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1826,] Philosophy teaching by Examples. 379 
‘portant benefit ‘that will arise from it I must:notice >| which;lies,in;the 
réat lesson it will read to that rather numerous herd.of servum,pecus, in 
‘middle and low life, who are perpetually ruining themselves,. by, plung; 
‘ing’ into the’ mire of crapula and crime, in the vain-hope of limitating 
‘their superiors. It is impossible to rise from the perusal of any, genuine 
séandalous chronicle, without being convinced that the inimitablesjare not 
to be imitated; that the flaws in nature’s chinaware are not to, be copied 
in the coarse texture of her crockery; that the supreme don-ton area 
class apart, in their vices as well as in their refinements; in short, that 
‘in Sins and schneiders, in folly and foppery, the aristocracy standalone,and 
‘that “none but themselves can be their parallel.” In the place, therefore, 
‘of professorships of morality of the old school, and of evening lecturers 
in our churches,—in the place of « Mr. Joshua Watson, wine and spirit 
dealer in Mincing-lane,” and the rest of Mr. Cobbett’s supporters of the 
church,—I would recommend the subsidizing Mr. Pierce E——, 
‘Mr, D’I » jun, Mr. Th. H , and a selected portion ofthe 
writers for the Sunday press, to give weekly demonstrations of practical 
morality, from such living specimens in high life as their respective 
resurrection-men may procure: and that Mr. Stockdale should be, en- 
cotiraged to contract with the trade for an annual supply of « Lives”. of 
the most fashionable impures, with all the «“ dicenda tacendague? of 
their very faithful memories. I would have an annual Necrology 
‘printed, embracing the most conspicuous individuals who have met.the 
gallows, or who have deserved it, of both sexes: and I would place in 
“all our universities female professors in scandal. _ We have all heard.of 
female professors at Bologna, mouthing out Homer’s Greek like thunder ; 
‘and IT doubt ‘not that the Harriets of the new school would by, their 
eloquence, and their intimate knowledge of character, shed an equal 
glory on the chairs they illustrate. The practice of their art, “ quam 
equidem ad bene institutice reipublice rationem non solum utilem, sed et,me- 
cessariam esse’ plerique sapientissimi (for this reason doubtless) arbitrati 
sunt,” * bids them to dive into the frailties and caprices of human 
nature, without a competent knowledge of which they might. starve in 
the streets ; and as no man is a hero to his valet-de-chambre, still, less 
can he hope to escape the penetration of his mistress, or to hide, from 
the world any peculiarities of disposition which she may choose to com- 
municate to it. If Cicero could praise the purity of Leontium’s diction, 
and if Diogenes studied philosophy under Lais, there would be no deroga- 
‘tion in even the heads of houses imbibing practical wisdom at the foun- 
‘tain-head, ‘or in a divine’s learning christian charity and tolerance froma 
female’s demonstration of human frailty. In the mean time it is to be 
‘hoped that the public will have profited by the lesson which has already 
‘been read to them by the new  school—a lesson which they will not 
easily forget: that’ henceforward we shall hear less of French galas try 
‘and 
Italian ¢icisbeos; and that’a decent silence will for some time be 
‘haintained respecting the: vast and inappreciable moral superiority ‘of 
the vice-suppressing heroes of the fair professor’s lucubrations. ».\"E./; 
* Agrippa de Vanitate Scientiarum. 
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