263 
EDUCATION. 
who reads them without it, mifpends his time. Hence the 
neceffity of cultivating this amiable quality; anti we be¬ 
lieve that all men, not remarkably deficient in intelleft, 
are by nature furniflted with fo much of this difcerning 
power as eafily to admit of valuable improvement. Even 
they who poflefs the fip.eft natural fenfibility of literary 
beauty aqd deformity, will find their tafte greatly im¬ 
proved by proper cultivation. It is certain, that, if from 
fome unfortunate circumftance, it happens that a mind 
endowed with this natural power in a remarkable degree, 
is confined in a youthful age to bad models or injudicious 
inftruftors, it will fcarcely ever arrive at that perfection, 
of which nature gave it a capacity. Rules, therefore, 
and precautions, are often found ufeful. In this place, 
however, it will be only neccfl'ary to give one general 
rule. It is, that from the age of nine to .nineteen, the 
pupil be not permitted to read any book whatever, which 
is not univerlally known and allowed to be written ac¬ 
cording to the mod approved and claflical tafte. At an 
early age, the mental like the animal tafte delights in 
that improper food, from which it is more likely to de¬ 
rive an atrophy, than to acquire nouriftnnent. But 
when, during ten of the moft (ufceptible years, none but 
the beft models are prefented to the mental eye, it muft 
perceive, and learn to admire, the form of beauty. The 
bufinefs will alfo be greatly facilitated, if the inftruftor 
feels the excellencies which he reads with his pupil, and 
poftelTes the talent of itnprefling them upon him in a 
lively and forcible manner. If he is not remarkably 
happy in fenfibility, yet if the pupil is fo, the end will 
often be accompliflied; for the beauties of the truly 
claflical writer are fuch, as to make their own way to the 
feelings of the fenfible. Let them but be well under- 
liood, and kept conrtantly before him, and the tafte muft 
be improved. 
Boys fometimes, from a redundancy of imagination, 
as well as a deficiency of judgment, are apt to admire too 
much the florid ftyle of compofition. In their imitation 
of it, they commonly fall into the turgid and bombaft. 
Whenever this appears in a theme, or copy of verfes, let 
fome pafl'age be read on*a fimilar fubjeft, if it can be 
found, from the works of a Pope, an Addifon, or any 
other juftly admired writer. They will loon fee the de¬ 
formity of their own ftyle, when contrafted with thefe. 
But care fliould be taken, that a boy be not difcouraged ; 
for his fault is the ebullition of genius. A dull boy 
cannot rife to fo elevated an error. Let the pupils, if 
poflible, be led to an elegant fimplicity in manner, drefs, 
and fentiment, as well as criticifm and compofition. Let 
them be taught, that though falfe and glaring ornaments, 
in all thefe, may at traft momentary and fuperficial admi¬ 
ration, yet that valuable and permanent gracefulnefs is 
the refuIt of an adherence to truth and nature. Falfe 
and affected tafte involves its pofleifor in ridicule. But 
true tafte, the refult of fine feelings and a cultivated un- 
derftanding, opens the fource of a thoufand pleafures un¬ 
known to the vulgar, and adds the laft polifti and moft 
brilliant luftre to the human intelleft. Study without 
tafte, is often irkfome labour; with tafte, it confers a 
happinefs beyond the reach of fortune, and fuperior to 
the ordinary condition of humanity. 
To the boy whole lot may be, to poflefs a fortune, 
which his friends with him to adorn, and to him who is 
defigned fora profeflion, we ftrongly recommend the cul¬ 
tivation of a poetical talent, ff he really poflefles it from 
nature. Though lie fliould never arrive at any very dif- 
tinguifned eminence in poetical compofition, yet the at¬ 
tempt, while he is at fchool, will add an elegance to his 
mind, and naturally lead him to give a clofer attention to 
the beauties of the claflical poets. It will not be a pain¬ 
ful talk. It will be his moil delightful amufement. It 
will give him fpirits in his purfuits : for poetry, like mil- 
fic, is one of the fvveeteft relaxations of a learned life. 
The moft fuccefsful method we imagine to be the fol¬ 
lowing ; Let a living inftruftor, of tafte and judgment, 
feleft proper paftages from the moft approved poets, and 
at firft read them with the pupil. After this preparatory 
difcipline, which needs not to be continued long, let the 
works of Mil ion, Shakefpeare, and Pope, be given to 
him. He will improve himfelf by reading them, more 
than by any inftruftor with the moft learned precepts. 
No other reftraint is neceflary, than to confine his at¬ 
tention for a confiderable time to thefe great poets. 
Many a fine genius is lowered and fpoiled, by attending 
to the little trifling compofltions which are to be found 
in abundance in many of our modern mifcellanies. 'I he 
mediocres poet#, or the poetafters, muft by no means be 
read while the judgment is immature. The young mind 
is prone to imitate bad models in literature, as well as in 
life. The faireft forms of things muft be prefented to 
the eye of imitative genius, and a veil drawn over de¬ 
formity. 
One of the prime objefts of a parent and an inftruftor, 
ftiould likewife be, to caufe in a child fuch an aflociation 
of ideas as (hall conneft pleafures, honours, and rewards, 
witli the idea of that purfuit which is to be the purfuit 
of life. This end may be eafily obtained, if the fuper- 
intendant of the child reprefents the objeft in its faireft 
form, and at the fame time vigilantly takes care, left the 
impreftion, once recived, be effaced by the company of 
ignorant affociates. The child is defigned to fupport the 
character of the fcholar and the gentleman, whatever 
may be his engagements in focial life. Never let his book 
be fpoken of fo as to convey the lea ft idea of difagreeable 
labour. Let it be reprefented as the fource of amufe¬ 
ment, fame, profit, and of every thing defirable. It muft 
be owned, great judgment and attention, much know¬ 
ledge of the emotions of the human heart, conftant vigi¬ 
lance, unwearied patience, and a natural talent for the 
bufinefs, are required to regulate the.mind of a child at 
that very early period when ideas firft ruftt into the fen- 
forium. All thefe qualities are required in a greater de¬ 
gree than they are often found. Wrong, aflociations are 
therefore formed ; and it becomes a great part of the bu¬ 
finefs of a preceptor to remedy in future what it could not 
prevent. 
At the age of ten or twelve, the talk may be more 
eafy. The mind is then not merely paftive. It can co¬ 
operate voluntarily with its inftruftor, in rejfefting, ac¬ 
cording to the diftates of judgment, all improper aflTo- 
ciations of ideas, and in'felefting all fuch as are defirable. 
At that time, then, if it cannot be accompliflied before, 
the pupil fliould be imprefled w itli every idea which caa 
render an eminence in literature amiable and honourable. 
In the firft place, let him feel his chief pleafures arifing 
from his little performances in letters, whatever they may 
be. When he does well, let him be carefled and reward¬ 
ed ; not only by his tutor or mafter, but by all who have 
any intercourfe with him. If lie is ingenuous enough 
to be fenfibly touched with praife, the bufinefs is half 
completed. The parent may congratulate himfelf. He 
has nothing to do but to beftow it with judgment. The 
pupil’s little heart will exult to receive it, and all his fa¬ 
culties will expand themfelves to deferve it. The boy 
fliould be taught by common converfation, not by formal 
precept only, to confider greatnefs of mind as the only 
true grandeur, and the poflefiion of knowledge as the 
moft ornamental accomplifliment. Not only the father, 
but the females of a family, if they have judgment 
enough for the pttrpofe, muft concur in imprefling on the 
young mind ideas of literary excellence. It too often 
unfortunately happens, that without intending the injury, 
they undo all the labour of an afliduous inftruftor. An 
attention to cards, to drefs, to fufliion, to thofe fcenes 
which perfons engaged with the world cannot eafily 
avoid, will not only obliterate from the puerile mind all 
virtuous and defirable ideas, but will often render it inca¬ 
pable of their future reception. If the idea of excel¬ 
lence, applattfe, and happinefs, is aflociated with vanity 
in the infantine age, vanity will be purified in manhood. 
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