158 Necessit]/ of a general Ethical afid Political Education. [Oct. 1, 



stitnfion ; that their wisdom has left pre- 

 cepts for its preservation ;* that uni- 

 versal intej^rity, patriotism, and vigi- 



lance, are the only pillars upon whieh 

 it can conlinuc to stand ; and that to 

 determine to perform, and to exact, tlie 

 social duties; to obey, and see oheyed, 

 the laws of our country ; to instruct 

 our representatives, and watch our 

 executive functionaries, arc obligations 

 whicli our ancestors discliarged for us, 

 and the performance of which will be 

 equally due from the rising race to their 

 »w)i c/iildren. M\GNA Charta, the 

 Bill of KiciHTS, the Habeas Corpus, 

 the Act of Settlement, and Coronation 

 Oath, I would wish to see suspended on 

 every side of the school : I would have 

 every article in tho^c sacred testa- 

 ments learnt by rote; every article re- 

 peated and commented upon daily; 

 sometimes by the master, and snnit times 

 by the pupils themselves. I would 

 have all the principles of the constitution 

 clearly and coutinn.iliy expounded ; 

 especially those by which it is most dis- 

 tinguished, and raised above the other 

 governments of Europe. I would have 

 it explained to them, Tiiat a true bri- 

 TON, strictly so denominated, is an equal 

 eomponnd of tlie republican, the oligar- 

 cliist, and the monarchist ; and that the 

 moment the spirit of any one of these 

 shall be suticred to evaporate, his poli- 

 tical existence will expire.f Next to 

 despotism, I would have them taught 

 to abominate war; to consider no 

 conquest as glorious, except the Con- 

 quest of reason. Next to national sub- 

 jugation, I would have them dread 

 natiosial debt, and make its^ increase 

 the measure of ministerial profligacy. 

 Next to freedom, I would have them 

 prize domestic tranquillity ; yet, de- 

 serving liberty by their morality and 

 rationality, never be found deficient in 

 the spirit to defend it. Next to the 

 being robbed of their right to a pure and 

 perfect parliament, I would have them 

 <letcst a defective representation; and 

 value the freedom of speech, and of the 



Vir bonus est 



Quiconsnlta patruni, qui leges jnraque 

 servat. 



♦ To object to the general diffusion of the 

 science of politics,would be to disapprove of 

 the circplation cf the Holy Scriptures; for, 

 to nsi- the Ian2;iiage. of a learned and dis- 

 tiiigu!«hed divine, " More true political 

 ■wisdom may be learned fioni the book of 

 Proveibs, than from a thousand Macbi- 

 avels." — Rogers. 



press, as much more than life, as non- 

 existence is preferable to enslaved 

 thought and sentiment. 



Perhaps, Sir, the portion of education 

 suggested by these remarks, will be ob- 

 jected to by many, forthe very reason that 

 I should be so anxious to see it realized. 

 I am not, I confess, without the fear, 

 that for the' universal approbation of a, 

 plan that should work so important and 

 so salutary a change in society, even 

 the preparatory light is wanting. They 

 will be incapable of anticipating the 

 beneficial results of constitutional and 

 liberal intelligence. I'ar from im- 

 bibing, they will not be adequate to the 

 appreciating, or comprehending, sublime 

 truths. 



Admitting that some persons would 

 not surmise any uufiil danger from 

 teaching J ouths their duties as citizens, 

 neither, perhaps, will they discover the 

 essential utility. And survly their cold- 

 ness will not exceed their inconsistency. 

 It will be as if they should declare. That 

 every species of knowledge, except one, 

 has claims to cultivation, because- every 

 species is necessary to this or that walk 

 of life ; one attainment to this profession, 

 and that to another: but that the science 

 of politics, which concerns all, and, in a 

 free country, most concerns all, may be 

 neglected! Upon the same principle 

 that the inops muliitudo, the unedu- 

 cated, the utterly uninformed in moral 

 maxims, are expected to scru|iulously 

 obey the laws, the politically ignorant 

 are supposed to be qualified to religi- 

 ously exercise their civil rights ! Fatal 

 folly ! But for an error so pitiable in 

 any people, and so culpably fostered by 

 any government, should ne, would Eu- 

 rope, have fallen into the deplorable 

 state of which the original foundation 

 was laid, by an unjust interference with 

 the domestic concerns of an indepen- 

 dent territory ? Had the present gonera- 

 tion of Englishmen been initiated in their 

 public duties — been rendered tenacious 

 of their constitutional rights; had they 

 been enlightened uj)on the subject of 

 ministerial artifice, ministerial encroach- 

 ment, and made capable of seeing the 

 sacred ness of the principle violated, the 

 depredation aimed at their property, 

 and the blow struck at their freedom, in 

 the cause of kings, would they liave 

 tacitly consented to the measure? 

 Would they not have protested against 

 it in one united voice? Indubitably, 

 they would; and, as indubitably, the mi- 

 nisters must have r«spect«d tkeir ap- 

 peal. 



