Imatges de pàgina
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man' is looked upon by fome of thefe to be a breach of decòrum' and therefore they take great pains to fupprefs it ""' Thus having little pretenfions to rationality' the diftinguishing property of man' according to fome philofophers" or to rifibility' according to o`thers" they have no other characteristical mark of human creatures but that of walking upon twò le`gs' with indeed the additional circumftance of being always well dreft" Thefe beings by degrees lofe all feeling and thus are rendered unfocial by fociety" Numbers of this clafs are to be found among, what is commonly called the best company'

The fecond clafs' may be called the Difputants" who' having collected from books a heap of undige'fted knowledge' and a very aukward and inaccurate manner of fetting it fo`rth in difcourfe are engaged in en`dless controverfies and wrangles' maintained

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tained with great warmth and violence' to the no fmall roufing and invigorating of all the wor'ft paffions of man' pride' envy' hatred and malice" And thus are these men rendered diffocial by fociety' and may justly be called ba'd company

The third clafs' confifts of the smarts and the wi`ts" who have only fuch a sma`ttering of knowledge' as to look down with contempt on the infipids and to make fpòrt of the difputants' Their favourite enjoyment' is a perpetual ridicule of all that is fèrious and goòd" they attempt to laugh o`thers' and really laugh themselves' out of all social feelings" and seem to think rifibility the true characteristic of man These are drea`ded and avòided by the Infipids" called ba'd company by the Disputants" and reckoned mighty good company by foòls and themfel`ves ""'

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The fourth clafs' is made up of those who give themselves up to fenfuality' vo-: luptuoufnefs' and profligacy of all forts" who conftantly acting against the principles' upon which the nòbleft purposes of society are founded' may juftly be termed Antifocialifts' and called the worft com-: pany in the world""

It is much to be wifhed' that the number of those' whofe converfation can at once enlighten the understanding' delight the fancy' and make the heàrt diftend with benevolent fenfations by means of a happy union of the twò languages of art and nature' were fo great as to form a fifth class" but rarely are fu`ch men to be found" and more rarely have they an opportunity of exerting their talents' in the diffonance of mixed company' not tuned to their pitch" Happy the man who can find fu`ch a one' to be the chofen companion

of his private hours" or who can now and then pick out a felect fet' to participate of the fatisfaction' which fu`ch a one is capable of diffufing' thro' perfons of nice sensibility and just taste

It cannot be denied that the impròvement of conversation' would greatly con tribute to improve our ma`nners' and make us take delight in rational fociety The way to improve our converfation' is' to make that a chìef object of attention' in the education of our youth' of both sexes' by inftructing them in all the points effential to it' inftead of leaving it' as we do now' to cha'nce "" To attend to their fpeech from their firft efforts to articulate' to the u`tmoft perfection of a refined elocution "" To make them study the precìfe meaning of all the words and phrases in their native tongue"" By conftant practice both in recìting the best works and their

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own extemporaneous co`mments upon them' to give them a facility' and e`legance of expreffion All this will be done

of coùrfe' if we will only make the living language' as it oùght to be our first object of attention" and confider the wri`tten one' as it fhould be' only in a fe`condary light" The way to do this is obvious" To form writers' you train them from the beginning in the art and practice of writing" to form fpèakers' you must train them from the beginning' in the art and practice of speaking" This would be the moft effectual way' to check the progrefs of that fo`rdid principle' fe'lfishness' the nourisher of every vìce" and to give vigour

to that noble one' benèvolence' the fource of every virtue =

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