trees, and flowers, to which allusions are frequently made in the Sacred writings. Such views and delineations might be given at an expense much less than what is generally incurred in engraving the paltry and fictitious representations to which we have alluded; and they would certainly be much more congenial to the taste of intelligent readers of the Bible, and much more conducive to the illustration of the scenes described by the Sacred prophets and historians.

IV. Knowledge and moral improvement might be promoted by abridging the hours of labour.

One great objection to the prosecution of knowledge and general improvement is founded on the fact, that the bulk of mankind have not sufficient leisure from their daily avocations for such purposes. This is partly true in regard to merchants' clerks, haberdashers, grocers, apothecaries, and their apprentices and shopmen, and those employed in spinning-mills and several other manufactories. In these cases, shops are kept open, and persons employed from six in the morning till eight, and even till ten or eleven o'clock in the evening. But there is no necessity, in order to carry on the business of life, that such long hours of labour and attendance on shops should be imposed either on masters or servants. All the business usually carried on in shops and manufactories could be transacted, without inconvenience to any party, between the hours of seven or eight in the morning, and six in the evening, if proper arrangements were made for that purpose. When once the public is aware that certain shops are shut up at a particular hour, every one would endeavour to supply himself with the articles he required from such shops before that hour arrived; and though they were to be kept open till twelve at midnight, or one in the morning, we know, from experience, that certain individuals would postpone their purchases, till these hours had nearly arrived. In order to prevent any inconvenience to society, by the shops of bakers, grocers, apothecaries, or others, being closed at an early hour, an arrangement might be made to have one shop of every class kept open to a later hour, in every street or district of a town, so that, on any unforeseen emergency, articles of provisions, groceries, medicines, &c. might be procured. Every shopkeeper of this description would, of course, have his turn, in succession, of keeping open his shop during these extra hours, and of reaping, in rotation, the additional profits that might accrue, so that, in the course of a year or less, all would find themselves on an equal footing in regard to the quantity of business transacted, and the advantages gained, by keeping open a rotation their shops till later hours.

There is nothing to hinder the immediate adoption of such arrangements, but that spirit of jealousy which too much prevails among persons of the same profession, and which prevents a friendly intercourse among them for concerting measures for the good of the whole. A few obstinate and selfish characters, in the spirit of contradiction, would, doubtless, set themselves in opposition to such regulations; but as their sordid and avaricious views would be apparent to every one, they would soon be despised and deserted by the respectable portion of the community, and would suffer the natural consequences which almost invariably flow from selfishness and avarice. There is no man who, in such a case, sets himself in opposition to the general good of a community, that ought to be regarded as a Christian; as such conduct is directly opposed to the precept which enjoins us "to love our neighbour as ourselves," and "to look not merely on our own things, but also on the things of others." Such an arrangement, while it could be injurious to none, would be highly beneficial to all. It would afford leisure for public, private, and domestic intercourse for attending philanthropic associations, or lectures on any branch of useful knowledge-for improving their minds in wisdom and virtue-for instructing their children, and enjoying the sweets of domestic intercourse-and for taking an active part in all those schemes which tend to promote the best interests of society. In particular, it would afford an opportunity to merchants' clerks, shopmen, apprentices, and others, of attending societies, lectures, schools, or other seminaries of instruction, for improving both their intellectual and moral powers-for want of which opportunities many young persons of this description rise up to manhood in comparative ignorance, and easily slide into the paths of folly and intemperance. But, before such an arrangement is effected, it would be previously requisite that seminaries, such as those formerly suggested, be established, for promoting the instruction of the classes to which I allude, so that their evening hours may not be spent in sloth or licentiousness. In regard to weavers, masons, tailors, carpenters, mill-spinners, and common labourers, eight hours a day employed in labour, instead of ten or eleven, might be sufficient for all the purposes of society. Since the invention of modern machinery, a much greater quantity of labour than formerly can be effected in the same time. It appears to me, that the Governor of the world, in permitting such inventions for facilitating the process of manufactures, evidently intends thereby that the period of human labour should be abridged, in order to afford scope to all classes of society for mental, moral, and religious improvement, and in order to prepare the way for

that period when "the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth." It ought, therefore, to be considered as a misapplication of machinery when it is employed chiefly for the purpose of enriching and aggrandizing a few individuals, while the mechanic and labourer are deprived both of the physical and moral advantages which it was intended to produce.

V. Knowledge might be promoted by a proper direction of public amusements.

There can be no impropriety, at certain intervals, of gratifying the mass of society with an exhibition of public amusements. But such amusements should always be blended, if possible, with moral and intellectual instruction-be congenial to the dignity and the high destination of man-and ought never to interfere with the purity of Christian morals. We have public amusements of various descriptions, such as stage-plays, balls, masquerades, horse-racing, cock-fighting, bull-baiting, equestrian feats and exhibitions, tricks of legerdemain, rope-dancing, &c. &c.; but most, if not all, of these, have an immoral tendency, and some of them are inconsistent with humanity, and degrading to the character of man. Instead of such trifling and demoralizing amuse. ments, such exhibitions as the following might be adopted :-1 Air balloons, of a pretty large size, which might be sent up intc the atmosphere either with or without living beings, and might be rendered subservient for investigating atmospherical phenomena, the different currents and electrical states of the air, and other particulars. At the same time, descriptions and explanations might be given to the assembled multitude, of the nature of balloons, the principle on which they ascend, the mode of inflating them, the facts which have been ascertained by means of them in regard to the upper regions of the atmosphere, the nature and use of the parachute, and various details in relation to aerial navigation.-2. Panoramas, or perspective exhibitions, on a large scale, of ancient and modern buildings, cities, towns, ranges of mountains, sea-ports, volcanoes, grottos, romantic rural scenery, and whatever is grand, beautiful, and interesting, in the scenes of Nature and Art. Such panoramic scenes, while they could not fail to gratify every spectator, would convey to the mind ideas which could not be derived from any other source, except the actual view of the objects represented.-3. Camera obscuras, on a large scale, constructed in the manner formerly described, (p. 242.) If these were constructed with large lenses of twenty or thirty feet focal distance, their magnifying power, on distant objects, would be equal to that of a telescope magnifying from thirty to about fifty times, which would show the distant scenery of a coun.

try with great minuteness, and people, sheep, and other animals, at the distance of many miles, while more than a score of persons at one time might contemplate such a scene.-4. Telescopes, constructed of a single convex lens, or a concave speculum of a long focal distance, for example, from twenty-five to forty feet, might be fixed in certain positions, so that several individuals at the same time might perceive their effect on distant objects. Sir W. Herschel informs us that, by looking with his naked eye on the speculum of his forty feet telescope, without the interposition of any lens or mirror, he perceived distinctly one of the satellites of Saturn; so that such an instrument would present a brilliant view either of the moon or of terrestrial objects. The manner of looking at objects with such an instrument is represented below, where A B represents a concave mirror or speculum of a long

C

B

focal distance, C the focal point, a little within which several spec. tators might stand with their faces to the speculum, and view the distant objects behind them. Were A B a large convex lens of a similar focus, the spectators could stand in a similar position and view the objects before them.-5. Philosophical and chemical experiments, of various descriptions, on a large scale, might be exhibited-such as the explosion of a bladder full of oxygen and hydrogen gas, by means of an electric spark, which produces a tremendous sound-the breaking of a piece of glass or bladder, or a large square bottle, by the pressure of the atmosphere-the burning of charcoal or phosphorus in oxygen gas, which produces a most brilliant illumination-the ascent of turpentine, when

tinged of a red colour, through water in long glass tubes, which produces a beautiful effect-the burning of spirits of wine, after having been boiled, which produces an extensive and beautiful jet or spout of fire-the Chinese lights,* and an indefinite variety of similar striking experiments, all of which might, at the same time, be familiarly explained.

Such exhibitions might be made either in large halls, in squares, or in open areas in the neighbourhood of towns, according to the nature of the exhibition; and the best instrumental music might accompany them, and might occasionally be enlivened by the surrounding multitudes joining in unison with their voices. The expense of such exhibitions would be far less than the sums generally wasted in the encouragement of horse-racing, theatrical diversions, and similar amusements; and, while they tended to increase rational information, and to gratify the principle of curiosity, would be much more congenial to the taste of intelligent minds. There are certain towns in this country whose magistrates give, from the public funds, more than a hundred guineas annually for the encouragement of horse-races, besides the expenses connected with the various preparations and erections deemed necessary on such occasions. Such sums, along with a small contribution from each individual, (for example, an English penny or twopence,) would, in general, be adequate to defray the expenses of such exhibitions.

VI. Knowledge and rational enjoyment might be increased by erecting observatories in every town and populous village.

These observatories might be furnished, not only with some

The Chinese lights are produced by the following composition :-Take twelve parts of nitre, five and a half of sulphur, one-half of orpiment, onehalf of indigo, one-half of gunpowder, all finely pounded and intimately mixed. When this composition is set fire to by a burning match, it produces a most splendid illumination. In the year 1814, when peace with France was proclaimed, a friend of mine, at the request of the magistrates of Paisley, got a large quantity of this composition prepared, which was ignited on the parapet which surrounded the spire of the High Church of that town, and which burned for more than half-an-hour, producing the most brilliant illumination over all the town, and was an object of curiosity at Glasgow, about eight miles distant. It would be visible from elevated situations, more than thirty miles distant. Such was the splendour of the light, that the birds rose from their nests, and flew around it, as if it had been the rising sun. At the same time, a balloon, made of the allantois of a calf, was sent up into the atmosphere, and a number of large bladders, filled with oxygen and hydrogen gas, were exploded, by being held in the Chinese lights, which produced sounds that were heard over all the town. The composition Xpended on this occasion cost about ten pounds; but a quantity sufficient for a common experiment may be procured for two or three shillings.