small mistake of imputing to her, what arose but from the want of her; what never could have existed had her voice been heard.

True, much blood has formerly been shed in Christian countries, by blind, mistaken, violent men, professedly in the cause of Christianity; true, much blood is still shed in Christian countries; true, much evil has abounded, and does still abound, even where the Christian doctrines are most loved, and best understood and obeyed. But what then? Shall we infer that there would have been less evil, less bloodshed, if Christianity had never been known? Heaven forbid that we should reason so ill!

The fair question is, if the world have been, and still be thus bad, in spite of the purest doctrines that ever were granted to man; what would it have been without them?

I will conclude this chapter with part of a letter written by Dr. Johnson, to the late Mr. William Drummond, Bookseller, in Edinburgh.* It had been proposed to translate the Scriptures into Gaelic, for the benefit of the Highlanders, and the measure was opposed on this ground, viz. that it would contribute to maintain the distinction between them, and the other inhabitants of North Britain.

"I did not expect," (says Dr. Johnson)" to hear, that it could be, in an assembly convened for the propagation of Christian knowledge, a question whether any nation, uninstructed in religion, should receive instruction; or whether that instruction should be imparted to them, by a translation of the holy books into their own language. If obedience to the will of God be necessary to happiness, and knowledge of his will, be necessary to obedience, I know not how he that withholds this knowledge, or delays it, can be said to love his neighbour as himself. He that voluntarily continues ignorance is guilty of all the crimes which ignorance produces; as to him that should extinguish the tapers of a light-house, might justly be

*See Christian Observer, for 1808, p. 303.

A

imputed the calamities of shipwrecks. Christianity is the highest perfection of humanity! and as no man is good but as he wishes the good of others, no man can be good in the highest degree, who wishes not to others the largest measures of the greatest good. To omit for a year, or for a day, the most efficacious method of advancing Christianity, in compliance with any purposes that terminate on this side the grave, is a crime of which I know not that the world has yet had an example, except in the practice of the planters of America, a race of mortals whom, I suppose, no other man wishes to resemble."

CHAP. VI.

On the Education of the Poor.

THE same sort of question with which I began the

foregoing chapter, presents itself no less properly here. Can we, with the power of conveying it, innocently fail to give to the poor such instruction, as may enable them to read that book, in which are written the words of eternal life?

But let us for a moment consider the advantages which may result from teaching the poor to read, in a civil, and social point of view only. Is it nothing, to furnish a set of men at whose mercy all the higher classes lie, with an innocent amusement? With a resource which may keep them from the ȧle-house, the brothel, and the cock-pit; where their finances are ruined, and all those evil passions excited, so dangerous to the welfare of a state?

Shall we be told that servants will work less zealously, because they have the innocent amusement, and rational employment of reading, within their reach? But even

those who are so much afraid that their servants should be half as wise as themselves, and presume on their wisdom to be idle, ought now, upon their own grounds, to wish for the general instruction of the poor. For if a servant do pique himself upon his power to read, it is not because the faculty of reading has, in his estimation, any thing excellent in itself, (for long use has prevented his attaching more excellence to the power of reading, than to the power of speak ing) but because he can do something which his neighbours cannot. If the art of reading English were once as generally understood as the art of speaking it is, a servant would no more pique himself on his power to read, than on his power to talk. Menial and laborious office's must be filled by some. If, in a corrupt age most are desirous to run away from them, let us attribute the evil not to the more general diffusion of knowledge; but to the luxury of the great, who are daily multiplying sinecure offices in their domestic establishments; to the general love of dress, which now employs a thousand foreign hands for adorning the persons of those, who once, not emulous to vie with their richer neighbours, were content to appear in garments of their own making. We must attribute the evil I am complaining of, to the iniquitous indulgences of the idle great, and the consequent pride and profligacy of the poor. We must attribute it to the vices of an age waxing desperate in voluptuousness, and daily more and more departing from the simplicity of primeval times. We must attribute it to that accursed spirit of venality, that puerile love of money, which pervades the whole body of society; and which must daily more and more abound, as the spirit of Christianity shall more and more decline. We must attribute it to that childish love of shew, and slavish submission to the dictates of fashion, which has scarcely left us the title of rational beings.*

* It is remarkable that the two extremes of society, voluptuous refinement, and savage barbarity, are equally distinguished by this passion, the love of shew. To indulge it, the naked savage scarcely thinks any sacrifice

The partial diffusion of knowledge may, I confess, increase the evil I am complaining of, but its general diffusion can never have this effect, unless darkness be better than light; boorish brutality than some refinement ; unless it be better, that beings intended for society should be rude and uncourteous, than civil and obliging; unless it be better, that beings who are candidates for immor tality, should live ignorant of the precepts of the wise and the examples of the virtuous, than that they should be furnished with the power of reading those works, in which both are recorded.*

The poor may, it is true, abuse the blessing, as what blessing may they not abuse? They may read licentious and dangerous books. But shall we forbear to do good, lest evil abound? Shall we fail to impart a certain blessing, for fear of a contingent evil? God forbid. To say, we will not teach our poor to read, because they may then read pernicious books; is just as rational, as to say, we will keep them as much as we can from the knowledge of their mother tongue, for in that tongue they may swear, and hold licentious conversation.

Where

But what says experience, that decisive test? shall we find a nation, with whom the power of reading is general ?

My friends, it is notorious, that the Scotch have this

too great; he will barter even his food for beads. In like manner, the voluptuous man of fashion will exhaust his finances, and ruin his reputati on, rather than let his neighbours surpass him in the splendour of their equipage, or the extent of their establishments. Surely to reflect that whatever skill they may display in the choice of their carriages, the colour, or cut of their clothes, they are still but savages giving up their food for beads, sacrificing real good to unmeaning show; should, if nothing else can influence them, stimulate our men of fortune to seek for some nobler distinction than that which they can draw from the foreign aid of ornament, even though they could give to it supremacy of splendour.

* I contend, be it remembered, for no abuse; I should as soon think of teaching the poor Geography, Mathematics, Natural Philosophy, or Drawing; as Dancing, Rhetoric, or Composition.

power; and that they are at the same time the best educated, the most moral, orderly, and united people upon earth.

Here we have demonstrative proof, that the education of the poor does not necessarily produce those ill effects, which some people expect from it; but that on the con trary, it is productive of a thousand blessings.

CHAPTER VII.

On the public and private Education of Youth.

IN

N vain may we hope that a radical, general, and permanent reformation shall take place amongst us, unless our youth shall be enlisted in the cause. In vain may we long to see (oh new but joyous sight!) a generation of real Christians, unless we ingraft Christianity in the very nature of our children; unless both their reason, and their habits, be on the side of our holy religion. The more matured their reason, and the more confirmed their habits shall be, at that moment when they are called to make the principles which they have been acquiring, their shield of defence against the world's seductions, the better their chance of successful resistance.

If reason in its highest maturity, be more likely successfully to resist the attacks of the passions, than it could ever be before, (which none I think will deny) it follows, that if a man could be defended from the temptations of vice, till his reason had attained to its most perfect maturity, he would have a better chance of resisting those temptations, than he could have had at any preceding period. And if throughout all that period, during which his rea