Edinburgh Academy.
The Times, 1824-10-08T00:00:00

* isY 'tite eereMouy of' opening this sieminary took, place in of.0 the Directors and about 500Ogentlemen, among wvhom we 1Sir 0mega -Celeri, Sir William Rae, Lord Mtackenzie, ~Jen, and a niumber of individuals distinguished-in the Tritcssions of his city. one o'clock tlhe boys of the ditTerenit claswgs were ushered -~~lof the academay by thcir teachesrs, and took their seats, , .ennbro abouit Wo(1. As near as- we couldi calculate, thiere ,.. ob n the first class, 91 ; second Class, dl ; thliTd class; ~tb las, df; rctorseisa,4d. * ~cershavng ske thir eat ata tble inthocentre of tett th Retor t te had,thDreosenre the hail, ~ ther plaes O1 Feats appropriate frte;venthe Rev. '~WAr Ci Scor ten iosc,andobserved, that it had been I r~ bytheDirctos tdt omeaccount shonhid be Oiven on ~eta ofthenature andi neaniing of the instituition, lie -t rb omneone better qua,lified hadl been appointed for this put. 1,nt as the duty had been Imposed upon hiim, hie wouldi en- lrtto discha it as briefly as possible. It wvas necedless for t~ sy oe wrd o th sujectof hezeneral adlvantage of edu- It ws tat ch dstiguihedma-n from the lower m i theeeto..wihrcsed evry fact of' history, *{s~asrirrd tem n prfet oderfromi ope generation to asi. i~. ur acestrs,althugh heypaid due attention to the. $ a t ubject of eucation, ol little hiave! conceived the towihdiscveries in scee anld litetature had gone n..e; and tbose nitw p resen little k-new to whiat ekttent ty inight carry them. Future ages milght probably speak wlt~ fthe 18th and 19th.~eentviries- in the sante way ~ ~~~o~hat of he ldthand lOtli. But let thiemi remember ~l~te go~rss f kowlege as radal,andl as their ancestors uS? ean oxtus t secre o thm th beefits of eduicationi and Ij~ridge,to ltItb saidt of themi that they paved the ~ f~ th genertion that were to follow. HLe need not 'tot pariruarlyto n assembly of Scotamen, that at an perod f teirhistory the mos-t anxious solicitudle had show-n bythi anceetors on this subject. The MmOly wasi sCarcel shathed before they sat dtownt and made dF~tons fbr te implrovemient of other generations. They lived inspeiodof prtond peace, and long.-long might it be be- eLy wordwasagain unshleatlied. This witi a proper timne for th ntttions of the country, and endeavouring to cause anr ~ntoke picewith its highi iniartidl acitievements. In an nsituio lie heprcsent therewa something gencrous nieiTnested. It dtiff'ered omm all other public instituitions. Thie t ers oif a library mighit read iso their library andl it had occur. tl2.c founder of an hospital had had the melanchioly gratifi. byth decline of- his fortunes, ofe replosing undter its rouf. 1oul not he the c..se with those who subscribed for irltsn Ia t lzas like a: torch hield out in Lhe. hand of man, ich iparted light to, others, but to the hearer gave lheae I aronet then calledi the attentiorn of the meeting E, Ctr.T. Cs 1thtent of those excellent institutiniuis, the pare. Ja1,mes, in the early part of' htis reign, had ~' hcsflourished at this moment, the pride and boast t ~~Cs- he great increase of' population, its .size was Iieee.eto the duity originally intended. Sineg its wtthciyhad increased to'six times the extent it thien tieget itmber of subscribers to thie present institution, fitzt't n~ ndclas f society who were anixious to secare educa- to teir hilden, roed the necessity for somiethiing to relieve ~ivmiroplita schol.It was tructhiere were nsony private schools, .t, ~ehes w rn en of great talems; hut they were not so well ~tt~arcdto scuretheeduca,tion of chitldren as aa inistitution like prrese t, where te vatrious classes were separated, andI eachi unider ,up rntendernce of an able teacher; whose dliligence wqould be r-1 r-,warded, whiie the subseribers would have the security of' -"rm-rbeing faithftully bestowed. A jealousy hiad bemn enter- tha th deignof he present institution was to hurt the mnore 'eminav. othng could be more erroneous. Let them =rsels fsbciers, tchose gentlemen who had hossoured ~"~D 'ec,ors wit tercfince, and he was sure there was not z,--sct who couldi entertain such a thought. Their fathers ulhzen eduented there. they themselves had been edtucated i.a-id could it be stipposed that they would contemplate the ztesnon o.f that venerable institution? Ho wras conscious that Ia ud nohe the caise. The effect of the p resent institution ~"-li '~y b toreieve the high shool of a number of suiperfluoul; lars.and terahvlea-re the hands of its teachers iyere at liberty ~zrdrox thse.h~,were left. He truisted he should hear niothiing of uchan nwrhy motive. He was sure there would be no :issiv beween the o institutions, but the bonourable and fair ~ri4 e~ colrsip-..he rivalry of' who sliouldl be thie best teach. sodthebes scolars-of who should procluce men to do the ~rsesthoo.~ t thfrcountry, or become its best defenderis. lie i~Pd hs-ebomconentto bare formied a complete union between msa e-sanqishmcnts ; butthe difficulties here had been foutid in.. uoea-onrable. But he wasi of opinion that their separation would r cut for, the sdlvataFe of both establishments, by creatinig a fair honoun,ble compeet"t2on between themn; and hie was cons%cious ,~i?~ P3jnrus oul no slmbr at: thec helmn, whiile 'be beheld an. dcir c~lreatIy so gain the pert before hnim. (Applause.) The )euncs withwich thie inhiabitanits had come forward with the ruim wa_s a convincing proof of thi gzeneral necessity of the tiiuinn. In appropr-iating tihe funds whichi had so liberally been at t-their disposal, the Directors had observed the strictest un rthe ingenuity of Mi. Burns, the architect, ~-ue 'lan ard sprrntendcnnce of the building had been a ~lnerr o' ove i woldbe observeud, that not nmuch had been last ad if hey hd net presented the beauty of high orna- rmnet thee bad at ieart that of taste and proportion to boast. Enz:- :he birecoors had had a moer difficult and delicate task toyu"'r in choosing the gentlemnen stlio were to carry into exe- rzzzn their, plans. From the nuniber of certificates produced 'ts incza talent who wore willing to abandon their situations in oz-.:,cr saliniraries, titc Directors had experienced the mrort difficult ru.z in their lives to fix their choice fronm amiong 30) or .40 indlvi- dzali:. aU nearly equal in merit. He trusted thley hadl mlso been sue- cz.' frl in tke perf-ormance of this task. Th .Uiversity of Oxford h civmn themn one of its miost learned scholars (the Rector), who w,-' ta thie flower of' Uisage, anti who had devoted 1.5 y-ears of' liis to s',odv. He woulianot sperik of that genttleman in his pre. -c a. he felt inclined, but to him the Directors trusted as a mulin rUrof the establishment, anufhe was sure lie would also be well 5s-~rwee by the other gentlemen, and that the whole miachiine would ni-re easily- an4 smnoothly. But there wvas still another seclection of 'eadifficulty. In thie formation of a new, they must lose sotne c' t!-e advantareqs of an an~ient anid venerable institution. One r,e;'d natt Mey his hands on the headl of his son, and say, this is tlte snebzach oui which I sat, and this the voic-e which first instructed toe. Thev bad to identify their children with a new institution. RU:. theyv hiz somnethting to counterbalance these disadvantages. If tc,r hLala not the veperable Gothic temple, with lone sound ing gal. lie.and turretted walls, abounding in large windows which xxcoudtri the light, and in passges whichi led to nothing, sonme. zrgt be- gainee from novelty. The attention of the Di. _!nth been particularly turnea to the fact, that while Scot. vrsthe bL-st informied country' in Europe, it hiad isot prdcdany eminent clsatsical scholars. The obs6rva- z_m f7f Dr. Johnson was well k-nown, that in learining, Scotlan-d re. a besieged city, where every man had a mouthiful, hut no it-as a "ellyful. But it nmight be samd in answer so this, that in such a. ~ri- r, this-, It wras better that it should he divided into mouthf'uls, 4an e-s-sedl uptiat the banquet of some favoured individuals, wvhile :~! b-alk cf the population was left to starve. (Applause) But, ~--dv Scosman as he was, he was not more attached to. Scotand ? aO t t truth . and it must be atlmittedi that there tWas some founda. :"a r the D.actoe's remark. The Directors were anxious to wipe -f :,%i~ rep-oach, and for this purpose had made every p rovision in th--power. The learned luronet thien described thle arrange.: r-tents which had bezzn made for commnutiicasing to the schiolars -a kr,"wlvzdge of the leamned languages ; and observetil that it was in. ttldto introduce something new in, the teaLching 01f English ; andA that care wouldl be take,n that the scholars sliould be nmade thoroeglhly zzn~-sawtned with the principles anti beauties of the English language, vr:tiu its best writers, and with its hlistory ; to that it titouild niot be 's htthey were better acquainted with tie history of Greece tl,ar w-ish that of their own country. He wvould have ai scho. 'Iar ;n that -seminaTY to be as conversant with the niames of -Bruce e-ad Wlrrlace, as with those of Themistocles and of Csaer ; and t-,a t he battles of Floddlen and Bannock burn should not be lost in tl-tc,se of Thiermnopylme and illamathon. (Applause). After stating t.az the classes were to be opened by prayer, and tihat a ortion oi &-zirrcre was to be read every Mlonday morning, Sir Vater pro. eveded 'a addres a few words to hi-s young friends aroundl him. fie oThmm-ed. that the psublic could niot have given a more interesting mra7k- of Ltheir confidence in the maiiagers of the semninary, tharm thiey !-a-, done in 1dlacirug under their direction, these young Dersons, cha. z-nct-erited by the Romani latron as the miost precious jewels, for ,n en,. one of whom he was sensible that more than one bosom was a:t p re_sent beating, anxious for. their fUture happiness and prospe. ft- ie exhortedlthemi so give their whole souls and minds to their _tudies, w-ttiout which, he obsterved, it was little that either their 'maChers or the Directors could do. If they were destined f'or any of z~eInamed professi~.ons, he begged them- to rememnber that a phy'si. Clan without learning was c. mLere! quack...a lawyer without learming Aras a. mere Pettlifogger-and a clergyman withouit learning was like at Poldier without a2 sword, who had not tite means of emuforcing the autorty f is ivne ulastr.Next toa conscience voidDofoffe~nce towar-ds God sid nina, she greatest possession they coul&hiave W~as a 'm-cli.cmilti-eated mind; and it was tb-at alone which dhistinguislied them finn the I%setathatpes-ish. Wherever they went, it wouldsweeten their path, =td add wo the moments of happiness, le trusted ttiuti his e-s,pemr as thley were-, would sink into their hearts ; and, dle- t hoy were at a moment like this, would remiain on thleir nncioiui4o~gafter they had forgotten ithe speaker. ffe hoped she- z nnenber the words of thecir reverend friend, whoe had ~-:tt in-'-pbred the blessing of God upon their studies-'they were t'-s-. ,o'o m yoia.-giyerno void of experience; and w hen ztme-scse to mnanhood, they might say to their children, ihe~ =tI tizustrere we taught, and thus and thus we teach you. )II I anc=ei to thslse things we rose to honour and distinctioti." IWa1.5y (t-Nthja lia-. Baoronet) will it be if you say that-and God g-rans you may. (Loud. applause.) The Raw. JOSeTS WLreLAMSS (Rector of tIse Acadenmy) sold, it',.,t after tile impressive prayer, and the distinct exposition they bSdal-ready heard, nothing hut an official call could have made him tntrude upon the attention of the tmeeting. Hle wcould shortly en- eaMrOUr tO cgve a taint outlne of the ,lan of studies hereafa'er to -s arowued in the academy. Their main object, next to morals, vt=ld be the formation of sound classical scholars-to imbue the toind f thrir pupils with a love of the literature of Greece end Rhcee_of those pure and niatchiess specimens of talent and litera %rr-rlaose imperisbable legacies of former generations; and to excize thetn, by every means in their power, to emulatetheintellec. oal giants of days gone by. They did tet piopose any iniovation in this pl ns -doptea in Scottish schools; though in the imode of teaching Iaz theyhad in viewan importam taddition-namely, to make Latin sn-si,cation an essential part of education, inot with the groundless bish of maaking latin poets. but from the well-grounded confidence & ctexpriece, that this was the most effective mode of making them -sts of the langu.ag, of making them familiar with its idioms, end ddinrg to their vocabulary. Ict it not be said in the country of (-ri,lt-On and Buclhanan, that in doing this they were making any -oaavation. Nay, he trusted the i-me would soon come wh.en it would bc called a revival. (Applause.) Greek was to be taught ebragh the intervention of the English language, in place of the ltzbaro's jar on of moslem Latin. Bitt wlsile they paid every sasation To Ihe learned lanpuageMa they would not neglect thie English tongue. It was in thst language that the scholars would in zture, lifebe called on to distinguish themselves. It was therefore nnp-natm that they should be early taught to clothe every rising idea an pro;er languare. Every pupil would be instructed in the prin. npescf the English language, wvould he made acquainted ivith the heraies of E;nglish literature, end with the facts of Jnloglisls his- ky; thle thc oiber cstseii] parns of educution-iuamely, wxtlng, aritchmetic, and geometry, would aLso. be communicated. go that, in a word, to use an expression whicih he had lately learned, this seminary might be called a self-contained house (A plause.) Havinig given this outline of their future plans. he ob served, lhat hower wisely contrived, the success which would at- tend tnem would entirely depend upon the spirit, activit4, and fide- lity with whieh they were carried into execution. But from whdat he saw, and from what he felt, he entertained a firm and unshaken confidence tbat the views ot tie Directers and the public would not be disappointed in the foundation of this academy. [le felt a moral certainty of this; and when he considered the funds which had beet employed_-the taste that had been displayed in their application. the elegance and convenience of the struastre-he was borne out in saying that, for tlhe purposes of edttcation, it was unrivalled in G#reat Britain. Nothing on the part of the Directors or the sub- scribers bad been wanting to its success. ,lut for himself and his coadjutors be would require one boon from an enlightened ynblic- that they would not be hasty in their censure, nor premature in their applause. The systemn would require time, before it w fai seen in all its parts. A fair experiment could not be made until thbse boys who now filled the first class had passed through his (the Rector's.) But when that period arrived, he trusted they would not shrink from a comparison with the proudest institutlons of the south-not even with Eton In Latin versification_nor the Charte-rhouse or Win. chester in Greek. (Applause.) He trusted that the days of Bu- chanan and Criditon would be revived in Scotland-the forier of whom bore away the palmn from all the scholars of his day, and the lattcr, after chllUenging all the European universities, found no rorthy couspetitor. (Applause.) The genius of Scottish youthl would; lie hoped, not stop at the porch ,of Grecian literature but Vs1outld come into its reaesses, and there ce its harmony, its propor. tions, and its taste; and that their youthful minds would thus ac- quire the necessary knowledge to fit them for becoming the future statesmen, orators, and heroes of the age-that they woul.l reflect glory on this seminary, and rentler it classic ground to future ages. He then called upon tie young people to co.operate with their teachers. As they had alrendy been told, except they were wvilling of themselves, it was little that either himself or his colleaguescoul; do. Noexertion (said theRector) shall be wanting on our part torendler you an honour to your conntvy, a credit to vourrelves, and in some degree a credit to us who have taught you. ( Loud applause.) Mr. IhENRY MACKENZIE aiterwards adttressed the meeting in a short speech, but he spoke iu so low a tone that we could not hear hin,. The boys then returned to their class.roomns, and the meeting dis- perred. EDINBURCH H4CADEMy. -- _-