LETTER III. 
IN my two former letters I have endea- 
voured to find a reafon, why boys, edu- 
cated at any of our public fchools, come to 
the univerfity totally ignorant of every 
thing, except a little Greek and Latin : and 
that I might let them down as gently as I 
pofiibly could, I have, and I think juftly, 
afcribed their want of knowledge to a gothic 
fyftem of Inflrudlion. The dead languages 
are doubtlefs the foundation of modern eru- 
dition -, but certainly more, much more 
might be acquired in the courfe of feven or 
eight years, if more than half that time 
were not facrificed to cuftom. It is indeed 
very extraordinary that, in difcarding the 
abfurdities of the Romifh creed and reli- 
gious ceremonies, we fhould have retained 
fo much of the ancient mode of education, 
both in our fchools and univerfities. 
Perhaps I am not juftifiable in exciting 
in you an unfavourable idea of the mode of 
education eftablifhed in the univerfity of 
which you are become a member. But I 
now ftart the fubjeft, to prevent your fud- 
denly 
