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From the Montrose Standard.

“The authoress of this unpretending little volume, in a preface not less
remarkable for its brevity than for its modesty, states, that the pleasure and
advantage she had derived from reading Mrs Sherwood’s ‘ Stories on the
Church Catechism’ first suggested to her the idea of writing a work of the
game character. Before sitting down to examine the work, we thought
within ourselves that the authoress had taken in hand a task of no mean
difficulty, for, although our schoolboy prejudices to the Shorter Catechism
have long ago melted away into a profound admiration of the fulness, the
conciseness, and the beauty of this admirable compendium of faith, still we
thought that as long as boys are boys, and till the palmy days of their ex-
istence has passed, the same prejudices, and the same horror, we may say, of
the Shorter Catechism would continue ; and that any one who could succeed
in rendering such a subject interesting to children, must be ‘ a friend in-
deed,’—one destined to receive the blessing of every child in Scotland who
carries a satchel. With such reflections we opened ‘ Chapters on the
Shorter Catechism,’ and began to read. The explanations were so simple
and clear—the descriptions of scenery so natural—the delineations of
character so truthful—the tales so interesting—and the moral precepts in-
culcated in language so pleasing and affectionate—in fact, as a woman only
can—that when we laid down the volume, we were surprised to find that
we had almost read it through. The plan of the volume is simple. We are
introduced to the manse of a country clergyman—a model clergyman,
blessed with a wife ever solicitous about the best interests of her family.
The children, too, if they are not what they ought to be, are at least every-
thing that children can be expected to be. One or more of the questions of
‘ the Shorter Catechism are prefixed to each chapter, and the incidents of
every-day life are so managed as to turn the conversation upon the parti-
cular question or questions prefixed. This, we suspect, must have been a
task of considerable difficulty to our authoress, but it is one she has fully
surmounted. The volume only requires to be known to become a fa-
vourite in every family. Parents, Sunday-school teachers, and every one
interested in the young—and who is not ?—will receive hints which will be
of great service to them—they will at least see how the most trifling cir-
cumstances may be made subservient to the high and holy purpose of point-
ing the way to heaven.”

 

From the Greenock Advertiser.

“‘ The very valid objections to what are called ‘religious novels,’ cannot be
urged against this work, as it can lay no claim to the character of belonging
to imaginative literature. These Chapters on the Catechism ought to prove
exceedingly useful in inducing the young, not only without effort or repug-
nance, but with feelings of interest, to acquire a competent knowledge of the