EDUCATION. 
£63 
indeed, never inflicted in the prefent age. Milton is faid 
to have been one of the laft who underwent an academi¬ 
cal flagellation. So generous a fpirit as was his, it may 
be prefumed, could not have deferved it; and, indeed, 
the kind of difeipline is highly improper in the univerfi- 
ties. But in fchools, the general praftice, as well as rea¬ 
fon, may juftify it; for it cannot be fuppofed, that all the 
mailers who have prefided in our public fchools, have 
been injudicious or inhumane. 
The inflidtion of punidiment, however, requires great 
judgment, and great command of temper; judgment to 
proportion the degree of feverity to the degree of mental 
feeling, or want of it; and command of temper, that the' 
cool refult of the dictates of juftice may not appear the 
effedt of anger and revenge. Not to be able to command 
paliion, is to fet a bad example to the fcholars, and to 
Ieflen authority, by (hewing weaknefs; for it is great 
vveaknefs in an inflrudlor to be often carried away by the 
impulfe of anger. He who does not check his rage, will 
find it grow habitual ; and it w ill lead him to fudden adds 
of injuftice and cruelty, of which he will immediately re¬ 
pent, without being able to make any adequate reparation 
for breaking the fpirit of an innocent and injured child. 
It is alfo of great importance that young perfons be ac- 
cuftomed to fubmit, withopt difficulty and reludtance, to 
proper authority ; by which is meant fuch authority as 
it is for their own good, and the good of fociety, tiiat 
that they fhould fubmit to ; becaufe that habit of ready 
fubmiflion, and the temper of mind which accompanies 
it, will be of unfpeakable fervice to them, and to every 
fociety of which they (hall be members, through life. 
Now, this can only be enforced by the parent, or tutor, 
abfolutely infilling' upon fubmiflion, without ever retradl- 
ing what has once been peremptorily enjoined, and with¬ 
out ever remitting the penalty which has been once threat¬ 
ened for an offence, unlefs fome fufficient and manifeft 
reafon intervene. Mankind always yield to necefiity, and 
when their fituation is properly underftood by them, they 
do it at once, and without pain. “A child, (fays Dr. 
Prieftley,) that finds it abfolutely impofiible for him to 
reach the moon, will never ftretch his hand towards it 
again. If he be (hut up in a room, he will never think 
of pulhing again ft: the wall, becaufe he never knew it 
give way to him ; but lie will go to the door, and make 
repeated attempts to force his way out there, becaufe he 
has known the door to open. It is the fame with man in 
every period of life.” 
Whoever has had experience among young people, mult 
have remarked, how early, and with what violence, the 
vicious propenfities of human nature difplay themfelves. 
To eradicate them is difficult, and perhaps, impoflible. 
But they may be reftrained and weakened, fo as to be ren¬ 
dered lefs dangerous to future felicity. There are, indeed, 
many moll deftru&ive vices of boys, again ft which no 
vigilance can fufficiently guard. All that a preceptor 
can do is, to check any tendency to them when he hap¬ 
pens to detedl it, to correct all converfation and beha¬ 
viour which lead to the commifiion of them, and to take 
care that the pupil is obferved in retirement as clofely as 
cifcumftances will allow. Some vices are fo indelicate, 
as fcarcely to admit of being mentioned. But where 
there is reafon to fufpedt any boy of being habitually 
guilty of fuch, delicacy muft not prevent a fuperintendant 
from reprefenting the conlequences in colours as frightful 
as the imagination can conceive. This is a painful talk, 
and requires great addrefs in the execution. But, diffi¬ 
cult as it muft be to a man of delicacy, yet it is certainly 
delirable, that while he gives moral difluafives again ft 
vice in general, he ftiould fpecify fome vices, and paint 
in lively colours the particular ill confequences which 
arife from them. If virtue in itfelf does not appear de- 
firuble, or vice deteftable, yet the idea that vice will oc- 
cafion pain, diitempers, imbecility, and premature old 
am;, muft*have weight. Irregular and intemperate paf- 
fions, indulged at a boyilh age, will raife a tempell in the 
vernal feafon of life, and cut off all hope of future emi¬ 
nence. The mind will fympathize with the body, and 
both be reduced to a wretched (late of weaknefs by too 
early and excellive indulgences. Difeafe will infallibly 
follow vice, and blaft every fair and hopeful bioflbm of 
youth. 
The irafcible paflions of hoys, too, are often violent. 
When they difplay their effedfs in acts of premeditated 
malice and revenge, they' fhould certainly meet with cor- 
redtion. A judicious fchoolman will give general admo¬ 
nitions on the neceflity of reftraining the paflions, and, in 
particular cafes, will apply proper punidiment. He will 
do right to reprefent malice and revenge as by no means 
the effects of a generous and noble fpirit, but of a bafe 
and malignant heart. It will indeed be much better to 
bring any improper behaviour into difgrace, than to ani¬ 
madvert upon it with feverity. Time and experience of 
their bad influence on perfonal happinefs and reputation, 
will be the mod: effectual remedies for the diforders of 
the angry paflions. Many of them gradually lofe their 
force as reafon arrives at maturity, and time effedls a re¬ 
formation, which art could never produce. Much lefs 
evil happens to young perfons from the irafcible, than 
from the concupifcible, affedlions. Still, however, great 
care muft be taken to reftrain them, and religious argu¬ 
ments fhould always and principally be applied ; for the 
indulgence of the irafcible paflions particularly militates 
againfl the fpirit of Chriftianity. 
Boys are apt to indulge in fullennefs and obftinacy. 
Nothing cures fuch diftempers fo effedlually as ridicule. 
They fhould be laughed out of thefe difagreeable difpo- 
fitions, by their mailer and fchool-fellows : and, indeed, 
this is one of the great advantages of public education, 
that boys lhame each other from many abfurd and odious 
habits, which the private pupil may retain through life. 
The bufinefs of corredfing the paflions and bad habits of 
children, belongs in a particular manner to parents; but 
as children are often kept at fchool, and at a diftance, 
during the puerile age, it ought undoubtedly to be com¬ 
prehended in the plan of fcholaftic education. Many 
conlider anger and revenge as marks of manly fpirit, and, 
by leemirig pleafed with their mod violent effedls, by 
laughing at them, or by not difcountenancing them, give 
them additional force. Parents ought to be fufficiently 
confiderate to fecond the mailer’s endeavours, both by 
precept and example, when they have their children at 
home. Though they may be diverted with a boy’s pe¬ 
tulance and paflion, during the Ihort time he is with them, 
they fhould not (hew themfelves pleafed ; but fhould 
conlider, that thefe beginnings will, in a few years, grow 
to fuch a height, as one day to deftroy their children's 
lvappinefs and their own. The paflions are certainly the 
caufes of the greatefl miferies of human nature ; and 
not to difeourage them in boys, under all circumftances 
whatever, is the extreme of cruelty. 
Many parents are over anxious to initiate their fons in 
what is called a knowledge of the world. But what is the 
knowledge of the world ? A knowledge of its follies and 
its vices;, a knowledge of them at a time of life when 
they will not appear in their true light, contemptible in 
themfelves, and the fources of mifexy; yet flattering and 
pleafurable. To lee thefe at a boyilh age, before the 
mind is properly prepared, will not caufe an abhorrence, 
but an imitation of them. To introduce boys, therefore, 
to feenes of immoral and indecent behaviour, is to edu¬ 
cate them in vice, and to give the young mind a foul 
llain, which it will never lofe. It is ufual, in teaching 
this knowledge of the world, to fpare no pains in ac¬ 
quainting the pupil with the tricks and deceits of man¬ 
kind. At the age of fourteen or fifteen, his mind is im- 
prelled with the ideas of lharpers, hypocrites, and dif- 
femblers. He is taught to conlider mankind in mafque- 
rade, and to believe, that all with whom he has. any in- 
tercourfe, have fome delign upon him. He is therefore 
armed with arts and tricks to counteradl the attacks of 
his 
