270 
EDUCATION. 
After having-advanced thus far in a fcholaftic educa¬ 
tion, no placets in the world are better adapted to the 
perfecting of a ftudious life, than our noble uni verfities. 
Much rnft, indeed, has been contracted in them by time, 
many evils deeply rooted, which cannot be eradicated but 
by the legislative arm ; yet, with all their imperfections, 
no places are able to furnifh more advantage's to the real 
Undent. In them are founded fovne of the fined libraries 
on earth.; not only public libraries for the general ufe of 
members of the univerfity, but libraries in each college, 
fcarcely lefs convenient than if they were in the {indent's 
own apartment. In the univerfity at large, profefforfhips 
eftablifhed with ample ftipends; in colleges, tutors and 
lecturers. The buildings convenient, elegant, fpacious, 
airy. The apartments of (tudents for the raoit part hand- 
foriie and commodious, Client, retired, and in every re- 
fpeCt fitted fora life of ftudy. Delightful gardens and 
groves, charming walks and rural retreats.- Add to all 
this, that the high antiquity of the places, and the many 
great and learned perfons who have iffued from them, 
give them a molt venerable air, arid tend to animate the 
ftudent with a generous emulation. 
In general, boys fhould not be fent to the univerlity 
fo young as they often are. It is dangerous to let a boy 
of Cfteen be precipitated into the world, which is now 
the cafe at the univerfities. By a too early entrance, his 
health may be injured, his peace of mind broken, his 
learning impeded, and his morals depraved. Examples 
and opportunities for vice abound ; and the inexperience, 
and want of refolution, charadteriffic of boys, will render 
it difficult to avoid contagion. There are inftances of 
thofe who have gone through with fafety, who entered 
at this early age : but they are few in comparifon with 
thofe who have fuffained fuch injuries as they have long 
and feverely felt. Every one, on putting on the acade¬ 
mical drefs, commences a man in his own opinion, and 
will often endeavour to fupport the character by the 
practice of manly vices. For thefe reafons no boy fhould 
be fent to tiie univerfity till he is nearly nineteen years 
old. An additional reafon is, that, in four years, he may 
take a bachelor’s degree; and four years bring him to 
the age at which he may go into orders, or enter with 
propriety into other profeffions. But when a boy enters 
at fifteen, he takes his degree at nineteen, and then waits 
till three-and-twenty without employment. This awk¬ 
ward interval is not often fpent in the univerfity, but in 
the employments of a fportfman and man of pleafure. 
Four years of idlenefs muff; make great havoc in his 
learned attainments. Let it be confidered how much 
more advantageoully the four years from fifteen to nine¬ 
teen would be fpent in a well-diredted fchool. Such a 
foundation would be laid in claflical learning, as would 
fcarcely ever give way, even though it fhould fuffer a 
temporary negledl. Perhaps all boys cannot wait at 
fchool till nineteen, becaufe vacancies in fcholarfhips, ex¬ 
hibitions, and feliowfhips, often fummon them unexpect¬ 
edly before that time. But let not parents fuffer their 
fons to incur danger of moral and mental Corruption, for 
the fake of adding a few pounds a year to their allowance. 
Where any confiderable advantage of the pecuniary kind 
is to be obtained, we cannot expect, in thefe times, that 
it will be foregone ; but every precaution muff be ufed 
to obviate the ill confequences of embarking a boy with¬ 
out a proper pilot, on a wide and ftormy ocean. 
Whenever the circumftances of the parent will admit, 
a private tutor of character fhould be engaged. A com- 
penfation muff be made him {Efficient to induce him to 
infpeCt his pupil not only in the hours of ftudy, but alfo 
of amufement; and the pupil fhould aflociate with none 
but the private tutor, and thofe whom he may approve. 
A faithful tutor, who will thus condefcend to watch the 
moral conduCt of his pupil, will be far more defirable 
than a man of genius and learning, who will only attend 
to literary improvement. The college tutors are gene¬ 
rally men of judgment, as well as learning and morals, 
and are well qualified to direct the Undent in every part 
of his conduct ; but it is at the fame time to be lament¬ 
ed, that from the number of pupils ufuaVly allotted to 
one, he is incapable of paying all that attention to each, 
which a tender parent muff defire. For that reafon a 
private tutor fhould be joined with the college or official 
tutor, whenever it can conveniently be eftedted. The 
private tutor, it muff be remembered, fhould have the 
chief management of the pupil’s finances. Scarcely any 
but thofe who have redded in the univerfity, can form 
an adequate idea of the many evils of every kind and de- 
' gree, which would be avoided by giving a prudent pri¬ 
vate tutor full powers to fupcrintcnd the expences of his 
pupil. 
We will now fuppofe the young (Indent to have been 
educated till the age of feventeen, eighteen, or nineteen, 
in fome reputable claflical fchool; and to have acquired 
a competent (hare of fchool learning. He -is now to be¬ 
come, in a great meafure, his own inftrudtor ; for, though 
the affiftance of able tutors and profeifors is to be fought 
in the univerfities, yet he is to rely more on His own ef¬ 
forts, than on tiie external aid of any fuperintendant. 
It will certainly be wife, to form in his mind an accurate 
idea of the (cope at which he aims. A vague and deful- 
tory application to letters may indeed amufe him in a 
pleating and innocent manner; but it will not ferve him 
fo effectually as if he fpent the fame time in regular and 
methodical ftudy. 
There ought to be two ends in the mind of every ra¬ 
tional Undent. One is, to improve and enlarge his intel¬ 
lectual faculties for his own fake ; from a liberal andmoft 
laudable deftre of exalting and meliorating his nature 
and capacity : and this is a moft generous purpofe, and 
furniflies him who entertains it with fitch fentiments as 
muff, in the firft inftance, give him a noble fuperiority. 
The other is, to acquire the knowledge and habits which 
are requilite to the performance of the duties which his 
profeflion or employment renders neceflary. Both thefe 
purpofes fhould be preferved conftantly in the mind’s 
eye. He who attends to the firft only, will probably wafte 
his days in contemplation, entertaining indeed and im¬ 
proving to himfelf, but ufelefs to the fociety of which he 
is a member, and to the advantage of which all ftudies 
ought, in fome mode, to conduce. He who attends 
to the fecond only, will poflefs a mind comparatively 
narrow. He will be apt to prefer his own acquilitions to 
all others, folely becaufe he knows not the nature and 
value of others. He will be in danger of falling into 
felf-conceit and pedantry. He will cut ofF a copious 
fource of delight, and will certainly be deemed, by all 
who are able to judge, far inferior to the ftudent who 
has added general knowledge to profeflional dexterity. 
As it is a duty we owe to fociety, to be well qualified 
to perform the office which we undertake, it certainly 
becomes every mail of principle, to bellow his chief at¬ 
tention on his profeflional qualifications, at leaf! till he 
has obtained in them a perfect maftery. But there are 
intervals in all purfuits. A variety in our ftudies is 
known to give additional vigour to the power of profe- 
cuting them. Let the intervals be filled, and the variety 
' fupplied, by expatiating, from the beaten track, into the 
delightful regions of univerfal knowledge. It is this 
‘commixture of general knowledge with particular (kill, 
which conftitutes the charadteriftic difference between a 
liberal and a confined education. The one is content in 
piaffing along, to fee the hedges of the highway ; the 
other looks abroad at every profpedt, and climbs the hill, 
to penetrate as far as the mental horizon is extended. 
Knowledge is confeffedly not only pleafant, but ufeful 
and honourable. The liberal ftudent will therefore en¬ 
deavour to colledt ideas on all fubjedts which can enrich 
the human iinderftunding. Languages, and a tafte for 
elegant letters, will form comparatively but a final! part 
of ins literary objects. He will dedicate a great portion 
of iris time to the fciences prop.erly fo denominated. Fie 
will 
