The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1828-08-27
INFLUENCE OF EARLY ASSOCIATIONS.
Extract from Mr.. Francis's Discourse ON the
E7-7ore of EoI3,eof:or

may ioIge, Slowly, INK by link, chains,
which afterwards the strength of manhood
| may struggle in vain to rend asunder. And
IN nothing is this power the minister of so
much evil or so much good as in the bust
ness OF religion. To form in the mind of a
cniid just and salutary conceptions of God,
OF duty, and of immortality, is. we have rea-
son to think, the most difficult problem pre-
sented in the work of education; and here
it is that we fall into some of our most nm
happy errors. 1t bat too frequently ham
| pens, either by ill-judged efforts or by neg
I hgence, that religion becomes connected
with the ideas of the young with whatever
Is wearisome, or painful, or irksome, or ter
81 th at tafP m 'e6itIP&ny Vrt mn
ages of an unhappy character Its service,
having thus become the bondage of fear or
the work of constant, either overshadows
and darkens with fanaticism the subsequent
! years of life, or is thrown off with feeling
of tleliverance, like that of the prisoner
when he casts away his chains and it is
well if it do not become an object of sarcas-
( tic sceptIcism and strong aversion. Lord
| Bolingbroke was compelled in his youth to
read to his aunt, as matter of duty, DIR.
Manson's one hundred and ninety long SER
mons on the one hundred and nineteenth
Psalm and perhaps the deep and fixed dis
| like to religion created by his irksome task.
however piously intended by his relative,
had more influence, than any argument, in
perverting the energies of his bold mind to
the cause of infdelity. And Mrs. Hamil--
! ton tells US, from her own observation, that
! little girl to whom Sunday had been made
a day of gloomy restraint and dull applica-
| ton, was so shocked by sermon, in which
/ the preacher described heaven under the
! figure of an eternal Sabbath, that it was
only with great difficulty she recovered in
after life from the disgust produced by this
unfortunate association. If the secrets of
individual education were always known,
similar instances would be found not I'M
common. 1t is of the last Importance, that
1 the ideas which children are led to connect
with God and religious subjects, should be
simple in their nature, and of pleasant and
encouraging character,-that they should
strike chord in unison with the good and
happy affections of that buoyant period of
| life. IF might have M choice, would
never present the subject of religion to
child, but at time when he was pleased
and happy. IT," says Dugald Stewart,
with his usual felicity of thought and ex-
| pression,-"if the first conceptions, which
an infant formed of the Deity, and its first
moral perceptions were associated with the
early impressions produced on the heart by
| the beauties of nature, or the charms of
poetical description, those serious thoughts
which are resorted to by most men merely
as source of consolation in adversely. and
| which on that very account are frequently
tinctured with some slight degree of gloom,
would Iecur spontaneously to the mind i'll
| its hes: and happiest hours, and would in
-sensibly blend themselves with all its purest
and most refined enjoyments." And the
power of association may be turned to good
account in the work of mere instruction.
DR.. Beattie's ingenious device to impress
the idea of designing Cause ON the mind
of his son, by sowing seeds in such forms
as to produce, when they sprang up, the
letters of his name, is familiarly known;
| and Orion informs US that DR.. Doddridge's
mother taught him much of the history of
the Old and New Testament before he
could read, by the help of the pictures on
some Dutch tiles around the fire. place OF
the room where they sat, and that he never
outgrew the impressions he then received.
In short, to know how to estimate and to
WELD the agency of association is one of
the great secrets of judicious and skilful
education.
CHEAP RECEIPTS-ro INSURE HEALTH
l. Rise Early. Walk or ride for an hour or
two, then eat hearty, substantial breakfast.
Let your other meals be moderate, and use exs
ercse freely Thy walking, skipping in any
other way) before going to bed. This receipt
has lately been recommended in strong terms
by Sir Ashley Cooper, and many others of the
most eminent physicians and surgeons in Lon
dom Its first direction is consistent with Frank
Inns well known MAXIM Early to bed, and
( early to rise, will make man healthy, wealthy,
and WISE Its last direction equally agrees
with well known couplet--" After dinner,
sit awhile Il. e. few minutes y after supper,
walk mile"
9. Keep your feet warm g. e. hy exercise D
your head cool q. e. by temperance j and your
body open e. e. take care to avoid costiveness.}
This was the golden rule of Boerhave, the
greatest physician in modern, or probably in
ancient times, who concluded his advice by
saying something to this effect" If peope
would only observe these plain, simple rules
and would avoid a current of air as they would
an arrow, physicians would be altogether an
useless class of beings"
! g. For Ckildren. I" Give them plenty of
milk plenty of flannel; plenty of air and let
! them have plenty Of sleep and they will sel-
dom, if ever, all any thing" That is, milk is
their best diet; they must be warmly clothed;
must be much out Of doors and must be al.
ways allowed to sleep until they waken of their
own accord.
And now challenge any man, be he who he
may, to discover any reasonable objection to
these plain, simple rules, or to offer better. If
he can, shall set him down a wise man, and
a beneiactor to the human race. Were they
my own, it would be corsummate arrogance to
say this, but they are the deliberate recommen-
dations of the ablest Of men; and they are the
obvious dictates Of nature.--ERgtish paper.
----~z1ensm~--~-
j A HUMnus. A witness at the assizes at Kill.
kenny, being asked if, when he was examined
before magistrate, he did not give very diff.
ferent account of the transaction, from what he
I nnru dnliuarad ha admittad TIN EIcf- lint said