-9796.] Sunday Converfation Society « «. Remarks on Converfation. vy he 
graphic fignals, words themfelves, the 
founds of a fpoken language; this will 
dead to the difcuition of ftenography, or 
tachigraphy, which are only the art of 
exprefling founds with the greateft ra- 
pidity. Natural philofophers and me- 
chanicians will alfo endeavour to over- 
come the obftacles which mift, rain, &c. 
offer to the tranfmiffion of fignals; to 
- multiply the latter without multiplying 
the movements which are to produce 
them; to render the eftablifhment of 
telegraphs lefs expenfive; and, in a 
_ word, to render telegraphs moveable, fo 
that the direétion of the telegraphic lines 
may be varied at pleafure. Learned 
men and artifts have here a number of 
objeéts marked out for their future con- 
templation. 
Sree ToS Fc ey 
Yo ibe Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SLRs fy eis 
MONGST the fingular inftitutions 
‘** which diftinguith a period teeming 
avith novelty, may be named a fociety, 
eftablifhed in the city, for the purpofe of 
religious improvement, where, inftead cf 
preaching and catechifing, the mode of 
fimple converfation has been adopted. 
The members of this religious commu- 
nity are fe anxious to avoid any thing 
like a priefihood, that they even objeét 
to the appointment of a chairman. Every 
individual, man and woman, is fuffered, 
and even invited, to fpeak: and that 
nothing fhould prevent the timid from 
communicating their opinions, the pa- 
rade of f{peechifying has no exiftence ; 
the members, fitting, deliver themfelves 
with the freedom and eafe of parlour 
converfation. A moral or theological 
quefiion is propofed, and adopted, the 
week before; and it is thus difcuffed, 
with all the freedom and urbanity of un- 
reftrained communication. 
No opinions are the bafis of this fo- 
cicty. The Calvinift, the Arminian, the 
Arian, the Socinian, the Catholic, and the 
Deiftmeet here on equal ground. Prophecy 
and miracle, parable and maxim, are ex- 
amined, and commented upon, with 
equal freedom. ‘The character of Mofes 
and Jofhua, of Jefus and Paul, with their 
various pretenfions to a divine million 
and power, come under a candid and im- 
partial review. The fociety meet on 
Sunday evenings; neither prayer nor 
finging is publicly ufed; and it is gene- 
rally defignated, we underftand, by the 
members, the ‘‘ Sunday Converfation 
Society.” If this be an attempt, as it is 
faid to be, to try an experiment, whether 
religious knowledge may not be commu 
nicated without a priefthood, it certainly 
may claim the merit of great fimplicity 
of plan. We underftand, though there 
is no prefident or chairman, no inftance 
of diforder or confufion in converfation 
has ever been known. 
London, Of. 12, 1796. Homo. 

Io the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
MR. EDITOR, ° 
ALTHOUGH I am difpofed to be on 
™ the fide of thofe who contend, that 
the prefent is a moft enlightened age, £ 
yet cannot help thinking, that our dw 
nary of knowledge has fo many dark 
fpots, that we may look upon it withthe 
nakedeye, even in its meridian {piendour. 
Befides wars, funding fyftems, conti- 
nental alliances, and a few other trifles, 
which have occafioned our ‘ go/d to be- 
come di, and our mof fine gold changed,” 
there are a variety of things which create 
an opacity in our fcientific firmament, 
and, to drop all metaphor, incline us, in 
our cool moment:, to think that we are 
really not quite fo wife as we might be, 
‘There is one {pecies of knowledge in 
which we are remarkably deficient, and 
which, neverthelefs, has become very 
neceflary, from an alteration in our modes 
of life. It is well Known, that thofe 
habits of clofe ftudy which diftinguithed 
our anceftors, are now rarely to be feen, 
and that we have fubflituted the inftruc- 
tion which arifes from converfation in 
the place of that which was formerly 
cquired in folitude. Now, fir, in or- 
der to render converfation far more 
amufing, as well as inftruétive than we 
commonly find it, I humbly prefume, 
that the knowledge I have alluded to is 
highly necefflary, namely, that one man 
fhould know the precife degree of impor- 
tance, which he and his affairs bear to 
another man. 
It is acemmon error, to fancy ourfelves 
of too much confequence, and into this 
error nations, as weil as individuals, have 
often fallen, and have not been unde- 
ceived, but by anexperience of the moit 
expenfive kind. But it is in converfa- 
tion that we are moft difpofed to difplay 
our confequence, and to fuppofe, that 
eur perfons and affairs muft be highly 
entertaining to thofe who, unfortunately, 
care little about the one or the other. 
In former days, this difplay was confined 
to ftage coaches andchurchyards. Who- 
ever travelled in the one, was fure to 
5F2 have 
