WILLIAM MAI'1,1 RE, JO 



views of pecuniary advantage, or personal aggran- 

 dizement, entered into the motives by which he was 



governed. His educational plans, it is true, were 

 repeatedly inoperative, not because he did too little, 

 but because he expected more than could lie realized 

 in the social institutions by which he was surrounded. 

 He aimed at reforming mankind by diverting their 

 attention from the mere pursuit of wealth and ambi- 

 tion, to the cultivation of the mind: and espousing 

 the hypothesis of the possible "equality of education, 

 property and power" among men, he laboured to 

 counteract that love of superiority which appeared 

 to him to cause half the miseries of our species. 

 However fascinating these views are in theory, man- 

 kind are not yet prepared to reduce them to practice; 

 and without entering into discussion in this place we 

 may venture to assert, that what Religion itself has 

 not been able to accomplish, Philosophy will attempt 

 in vain. 



Mr. Maclure's character habitually expressed itself 

 without dissimulation or disguise. Educated in the 

 old world almost to the period of manhood, and 

 inflexibly averse to many of its established institu- 

 tions, he was prone to indulge the opposite extremes 

 of opinion, and became impatient of those usag< - 

 which appeared to him to fetter the reason and em- 

 barrass the genius of man: and while he rejoiced in 



