THE BE E, N° VI.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1759.

ON EDUCATION.

SIR,

TO THE AUTHOR OF THE BEE.

As S few fubjects are more interefting to fociety, fo few have been more frequently written upon, than the education of youth. Yet is it not a little furprizing, that it fhould have been treated almost by all in a declamatory manner? They have infifted largely on the advantages that refult from it, both to the individual and to fociety, and have expatiated in the praise of what none have ever been fo hardy as to call in question.

Inftead of giving us fine but empty harangues upon this fubject, inftead of indulging each his particular and whimfical fyftems, it had been much better if the writers on this fubject had treated it in a more scientific manner, repreffed all the fallies of imagination, and given us the refult of their obfervations with didactic fimplicity. Upon this fubject the smallest errors are of the moft dangerous confequence; and the author fhould venture the imputation of ftupidity upon a topic, where his flighteft deviations may tend to injure the rifing generation.

I fball therefore throw out a few thoughts upon this fubject, which have not been attended to by others,

others, and shall difmifs all attempts to please, while I ftudy only inftruction.

The manner in which our youth of London are at prefent educated is, fome in free fchools in the city, but the far greater number in boarding schools about town. The parent juftly confults the health of his child, and finds an education in the country tends to promote this much more than a continuance in town. Thus far they are right; if there were a poffibility of having even our free fchools kept a little out of town, it would certainly conduce to the health and vigour of perhaps the mind, as well as of the body. It may be thought whimfical, but it is truth; I have found by experience, that they, who have fpent all their lives in cities, contract not only an effeminacy of habit, but even of thinking.

But when I have said, that the boarding schools are preferable to free schools, as being in the country, this is certainly the only advantage I can allow them, otherwise it is impoffible to conceive the ignorance of those who take upon them the important truft of education. Is any man unfit for any of the profeffions; he finds his laft refource in fetting up school. Do Do any become bankrupts in trade; they ftill fet up a boarding fchool, and drive a trade this way, when all others fail: nay, I have been told of butchers and barbers, who have turned schoolmafters; and, more furprising ftill, made fortunes in their new profeffion.

Could we think ourselves in a country of civilized people; could it be conceived that we have any regard for pofterity, when fuch are permitted to take the charge of the morals, genius and health of those dear little pledges, who may one day be the guardians of the liberties of Europe, and who may ferve as the honour and bulwark of their aged parents? The care of our children, is it below the ftate? is it

fit to indulge the caprice of the ignorant with the difpofal of their children in this particular? For the ftate to take the charge of all its children, as in Perfia or Sparta, might at prefent be inconvenient; but furely with great eafe it might caft an eye to their inftructors. Of all members of fociety, I do not know a more useful, or a more honourable one, than a school-mafter; at the fame time that I do not fee any more generally defpifed, or whofe talents are fo ill rewarded.

Were the falaries of fchool-mafters to be augmented from a diminution of useless finecures, how might it turn to the advantage of this people; a people whom without flattery I may in other refpects term the wifeft and greatest upon earth! But while I would reward the deferving, I would difmifs thofe utterly unqualified for their employment: In fhort, I would make the bufinefs of a school-mafter every way more refpectable, by increafing their falaries, and admitting only men of proper abilities.

There are already fchool-mafters appointed, and they have fome fmall falaries; but where at prefent there is but one fchool-mafter appointed, there fhould at least be two; and wherever the falary is at present twenty pounds, it fhould be an hundred. Do we give immoderate benefices to those who inftruct ourselves, and fhall we deny even fubfiftence to those who inftruct our children. Every member of fociety fhould be paid in proportion as he is neceffary; and I will be bold enough to fay, that fchool-mafters in a ftate are more neceffary than clergymen, as children ftand in more need of inftruction than their parents.

But instead of this, as I have already obferved, we fend them to board in the country to the most ignorant fet of men that can be imagined. But left

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the ignorance of the mafter be not fufficient, the child is generally configned to the ufher. This is generally fome poor needy animal, little fuperior to a footman either in learning or fpirit, invited to his place by an advertisement, and kept there merely from his being of a complying difpofition, and making the children fond of him. "You give your "child to be educated to a flave," fays a philofopher to a rich man; "instead of one flave, you will then have two.

It were well however if parents upon fixing their children in one of thefe houfes, would examine the abilities of the ufher as well as of the mafter ; for, whatever they are told to the contrary, the ufher is generally the perfon moft employed in their education. If then a gentleman, upon putting out his fon to one of thefe houfes, fees the uther difregarded by the mafter, he may depend upon it, that he is equally difregarded by the boys; the truth is, in fpite of all their endeavours to pleafe, they are generally the laughing ftock of the fchool. Every trick is played upon the ufher; the oddity of his manners, his drefs, or his language, is a fund of eternal ridicule; the mafter himself now and then cannot avoid joining in the laugh, and the poor wretch, eternally refenting this ill ufage, feems to live in a state of war with all the family. This is a very proper perfon, is it not, to give children a relifh for learning? They muft efteem learning very much, when they fee its profeffors ufed with fuch ceremony. If the uther be defpifed, the father may be affured his child will never be properly instructed.

But let me fuppofe, that there are fome fchools without these inconveniencies, where the mafter and ufhers are men of learning, reputation, and affiduity. If there are to be found fuch, they cannot be prized in a ftate fufficiently. A boy will learn more true

wisdom in a public school in a year, than by a private education in five. It is not from mafters, but from their equals, youth learn a knowledge of the world; the little tricks they play each other, the punishment that frequently attends the commiffion, is a juft picture of the great world, and all the ways of men are practifed in a public school in miniature. It is true, a child is early made acquainted with fome vices in a school, but it is better to know these when a boy, than be firft taught them when a man, for their novelty then may have irresistible charms.

In a public education boys early learn temperance; and if the parents and friends would give them lefs money upon their ufual vifits, it would be much to their advantage, fince it may juftly be faid, that a great part of their diforders arife from furfeit, plus occidit gula quam gladius. And now I am come to the article of health, it may not be amifs to obferve, that Mr. Locke and fome others have advised that children fhould be inured to cold, to fatigue and hardship from their youth; but Mr. Locke was but an indifferent phyfician. Habit, I grant, has great influence over our conftitutions, but we have not precise ideas upon this fubject.

We know that among favages and even among our peasants there are found children born with fuch conftitutions, that they crofs rivers by fwimming, endure cold, thirft, hunger, and want of fleep to a furprizing degree; that when they happen to fall fick, they are cured without the help of medicine by nature alone. Such examples are adduced to perfuade us to imitate their manner of education, and accuftom ourselves betimes to fupport the fame fatigues. But had thefe gentlemen confidered first, that those favages and peasants are generally not fo long-lived as they who have led a more indolent life: Secondly, that the more laborious the life