member of the community shall be prolonged till he arrive at the period of fourteen years-in the course of six or seven years, a summary view of all the more interesting principles and facts connected with the sciences above specified, might be communicated, even supposing that half a year were exclusively devoted to each. But there would be no necessity for restricting the pupil to one branch of knowledge at a time. While, at one hour, he was receiving instructions and witnessing experiments in natural philo sophy or chemistry, during other hours of the day he might be prosecuting arithmetic, algebra, geometry, or composition. Thus, during little more than the time usually spent in acquiring a knowledge of Latin and Greek, a very considerable portion of useful knowledge might be acquired, which would expand the range of the juvenile mind, increase its sources of enjoyment, and lay a broad foundation for future usefulness and improvement. And I trust there are few, in modern times, who will hesitate to admit, that the knowledge thus acquired would be infinitely preferable, in point of utility, to all the scraps of classical literature usually picked up, during the same period, at our grammar schools. But why, it may be asked, should such an extent of knowledge be communicated to the lower orders of mankind? I answer, in a few words, Because they are rational beings, furnished by their Creator with faculties capable of acquiring it; be cause it will increase their enjoyments and render them more useful in society; because it will tend to prevent vices and crimes and to raise their souls above the degrading pleasures of intem. perance and sensuality; because it will render them more expert in their mechanical professions; because it will fit them for becoming improvers of the arts and sciences, and for taking a part in all those movements by which society may be improved and the world regenerated; and because they are beings destined to immortality, and therefore ought to be instructed in every depart ment of knowledge which has a bearing on the future world to which they are advancing, and which is calculated to prepare them for its pleasures and its employments. But, as I have already written a volume chiefly in relation to this point, it would be unnecessary, on the present occasion, to enlarge.

CHAPTER VII.

Moral and Religious Instruction.

In the preceding sketches I have taken for granted, that during the whole process of education, the attention of the young should be directed to the manifestations of the Divine attributes in the works of nature-the fundamental principles of Christianity-the rules of moral action-and the eternal world to which they are destined. These are subjects which should never be lost sight of for a single day, and which should be interwoven with every department of literary and scientific instruction. In a particular manner it should be deeply impressed upon the minds of the young, that the instructions they receive, and the studies in which they now engage, are intended, not merely to qualify them for the business of the present life, but likewise to prepare them for the felicities and the employments of the life to come. This is one of the ends of education which has been glaringly overlooked in most of our initiatory schools, and particularly in the arrangements connected with a fashionable education-a circumstance which seems to indicate, that the superintendents of such an education either do not believe the doctrine of a future state, or view it as a matter of little importance, or consider that no specific training is requisite to qualify a depraved human being for engaging in the sublime contemplations and exercises of the heavenly world.Having occasionally adverted to this subject in the preceding discussions, I shall, at present, offer only a few general remarks.

On all occasions, the young should be frequently reminded, that they are dependent creatures, who derived their existence from an Almighty Being who is without beginning and without end—that their daily comforts and all their powers and faculties are bestowed by Him, and are the effects of his unbounded Goodness-that, though invisible to mortal eyes, he is present in all places, and that they are every moment surrounded by his immensity-that his presence and agency are seen in the solar light, the majestic movements of the heavenly orbs, the succession of day and night, the ebbing and flowing of the sea, the falling rain, the winds, the lightnings, the rolling thunders, and in every movement within us and around us-that though we could climb the heights of heaven, or descend to the centre of the earth, we should still be within the range of his omniscient eye-that his eye penetrates through the dark night as well as through the clear day-that he knows every thought and purpose that is formed in our hearts-that he beholds, at the same moment,

whatever is taking place, in every part of the world, and throughout all the regions of the universe, among all the tribes of mankind, and among all the hosts of angels-that his dominion extends over thousands of worlds, and that his universal government shall endure for ever-that he is good to all, and that his kindness extends to the birds of the air, the fishes of the sea, and even to the smallest insect that crawls on the ground-that he is “righteous in all his ways and holy in all his works," unchangeable in his purposes and faithful to his word-that to this Great Being we are all accountable for every thought, word, and action -and that there is a day approaching when "he will judge the world in righteousness, and render to every one according to his works."-Such characteristics of the Divine Being should be illustrated, in so far as is practicable, from sensible objects,-His goodness, from the numerous creatures He has brought into existence, and the ample provision He has made for all their necessi ties,-His wisdom, from the numerous adaptations which are found in our own bodies, and in the elements around us,-His power, from the vast bulk of this world, and of the planetary orbs, and the amazing rapidity of their motions,-His justice, from the judgments inflicted on wicked nations,-His faithfulness, from the accomplishment of promises and prophecies, as recorded in the history of the world,-and His love and mercy, in "sending His Son into the world to be the propitiation for our sins,"

In attempting to explain the attributes of the Deity, and to impress the minds of the young with a deep sense of his universal, presence and agency, it is not necessary that they should commit to memory complex and technical definitions and descriptions of the Divine perfections. Such exercises, unaccompanied with specific and familiar illustrations, can produce no clear and welldefined conceptions of the objects to which they refer; and when, mere words are crammed into the memory unconnected with ideas, they must produce a hurtful effect, and lead the young to, rest in the form of knowledge without the substance. Besides, every memorial task in which the ideas connected with the words, are not clearly perceived is always accompanied with a painful effort. As all our ideas on every subject are originally derived from the objects of sense, so it is by sensible illustrations alone that we can convey to any mind whatever, distinct conceptions of the character and attributes of the Almighty. Although a definition of any of the Divine perfections may be stated to the young, yet it is chiefly by examples illustrative of the subject, that a clear and comprehensive idea of it can be conveyed. For example, suppose it were intended to explain what is meant by

the wisdom of God, we might tell them in the words of one author, that "Wisdom is that whereby the soul is directed in the skilful management of things, or in ordering them for the best,"—or, in the language of another, that "The wisdom of God is that perfection by which he selects and adopts the most proper means for accomplishing good or important ends:" but such definitions, simply announced, would convey no definite conception of the thing intended. We must produce objects, or examples, in which wisdom is displayed, and describe them in the most minute and familiar manner. We must illustrate, in the first place, what is meant by the wisdom of men, by producing a clock, a watch, a planetarium, a microscope, a ship, or similar machine-pointing out the object intended to be accomplished by such instruments or machines, and directing the attention to the means employed, and the harmonious co-operation of every part in accomplishing the end intended. In a watch, for instance, the object is, to point out the hour of the day. The means employed to effectuate this purpose are a coiled elastic spring, communicating its action to the fusee, thence to a series of wheels and pinions, the teeth of which apply to each other, conducting the motion to the balance, and thence to the indexes which point out the hour and minute. The proper position and arrangement of all these parts, the size and shape of the whole, the number of teeth they respectively contain, the materials of which they are constructed, the connection of one part with another, and the harmonious co-operation of the whole to produce the respective motions of the hands, indicate wisdom and design in the contriver of such a machine, in his selecting the proper means to accomplish the purpose intended. In a similar manner, the wisdom of the Creator must be illustrated by selecting, out of the many thousands of instances within and around us, a few examples, which should be particularly described and elucidated. For example, the admirable structure of the eye, the different humours of which it is composed, for the purpose of forming an accurate picture of every object on the retina-the apparatus for the contraction and dilatation of the pupil, to adapt it to different degrees of light-the muscles by which the ball of the eye may be easily moved in every direction, and preserved in perfect steadiness-the bony socket in which it is lodged to secure it against accidents-the lid which likewise defends it against injuries, wipes off the superfluous moisture, and covers it during the hours of sleep-with many other curious contrivances, all adapted to the nature of light, and to the purpose of producing vision in the most easy and delightful manner, showing the most admirable selection of means to bring into full effect the end pro

poned. In like manner, the curious structure of the ear, and the adaptation of all its parts for receiving impressions from the undulations of the atmosphere-the different articulations of the bones, according to the movements they are intended to produce-the adaptation of the air to the lungs, and the vesicles of the lungs. to the nature and properties of the atmosphere-the proportioning of the size of man to that of the plants and animals which exist around him-the structure of the various animated beings, and the diversity of organization which exists among them, exactly adapted to their various wants and modes of existence-the gra dual approaches of light and darkness-the harmony and order of the celestial motions-and similar examples, when particularly explained and illustrated, will convey clear ideas of what is meant by the wisdom of God, and the manner in which it is displayed in the scenes of creation; and in no other way can we impart clear and well-defined conceptions on such a subject. And, when once a clear conception of this attribute of the Deity is impressed upon the mind by such examples, it may be applied to moral subjects, and illustrated from the moral dispensations of God towards our race, as recorded in the Sacred History, and in the general history of the world.

Again, suppose we wish to explain the Infinity or Immensity of the Divine Being, it is not enough to say that "God is without all bounds or limits;" -we must endeavour to illustrate the idea by sensible representations, in so far as they are capable of assisting our conceptions on the subject. It may be laid down as a principle, that "Wherever God acts, there he is, and that there is no part of the universe in which we do not perceive the exertion of an agency which, either mediately or immediately, proceeds from the Deity." The motions of the moon and the planets, the ebb. ing and flowing of the sea, the gentle breeze, the impetuous whirlwind, the process of vegetation, the movements of animals, the motions of our fingers and eyelids, the pulsation of our hearts, and every other agency within and around us, are sensible evidences of the presence and incessant operation of the Almighty. And although we were to wing our flight beyond the limits of this sublunary sphere, there is no part of space with which we are acquainted, in which we should not find ourselves surrounded with the emanations of light, the action of gravitation, and the influence of caloric, and other agencies with which we are at present unacquainted. With regard to the idea of infinity, in so far as a partial conception of it can be conveyed, we must likewise have recourse to sensible objects and illustrations. We must endeavour, in the first place, to communicate an ample and impres