The Sun.
London, England, 1820-12-16 00:00:00

EDUCATION.

The influence of Education upon the moral,.
C 41V acter of Society, is so considerable, that every idea upon
this. inipoitant subject, must -prore interesting to the public.
"I' a acquisition of languages forms so indispensible a branch
of education, that no effort should be omitted to render the
access to them less difficult. If it be true, that Literary mutt
7-icietitific pursuits have been stripped of those repulSive. and
Ascure forms which discouraged and perplexed the sttiden4
why should not the study of languages, which occupies' sK
considerable a portion of our time, be rendered equally ca,y
Why should. time, the most rail:table, because the most dee t-
gift of our Creator, be wasted for several years in acquir-
ing what might be attained in little- more than as .many
mutit'hs ? Youth is the most important portion of our exis-
tence., It is the momentous and deeiiive period, which de-
termines the port we shall act in the drama of lifer. In this
spring of our existence, the mind is a rich and virgin soil,
awaiting only. the band of the cultivator. Then,our• facilities
are called into action, new ideas- flow in on every tide; the
judgment begins to exercise its -.important functions, and
'hit restless spirit of curiosity, so natural to children, awakens.
in their minds the desire of information. Were the whole
fistein.of education directed so as to, encourage and tilted
;this curiosity, instruction would be.retieved front most of the
difficulties by which it is accompanied. BuF this, invaluable
quality is generally combated, by two fumidableopponents,
indi.lenCe.and inattention. , -

To overcome the natural indolence of theinfant mind must
be the ww.k.pf time. The spirit of rivalship • will sooner or •
later awaken the ambition .of children: Their boyish pride
will spurn the idea of being surpassed; and will urge them
to redouble efforts which; experience teaches t heniinfist be
crowned with ultimate success: Inattentiiin More.formi.
dable opponent. In children, it proceeds citiedy from the
restlessness and levity which belong to their 'ate. Full of
health and spirits, unencumbered - with any of the cares of
life, affected by troubles of only a moment's duration,-and •
eager in the pursuit of pleasure, the child is necessarily rest-
less and volatile. The rapid flow of Spirits,"and the quick
succession of ideas, keep him perpetually in. 'notion; this love •
of play renders every serious occupation irkso:ne and-such
is his fondness for variety, that even his amusements must be
frequently changed. Hence the difficulty of fixing his atten-
tion for any time upon subjects which may tire, but
_cannot
amuse him. In vain you prove to him the necessity of study'
and the advantages of education. His reason may. be With .
you, but his spirits, and his love of motion, Will be against
you.

Indolent and inattentive as the youthful mind may be,. it •
may, however, be roused into exertion ; but this exertiOn
seldom or ever lasts long : hence the' methods of instruction
should be suited to this diSpositiou of the child. He must be
allured to•study, by the appaeent, ease with which knowledge
cart be attained. He must be strewn that the difficulties he
dreaded were idle phantoms of his brain, and that what he
is desired to learn will trot only be•usefulio him as a man, but
that it is not above his capacity •as a child.- Hence the books'
that are put into his hands must beat once clear and precise :
clear,
,that be may easily understand them ; precise, that his
attention may not he too much exerted. A rule worded with
precision and clearness conveys an idea to his mind more dis-;.
tinct than that which he could• derive from one expressed In
a superabundance of words, which can tend only to confuse
his ideas, and to perplex his judgreent. These truths are so
-self-evident,-that it Most be matter of surprise to find the
method here recommended, opposed from the erroneout idea
that it would tend only to' make an indolent child more indo-
lent, and prevent the Impressions made on his mind from
being deep and durable, an opinion, the fallacy of which
must be proved by experience.
The jargon of the Aristotelian School was such that, to its
eXtirpatnni from Colleges, the progress of Philosophy, of late
years, must be attributed. But although the scholastic me-
thod be generally exploded in scientific pursuits,-there still
exists a fatal propensity to adhere to the obscure forms be-
queathed to us by less enlightened ages. -Let us not depreciate
the merit of the ancients : in many respects they were our
equals; in some, they were, perhaps, our superiors; but we
possess advantages unknown to them, such as a more perfect
method of analysis, and a better insight into the faculties of
the mind, by means of which the understanding may he con-
ducted from the simplest elements, to, the most abtruse spe-
culations. The origin and 'generation of ideas, being better
known, their progress from the imperfect notions of the
child, to the elevated conceptions of the man, can be more.
easily traced. In youth, the human intellect is a precious
seed, which may grow into a statelytree,.embellished with the
blossoms of fancy, and rich in the fruits •of reason. Thus de-
stined to becothe at once ornamental and useful to society, its
proper cultivation becomes an object-a the-greatest possible
impOrtrince.- The- time allotted for thikpurpose is short, the
task. to be accomplished immense. Let us hope, therefore,
that every thing will be done to facilitate the acquisition- of
knowledge, and that by exploding ancient forms, and abj u log
old established prejudices, our children will be perrnitteo to
acquire in a•year or twtri What our forefathers- could not at-
tain in five or sit.
Paddington 'House. , ' P.

THE THEATRE.—A new Drama, <entitled 'PO,.
ClthOniaS or The Indian' Priadess, wai last:night
brought forward at Drury-lane .Theatre- lt is.
founded upon events that occurred in the earlier
period of our 'settlements in America, and though
the stage has abonnded. in Transatlantic stories,
and. the incidents are not new,'yet they, are put
taTether comv.ctly, And are by no means unin-
teresting. -.V e have not room to detdil the fable,
but it tnay•be'justly.said of the piece altogether,
that the 'sentiments are naturali-And are expressed
poetically, and that the whole .exCitessympathe,
tic feelings. The chief characters were perforthed
by ,COOPER, 'BOOTH, POrlip'and Mrs. WEST, who
jointly-and severally gave a strong support to the
piece. I\liss.Povcy. sung two Airs with grta.i‘
sweetness. The scenery is appropriate and rt.).
mantic. The audience- received the ,Piece. -so
favourably as fitlly to sanction its repetition.
LOYAL IttIEETING of the UtiITED PARISH of Sr.
ANWREW, HOLUORN, and ST. GEORGE THE
MARTYR, Middlosex.•---A very numerous and
highly respeotable-Meeting of the Inhabitants of
these Parishes took place yesterday- at .Gray's-
Inn Coffee-house, for the purpose of considering
the, propriety of adopting a dutiful, loyal 'and
affectionate Address to his MAJESTY : - The Rev.
Mr. 13En-esroan was called to th.e Chair."rhe
Rev. Gentleman stated the purpose of the Meet-
ing in _striking and impressive terms. fie was
followed by Mr. Tow ER, Mr.WALTONT; Mr. M UR-
RAY. the Rev., Dr. WILSON, and other- Gentle-
men. We -regret that we-can only add, that the
Address consisted of loyal and patriotie senti-
ments, in appropriate expressions; and that the
whole proceedinzs -Were honcrurable to the Meet-
ing and to the respective ParisheS.