MODERN IMPROVEMENTS.

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I shall be obliged to venture on disputed ground, and I therefore request of you to divest yourselves for a moment of those preconceived notions, which, if allowed to influence your judgment on the present occasion, would elog the freedom of inquiry, and to follow me with no other guide than the highest standard of faith, the internal conviction of truth and error.

It is an observation which strikes me, as being applicable to almost every department of human knowledge at this time, that with a jealousy against the views which our forefathers entertained, and with a zeal, in many instances extravagant, to correct the real or supposed errors of their systems, our age combines a remarkably servile adherence to the premises from which those views and systems were merely the conclusions. Hence we have in our days a great deal of mending and patching in the details of every branch of knowledge, whilst a number of false premises remain unshaken, and mocking, as it were, the childish endeavours of the investigating and critieising multitude, continue to produce as many false positions, as are successively struck off the list of our articles of belief. This unsuspecting method of our modern philosophers, has the effect of causing the minds of their contemporaries to be tossed about on the boundless ocean of error, on which he, who disappointed in one direction, contents himself, without any positive guide, to steer in an opposite one, may for ever cruise about, without discovering the shore of truth. Too much reliance has been placed upon that negative spirit of inquiry, which under the semblance of truth beguiles mankind into errors more incurable, because they are accompanied with a self-complacent feeling of superiority to others, and of victory over prejudice and narrow-mindedness. To adduce one instance for the sake of illustration :-There has been a system of instruction prevailing for many years past, which consisted in nothing but dictatorial inculcation of the notions of the teacher into the pupils' mind, without

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ASSUMED RIGHTS OF SOCIETY.

any regard to their powers of inquiring and judging for themselves. This gross mistake has at length been found out, and, as it is supposed, corrected by a party which of all others, prides itself in the enlightened character of its measures; and what did the improvement consist in? The reasoning powers were now appealed to, exclusively, and on every subject; every other ground of conviction was thrown overboard as useless ballast, and the too much lightened vessel now floats over the restless. waves of public opinion, an easy game to every wanton wind of doctrine. The mere discovery that this also is a mistake, is, again, not a sufficient ground to go upon in search of the proper mode of proceeding; from that point the way is open to an indefinite number of other mistakes; and there is no end to these wild wanderings of the mind, until we come to explore first principles, and, purifying them from all that is human alloy, take, for our sole guide and standard, the pure light of divine truth.

If we apply these remarks to the question now under consideration, we shall find that, whilst a variety of systems have at different times been built upon the supposition, that the family and society have certain rights to the children born in their bosom, there has never been so much as an attempt to found the whole system of education upon the sole basis of the duties which they have to discharge, without assuming any rights, but such as must necessarily be granted to render the fulfilment of those duties possible. In this, as in every other respect, we have founded our theory and practice upon the premises, that there are certain inalienable and incontestable rights, from which the whole constitution of society, and all our social duties are derived-but never has the question been asked: What is the foundation of those. rights; where is the evidence that they are rights, established by the law of God, and not rights of our own assuming? So far, however, from our duties being derived from our rights, the latter are, on the contrary,

ALL RIGHTS DERIVED FROM DUTIES.

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No man, nor any

entirely founded upon the former. other creature whatever, has or can have any right to the possession or enjoyment of any thing, but in as far as it is requisite for the fulfilment of his duties. God gives nothing without purpose, and consequently the creature cannot have a right to anything except it be in reference to that purpose; and as the purpose of God is the creature's duty, it is obvious that whatever rights the creature may possess, they are all immediately derived from his duty.

If this then be true, and if it be true, moreover, that man is a fallen creature, and that his restoration is God's purpose with him, is it not evidently the duty of the family and of society, to assist every individual from the first moment of his existence by every means in their power, in the attainment of that purpose? and is it not evident, likewise, that neither the family nor the society can have a right to lay any claims to, or assume any authority over the child, but such as is indispensably necessary for the discharge of that duty? What an immense change does the acknowledgment of this truth produce in the whole aspect of our question! and how incalculable are the practical conclusions, to which these premises, if once sincerely admitted, will lead us, in opposition to by far the largest proportion of the rules and maxims now generally followed in the business of education! For at present not only the greatest, but also the most efficient part of education is given on the assumption, that we have a claim to the future exertions of the individuals whom we train up, and with a view to secure to ourselves the greatest possible quantum of exertion at the smallest expense. This is not only the case with reference to that part of tuition, in public and private schools, which is commonly and not improperly, designated by the appellation "worldly knowledge," but even the cause of religious instruction is not unfrequently pleaded on this ground, vix. that it is the best interest of society

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FALSE VIEW OF EDUCATION.

that its members should be encouraged to industrious habits and good conduct by the influence of religious impressions..

success,

Manifold are the evil consequences which arise from this primitive mistake in the view we generally take of education. We ourselves, approaching the field of labour in a wrong and false spirit, can neither apply the right means, nor even benefit by the experience we gain; for being blind to the real cause of our ill and of our repeated disappointments, we endeavour to account for them in some other way, and thereby necessarily fall into confusion and injustice. As regards the children, they cannot but perceive that there is something arbitrary and oppressive in our conduct, which, although they are not able to explain it, yet their feelings are acute enough to apprize them of, and which induces them in most instances unconsciously, but not on that account less perseveringly or efficiently, to oppose, and, if possible, to baffle our efforts. Lastly, if we ask what expectations we can, under such circumstances, entertain of the blessing of God attending our exertions, is it not plain that, however much we may affect to talk of its visible effects, when we pompously assemble to glorify less him than ourselves in the report of what we have done,-there can be no reasonable anticipation of the divine assistance in the pursuit of labours, which have for their object the attainment, not of his, but of our own purpose? Thus it happens that education, which was intended by God as a blessing to both parents and children, is considered, because felt by both as an intolerable burden, of which both long to get rid as soon as possible, and to which both submit only because they cannot help it. Is it not lamentable that man should thus in his folly and selfishness turn that which God has appointed for him as a source of improvement and of happiness, into an instrument of degradation and misery, and render a curse to himself that which divine wisdom and mercy had destined to be one of the greatest blessings ?

ERROR IN DIVINITY.

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This unfortunate perversion of the relative position of parent and child, of teacher and pupil, is connected with a sad mistake in our systems of divinity, which seems to me to be of too great importance not to be mentioned on the present occasion: I mean the construction generally put upon that decree which the Almighty pronounced over man after the fall. By an assumption as gratuitous as any I ever met with, the whole of the laws laid down for human existence in its degraded state, in the latter part of the third chapter of Genesis, is considered as a venting of the di. vine wrath upon disobedient man, and commonly goes by the name of "the curse;" whereas it appears to me that it is one great and wonderful chain of mercies,-in fact, the comprehension of all the good gifts, which man was capable of receiving, in the condition into which he had brought himself, by withdrawing his soul from the rule of his bountiful Maker. It is not sufficiently considered that man had inflicted upon himself the sum and substance of all evil, which is, to be separated from God, and in a state of rebellion against him; and that the purpose of the divine arrangements after that unfortunate event, was not to aggravate that evil, but to mitigate it, and to open to man a way, by which he might gradually return to that state, for which he was originally destined. Man's preclusion from the enjoyment of the tree of life has manifestly that intention, as a continued possession of power, without an holy will to correct it, would only have involved man in deeper destruction. The same is to be said of the laborious life to which man is doomed : for although the expression is used, "cursed is the ground for thy sake," there is no reason why this should mean, "cursed is the ground that thou mayest be cursed indirectly;" but it may just as well be interpreted, ❝ cursed is the ground for thy benefit."* And this is in fact the case.

* The erroneous interpretation alluded to has been supported by the etymology of the word 2 in the original, said to be derived from, which, in one of its manifold acceptations, means "to pass over," whence, by transition. The ground is cursed for thy sake, i. e. by transition of the