The National Register.
London, England, 1814-02-20 00:00:00

E NATION-AL REGISTER.

11'4-

apply the rower of attention to' compositions of• a higher
kind". than "the Setmonets here offervd. !Ind Ivhat an
• I:brining admi,ion is this-of the alledged apostacy of the age !
::itypo,ing the cYil,to have extended itself in this way,• how-
tyer, its antino-te is not-discernable in the ,volume before us;
whose authors, while anticipating this most uupardonable
wan:, express ". the ten, thousand misjvings with..which
th:, yplume is sent 'oil the world." .Gilea4 has here no
b.din, and .here is no physician. It is not " the solemn"
yet " playful Sermons'' tl-te • Pryer( tul Mr. Medan,
though meant to he " suited to their time of life," that
ail perfect.. pr3i,e-even Out of the riNiths of banes •and
sutllin.gs; nor dos it appcar likely- that the anccdotical
Sertnonet," of --(kiln- and I..etitiaMit•iii.la Hawkins, with
the llcgins lintanist of Cairibrid.ge Uni%eisiry to hoot, will
he ingte happy. in restoring the sanity of those (lel:Ili:wed
hCl;evc=ts who 141(1,4 impracticahle " to apply the power of
attcnti,-ii to coniFositions•of a higher 1.1(1.'' Whcn sha!l
such chi istian fiillies he nttc-rlv I,ankhediTorn our is!e c Fol•
Les tht-v ;;re, imtoertinc-nt in their inceiiion, and inittriduts
in their effects -Such•performln«:s can set ve only .to assist
the.pri.n.rress.of serious !rifling ; than whit ri not!,ing can be
vonceiyed more inimimi to our we!l-liein..; while in this
v...11i1, or more ominous as to our I:licity in that which is
to come !

ON SI11U".

ON THE STATE OP EDUCATINN IN 181.1.

No. f.

TO THE ,IMI TOR OF THE N tTIOSAL REGISTER.

Quid cam cst dub:his oil.. lit, rdn.--

" education forms the vutoit:A mind.
Just as tile tvvi; is bent, the tier's

Learning has, in all ages, been so univer=ally admitted as.
desithrahou in eV'ery nation, that theit• w I'd, no al 12u mentc
,to snyport SO gencial and I), eN :Wing an orimolt. If we 1,4
into-
the ancient miters, we shall find, that they f:,)1111:11:(1
the :u of a good education, as the only and exclu-
sive step to the highe-r ofbees and dit.y!iti,..s of the empire.
So desirims were the Grecians, Romans. and other=, of ob-
.taining honourablo, pious. and le:tt Ira i!,s.rnetors 1;4 their,
tamales, that fn- the sake of etr.oulainr2,- erudizioo, they
considertd their teachers as the gre,test minments of th-ii
states, and not unireqUently elevated thein to the highest
situations in the government, alwaing them every privileg,f
peitainitT; to such exalted characters.
It may he iir;,ed, that the 'moderns, e wally nrpreciate
learning with the ancients, and that this happy and favoured
"isle can boast of institutions for the increa e of know-.
ledge, unknown in the days of our ancestors.. Such ma, be
the case, but we do not find the concomitant otetidants of
education keeping pace with our !Pi hiir estaldisliments for
literature. We have, it is true, seminaries c.inducted on
system. cf and Lancaster, for tbe instruction of the
uninformed poor. In this town we have three,—two under
the estah!ishincnt, or Madras plan, introduced by Dr. Bell,
and one conducted according to the scheme laid 'down by
Mr. Lanmster, each sialitiently capacious to contain one
thousand al,o numerous Sunday and other chat ity
School,. iv,holden by the munificence of a liberal puhlic;
sides which tl-ere are a cohege and free grammar school,
suppor! d by vat ions devises of real estate, vested in bodie::
corporate. Had our forefathers I v.,(1 in this enlightened
age, they would have concluded irrehgion to be entirely
evirpated, and knowledge at its grand ciimax ; but, on in,

FEB. 20.

quiry, we find many, too many, deviating from the right
path, and still remaining illiterat in reference to general
information. Innovations gain ground in all benevolent
purposes, and such is the lamentable case in respect of these.
In a commercial nation, where every tho"ght is brought into
action, the most expeditious methods ought to he rev,' ted to,
for the attainment of those studies applicable to the different
scenes of life each person i which has to act. But do these pub-
lic seminaries, at whose shrine private concerns must bow, be-
cause they are unable to lender their vaivahle services gratis
to the nation—or does this enthusiasm fir a polite educa-
tion, contribute to the ends &signed ? Were these national
establishments only filled with ohjec's f r whom they were
founded, we should no see talents sunk beneath their swav;
and men of lit-rat nre buried im cab ivion, and suffering under
.
every pi ivation—the nece,:sarY resotr ces the o. abilities are
capabie 6,111111 am! beinwin conseqUence wi:hbeld. Proofs•
ate not wanting to substanilate the -e i-ns. The decline
of private dry and evening schools, time efierst of these
stitutions, as well as the re% ivai of commerce, has produced
incalculable mischiefs among men of liberal and extensive
-knowledge, and suflicienth confirms these opinions. Pea•
pie, in a middle sphere of life, from whoa., is dio ived a great
poi tint) of that eneouragemeirt which ought always to ac•
couip.my nwn of teal ring, have withdrawn their support to
au alarming extent, f it• the purpose of placing their families,
in these chat itv schools. Is this the design of such invalu-
able for the instruction of the illiterate needy
alone Is this the purpose for which the benevolent un-
sti ing their purses? Or, are these the alert» of compassion?
No; I contend they are not for the 'did of those in affluent
eircum,tances, but -for the ii tet ary aid of lie poor and friend-
less. The writer of these reflections does not mean to assert
that religion is ex tet urinated in stir h semin..l its, and only ells-
sem i na. eel under the auspices of the bierati, or that a bright
luminaiy does not sometimes emerge from it dal k cloud (for
such Insinuation; would he as unjust as unfounded, and the
idekillrheral, of decrying these benevolent estahli-hments
WIWI(' the unlettered iPidigent ought to be exclusively in-
.

sti ucted, and taught to read that best of compositions, the
Word of (:od), but to prevent gcneial contributions being
enjoyed by those, hose circumstances place them out of ihe
reach of poverty, and beyond the wants of the unfortunate.
It is well known that the real poor do n.,t wholly receive
the gifts of this benevolent and charitable nat•ou, ei her
owiog to such unjust innovations, or else thei• unfavourable
ctimstances precluding them horn enjoying the coun-
tenance of friends. This heir;;, unhappily for the suffering
poor, too often the ease, recommendations flow indiscrimi-
nately into the possession of those, whose eircumstancea
ought to pieelude them from soliciting such favou,s
Let those, therefore, who are charitably disposed, bestow
their beneficence on the de,eryinz, poor, and let those who
ale ahle to satisfy the small demands of fAithful instruc:ors,
men who have devoted the whole of their lives to study and
are rinlowed with a sufficient education, not withhold their
support : although lotune may not have distributed her
h,noties so liberally, as to raise them above the views of
scholastic functions, for when once the proper respect due
to such characters is withdrawn, it is often attended with ca•
lain i tolls consequences.

To duly appreciate' the value of a good teacher, let all
ranks and orders of society only consider the advantages de-
rived from a liberal and well ordered education ; they. will
then be convinced, th:►t it is not only their duty biit their
interest, to render every support to men of abilities; ►tt the
mine time, the writer would nut wiAt to be understood..that
the benevolent and well disposed should withhold their eolm