McGuffey's Fifth Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson XCIII · Part 9: Soldiers, birds, seeds and society

99. Religion the only Basis of Society (W. E. Channing)

Goal: Your child states Channing's main argument in their own words and gives one reason he offers for it.

⏱ About 30 minutes · 6 steps

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You'll need

  • The book, open to this lesson
  • A notebook or lined paper and a pencil

What's in the book

A short essay by William Ellery Channing arguing that religion is not merely a private affair but supports the virtues on which society rests, and that without belief in God, conscience and law would lose their power. Definitions follow.

The lesson, step by step

  1. About the author

    The book says William Ellery Channing (b. 1780, d. 1842) was born in Newport, Rhode Island, graduated from Harvard with the highest honors in 1798, and from 1803 was pastor of the Federal Street Church in Boston. It calls him an eminent divine and orator.

  2. Words and meanings

    The words and meanings are printed at the end of the lesson. Read a few together before the reading, so they don't trip your child up:

    Community, society at large, the public.

    Diffusion, extension, spread.

    Fabric, any system composed of connected parts.

    Atheism, disbelief in God.

    Your child reads each meaning aloud, then uses the word in a sentence of their own.

  3. Read aloud

    This is a short but heavy essay. Read it aloud slowly, one paragraph at a time, and stop after each one to say it in plain words. It begins:

    Religion is a social concern; for it operates powerfully on society,

  4. Talk about it

    SayChanning says religion is "not merely a private affair." What does he mean?

    SayWhat does he think would happen to conscience and law if people stopped believing in God?

    SayHe calls a person without God "the unprotected insect of a day." Why does he use such a strong picture?

  5. Tell it back

    Close the book.

    SayTell me Channing's main idea in two or three sentences, and one reason he gives.

    Older children can write their narration in a short paragraph instead. Don't correct while they talk; just listen.

  6. Copywork

    Your child copies:

    Religion is not merely a private affair;

    Then talks with you about whether they agree, and why.

Tip

Older students may want to discuss or question the argument. That is good thinking; let them explain their reasons.

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