¥850. | 
grounds as truly rational as, when in after 
life he follows ie deductions of his own 
reafon. 
But you will fay, I with my fon may 
have rothing to unlearn, and therefore I 
would have him wait to form an Opinion. 
till he is abl@ to do it on folid grounds. And 
why do you fu ppofe he will have lefs to 
ainlearn if he follows his own reafon than if 
he followed your’s? If hethinks, if he en- 
quires, he will no doubt have a great deal 
to unlearn, whichever courfe’ you take 
with him ; but it is better to have fome 
things to han than to have nothing 
learnt. Do you hold your own opinions fo 
loofely,fohelitatingly, as not to think them 
fafer to abide by than the firft refults of his 
{tammering realon? Are there no truths 
to learn fo indubitable as to be without 
fear of their not approving themfelves to 
his mature and well directed judgment ? 
Are there none you efleem fo ufeful as to 
feel anxious that he be put in poffeffion of 
them. (We are folicitous not only to put 
our children in a capacity of acquiring 
their daily bread, but to bequeath to them. 
riches which they may receive as an inhe- 
ritance. Have you no mental wealth you 
wifh to tranimit, no flock of ideas he may 
begin with, inftead of drawing them all 
from the labour of his own brain? If, 
moreover, your fon fhould not adopt your 
Ene he will certainly adopt thofe of 
other people ; or, if on fubjeéts of high 
intereit he could be kept totally indifferent, 
the conlequence would be, that he would 
conceive either that fuch matters were not 
worth the trouble of enquiry, or that no- 
thing fatisfastory was to be learnt about 
them: for there are nezative prejudices as 
well as pofitive. 
Let parents therefore not f{cruple to u’e 
the power God and nature have put into 
their hands for the advantage of their 
offspring. Let them not fear to imprefs 
them with prejudices for whatever is fair 
and honourable in attion—whatever is 
uleful and important in fyflematic truth. 
Let fuch prejudices be wrought into the 
very texture of the foul. Such truths let 
them appear to know by intuition. 
rhe child never remember the period when 
he did not know them. Inftead of fend- 
inc him to that cold and hefitating belief 
which is founded on the painful ‘and une 
certain confequences of late inveftioation, 
Jet his conviction of all the truths you 
deem: important be mixed up with every 
warm affection of his nature, and identified 
with his mof cherifhed Regan al 
the time will come foon enough when his 
confidence in you will have received a 
The Engui ar, No. XX, 
Let_ 
FURS 
2 ine 
143 
check. The growth of his own rea- 
fon and the development of :his powers 
will lead him with a fudden impetus to 
examine every thing, to canvafs ever 
thing, to fufpest every thing. Ifhe finds, 
as he certainly will find, the refults of his 
reafoning different in (ane ref{pects trom 
thofe you have given him, far from being 
now difpofed to receive your aflertions as 
proofs, he will rather feel difinclined to 
any- opinion you profefs, and ftrugele to 
free hnnfelf from the net you have woven 
about him. 
The calm repofe of his mind is broken, 
the placid lake is become turbid, and're- 
fiects diftorted and broken images of 
things ; but be not you alarmed at the 
new workings of his thoughts, it is the 
angel of reaton which defcends and trou. 
bles the waters. ‘Io endeavour to infiu- 
ence by authority would be as ufelefs now 
as it was falutary before. Lie by in fi- 
lence, and wait the refult. Do not ex- 
pect the mind of your fon is to refemble 
your's, as your figure is reflefted by the 
image in the glats ; he was formed, like 
you, to ufe his own judgment, and he 
claims the high privilege of his nature. 
His reafon is mature, his mind muft now 
form itfelf. Happy muft you efteem ~ 
yourfelf, if amidft ail lefler differences of 
Opinion, and the wreck of many of your 
fayourite ideas, he ftill preferves thofe ra- 
dical and primary truths which are eflen- 
tial to his happinefs, and which different 
trains of thought and oppofite modes of 
invettigation willy ery. often equally lead 
to. 
Let it-be wel! remembered that we have 
only been recommending thofe prejudices 
which go before veafon, * not thofe which 
are contrary to it. To endeavour to 
make children, or others over whom we 
have influence, receive fyftems which we 
do not believe, merely becaufe it is conve- 
nient to ourfelves that they fhould believe 
them, though a very fafhionable prattice, 
makes no part of the difcipline we plead 
for. Thefe are not prejudices but impofi- 
tions. We may alfo grant that nothing 
fhould be ‘received as a prejudice which 
can be eafily made the fubjeét of experi- 
ment. A child may be allowed to find 
out for himfelf that boiling water will 
{cald, his -fingers, and mutt ard bite his 
tonene; but he mult be prejudiced againkt 
rats-bane, becaufe the experiment would 
e too cofily. In like manner it may do 
him good to have experienced that little 
inffances of inattention or pervert fenefs 
draw upon him the difplenfure of his pa-~ 
but that profligacy is atrended with 
fae lots 
bad rene 5 >» 

