Chapter IX: Part 9

I will suppose then that my Readers design with me the real Good of their Children; and neither mean to neglect them, nor to hazard their Ruin by overdoing things. To this End Boys are to be taught Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, and Drawing; to which may be added, a Knowledge of Maps. This Plan, tho’ comprized in a few Words, contains all they need, nay all they ought to learn. It is usual in the common Businesses to put Boys Apprentice at about fourteen Years old; now supposing they begin to learn at seven, they have Work enough cut out for seven Years at least; which if well attended to, and their Time be well employed, is capable of turning to great account. I mean not to give offence to any one, but as the Province I am engaged in obliges me to speak my Thoughts, I may offend without Intention: and honest Truth, in a Matter of this Importance, is not to be disguised. My Advice then is, that Boys of this Class never once attempt to learn _Latin_. What do they want with it? or what use can they make of it? will it enable a Man to make better Shoes? will it assist a Taylor in cutting out a Coat? or will it give a Barber a keener Edge to his Razor? Parents, when they send a Boy to School, are often guided by the Master what he shall learn; he, naturally fond of advancing his Scholar, puts him into _Latin_; and thinks him shabby without it. But is it not possible that this Gentleman may be a Man of real Merit, a good Grammarian, nay a compleat classic Scholar, yet a very bad Judge of Life? most certainly. The Boy is thrust headlong into things he does not want, and neither Parents nor Master consider the End: for tho’ it is certain that Parents cannot always tell what their Children will be, yet those of this Class are pretty sure they want not deep Learning.

Of all the Mistakes committed in Education, none is equal to that of our being thrust into an Employment for which we are unqualified; especially too if it be one of a serious important Nature; now no People on Earth are so liable to this as the Class we are treating of; for as they are apt to take a Remove beyond themselves for profound Knowledge, they plunge their Children into a Labyrinth of Difficulties, by engaging them in a Profession or Science far beyond their Power to reach.

I have already urged, that, in the Case before us, a learned Education is needless and improper; but this is saying too little of it, and treating it too mildly: we may go farther, and shew that it is even hurtful, by being an Impediment to more useful Knowledge: and farther still, that it is not always what it is taken for. A Boy in common Life has perhaps about seven Years Schooling; the greatest Part whereof is employed in learning _Latin_: his _English_ is notoriously neglected; and Writing and Arithmetic he gains but imperfectly. Now I beg leave to ask, whether these three last are not more useful to a Boy of this Stamp than _Latin_? and whether it is not a Misfortune to spend his Time in gaining what he has no use for, and omitting what he wants? But it is an Error in me to call it gaining, when in Reality it is losing: for after a Boy has been puzling his poor Brains, and been tortured with _Latin_ for several Years, it is ten to one that, comparatively speaking, he knows nothing: that is, nothing radical, and to the Bottom; nothing, in short, but what one Year’s Apprenticeship will entirely efface. As a Proof that this is no Exaggeration, losing Learning is not only the Fate of Boys in common Life, who seldom get more than a Smattering, but it is confessed by every Gentleman, by the deepest Scholars, that a long Disuse of a Language, or almost any Branch of Learning, will in great measure wear it out of our Memories: or at least take off that Facility which constitutes Perfection. A Relation of mine was sent to _London_ some Years ago to be educated fit for Business; a Friend had the Care of him; who, after sending him to learn Reading, Writing, and Accompts for some Time, resolved to compleat him by putting him for a Year to _Merchant-Taylors_ School to learn _Latin_. He did so; and that finished, he was put Apprentice to a Cabinet-maker. But what availed his _Latin_? just nothing. In three Months time he saw’d and planed it all away; he was not a Pin the better for it; but he lost a Year of precious Time, that might have been very usefully employed in improving what he had before learn’d, and in applying himself to Drawing: a thing absolutely necessary for the very Business he was put to, and which, to my own Knowledge, he has often lamented the Want of. Now this is not a single Instance, an accidental Mistake, but a general Error; hundreds and thousands of which might be every day produced: the Consequences whereof are always more or less wrong, and sometimes very fatal.

I have observed that useful things are neglected, to run in pursuit of what to them is useless; that is, they leave a certain Good for a precarious one. But we may reason still farther on this Head with great Utility. Mankind is by Nature aspiring and ambitious; and where Wisdom and Prudence accompany our Steps herein, they are highly laudable. But if, instead of these, Ignorance and Vanity are our Guides, we are pretty sure of going wrong. A Man of mean Extraction, and illiterate, takes these mistaken Steps already pointed out, in bringing up his Son; whence a false Pride is stamped on both, and is sure to increase with the Boy’s Learning. The Father’s Care is to keep his Boy from disgracing his Education. “_Jack_, (says he) I have bestowed Learning on you, to make you a Man; look forward, and I don’t fear but you will make your Fortune.” And the Son at the same time takes care to think himself a better Man than his Father. But let us conduct him on; he is now a Gentleman; because he has, or fancies he has, Learning. He must dress fine, and keep Company with his Betters; this leads him to Expences he cannot afford; no matter, he is a Gentleman, and must appear like one. His Father, after rumaging his Brains for a genteel Employment, at length puts his Son to an Attorney. But that’s a dull Life, he likes the Stage better; and after having seen Plays by the hundred, he concludes himself equal to any thing, and turns Player: where perhaps his highest Character is to speak the Prologue in _Hamlet_’s mock Play, or to be the rueful Apothecary in _Romeo and Juliet_. It is too well known what kind of Lives these Gentlemen lead; they are mostly riotous, extravagant, miserable, and short. Now can it be denied that these, and such as these, are the fatal Consequences of this false Education? surely daily Experience convinces us it cannot. But as I labour for the public Good, so I desire to do the strictest Justice. I will grant then that a Boy of this Stamp, and thus trained, does all on his Part to advance himself; that he is prudent, temperate, and virtuous; still he has neither Bottom, Interest, nor Friends; it is an hundred, perhaps a thousand to one, if he arrives at any thing higher than being a Hackney-Writer, an Usher to a School, or at most the slavish Master of an insignificant one.

Permit me here a short Digression. There are no People in the World, whom I at the same time both honour and pity, so much as Schoolmasters and Preceptors; those particularly to whom we owe the most essential, the most solid Part of our Education. There is something strangely inconsistent in Mankind, or they could not see a Master incessantly slave, and toil, and sweat to instruct others, and leave him at last without Reward. The Man who is qualified for a Teacher, must have laboured many Years in the Pursuit of Knowledge. If we would wish this Man to do Justice to our Sons, we certainly should do Justice to him; that is, we should prove, at the same time that we desire our Children to be made wise, that we have so much Gratitude as to make him happy, by rewarding him as he deserves. From this ungrateful Disposition, or, from a very misplaced Frugality, it often happens that Parents do not seek the best Teachers, but the cheapest; whence not only follow the fatal Consequences attending a bad Education, by a seeming one passing for real, but also that many, who are by no means qualified, undertake the important Task. To return then to my Subject, we cannot doubt but that some of these unqualified Teachers are the Fruits of this false Education we have been speaking of; Men, who tho’ unequal to the Task they are engaged in, would have been distinguished as eminent Proficients in another Way, and been very valuable to Society; while in this, the highest Honour they arrive at, is perhaps the holding forth with a dictatorial Air in an Ale-house.

Many are the evil Effects this false Education produces; for thro’ the Mistakes of Parents, the Pride of Children shews itself very early, and daily gathers Strength: they soon look down with Scorn and Contempt on the mean Business of their Father; and soon aspire to what they have not the least Chance to reach. But as they have been injudiciously taught to aspire, we cannot greatly wonder at their mistaken Conduct: hence we see them spending their Lives not merely in Trifles, but in Riot, Extravagancies, and Debauchery: averse to Employment, averse to Labour; too learned to be industrious, too ignorant to be wise. But how much happier would they be to know themselves, and keep within that Self-knowledge! How sweet is that Bread which is earn’d with honest Industry! How much happier is the Man that labours at his Loom, than he who with mistaken Pride, despising it, is perhaps reduced to be dependent on others! Could then Parents in general of this Rank, but learn Content in their Stations, and keep their Children from soaring beyond their Reach, they would secure much Comfort to both, besides contributing to the Happiness of Posterity.

My Readers will remember that the Scheme of Education for Boys of this Class, is Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, Drawing, and a Knowledge of Maps. I will now shew what Advantage may be made of these, and endeavour to prove, that this is so far from being a contemptible Education, that when attained to Perfection, it is not only useful, but very extensively so.

Mr. _Addison_ says, that every Man who reasons is a Logician, tho’ he has never studied the Rules of Logic: so too we may say, that every Man who speaks grammatically is a Grammarian, tho’ he has not been taught Grammar. What I here mean is, that a due Attention to Children, and proper Instructions with regard to _English_ only, will enable them to make a very considerable Figure both in Reading and Speaking. Nature furnishes us with the Faculty of Speech, but the Mode of it in great measure depends on the Place we are born in, and the Language we are accustomed to hear. The Court, and the learned Part of a Nation, certainly speak the purest Language; the Vulgar and the Illiterate speak the coarsest, and the most corrupt: but there are many Degrees between, who may be said to have the Power of choosing, as they frequently hear both. It is then the Parents Business to be greatly attentive in this important Point; especially as Experience shews us that a great Man can be vulgar, and a little one polite, and the Medium can neglect the Advantages in his Power by adhering to the wrong Side, when with equal Ease he may attain the right. I have already cautioned the Great never to sink beneath their Quality; and while they learn to be humble, they must carefully avoid being mean. I have also recommended to the Gentry to approach as near to the Quality in good Behaviour and polite Language as possible: and to those of this Class, I strongly urge, that every thing coarse, vulgar, and incorrect, is not only improper, but highly unbecoming; is not only abusing the Faculties Providence has furnished them with, but is debasing their Nature. If then the Parents of this Class enter upon the Education of their Children with just Reflections (which all, more or less, are capable of making) the natural Consequence will be, that they will seek such Methods as are most conducive to their acquiring a thorough Knowledge of their Mother-tongue.

It may be urged that a compleat Knowledge of the _English_ cannot be acquired without _Latin_; but, with all due Respect, I beg leave to dissent from this: I have seen a good _Latin_ Scholar greatly deficient in the Knowledge of _English_, and a very correct _Englishman_ who did not know a Word of _Latin_. But nice grammatical Rules are not strictly the Province of Boys in common Life, and much may be done without them. A good Master will enable them to read in a very expressive and significant Manner, at the same time that he makes them acquainted with his Subject. He will teach them the different Types, why a _Roman_, why an _Italic_ Letter is used; where the Accent is to be laid on different Words, and on the same Word in different Senses; where capital Letters are to be used, and why; the different Stops, which we call Pointing, and their Force; the Cadence, or Falling of the Voice, in ending a Sentence, or a Paragraph; and, what is the greatest Beauty of all, where to lay the Emphasis or Stress on every Expression, so as to give it it’s utmost Energy. Farther, he will teach his Scholars to keep close to Nature; and not suffer them to borrow a Whine, a Tone of Voice from that almost universal Destroyer of Nature, Affectation. He will shew them that the only thing which can be granted in this Case, is a certain adjusting, or rather a little Elevation of the Voice in Reading, above Speaking; and that they come nearest to true Reading, who would be supposed to be Speaking, were a blind Man the Hearer. He will shew too, that, according to Nature, all Subjects do not require equal Energy in Reading; and consequently the Voice must be modify’d and varied, on suitable Occasions: for as we are susceptible of various Impressions; and as Joy, Grief, Anger, and other Passions, are differently expressed by us without any previous Study, purely from the Force of Nature, so a good Master will shew, that a Prayer, a History, and a Poem, have each something different in their Nature; and that to give them their due Propriety, Force, and Beauty, each must be read in a different way. Besides these, the Master will shew his Scholars, that in order to speak to Perfection they must observe first, what Language their Betters speak, and by comparing it with that of the Vulgar, they will be enabled to distinguish, not only good from bad, but Propriety from Impropriety; whence they will insensibly learn, Gender, Number, and Case; Person, Mood, and Tense, with many other things relating to Grammar, without once supposing that they are acquiring them. Secondly, he will direct them in the Choice of such Books as will give a double Relish to Reading, by the Goodness of the Language they are wrote in. And lastly, he will recommend their seeking Opportunities of hearing their Betters read, that they may compleat by Imitation, what Instruction has laid the Foundation of.

But to give all the Satisfaction in my Power, I beg leave to observe, that as Grammar (if I may be allow’d the Expression) is the Soul of every Language, it may, in essential Matters, be taught in _English_ as well as in _Latin_: it is true, that, in compound Words, and some of the Derivations, both _Latin_ and _Greek_ are necessary, and indeed many other Languages; but they are only so for Gentlemen and professed Scholars; and tho’ a mere _English_ Scholar cannot give all the Derivations of Words, yet he can give all the Meanings, and all, or most of their Rules; and thereby be enabled to acquire a considerable Degree of Perfection, a pretty thorough Knowledge of his Own Language; and sometimes a Knowledge superior to those who in other respects are superior Scholars. Should it still be urged, that if Boys learn _Latin_, a Knowledge of _English_ will be a necessary Consequence, and that Grammar in _Latin_ is Grammar in _English_; I am ready to grant it: but the Point here maintained is, that what is called a learned Education is unnecessary and often hurtful to Boys of this Class, nor have they Time to acquire it. Besides, there are always Difficulties in referring or applying grammatical Niceties from one Language to another; Difficulties which are not within the Province of every one to get over. If therefore Boys of this Class, instead of engaging in _Latin_, which, as has been shewn, they have not Time to acquire, nor in general have any use for it if they did, would apply to the Study of _English_ only, and make the most of that, they may improve to a great Degree; vastly more than is usually done, because prevented by an injudicious Application to the _Latin_.

Thus much have I said, in some measure to do Honour to the Language of my own Country; but chiefly with a View to remove the Errors too generally run into by inferior People, partly from their Vanity, and partly from their being Strangers to the many and great Advantages which this Branch of Education only is capable of affording. I know that innocent well-meaning People are often misled in educating their Children; and have heard many say, that a Boy must learn _Latin_ to enable him to spell _English_; but this is a vulgar Error, and henceforward, I hope, will be removed. But yet farther to prove the Usefulness of our Language in the real Concerns of Life, we may add, that by this alone may be learnt, from those whose Province it is to teach, every Duty, every Obligation we owe to God and Man; by this we are enabled to read the sacred Writings; by this we can become acquainted not only with the History of all _Europe_, both ancient and modern, but of the whole World; and particularly with the History of our own Country: by this we are furnished with Books containing Helps in Building, Planting, Gardening, and many other things of great Use to Mankind; and by this, in a word, we are furnished with vast Abundance of both Instruction and Delight; not only from the excellent Translations from _Latin_, _Greek_, _Spanish_, _Italian_, _French_, &c. but from the original Writings of many of our own Countrymen: Men, whose Geniuses were perhaps inferior to none. Here, without Flourish, Parade, or Exaggeration, my Readers will see how noble an Use may be made of our Mother-tongue; how much Pleasure it will yield us, how much Knowledge it will convey to us; and hence, I hope, Parents will be induced to consider it in the Light it deserves.

Boys are next to engage in Writing; and I earnestly recommend that it be closely attended to, and considered as a Matter of great Importance. The present Method of teaching, and the Kind of Hand now usually wrote in Business is, I think, admirable; the Merchants of _London_, and some of our public Offices, shew great Perfection in this Way; and I would recommend that every Boy both learn and practise a mercantile Hand, as it is at the same time useful and beautiful. Every Man who is acquainted with Life must daily see the too general Defects of Hand-writing. If a Bricklayer, or any other Workman, brings in a Bill, what a pitiful Figure it makes; nay, it is sometimes so very bad, that none but the Writer himself can read it; and where we see one wrote out in a masterly Way, it is ten to one but he has, at considerable Expence, employed somebody to do it for him. Now this must surely be considered as a grievous Misfortune, both as it is an Inconvenience, and a Loss; and which ought carefully to be prevented in the rising Generation. Besides, if we reflect on the unforeseen Advantages which many meet with who are fine Penmen, we shall be convinced how necessary it is to excel in this Art.

We come now to Arithmetic, which includes a large Field of Knowledge. The Use of Figures, is so universally known and allowed, that it seems needless to urge any thing in their Favour. Men of all Degrees want their Aid; they are the first Introduction to the Mathematics; and the Knowledge of them is more or less necessary from the Prince to the Peasant. If a Man fails in _Holland_, they immediately say, he has not kept good Accounts; in Truth People of almost every Rank stand in need of their Help; and their Use and Power thoroughly known and attended to, would preserve thousands from Ruin. Parents then cannot do too much to instruct their Children in this important Branch of Knowledge; especially if they consider on one hand the Confusion and Perplexity which attends the Ignorance of it, and on the other hand the many surprising Turns for the Advancement of their Fortune, when possessed of the Knowledge of it. All young People, as I have before recommended, should be taught Method, and nothing more likely to initiate them in it than a masterly Knowledge of Figures. Besides, Debtor and Creditor, Loss and Gain, are by no means confined to the Merchant; every Man, however low his Trade, or however narrow his Dealings, while he does trade or deal, should understand what he is about: and he has no other Way than this of attaining that necessary Knowledge. I am very sensible, that some Men, even in Trade, have got thro’ the World, and make good Acquisitions, without any considerable Degree of this Kind of Knowledge; but we may truly say of such, that Fortune stood so very near them, that they stumbled upon her: tho’, for one who has thus succeeded, a thousand have miscarried. But my Aim is, to have the rising Generation so educated, that either Misfortunes may be prevented, or, if they do come, that their own Conduct may be irreproachable: and, I say again, no way more likely to effect this, than knowing thoroughly and attending closely to Figures. But farther, this and the foregoing Branch of Knowledge are strong Recommendations in various Stations of Life: many, even from nothing, have by these Qualifications become great Merchants; our _East-India_ and other Companies frequently want Boys who write and account in a masterly Way; and when young People set out in the World and act for themselves, the Knowledge of their Affairs, from their Skill in Figures, is often a Restraint upon them, and a Curb to their Passions; by keeping them from what they see they cannot afford.

I shall now speak of that important, tho’ much neglected Branch of Knowledge, Drawing. It is matter of Surprise to me that a thing so obviously useful, and in many Respects so indispensably necessary, should be so generally disregarded. Young Gentlemen at an Academy indeed sometimes learn a little Drawing; but neither so often, nor so compleatly as they ought; but it is not of those I now mean to speak, but of that large Body of Youth comprehended in the fourth Class of People.[9] As Parents cannot know certainly what their Children will be, it is fit that, according to their Station, they should be so educated, as to be prepared for whatever may suit their Circumstances, their Capacity, and their Inclinations: to this End, besides Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic, I earnestly recommend Drawing. To prove it’s Use, let us first view the various Branches of Building; where we shall immediately see the Necessity of understanding it. It is my Advice to all Parents, without Exception, that they implant in their Children an ardent Desire to excel; not to engage them in things they are unequal to, not to fill their Heads with Chimeras of fancied Power and Abilities, but that they labour with unwearied Industry to become perfect in their Way, be their Profession, Trade, or Business what it will. Thus, if a Boy is to be a Bricklayer, a Carpenter, a Smith, or any other Trade relating to Building, it is right that he should be animated with a Desire to become perfect, and not sit down contented with a scanty, superficial Knowledge of his Business: and, to attain this, Drawing should be made as familiar to him as Writing; which would greatly tend to his Advancement in the World: for how often does it happen that a Gentleman wants his own Conceptions and Designs explained and improved; which are easily done by a masterly Workman, but are entangled and made worse by a Blunderer. Drawing shews us the Difference between Beauty and Deformity; as Features, Mein, Aspect, Stature, and the Power of Light and Shade. It teaches us the Use of Lines, Angles, Squares, and Circles; it teaches us the Rules of Proportion, what Base is proper for an Edifice of different Dimensions; what constitutes a regular, what an irregular Building; it distinguishes true Taste from false; it assists our Fancy, and enlivens our Imagination; it is the Foundation of Architecture, and therefore necessary for every Branch of Building: for tho’ there are general Rules and Principles in each Order of Building, yet is there great Latitude for what we call Fancy, Taste, and Judgment: and thus the whole Beauty and Propriety of an Edifice may be said to depend on the artful blending of the several Orders into one perfect Superstructure.

Thus much for the Usefulness of Drawing in Building; but I should injure this Art if I stop’d here, for it is still far more extensive. It is not enough that a Gentleman builds himself a House, it must be furnish’d too; and if he be a Man of Fortune and Taste, he will not be contented with what is merely useful, but will add the ornamental likewise: hence appears the Necessity of the Artificers in this Way learning to draw in order to excel. If an Upholsterer be sent for, it is an Advantage to him not only to give the proper Dimensions of Furniture, but to display the several Ornaments and Fancies in use, and even strike out new Designs of his own; that he may convince People he is a Master in his Way: he cannot shew a Piece of Damask or printed Linen, but the Draughtsman appears in it; and it is right that he should be equally knowing in his own Business.

But if we take a more general Survey of things, in order to give us a true and solid Estimation of real Life, we shall find this Art of surprising Use. How many Trades are there subservient to the Arts and Sciences? all those who make Maps, Charts, and Globes; all those who make mathematical Instruments, and the vast Apparatus for the different Parts of Experimental Philosophy; so too Engravers, Sculptors, Painters, and Anatomists; all these, with many others, needless to enumerate, stand in need of Drawing: So vast is it’s Use, and so necessary is the Knowledge of it!

The last Step of Education for Boys of this Class is Geography, or the Knowledge of Maps. Geography makes us acquainted with the whole Surface of the Earth; the whole terraqueous Globe: it is first divided into Quarters, viz. _Europe_, _Asia_, _Africa_, and _America_; again, these Quarters are subdivided, so as to make us acquainted with particular Provinces, Kingdoms, States, and Empires: hence it is easy to see the Pleasure and Use that arises from this Knowledge. Men of every Rank are liable to leave their native Country; and indeed it is often the only Way to their Advancement. What a Pleasure then must it be to be acquainted with a Road we never saw? to travel in a Country without Pain from our Fore-knowledge of it? which is really the Case with an Adept in Geography. But supposing our Travels exceed not the Bounds of our own Country; it is a Subject of great Delight to be thoroughly acquainted with that. Or farther yet: supposing we do not travel at all; Geography has still it’s Use: it assists us in the Knowledge of History, and thereby adds Instruction and Pleasure to our Reading: in fine, it makes us acquainted with the whole World, without going out of our Closets.

My Readers are, I hope, by this time convinced, how advantageous these Steps of Education are for many of the Purposes of Life; nay they are such as some in better Stations are in great measure Strangers to, tho’ they may be possessed of Qualifications otherwise useful. If then to this be added virtuous Dispositions, a docile Mind, a becoming Behaviour, and, in a word, that genuine Manners recommended to all, I think Parents in general of this Class may promise themselves much more Comfort in their Children than they usually find.

Girls too of this Class are capable of being very valuable; but again I must caution Parents to be aware of those Banes of Happiness, Idleness, Pride, and Vanity. Idleness is justly called the Root of all Evil; and Pride and Vanity are empty nothings: or if they can be said to produce any thing, it is Evil. Girls of this Class have many things within their Reach, and if well attended to, may attain them. They may read and write to great Advantage; and learn so much of Accompts as will be necessary for conducting their Concerns, and understanding those Affairs they may in future Life be engaged in. They may and ought to work to Perfection, but principally the useful Parts: and tho’ the ornamental is highly commendable, yet it must not here be encouraged to the Prejudice or Neglect of the useful. When this Foundation is solidly laid, let them be carefully instructed in the Management of a House, according to what has already been observed in the foregoing Class; from whence they will receive such a Fund of useful Knowledge, as when joined with good Demeanour, will procure them not only the Esteem of their Equals, but that of their Superiors. Let Parents farther inspire them with Dispositions daily to improve their Minds; to maintain with firmest Resolution the nicest Innocence, even amidst the rudest Attacks, should they occur to them; and lastly, to support themselves with a chearful Mind in that State which is allotted them. In fact, Happiness is much more within their Reach than they commonly imagine; but if they neglect to consider the Advantages they enjoy beyond thousands who are beneath them, and anxiously dwell on the Splendor of those above them, it is the certain way never to find it.

Notwithstanding what has been said on this Class, Allowances are still to be made as Circumstances vary; and if the Plan be in general practicable, it is all that can be expected. Education is in some measure accidental; and it is right to embrace those Advantages which Accident offers, provided they do not interfere with more useful Knowledge, for then they are no Advantages. For Example: nobody should neglect their Mother-tongue; yet if they are so situated that they can add _French_ to it, they ought by all means to do so. In the preceding Classes _French_ is considered as a necessary Part of Education chiefly from it’s Politeness, and the Advantage of reading _French_ Authors; but according to the present Age it is far more useful. _French_ is now so universal, that a Man who speaks it can do Business with whatever Foreigner comes in his Way; or should he go abroad, he can transact his Affairs in any Country, or on any Exchange in _Europe_. But it is still farther necessary. _Moliere_, in one of his Comedies, introduces a Conversation, where a Servant is accused of flattering his Master: “What can I do? replies he: I am to please, I am to secure my Service by keeping in his good Graces, and I have no other way of doing it: therefore, continues he, it is not the Fault of me who flatter, but of him who will be flattered.” So in taking a View of Life we may sometimes observe, that to secure the Interest and Favour of the Great, the Taylor, the Milliner, the Shoe-maker, and many others, are expected to introduce their Modes under a _French_ Tongue. But to do justice to the Wisdom of our Nation, this is far from being general; therefore a general and close Application to the _French_ for the fourth Class does not seem either necessary or practicable; because to some it would be useless, in others it would be forgot again, and by many it would never be attained.

Another Part of Education which is oftentimes merely accidental, is Music. If a Man plays on any Instrument, it will be delightful to him to employ his Son’s leisure Time in giving him something of so agreeable an Accomplishment; or if he can improve his Daughter’s Ear or Voice, by giving her a pleasing Manner in Singing, she should not be deprived of it; for these things make young People sprightly in themselves, and pleasing to others. But then Care must be taken that they stop here: they must not engage in an expensive and laborious Study of Music, unless it is to be their Trade; nor must they be attached to it so as to neglect other Obligations, or so as to engage them in irregular Company: and above all, great Care must be taken that they be not tainted by that Torrent of Corruption, bad Songs.

There is indeed a Step of Education for this Class, as well as all the preceding, which I think of Importance, could it be obtained without the usual Inconveniencies attending it; that is, Dancing. I consider Dancing as conducive to Health; I consider it as sometimes a Means of preventing Deformity; and where there is no danger of that, all must see that it is the great Means of making young People of both Sexes stand, and walk, and sit, and even look and speak to advantage. Mr. _Locke_, speaking of a docile Mind, and good Dispositions, as superior to every other Consideration, says, “Parents surely must have a strange Affection for _Latin_ and _Greek_, who will prefer them to their Sons Virtue.” So too I may say of Dancing; if we cannot get the Good without the Bad, it is better to let it alone. First, it is, for a great many People, too expensive; nothing indeed to those of Fortune, and in great Business; but to others, more so than is convenient. Next, it is apt to inflame young People’s Vanity, as well as increase the Expence of their Apparel. A Boy who learns to Dance is dissatisfied unless he has Pumps, white Stockings, laced Hat, and many other things not necessary to his Station; and a Girl rejoices when the dancing Days come, only because she is to have her Silk Coat on. A third Objection is, the Danger of their contracting a Passion for Dancing; for tho’ young People may sometimes very innocently divert themselves with an Evening Ball or a Country Dance, yet an eager Desire for these Engagements, especially to those of lower Rank, and to those who live in _London_, are extremely dangerous. Still, as this Qualification seems really necessary, if the Expence of the Master can be submitted to, the other Difficulties may, I think, be got over. But here the Manners are concerned: Children must obey, and wear without a Struggle, and without a Blush, such Apparel as their Parents judge fit for them. If besides this, they are made sensible that every Step in their Education is taken purely for their Good, and are carefully instructed never to abuse by an inordinate Attachment what is bestowed on them only for Use; if Parents I say do this, they may in general hope that all their Children learn will turn to good account.

The Province I am engaged in, and the tender Regard I pay to all human Nature, demands that I speak of a fifth Class of People, usually term’d the Peasantry: tho’ I think the principal thing to be done here, is to admonish those in higher Spheres to behave with Justice and Humanity to them, rather than to address themselves. If we speak of Education, here it will naturally carry our Ideas to the Spade, the Plough, or the Team; and which may without Impropriety be called Education to them. It is a true Saying, that there is a right way and a wrong in doing every thing; if so, it is an useful Part of Education to instruct them how to till the Earth with greatest Ease to themselves, and with greatest Profit to those who employ them. As early and constant Labour is the Province of this Class, there is but a small Share either of Time or Abilities for Instruction; still as they are by Nature susceptible of it, those who have Power cannot employ it better than by bestowing it; so far at least as may open their Minds to distinguish Truth from Falsehood, Right from Wrong, Innocence from Guilt. If to this were added, at least the Power of reading their Mother-tongue, it would at times be an Entertainment and a Consolation to them; and it would remove, in some Degree, that total Darkness and Ignorance they must otherwise remain in.

But here, for the Sake of Instruction, I must depart from the strict Propriety of the Word _Peasant_, to touch on another Species of Rustics; that is, those of the lowest Class of People, in _London_ particularly. These People possess indeed the Ignorance of the Peasants, but they seldom equal them in Innocence. Many are abandoned to every Vice; many indeed are honest and industrious; but even among those who are themselves good, their Children, thro’ an early false Fondness, or the Corruption of others, are usually ignorant, untoward, and vicious. Whence we daily see and hear in the open Streets such things as are Insults on Mankind; such as must shock the Ears, and make the Heart tremble; and such as cannot but be a Reflection on any civilized Nation. We say, it is easier to obey than govern; and, in this Case, it is perhaps easier to propose a Remedy, than to put it in Execution. But to cure an Evil among the Little, we must address ourselves to the Great; for if they have either their Example or Countenance, all Attempts to remedy it are fruitless. Next we must turn our Eyes on those in Power, as Magistrates, and Men in Office; if these exercise their Authority with Justice and Fidelity, much may be done: but if they not only neglect this, but give ill Example too, little is to be expected. Thirdly, the Children of these People are to have some Degree of Education; the Boys, Reading, Writing, and the first Rules in Arithmetic at least; which, if carefully taught them, will qualify them for many useful Employments. The Girls should at least read and work at their Needle. But all this, tho’ indispensably necessary, is too weak to effect the Purpose designed. The Perverseness of the Will, the Unruliness of the Head, and the Corruption of the Heart, are still to be conquered. Manners alone then is the effectual Remedy: and as, to cure a Disease, we must strike at the Root of it; so, to rectify the Morals and Misbehaviour of the Corrupt, we must, on solid Principles of Reason and Reflection, awaken the Mind, and regulate the Heart.

CONCLUSION.

A Citizen of _Athens_ advising with _Xenophon_ about whither he should send his Son for Education, It is my Counsel, answered _Xenophon_, that you send him to _Sparta_. To _Sparta_! says the _Athenian_; is rude and uncultivated _Sparta_ then preferable to _Athens_, the Seat of Arts and Sciences? Yes, replies the Sage: at _Sparta_ he will learn a Science worth all the rest, he will learn to obey. According to this Philosopher then, Obedience alone is a Science productive of every useful Knowledge; whereas, without it, all other human Knowledges are often useless, if not, in general, dangerous Acquisitions.

Certain it is, that much may be hoped from setting out right, and every thing is to be feared from a wrong Beginning. Parents therefore who aim at making their Children wise, should aim at previously making them good. That is, (to recapitulate the chief of what has been said) they must make their Wills pliant and tractable, by teaching them an early, very early Obedience: next, they should mould their Hearts, imprint on them a Love of Truth, Honour, Justice, and every other Virtue: lastly, they should form their Minds and Manners, by shewing them the several Duties of their Station, and how to fulfil them.

The first Duties of Children are in great measure mechanical: an obedient Child makes a Bow, comes and goes, speaks, or is silent, just as he is bid, before he knows any other Reason for so doing than that he is bid: the Dawn of Reason shews him general Duties; that is, that he owes to his Parents and Guides Obedience, Respect, and Love: when his Mind is farther opened, and his Judgment has gained Strength, he sees (if led by faithful Teachers) that he is born for an important, nobly important Purpose; and tho’ many particular Obligations, which he was before a Stranger to, present themselves to his View, yet is he convinced that they are nothing but what, under Reason’s Sway, he is capable of answering. Farther, he sees that the Exercise of all moral Obligations are rendered light by being reciprocal; and from a Sense that his own Support, Comfort, and Happiness requires the Aid of others, he chearfully and willingly labours for others. Lastly, he sees, that tho’ irregular Passions sometimes raise Tumults in the Soul, and struggle for the Mastery, yet from the Happiness of a well-tempered Heart, the constant Exercise of Reason, and the Reflection he must needs make on the daily Instances before him of Vice punished and of Virtue rewarded, he may not only be enabled to give Virtue the Ascendant, but to give it on the purest Motive; that is, for the Love of Virtue. All this, I say, unless Children are by Nature untractable, or are over-powered by the Torrent of corrupt Example, will generally be the Effect of well-regulated Manners: and, possessed of all this, who can doubt but that they will then be wise? or who can think that while thus much is wanting they ever can be wise?

Mankind, as has been observed before, naturally desire their Children’s Prosperity and Happiness; but if they seek it in any other Road than this, they must not wonder if they miss of it: rather may they wonder in good earnest, if they ever find it. Still is the ultimate Point untouched: for, besides that our Passions are to be regulated, and our Actions to be innocent in themselves, and valuable to others; to make them perfect, they are farther to be animated by a right Intention: for, says a learned and ingenious Author, “the Intention is the Pulse of the Soul.” Many Actions, in themselves indifferent, are rendered hurtful by an Error in the Intention; and even those which seem calculated by Nature to produce the most signal Advantages to others, as well as to us, are often, for want of being properly directed to their right End, both fruitless to those they were designed to benefit, and even detrimental to ourselves. Here then we are to know, that moral Duties are of divine Origin; and if Nature shews us the first Laws of Right and Wrong, the Author of Nature implanted them in us. But our Obligations to the GREAT CREATOR of us all will irresistably appear; if we duly survey ourselves and every thing around us; for as thence we shall see that from Him alone we receive all things, so thence shall we be convinced that to Him alone all should be referred. Thus it is evident, that to fill up the Measure of our Duty, three things are necessary: first, we are to be carefully informed what is Right, and what is Wrong; secondly, we are inviolably to adhere to the one, and avoid the other; and, thirdly, the Right we do must be done from Principle; which can no otherwise appear in us than by honouring and serving the Author of our Being, and of all the Blessings we enjoy: these naturally lead us to believe in him, to hope in him, and to love him; and these are Acts which constitute Religion. But here, with all due Reverence, I drop my Pen; leaving the Consideration of our Duties in a religious Light to those whose Province it is to point out, explain and enforce them: to those, in a word, to whom the Office is given from above.

FINIS.

FOOTNOTES

[1] Dr. _Shaw_. See _Quincy_’s Prælectiones Pharmaceuticæ.

[2] Since the second Edition of this Work, _three thousand Women_ more, deliver’d in the same Hospital, are to be added to the above Number: among which, not above four have had sore Breasts, and those were either such as had no Nipples, or had formerly had Milk Sores; and all of them except one, cured by Poultices only. Dr. Macaulay (to whom the British Lying-in-Hospital is greatly indebted for his present close Attendance thereon) is my Authority for this Note.

[3] Dr. _Cadogan_.

[4] Dr. _Parsons_.

[5]

Great Wits to Madness sure are near ally’d:
And thin Partitions do their Bounds divide.

[6]

Av’rice and Knav’ry sure are near ally’d;
And thin Partitions do their Bounds divide.

[7]

——Who steals my Purse, steals Trash.
’Twas mine; ’tis his; and has been Slave to thousands:
But he who filches from me my good Name,
Robs me of that which not enriches him,
But makes me poor indeed.——

SHAKESPEARE.

[8]

One Science only will one Genius fit;
So vast is Art, so narrow human Wit.

[9] Since the first Appearance of this Work in the Year 1753, the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce has been form’d and establish’d;[*] in Honour to which, the Author begs leave to observe that his Complaint on this Head (which he flatters himself was a just one) is in some measure obviated: for, from the particular regard paid by that Society to every Branch of the Polite Arts, Boys even in the most inferior Stations of Life (as well as others) have it’s Countenance and Approbation; and, by liberal Premiums, receive from it the Reward of their Genius and Industry. Hence Drawing is already become a far more general Study in England than heretofore; and hence, too, it may be hoped (provided the Plan here laid down be deemed rational) that Boys of this Class in particular will daily improve, and make, it both their Study and Delight to acquire that Perfection which will manifestly tend to their own Advancement in Life, and reflect Honour on their Country. A contemplative Mind, united to a Heart warm’d with the Love of Mankind, cannot but see with singular Pleasure the rapid Progress and growing Power of that highly useful Society: For, from a beginning of about six private Gentlemen, a few Years have increas’d their Number to near three thousand Members; among which far the greater Part are Persons of Rank, Learning and Fortune. But to what End do they associate, to what End do they bestow their Time, their Thoughts and their Money?[†] The Answer is obvious; it is to benefit others, not themselves: it is to encourage the Industrious, and reward the Ingenious: and what is still more exalted, it is to add Power, Strength and Lustre to their native Country.

[*] The Society commenced in March 1754.

[†] Every Member pays at the least two Guineas a Year; or one Payment of twenty Guineas for Life. Besides the Committees (which meet almost daily, and which are open to every Member) the Society, for the most Part of the Year, assemble once a Week; at which Times so many useful and curious Matters are discuss’d as render them a most rational Entertainment. And, that no Partiality may be shewn, or Benefit lost, every Member has full Liberty to throw out his Thoughts, and to propose whatever, in his Opinion, may be of Utility, and advance the Intentions of the Society.

ERRATA.

Page 6. Line 12. _for_ disregarded _read_ disregard.
52. 1. _for_ attend _read_ attended.
82. 7. _for_ strange _read_ stranger.
220. 18. _for_ he _read_ she.
302. 5. _for_ were _read_ where.
321. 4. _dele_ not.

Transcriber’s Note: The errata have been corrected, along with minor and evident typesetting errors. The spelling and writing style of the 1750s has been retained.