Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
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First published 1941 (SND Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
†CHASM CLASS, n. comb. (See second quot.)Rnf. 1871 D. Gilmour “Pen” Folk (1873) 31–32:
They had no Children's Church or Sunday School, no “chasm class,” no singing class, and no tea-meeting.Rnf. 1935 (per Rnf.4):
The Sabbath School Union of Paisley had Chasm Classes. . . . In the nineteenth century, when a great part of the population could not read, there were voluntary efforts to teach the young to read the Bible at what were called Chasm Classes. The principal effort was religious, but in some cases manufacturers contributed to the expense so that their employees should have education.