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Plato, Aristotle, and, in a word, all that have left us any rules of government, have declared that the principal and most essential duty of a magistrate, a minister, a lawgiver, and a prince, is to watch over the good education, first of their own children, who often succeed in their stead, and then of the citizens in general who form the body of the republic; and they observe that the whole uisorder of states arises only from the negligence of this twofold duty.

Plato* quotes an illustrious example of it in the person of the famous Cyrus, the most accomplished prince we read of in ancient history. He wanted none of the talents which were requisite to make a great man, excepting that we are here speaking of. Being wholly taken up with his conquests, he intrusted the education of his children with the women. These young princes were therefore brought up, not after the rough and severe discipline of the Persians, which had so well succeeded in Cyrus their father, but after the manner of the Medes; that is, in luxury, softness, and pleasures. Nobody ventured to contradict them in anything. Their ears were open only to praise and flattery; everything bent their knee and bowed low before them. And it was thought to become their grandeur to put an infinite distance between them and the rest of mankind, as though they had been of a different species from them. "Such an education, so remote from all reproof and education, had," says Plato, "the success which was to be expected from it. The two princes, presently after the death of Cyrus, took up arms against each other, as not being able to bear either a superior or an equal; and Cambyses, grown absolute master by the death of his brother, ran furiously into all sorts of excess, and reduced the Persian empire to the brink of ruin, Cyrus left him a vast extent of provinces, immense revenues, and armies without number; but all this turned to his ruin, for want of another benefit far more valuable, which he neglected to leave him,-I mean a good education.

This judicious remark of Plato concerning Cyrus entirely escaped me in reading the history of him by Xenophon. Nor did I reflect that this historian is absolutely silent upon the education of this prince's children, whereas, he largely describes the excellent manner in which the Persian youth were brought up, and Cyrus himself amongst the rest. 'Tis the greatest fault a prince can be guilty of.

Philip, king of Macedon, behaved in a very different manner.† Upon the birth of his son, when engaged in the midst of his conquests and at the time of his greatest achievements, he wrote Aristotle the following letter; "I give you notice that I have a son born to me, but I am not so much obliged to the gods for his birth, as for the happiness that he has come into the world whilst there is an Aristotle living. For I hope that, being brought up under your direction and by your care, he may deserve the glory of his father and the empire which I shall leave him." This was talking and thinking like a great prince who was thoroughly acquainted with the importance of a good education. Alexander had

Plat. lib. 3, de leg.

+ Aul. Gel. lib. 9, cap. 3.

the same sentiments.

An historian observes that he loved Aristotle no less than his own father because, he said, he was indebted to the one for living, and the other for living well.

If it is a great fault in a prince not to take care of the education of his own children, it is no less blamable to accept that of the citizens in general. Plutarch very judiciously observes in the parallel he draws between Lycurgus and Numa, that it was a like negligence which rendered all the good designs and great intuitions of the latter useless. The passage is very remarkable. "All the labor of Numa," says he, "who took pains only to maintain the peace and tranquillity of Rome, vanished with him; and he was no sooner dead than the temple of Janus, which he had constantly kept shut as if he had really held there the demon of war confined in chains, was immediately opened again, and all Italy filled with blood and slaughter. Thus the most beautiful and best of his institutions was but of short continuance, as it wanted the sole tie capable of maintaining it, which was the education of youth.

It was the opposite conduct which so long preserved the laws of Lycurgus in full force. For, "as the same Plutarch observes, the religion of an oath which he required of the Lacedæmonians would have been a feeble support after his death, if by education he had not imprinted the laws in their manners. It had made them suck in the love of his form of government almost with their milk, by making it in a manner familiar and natural to them. Thus we see the principal of his ordinances were kept for above five hundred years like a good and a strong dye which had penetrated the very substance of the soul."

All these great men of antiquity were therefore persuaded, as Plutarch observes of Lycurgus in particular, that the most essential duty of a lawgiver, and so of a prince, was to establish good rules for the education of youth, and to see that they were exactly observed. It is surprising to see how far they carried their care and watchfulness upon this point. They advised to use precautions in the choice of such persons as were to take care of children from their very birth, and it is plain that Quintilian has taken what he has said upon this subject from Plato and Aristotle, especially in what relates to nurses. He requires, with those wise philosophers, that in the choice that is made of them, care should not only be taken that they had no bad ways of speaking, but, withal, that a special regard should be had to their manners and disposition; and the reason he gives for it is admirable.* "For what is learnt," says he, "at that age is easily imprinted in the mind, and leaves deep marks behind it which are not easily to be obliterated. As in the case of a vessel, which long preserves a tincture of the first liquor that was poured into it; and like wool, which can never recover its first whiteness after it has been once dyed, and the misfortune is that bad habits last longer than good ones."

"Tis for the same reason, that these philosophers look upon it as one of the most essential duties of those who are entrusted with the education

Quint. lib. 1, c. 1.

of children, to remove from them, as far as possible, the slaves and domestics, whose discourses and examples may be predudicial to them.*

To this they add a piece of advice which will condemn a great many Christian fathers and masters. They require that not only the boys should be disallowed to read any comedies or be present at any theatrical show before they arrive at a certain age, but that all pictures, sculptures, or tapestry, which may lay any indecent and dangerous image before the eyes of their children, should be absolutely banished their cities. They desire that the magistrates should carefully watch over the execution of this ordinance, and that they should oblige the workmen, even such as were most industrious, who refused to submit to it, to carry their fatal skill to some other place. They were persuaded that from such objects as these, that were adapted to flatter the passions and feed the desire, there arose a kind of contagion and pestilential air that was at length indefinably capable of infecting the masters themselves who breathe it every moment without fear and precaution, and that these objects were like so many poisoned flowers which exhale a deadly odor, that was the more to be feared as it was the less distrusted and even appeared agreeable. These wise philosophers require, on the other hand, that everything in a city should teach and inspire virtue -inscriptions, pictures, statues, plays, and conversations-and that from everything that is presented to the senses and strike the eyes and ears, there should be formed a kind of salutary air and breath which should imperceptibly insinuate itself into the souls of the children, and aided and assisted by the instruction of the master, should incline them from their tenderest years to the love of probity and a regard for honesty. There is a beauty and delicacy in the original expression which no other language is capable of, and though this passage be somewhat long, I have thought proper to quote a greater part of it to give some idea of Plato's style.

I shall now return to my subject, and conclude this first article with desiring the reader to consider how the pagans themselves ever looked upon the care of the education of the children as the most essential duty of parents, magistrates, and princes, as it is of last importance for all the rest of their lives to have good principles instilled into them from the beginning. In short, where their minds are yet tender and flexible, they may be turned and managed as we please, whereas, age and long habit will make faults almost incorrigible. Frangas enim citius quam corrigas, quæ in pravum induruerunt.‡

2. Relative Value of Public and Private Instruction. During the whole time I have been engaged in the education of youth, being thoroughly sensible of the dangers which occur both in private houses and great schools, I have never presumed to give advice upon this subject, and have ever been content with applying myself as carefully as I could to the instruction of the boys which Divine Providence committed *Arist. Polit. lib. 7, c. 17. + Plut. lib. 3, de Rep.

§ Quintil. lib. 1, cap. 3.

to my care. I think I ought still to observe the same neutrality, and leave it to the prudence of parents to decide a question which certainly admits of great difficulties on both sides.

Quintilian has discoursed upon this point with great prolixity and eloquence. The passage is one of the most beautiful in his work, and deserves to be read in the original. I shall give the substance of it. He begins with answering two objections against public schools. The first relates to purity of morals, which they claim is here exposed to the greatest dangers. Was this the case, he thinks we should not hesitate a moment,-the care of living well being infinitely preferable to that speaking well. But, he says, the danger is equal on botli sides; that the whole depends upon the natural disposition of the children and the care that is taken of their education; that usually the evil springs from the parents themselves by the bad examples they set their children. All this passes into habit and soon after into nature. The poor children find themselves vicious before they know what vice is. Thus, breathing nothing but luxury and pleasure, they do not take their irregularity from the schools, but bring it thither.

The second objection concerns the advancement in their studies, which must be greater in a private house where the master has but one scholar to instruct. Quintilian does not allow this for several reasons which he lays down, but he adds, that this inconvenience, though it were real, is abundantly repaired by the great advantages which follow upon a public education..

First, a public education emboldens a young man, gives him courage, early accustoms him not to be afraid of being looked upon, and cures him of a certain pusilanimity which naturally attends a private and retired life; whereas, in secret, he usually grows languid and dejected; he grows rusty, as I may say, or else falls into an opposite extreme, becomes conceited, setting a greater value upon himself than upon others from having no person to compare himself with.

Second and third. In a public school there are acquaintances formed which often last as long as they live, and there is a certain knowledge of the world to be gained which society alone can procure. Quintilian does not insist much upon these two advantages, and seems to set no great value on them.

Fourth. The great advantage of schools is emulation. A child there improves both by what is said to himself and what is said to others. He will every day see his master approve one thing and correct another, blame the idleness of this boy and commend the diligence of that, and will be the better for it all. The love of glory will serve him as a spur to labor. He will be ashamed to be behindhand with his equals, and will take pains to excel the most forward. A good scholar will use his utmost endeavors to be the first in his form and carry the prize. "Tis this which gives ardor to young minds; and a noble emulation, well managed, without any intermixture of malice, envy, and pride, is one of the best

* Quintil. lib. 1, cap. 1.

means to lead them to the exercise of the greatest virtues and difficult undertakings.

Fifth. Another advantage which is farther to be found in schools, is that a young man meets with such models among his companions as are within his reach, such as he flatters himself he may be able to come up to, and does not despair of one day surpassing, whereas, if he was alone, it would be presumption in him to compare himself with his

master.

Sixth. Lastly, a master who has a numerous auditory exerts himself quite otherwise than he who, having but one scholar, can speak only coldly to him, and in the way of conversation. Now it is incredible how serviceable this fire and vivacity of a master who, in explaining the beautiful passages of an author, grows warm and transported, is, not only to make the boys attentive, but likewise to inspire them with the same taste and sentiments as he feels who is speaking to them.

Quintilian does not fail to observe that the opinion which he maintains is confirmed by general custom, and the authority of the most esteemed authors and most famous legislators.

I might add, that this conduct has no less regularly been observed since the days of Quintilian, and amongst Christians. Ecclesiastical history supplies us with abundance of examples. That of St. Basil and St. Gregory Nazianzen is known to all the world. I shall give the particulars of it at the close of this volume, and shall now only observe that the families of these two illustrious friends were the most Christian that were then in the Church. They thought, however, they might commit the dearest treasure they had in the world to the public schools, and God blessed their pious intentions with a success that surpassed all their expectations. Shall we venture to charge this conduct with imprudence and presumption?

On the other side, may we venture to condemn the religious fearfulness of Christian parents, who, upon seeing the dangers which occur in colleges (and it must be owned, too, that they are great ones), and being less solicitious about their children's improvement in the sciences than to preserve to them the precious and inestimable treasure of their innocence, determine to bring them up under their own inspection in a family where they may hear naught but wise discourse, where they will see naught but good examples, and from whence whatever may be capable of corrupting the purity of their morals is carefully removed as much as possible. There is now, certainly, some such houses, but the number of them is very few.

Besides the two usual methods of bringing up youth-the boarding them out at public schools, or instructing them in private-there is a third, which holds the middle place, and seems to join the other two, and that is, to send children to school to improve by the emulation of the classes, and keeping them home the rest of the time. By this means, perhaps, they avoid a part of the dangers, as they are also deprived of one part of the advantages of the college, amongst which we ought certainly to reckon the order, regularity, and discipline which, by the

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