in his own language, and to give
additional explanations, if there remain
any doubt whether he comprehended fully
the nature of the enquiry. During the year
of instruction, the female catechumens are
expected to abstain from balls oi public
amusements, that their attention may be
exclusively devoted to serious studies. Fer-
haps there is no city in Europe where all the
youth receive so complete a course of religious
instruction as at Geneva. Protestant
families often come from distant parts of the
continent to reside a year in this city, that
their children may go through the annual
course of religious education.
When the catechumens have completed
their course, there is a religious service on
the Thursday at St. Gervaise and the Cathedral,
during which the boys are publicly
received as members of the church, and on
the following Thursday a similar ceremony
takes place with the young women. This
ceremony is simple and interesting. The
female catechumens are dressed in white,
and wear long white veils ; seats are appointed
for them fronting the pulpit, and
other seats are set apart for the relations
who accompany them. When we witnessed
the ceremony, a very impressive sermon
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