The Enguirer, No. XV. What is Education 2 169 
be difgufted at all common tables. Be- 
fides, he will from time to time partake 
of thofe delicacies which your table 
abounds with; you yourfelt will give 
him of them occafionally ; you would be 
unkind if you did not; your fervants, if 
good natured, will do the fame. Do you 
think you can keep the full ftream of 
luxury running by his lips, and he not 
tafte of it? Vain imagination! 
I would not be underitood to inveigh 
againft wealth, or againit the enjoyments 
of it; they are real enjoyments, and 
allied to many elegancies in manners and 
in tafte ; I only with to prevent unprofita- 
ble pains and inconfiftent expectations. 
You are fenfible of the benefit of early 
rifing, and you may, if you pleafe, 
make it a point that your daughter fhall 
retire with hér governefs, and your fon 
with his tutor, at the hour when you are 
preparing to fee company. But their 
fleep, in the firit place, will not be fo 
fweet and undifturbed amidft the rattle of 
cartiages, and the glare of tapers glanc- 
ing through the rcoms, as that of the 
village child in his quiet cottage, pro- 
tected by filence and darknefs; and, more- 
over, you may depend upon it, that as the 
cvercive power of education is laid afide, 
they will in a few months {lide into 
the habitudes of the reft of the family, 
whofe hours are determined by their com- 
pany and fituation in lie. You have, 
Rowever, done good as far as it goes; it 
is fomething gained to defer pernicious 
habits, if we cannot prevent them. 
There is nothing which has fo little 
fhare in education as dire&t precept. To 
be coiivinced of this, we need only re- 
fie&, that there is no one point we labour 
more to eftablifh with children than that 
of their fpeaking truth, and there is not 
any in which we fucceed worfe. And 
why? Becaufe children readily fee we 
have an intereftin it. Their {peaking 
truth is ufed by us as an engine of go- 
vernment. ‘* Yell me, my dear child, 
when you have broken any thing, and I 
will not be angry with you.” «¢ Thank 
you fornothing, fays the child. If I 
prevent you irom finding it out, J am 
fire you will not be angry ;” and nine 
times out of ten he cay prevent it. He 
knows that, inthe common intercourfes of 
life, yor tell'a thoufand falfehoods. But thefe 
are neceflary lies on important occafions. 
Your child is the belt judge how much 
occafion he has to tell a lie; he may have 
as great occation for it, as youhave to con- 
ceala bad piece of news from a fick friend, 
Ofto hide your Vexation trom an unwel- 
come vifitor. That authority which ex- 
tends its claims over every aétion, and 
even every thought, which infifts upon an 
anfwer to every interrogation, however 
indifcreet or oppreflive to the’ feelings, 
will, in young or old, produce falfthood; 
or, if in fome few inftances, the deeply 
imbibed fear of future and unknown pu- 
nifhment fhould reftrain from direct falfe- 
shood, it will produce a habit of difimu- 
lation, which is ftill worfe. The child, the 
flave, or the fubjeét, who, on proper oc- 
cafions may not fay, ‘* I donot chuf to 
tell,”’ will certainly, by the circumftances 
in which you place him, be driyen to 
have recourfe to deceit, even thould he 
not be countenanced by your example. 
I do not mean to affert, that fentiments 
inculcated in education have no influence ; 
they have much, though not the mof: 
but itis the fentiments we let drop occa- 
fionally, the conyerfation they overhear 
when playing unnoticed in a corner of 
the room, which has an effe&t upon chil- 
dren, and not what is addreffed dire&tly 
to them in the tone of exhortation. If you 
would know precifely the effe& thefe fet 
difcourfes have upon your child, be 
pleafed to reflect upon that which a dif 
_courfe from the pulpit, which you have 
reafon to think merely profeffional, has 
upon you. Children have almoft an in- 
tuitive difcernment between the maxims 
you bring forward for their ufe, and 
thofe by which you direé&t your own con- 
duct. Beas cunning as you will, they 
ave always more cunning than you. Every 
child knows whom his tather and mother’ 
love, and fee with pleafure, and whom 
they diflike ; for whom they think them- 
felves obliged to fet out their beft plate 
and china; whom they think it an ho- 
nour to vifit, and upon whom they confer 
honour by admitting them to their com- 
pany. *‘* Refpeét nothing fo much as 
virtue, (fays Eugenio to his fon) virtue 
and talents are the only grounds of dif- 
tinétion.””. The child prefeatly has oc-. 
cafion to enquire why his father pulls off 
his hat to fome people and not to others ; 
he is told, that outward refpeét mutt be 
proportioned to different ftations in. life ; 
this is a little difficult of comprehenfion ; 
however, by dint of explanation, he gets 
over it tolerably well. But he fees his 
father’s houfe in the buftle and hurry of 
preparation ; common bufinefs laid afide, 
every body in movement, an unufual anx- 
iety to pleafe and to fhine. Nobody is 
at leifure to receive his carefles, or attend 
to his queftions;. his leffons are inter- 
rupted, his hours deranged, At length a 
guelt 
