prayer meeting, and
supposed I must wait for the proposed Thursday evening effort till the
warden moved. At length, I found that he was waiting for me, when it was
too late to move in the matter at all. Indeed, had we attempted the
effort when first spoken of, it would probably have been more trouble
than benefit.

As to the penciling, nothing was said by any in disapprobation of it,
yet, after that hearing, with the thought that possibly this might be
one of the points of offense, I took from him all the materials except,
perhaps, the slip on perspective, which he greatly regretted.

40. _Sabbath school success._ The prison year commences the first of
May. The former warden continued some ten weeks into the second year,
during which time the Sabbath school attendance remained as usual,
averaging eighty-six.

On the first Sabbath of the new order nearly the same number were in
attendance. But many had no teachers provided, and I could have nothing
to do about arranging for the school's best interest.[4] The following
Sabbath brought a great falling off, still greater the next, and so on.
In a few weeks the warden peremptorily dismissed one of the teachers he
had invited, telling him that if he would call at another time, he would
give his reason.

[Footnote 4: In speaking of the Sabbath school teachers employed, page
69, the author intended to say, such a number that each teacher could
have a guard stand by him and see that nothing contraband passed.]

At first, a prisoner would occasionally ask a question, as usual, and a
little discussion spring up; but the warden at once crushed all this,
requiring the teachers simply to put the questions as in the book and
the pupil to give the answer and nothing more. The number continued to
fall off until it went below thirty, giving me fears that none would
attend, all my efforts for their continuance being of no avail. No
excuse would usually be given. But one said, "I won't attend with such a
warden," and I judged this the general reason. At length I found
uneasiness pervading the teachers, one having determined to resign; but
I entreated him to remain for the sake of the prisoners and the Sabbath
school, for, if he left, his class would follow, dropping the number to
twenty or under, and all would be likely to take the same course. He did
not feel satisfied with laboring under such circumstances, with a guard,
may be a mere boy, at his side to watch him, and he, per