Category:The Child's Companion and Juvenile Instructor

Title: The Child's Companion and Juvenile Instructor

Editor: George Stokes

Publisher: Religious Tract Society

The Child's Companion and Juvenile Instructor was established by the Religious Tract Society (RTS) and ran from 1824 to 1932 as a journal of “true stories for young Protestants,” according to its title page. It claimed to provide “scriptural beacons” by publishing stories of dedicated missionaries, missionary work in other countries and poor but pious children,^[1] and it presented all of these religious conversion stories as factual accounts.^[2] The periodical also included poems, illustrations, and scripture study questions for the young audience. Intended to instill strong Christian values in children, this journal served a didactic purpose and was not meant to entertain. The idea that “children are sinners and need to learn how to become better Christians”^[3] was greatly influential in the creation of each issue. In fact, many issues included these “how to” articles that told children exactly what they needed to do to be better (how to be good, useful, or forgiving). Most stories and poems reminded children how grateful they should be to be Christian and have the Bible. It also included accounts of children finding their way to Christianity and realizing how much better off they are than “heathen” children with no direction or hope for salvation.

The Child's Companion was created in response to social disorder and the danger of radical and antireligious writers. The RTS decided to use cheap and popular literature to spread the message of social deference and Christian salvation to the working class. As the century progressed, the effort was concentrated particularly on the young, and the Religious Tract Society became one of the more important publishers of literature for children of all classes.^[4]

Notes

1. ↑ VW.
2. ↑ VB.
3. ↑ VB.
4. ↑ VB.

Submitted by: Sullivan, Kate: section 1, Winter 2010