352 
were calculated to retard the progress 
of improvement, while the pupil was 
under the care of his tutor, and to 
give him a disgust for learning after 
he has escaped from the rod, but 
also that early education is, in some 
cases, of too abstracted a nature; 
and, in others, that it is confined 
merely to words as preparatory, to 
the knowledge of things; while in 
reality theuseful knowledge of things 
ought to be made preparatory to the 
knowledge of words. Conformably 
to this idea, he attempted to adapt 
every branch of scierice to the capa- 
city of his scholars, by making judg- 
ment keep pace with memory, and 
by introducing him to an engaging 
familiarity with the objects of pur- 
suit. This he effected by the inven- 
tion, due arrangement, and familiar 
explanations of figures and prints, 
of which young minds are naturally 
fond; and, by means of which, they 
have a more perfect impression of 
an object than the most elaborate 
description could possibly give. For 
those who were farther advanced, he 
called in the aid of different species 
of mechanism, and different models, 
by means of which the pupil might 
form precise ideas, obtain accurate 
knowledge, and, in some instances, 
acquire address in a manner corres- 
pondent with that love of active 
amusements which characterizes 
youth. 
This ingenious person was born 
at Hamburgh, in the year 1723. 
His father was of the lower class of 
illiterate burgers, and of an hasty 
and morose disposition. Instead of 
cherishing the early sparks of ge- 
nius, and directing the distinguished 
talents of his son in a proper man- 
ner, he endeavoured, by every spe- 
cies of severity, to suppress and 
extinguish them: but his endea- 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1792. 
vours had no other influence than 
to alienate the affections of his son, 
at a very early period.—The me- 
lancholy temper of his mother far- 
ther contributed to render his: pa- 
rental residence so comfortless, that 
his chagrin had frequently tempted 
him to destroy himself. On Jeav- 
ing his father’s house, he became 
servant to a land-surveyor at Hol- 
stein, ‘The mild and engaging dis- 
position of his master rendered his 
situation under this roof extremely 
happy, and inspired him with that 
philanthropy to which he had been 
a stranger at home. After he had 
passed a year at Holstein, which, 
in his most advanced age, he pro- 
nounced to have been the hap- 
piest in bis life, his father recalled 
him, and placed bim in the public 
school at Hamburgh. Here he 
suffered all those hardships and 
marks of tyranny to which indigent 
youth is so frequently exposed, 
both from. masters and_ scholars, 
while he remained in the lower 
classes : 
industry and superiority of genius 
gave him the ascendency over his 
school-mates. He made himself 
necessary to the ignorant and indo- 
lent, by assisting them in their ex- 
ercises. By making verses, and by 
other methods, he was able to sub- 
sist at the age of sixteen, indepen- 
dently of his parents.) When he 
was advanced to the higher class, 
he attended the lectures of Profes- 
sors Richey and Reimarus, with 
whose friendship he was honoured ; 
and from whose instructions he de- 
rived great improvement, particu- 
Jarly from those of Reimarus :—but, 
as he afterward complained and 
confessed, he did not apply to the 
sciences in any regular series, nor 
in a manner sufficiently systematic ; 
and, 
but as he advanced, his- 
ee 
_* 
