142 
enabled to judge fatisfactorily for himfelf. 
I have no objection to’ make againtt this 
mode of proceeding : as a mode of in/iruc- 
tion, it is certainly a very good one ; but he 
muft know little of human nature, who 
thinks that after this procefs the youth will 
be feels ina capacity of judging for him- 
felf, or that he is lefs under the dominion of 
prejudice than if he had received the fame 
truths from the mere authority of his 
parent ; for molt affuredly the arguments. 
on either fide will not have been fet before 
him with equal ftrength or with equal 
warmth. The perfuafive tone, the glow- 
ing language, the triumphant retort, will 
all be referved for the fide on which the 
parent has formed his own conclutions. It 
cannot be ctherwife; he cannot be convin- 
ced himfelf of what he thinks a truth with- 
cut withing to convey that conviction, 
nor without thinking all that can be urged 
on the other fide weak and futile. He 
cannot in a matter of importance neutra- 
jize his feelings: perfect impartiality can 
be the refult only of indifferencee He does 
not perhaps fee to dictate, but he wifhes 
gently to guide his pupil, and that wiflis 
teldom difappointed. The child adopts 
the opinion of his parent, and. feems to 
himifelf to have adopted it from the deci-. 
lions of his own judgment ; 3, but all thefe 
reaionings muft be gone over agam, and 
thefe opinions un dergo a fiery ordeal, if 
ever he comes really to think and deter- 
mine for himfelf. 
The fac is, that no man, whatever his 
fyftem may be, refrains from inftilling 
prejudices into his child in any matter he 
has much.at heart. Take a difciple of 
Roufleau, who contends that it would be 
very pernicious to give his fon any ideas 
af a Deity, till he is of an age to read 
Clarke or Leibnitz, and afk him if he 
waits fo long to imprefs on his mind the 
fentiments of patriotifm—the civic affec- 
tion. Ono! you will find his little heart 
is early taught to beat at the very name of 
liberty, and. that, long before he is capable 
of forming a fingle political idea, he has 
entered with warmth into all the party 
fentiments and connections of his parent. 
He learns to love and hate, to venerate or 
defpife, by rote, and he foon acquires de- 
cided opinions, of the real ground. of 
which he can know abfolutely nothing. 
“Are not ideas of female honour and de- 
corum .impreft firft as prejudices; and 
would any parent wifh they fhould be fo 
much as-canvailed.tilf the molt fettled ha- 
bits of propriety have rendered it fafe to 
. do it? In teaching firlt by prejudice that 
The Enquirer, Na. XX. 
[ March Ey 
which is afterwards to be proved, we da 
but follow nature. Inftinéts are the pre- 
judices fhe give us; we fullow them im- 
plicitly, and they lead us right ; but it is 
not till long afterwards that le! comes, 
and juftifies them. Why fhouid we feru- 
ple to lead a child to right opinions in the 
fame way by which Nature leads him to 
right pri achices. 
“Still. it. will be urged that man is a ra- 
tional being, and therefore reafon is the 
only true ground of belief, and authority 
is not reafon. This point requires a little 
difcuffion. That he who receives a trath 
upon authority has not a reafonable belief, 
is in one fenfe true, fince he has not draw 
it from the reiult of his own enquiries ;, 
but in another it is certainly falfe, fince the 
authority itfelf may be to him the beft of. 
all reafons for believing it. There are 
few mén, who from the exercife of the beit 
powers of their minds could derive fo good 
a reafon for believing a mathematical 
truth as. the authority of Sir‘Ifsac Newton. 
There are two principles deeply implanted | 
inthe mind of man, without which he could 
never attain knowledge ; curiofity, and cre- 
dulity 5, the former to lead | him to make dil-, 
coveries himfelf, the latter to difpofe him 
to receive knowledge from others. . The 
credulity of a child to thof whe cheriih 
him is in early dife unbounded, This is. 
one of the moft uferul inftin&ts he has, and 
is m facta pias lous advantage put into tlte 
hands of the _parent for fioring his mind 
with ideas of all kinds. Without this 
principle of affent he could never gain even 
the rudiments of knowledge. He receives 
it, it is true, inthe thape of prejudice, but. 
the prejudice itieli 1s founded upon foun 
reafoning, and conclufive thongh imper- 
fect experiment. He finds himilelf weak, 
helplefs, and ignorant; he fees in his pa- 
rent a being of knowledge. and powers 
more than his utmoft capacity can fathom; 
almoft a god to him.. He has often done 
him good, thtrefore he believes he lovey 
him ; he finds him capable of giving him 
information upon all the fubjeats he has 
applied to him BORA ; his, knowledge 
feems unbounded, and his infermation has_ 
led him right, whenever he has had ecca- 
fion to try it by actual experiment 5 the 
child does not draw out his little reafon- 
ings into a logical form, but this is to 
him a ground of belicf, that his parent 
knows. every. thing, and is infallible. 
Though the propofition is not exactly 
true, it is fuficiently fo for him to act 
upon: and when he believes in his parent 
with implicit faith, he believes upon, 
grounds. 
