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there fhould be affection from children to parents, as from parents to children; nay there would be no harm in that view though children fhould at a certain age eat their parents."JOHNSON. "But, Sir, if this were known generally to be the cafe, parents would not have affection for children."-BOSWELL. " True, Sir; for it is in expectation of return that parents are so attentive to their children ; and I know a very pretty inftance of a little girl of whom her father was very fond, who once when he was in a melancholy fit, and had gone to bed, perfuaded him to rife in good humour, by faying, My dear papa, please to get up, and let me help you on with your clothes, that I may learn to do it when you are an old man.”

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"I know not (fays Mr. B.) how fo whimsical a thought came into my mind; but I asked, "If, Sir, you were fhut up in a caftle, and a new-born child with you, what would you do?"-JOHNSON. "Why, Sir, I fhould not much like my company.”—B. "But would you take the trouble of rearing it?" He feemed, as may well be fuppofed, unwilling to purfue the fubject; but upon my perfevering in my question, replied, "Why yes, Sir, I would; but I must have all conveniencies. If I had no garden, I would make a shed on the roof, and take it there for fresh air. I fhould feed it,

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and wash it much, and with warm water, to please it, not with cold water, to give it pain," "But, Sir, does not heat re

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lax ?"-7. "Sir, you are not to imagine the water is to be very hot. I would not coddle the child. No, Sir, the hardy method of treating children does no good. I'll take you five children from London, who fhall cuff five Highland children. Sir, a man bred in London will carry a burthen, or run, or wrestle, as well as a man brought up in the hardieft manner in the country." B. "Good living, I fuppofe, makes the Londoners strong.-7. "Why, Sir, I don't know that it does. Our chairmen from Ireland, who are as ftrong men às any, have been brought up upon potatoes. Quantity makes up for quality.”—B. "Would you teach this child that I have furnished you with any thing?"-7. "No, I would not be apt to teach it?"-B. "Would not you have a pleasure in teaching it.-7. "No, Sir, I should not have a pleasure in teaching it."-B. « Have you not a pleasure in teaching men ! There I have you. You have the fame pleasure in teaching men that I fhould have in teaching children."-7. "Why, fomething about that."-B. "Do you think, Sir, that what is called natural affection is born with us? It seems to me to be the effect of habit, or of gratitude for

kindness.

kindnefs. No child has it for a parent whom it has not feen."-7. "Why, Sir, I think there is an instinctive natural affection in parents toward their children."

EDUCATION.

In a converfation on the educating of children, Mr. Bofwell afked Johnson what he thought was beft to teach them first.-" Sir (faid he), it is no matter what you teach them first, any more than what leg you fhall put into your breeches firft. Sir, you may stand difputing which is beft to put in firft, but in the meant time your breech is bare. Sir, while you are confidering which of two things you fhould teach your child firft, another boy has learnt them both."

Johnson himself began to learn Latin with Mr. Hawkins, ufher, or under-mafter of Lichfield school, "A man (faid he) very skilful in his little way. With him he continued two years, and then rofe to be under the care of Mr. Hunter, the head-mafter, who, according to his account, "was very fevere, and wrongheadedly fevere. He used (faid he) to beat us unmercifully; and he did not diftinguish be

tween

tween ignorance and negligence; for he would beat a boy equally for not knowing a thing, as for neglecting to know it. He would ask a boy a queftion; and if he did not answer it, he would beat him, without confidering whether he had an opportunity of knowing how to answer it; for inftance, he would call upon a boy and ask him Latin for a candlestick, which the boy could not expect to be afked. Now, Sir, if a boy could anfwer every queftion, there would be no need of a mafter to teach him."

Johnson, however, was very fenfible how much he owed to Mr. Hunter. Mr. Langton one day asked him how he acquired fo accurate a knowledge of Latin, in which he was thought not to be exceeded by any man of his time. He faid, "My mafter whipt me very well. Without that, Sir, I should have done nothing." He alfo told Mr. Langton, that while Hunter was flogging his boys unmercifully, he used to say, "And this I do to fave you from the gallows." | Johnson, upon all occafions, expreffed his approbation of enforcing inftruction by means of the rod. "I would rather (faid he) have the rod the general terror of all, to make them learn, than tell a child, if you do thus, or thus, you will be more efteemed than your brothers or fifters. The rod produces an effect which terminates in itself. A child is afraid of

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being whipped, and gets his task, and there's an end on't; whereas, by exciting emulation and comparisons of fuperiority, you lay the foundation of lasting mischief; you make brothers and fifters hate each other."

"Johnson's opinion of the most proper course to be pursued in the instruction of youth is afcertained by the following paper in his own hand-writing, given to a relation, and now in the poffeffion of Mr. John Nichols :

66 SCHEME FOR THE CLASSES OF

A GRAMMAR SCHOOL.

"WHEN the introduction, or formation of nouns and verbs, is perfectly mastered, let them learn

"Corderius, by Mr. Clarke, beginning at the fame time to translate out of the introduction, that by this means they may learn the fyntax.→→ Then let them proceed to

"Erafmus, with an English translation, by the fame author.

"Clafs II. Learns Eutropius and Cornelius Nepos, or Juftin, with the tranflation.

"N.B. The firft clafs gets for their part every morning the rules which they have learned before, and in the afternoon learns the Latin rules of the nouns and verbs.

"They are examined in the rules which they have learned every Thurfday and Saturday.

"The

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