I 4 96.] 
been much read in various parts of Eu- 
rope; and the author feems to have 
made many profelyres. But the fyftem 
of Helvetius, though artfully conftruct- 
ed, and with great logical fubtilty, does 
mot appear to me to be grounded upon 
mature, truth, or realon. His work, 
however, contains a variety of obferva- 
tions on human nature, which may be 
read with advantage, and are well wor- 
thy of attention. 
Helvetius fays, towards the beginning 
of his work, “ I regard the underftand- 
“ing, the virtue, and genius of man, as 
“* the product of inftruction.”’ He after- 
wards ftates it as a queftion, “ Whether 
“in each individual, his talents and his 
“ virtues be the effect of his organiza- 
“* tion, or of the education he receives?” 
And he declares himfelf to be of the lat- 
ter opinion; that the talents and the 
vartues of every individual.are the effect 
of the education he has received. 
Helvetius alfo fays, ‘If. 1 can demon- 
“¢ ftrate; that man is, in faét, nothing 
“ more than the produét of his educa- 
*¢ tion, | fhall, doubtlefs, reveal an im- 
“* portant truth to mankind.’ He cer- 
tainly could have done fo; but I am 
perfectly convinced, that jhe has pro- 
aluced no fuch demonftration ; though 
he has futiiciently proved, that educa- 
fion has a very powerful influence both 
upon the moral and intelle¢tual charac- 
ters of men. é 
A Spanith writer on.education, Huar- 
tes, was fo far from concurring in fenti- 
ment with Helvetius, that he makes the 
Following obfervations on the fubje& : 
4 Were I myfelf a mafter, before I re- 
“ceived any feholar to my. {chool, I 
“ would fift him narrowly, to find out, | 
“ if I could, what kind of genius he 
“had; and if I difcovered in him a 
“ propenfity for learning, i would cheer- 
«* fully receive him; but, if I found he 
‘was not ih the leaft capable of any 
“ learning, I would adyife him to watte 
* no more time, nor lofe any more pains, 
«but feek out fome other way to live, 
€¢ chat requires not fuch abilities as learn- 
“ing does. Experience exactly agrees 
“‘ with this; for we fee a great many 
*¢ fcholars enter upon the ftudy of each 
“ {cience, let the matter be good or bad ; 
“‘ and, in conclufion, fome attain. to 
‘¢ preat learning, others to indifferent - 
“and the reft have done nothing, 
** throughout their whole courfe, but 
*¢ loft their time, {pent their money, 
and beat their brains to no purnofe. 
Remarks on Felvetius. 
thing: of it. 
ci 
“ The difficulty of accounting for this 
‘¢ would not be great, if we duly retlect- 
“< ed, that thofe who are unapt for one, 
‘are fit for another fcience ; and, that 
* the moft ingenious in one fort of learn- 
“ ing, proceeding to another, make no- 
g i mytelf can atteit the 
‘error of this tor tere were’ three 
“ {chool-fellows of us, who were fet at 
“ the fame time to-learn Latin. One 
“© took it very readily ; the other two 
“ could never fo much as make a tolera- 
“‘ ble oration. However, ali three fell 
“ upon logic; and one that could make 
‘‘ no hand of grammar, cagle-like, pene- 
“ trated into that art, whereas the other 
“two could not advance the leaft ftep 
‘< therein during the whole courfe. But 
“then again all three palling to the 
“¢ ftudy of aftronomy, it was very oD- 
“ fervable, that he who could neither 
‘< learn Latin nor Logic, in a few days’ 
<< fpace underftucd Aftronomy better 
“than the matter who taught him, of 
“ which the other two could underftand 
‘Snoring. 
If the fentiment of Helvetius were 
founded in truth, that the talents of 
every man are merely the effect of the 
education he receives, it may be fup- 
pofed, that 1f you couid difcover in what 
manner Homer or Shak{peare were edu- 
cated, you have nothing to do but to get 
twenty boys from any place whatever, 
and educate them in the fame manner 
in which Homer and Shakfpeare were 
educated, and you would immediately 
produce the fame number of Homers 
and Shakfpeares. It is the fame, ac- 
cording to Helvetius, with virtue as 
with genius: they are both the refuit 
of education. {t might, therefore, be 
prefumed, that, according to his fyttem, 
if you could difcover the mcthod in 
which Jonas Hanway and John Howard 
had been educated, you might in like 
manner take twenty other boys from the 
fame place, or from any other, and edu- 
cate them in the fame manner, and you 
would immediately produce the fame 
number of Hanways and Howards. But 
though this at the firfk view feems to be 
the neceflary refult of his fyftem, yet 
this confequence does not refult from his . 
fyftem when it is more accurately exa- 
mined.’ For he maintains, that no two 
perfons ever do receive the fame educa- 


ee 
* A Treatife of the Education and Learning 
proper for the different Capacities of Youth, 
p. 17, tranflated trom the Spanifh, 1amo. 3734. 
E 2 e tion. 
