4805.) 
- @ation accrues to the mafter whether he 
be diligent or not in their improvement ; 
while his attention is direéted to increafe 
the number of thofe pupils for whofe edu- 
eation he is feparately paid. Provided he 
receives the ftipulated falary, he is carelefs 
how he earns it ; and if we inquire into 
the hiftiory of many a large {chool, we 
fhall find, that, although the mafter re- 
ceives the falary, not one of his pupils is 
taught by him gratuitoufly, according to 
the original fpirit of the inftitution, and 
that it is a free-fchool only in name; all 
tnat clafs of the rifing generation, ‘for 
whole ufe it was originally inftituted, being 
entirely debarred from its benefit. Some 
mafters, who are otherwife independent 
of teaching, or are, perhaps, little capable 
of it, enjoy the falary at the expence and 
trouble only of hiring a man to ring the 
bell in the morning, and open the door of 
thé {chool, which no boy is ever feen to 
enter, from its being known that no at- 
tention would be paid to his infruction ; 
that he would be fo harfhly treated as to 
prevent his profiting by it; that, inftead of 
becoming the pupil, he would be made 
the menial fervant of the mafter ; or, it: 
tay be, that no mafter would attend .to 
give any inftruétion at all. 
Nay, outrages, as I have been well in- 
formed, have, in more inftasces than one, 
been committed upon the property of the 
endowment. ‘To fome of them were at- 
tached chapels for the regular performance 
of holy fervice tothe pupils or other peo- 
ple fupported by the fame or allied chari- 
table inftitutions. Thefe have been con- 
verted, from their original facred purpofe, 
to kitchens and eating-rooms. I believe, 
Mr. Editor, I am not a very fuperftitious 
man ; but I cannct behold without fome 
degree of indignation fuch a perverfion 
of facred places and purpofes. The very 
frequent repetition of prayers which was 
uled.when fome of thefe endowments took 
place, may “now be thought u'elefs, and 
filling up time which might be better em- 
ployed in active inftruction ; but are not 
youth to be at leaft weekly carried into. 
the fublime and worfhip-infpiring Gothic 
hall, which has been confecrated to devo- 
tion for hundreds of years, and there made 
familiar with that true and humble devo- 
tion which becomes man? — And if alms- 
houfes for the old are connected with the 
inftitution, are we not bound, befides pro- 
viding for their earthly fubfiftence, to give 
them an opportunity, now that they are 
wiable to perform the active duties of this 
Mialis of Free-Scbiole. 
the management of the {chool. 
207 
world, toemploy the evening of their life 
in looking forward to a better day ? 
The founders of thefe inftitutions, fore. 
feeing that they might get into the hands 
of felf-interefted perfons, carelefs of per- 
forming their duty, have endeavoured, in 
fome cafes, to guard againft this neglect, 
by appointing regular vilitors to controul 
Thefe, 
are generally the members of the corpora= 
tion of the place, and who are alfo com. 
monly the donors of the living ; and E 
fhould hope that thefe bodies in general 
place properly. qualified and con(cientious 
teachers in fuch fituations. [fit ever hap- 
pen otherwife, fhould it not alfo be the . 
duty of the church to watch over thefe 
feminaries of thésyoung ? And have not 
the Bifhops full power to enforce their 
good management in thgjr refpective dio- 
cefes? It is the nature of the human 
mind to be ftrongly affected by novelty ; 
and to neglect for new and lefs ufeful, 
older and perhaps more important defigns. 
We every day hear of new inftitutions to 
promote the inftruction and other comforis 
of the lower clafles of the community, 
while the mof ufeful ones are allowed to 
drop for want of fupport, or to be divert- 
ed by the unprincipied to their own ad- 
vantage for want of being looked into.— 
We have heard and viewed of late but toa 
much. of revolutionary anarchy ;. but it is 
not fuch neglest of the rifing generation, 
efpecially of that clafs to promote whofe 
initruction aid and encouragement are re- 
quired—it is not, I would maintain, the 
leaving their minds in ignorance, and 
holding out to them an example of felfith 
indolence and want of principle, that will — 
put a ftop to thefe exceffes, and preferve 
fubordination and moral regularity in fo- 
ciety. Our forefathers, in forming thele 
inftitutions, clearly faw that knowledge 
extended to all ranks, was the great flay 
and fupport of every civil conttitution, and 
the beft promoter of the riches and pro- 
{fperity of a kingdom; but we, in this 
enlightened age, feem to think that know- 
ledge has got too much abroad, and that 
it is proper to confine it to a few acade- 
micks, who, paffing their time in indo- 
lence and luxury, are to receive a laree 
emolument for withholding its current 
from being regularly diffuled over. the 
Jand, and watering every breaft with its 
placid fireams, a 
Tam, Sic, yours, &c. 
DINCERUS, 
Wilts, Feb.” 5, 1805. 
. Dd 2 79 
