STUDY XIV. 303 



World ; and it is worthy of being remarked, that 

 He did not confer the fuperiority over the reft on 

 the difciple whom he loved the moft ; but as a 

 reward to the love of him who had been faithful 

 nnto death, He bequeathed to him, with his 

 dying breath, his own mother as a legacy. 



This pretended emulation, inftilled into chil- 

 dren, renders them, for life, intolerant, vain-glo- 

 rious, tremblingly alive to the llighteft cenfure, 

 or the meaneft token of applaufe from an unknown 

 perfon. They are trained to ambition, we are told, 

 for their good, in order to their profpering in the 

 World ; but the cupidity natural to the human 

 mind is more than fufficient for the attainment of 

 that objeâ:. Have merchants, mechanics, and 

 all the lucrative profeffions, in other words, all 

 the conditions of Society ; have they need of any 

 other ftimulus ? Were ambition to be inftilled 

 into the mind of only one child, deftined, at 

 length, to fill a ftation of high importance, this 

 education, which is by no means exempted from 

 inconveniencies, would be adapted, at leaft, to the 

 career which the young man had in profpeft. But 

 by infufing it into all, you give each individual as 

 many opponents as he has .got companions ; you 

 render the whole unhappy, by means of each other. 

 Thofe who are incapable of riiing by their talents, 

 endeavour to infmuate thcmfelves into the good 



graces 



