Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1802-11-12
FRoh TRr BALkSli.
ON EDUCATION.
No. XVIII.

and the general buhueis OF ii;e inio-
much thar q general snlors.mtn:, as~esl
asa ,csniya9isn OF tis natural capacities Ut
mankind, while continuing in this world,
would be dearuttive 70 Ineir inlereits.
The frft would iet them nb,Ve the necei-
fairy buiinel, OF life, while The lat would
reduce them 5e!ozv il and in either cafe,
the whole world would become a iccne OF
wretchednefs. While neceaary degree
of intellect is difpenfcd to all. the iplen-
did gifts of genius have been dealt out
with fparing hand. The world has feen
butone Mmer. The BIitiih nation has
reared only one NeaU,en, one M;lfen, one
SbakeLtrn,e. Each of Them, in his ref
pct,ive department, aands alone and unr'-
vailed.
But LEI not blind p'efumption imPute
this frugal economy, in the beftowment OF
genius, either to impotence, or to,a want
Of benevolence, in the great Firt Caufe.
With Him it is as eafy to create Homer
or Newton as to create worm nor
is il poillhlc ,ha, the Father ofexhauitlels
light ihould grudsc TO inpart intellect
The plan OF nature is fraught with un-
meafureable goodnef, towards her trail
children. In the chain that extends i'm.
meniely, from the verge Of nothing up to.
ward the infinite ALL, Man occupies one
knk and, il he lhould be, in point of
capacity, eHentially different from VIVA.
he is, this link, would be deranged. If
mankind were generally endowed with
tae capacious intellect OF Newton, or with
the creative fancy Of Shakespeare, while
ysey would be {" feeding en- thought" &
rapt in profound CONCENTRATIONS; or while
they would be forming and combining,
in their minds, inaumerable gay aad ipor-
tive images, there would be no man to
till the ground the agricultural and
mechanical employmcnts upon which lite
depends, would b. deip:fed and neglected,
and fuch 4 generation of philosophers and
poets would iooa be devoured by meagre
famine. Therefore, while thofe fPlendid
talents have been kindly denied TO men,
which, were they generally befowed
would render them iniubordinate, difcon-
tented and wretched, they have been en-
dowed with fach an average portion Of in
tellea, as qualities them Tor fulfilling on
the plsset they are defined to inhabit.
Idiots excepted, all are endowed with the
germ Of abilities, fuficien, for rendering
them uieiul in lome nectillry depar'l TENT
of life.
Now, in the buineEs of education, it
is prudent to follow the order and footitePs
CT nature. The vificnary icheme Of con.
ver,ing the srsa, mas of mankind into
philoicphers. is defervirg of no other
notice than that Of ridicu!: and contempt.
Were this &c he effected. the order o. rature
would be dcrsnged-: the ncceGlry labori-
Gus occupations Of lite would be contem.
ned; a,d miEsry and dettruttion would
be the inevitable conftquence. Any one
is eNknrnrG', whole leatning is fully ade.
auare TO his buinefs. u is no difparage-
ment or Inconvenience TO farmer, a
mechanic, or even merchant, that he is
not able to folve problem in Euclid, or
to conNyue Homer, or Virgil that he
is an adept, neither in Nswton's fi.|
TEN of philoiophy, nor in Belles-Letters.
If his learning be competent to all The bu.
6neG Of his particular calling, and to the.
various relations he itands in, toward his
maker and toward (ocie,y, it is lufhcient-
ly cxtenhve.
ANY kind If learning, ,ha, is entirely
foreign from ones bufncls, is no, only uie.
icfs but may be very hursful. 1t far
mer. whole livelihood depends upon his in.
duAry, Mould fpend h;sstiue in inveaigst:
ing The S5jl,faaiy of plants, which ought
TO be fpenr in berg them, he would be de-
Ierying of riiicnle, and would be iure to
meet with poverty. A mechanic would
quickly 'loofe his cuaomers, ard with them
bis living. that hauld brandifA his learning
in their faces, and attempt to entertain
them with Icien,ihc harraugues, il ftead OF
performing theie wo'k, with nea,nefs ard
diipatch. Nor would merchant thrive
in trade, Who aould neglect his ledger,
n & Il