^ Consumption of Corn in Great Britain, &c. 529 



r 



r to the delusions of enthusiasm and superstition, which, amongst ignorant nations, 



i' frequently occasion the most dreadful disorders : an instructed and intelligent 



people are always more decent and orderly than an ignorant and stupid one. 



The arguments which have been urged against instructing the people are not only 

 illiberal, but, to the last degree feeble; the principal argument that I have heard is, 

 that they would be put in a capacity of reading such works as those of Paine, and 

 that the consequences would be opposition to government; but on this subject Mr. 

 Malthus agrees with Dr. Smith, that an instructed and well-informed people would 

 be much less likely to be led away by inflammatory writings, and much better able 

 to detect false declamation, than an ignorant people : the quiet and peaceable ha- 

 bits of the instructed Scotch peasant, compared with the turbulent disposition of 

 the ignorant Irishman, ought not to be without effect upon every impartial reasoner. 

 Nothing has been done by the public, in modern times, for the instruction of 

 the lower classes, except the establishment of Sunday schools; which are, I believe, 

 very good institutions as far as they go ; but these being chiefly confined to towns 

 and supported by subscriptions from individuals, they of course can give to the 

 instructions there given any kind of bias they please ; and even these, imperfect as 

 they are, are of very late date : it therefore seems very much a national object, that 

 parochial schools, upon the plan of Dr. Smith, or somewhat similar, should be 

 established and supported by the public. 



Mr. Malthus observes, " we have lavished immense sums on the poor, which we 

 have reason to fear has been little to their real advantage; but in their education, 

 and in the circulation of those important political truths that most nearly concern 

 them, and which are perhaps the only means in our po.wer of really raising their 

 condition, and of making them happier men and better subjects, we have been mi- 

 serably deficient." 



Mr. Malthus further expresses a wish, that the principles of political economy 

 were taught to the common people; but in this is not very sanguine, considering 

 hov/ very ignorant in general the educated part of the community is of those prin- 

 ciples. He thinks, that " it ought to form a branch of an university education. 

 .Scotland has set us an example in this respect, which wc ought not to be slow to 

 imitate. It is of the very utmost importance that the gendemen of the country, and 

 particularly the clergy, should not, from ignorance, aggravate the evils of scarcity 

 VOL. v. U u 



