STUDY XIV, 299 



when we boaft to them of the excellence of the 

 Chriftian Religion, as contributing to the happi- 

 nefs of States. They afk, on reading our Hiflories, 

 How it is poffible that our Religion fliould be (o 

 humane, while we wage war ten times more fre- 

 quently than they do? What would they fay, then, 

 did they fee among us our perpetual law-fuits, the 

 malicious cenforiournefs and calumny of our (o' 

 cieties, the jealoufy of corps, the quarrels of the 

 populace, the duels of the better fort, and our ani- 

 mofities of every kind, nothing fimilar to which is 

 to be feen in Afia, in Africa, among the Tartars, 

 or among Savages, on the teftimony of miffionaries 

 themfelves ? For my own part, I difcern the caufe 

 of all thefe particular and general diforders, in our 

 ambitious education. When a man has drunk, 

 from infancy upward, into the cup of ambition, 

 the third of it cleaves to him all his life long, and 

 it degenerates into a burning fever at the very feet 

 of the altars. 



It is not Religion, afTuredly, which occafions 

 this. I cannot explain how it comes to pafs, that 

 kingdoms, calling themfelves Chriftian, fliould 

 have adopted ambition as the bafis of public edu- 

 cation. Independently of their political conftitu- 

 tion, which forbids it to all thofe of their fubjeds 

 who have not money, that is to the greateft part 

 of them, there is no paffion fo uniformly con- 

 demned 



