Nations latch) become Literary. 389 



States, and which, during the last ten years of the 

 century under review, rapidly extended itself 

 through every part of the Union. 



The School establishments' of New-England, es* 

 pecially in the States of Massachusetts and Con- 

 necticut/ though they took their rise in the seven* 

 teenth century, yet underwent such modifications, 

 and received so many improvements in the eigh- 

 teenth, that it would be improper to pass them 

 without notice in this retrospect.^ These establish- 

 ments have been carried to such a degree of per- 

 fection, that in New-England, and particularly in 

 the two States above-mentioned, scarcely an indi- 

 vidual can be found, of either sex, who has not 

 been instructed in reading, writing and arithmetic) 

 and who does not habitually read more or less in 

 newspapers, and a few of the best books on reli- 

 gion and morality. Attempts have been made in 

 some of the Middle and Southern States to adopt 

 similar plans of general education; but though 

 much has been done, in several of these States, 

 towards rendering the elements of English litera- 

 ture a boon within the reach of all classes in the 

 community, yet, the habits of the people not be- 

 ing so favourable to the diffusion of knowledge, 

 and their characters and manners being less homo- 

 geneous, they have made less progress towards 

 maturing and perfecting their school establish- 

 ments than the Eastern States. 



/"The School system of Connecticut is generally considered the mosk^er- 

 feet in the United States. The parish Schools in that State amount to at 

 ieast twelve hundred, containing, on an average, forty Scholars each, oir 

 forty-eight thousand in the whole. Next to that of Connecticut, in point of 

 excellence, we may place the School system of Massachusetts. The num# 

 ber of Schools in that State is not known to the Author. He presumes, 

 however, that it cannot be less than in Connecticut. 



g The Author takes pleasure in acknowledging his obligation to Noah 

 Webster, jun. Esquire, for some valuable information respecting the 

 Jiterature of Connecticut during the eighteenth century; and especially 

 for a more satisfactory account of the School establishments in that Stale 

 Jtjian he had before revived. 



