Romans won the world by amusing it, as well as by arms. Cæsar loved the comic, and encouraged the "mimes" of Laberius and Publius Syrus. He would have the broad farce, thinking that people could not laugh too much complaining that Terence wanted somewhat more of the vis comica. To the Greeks the drama was the all-in-all of life. It was their refining process of education-their school of virtues. Tragedy first, for its heroic action, to raise the whole man-aud comedy, as a corrective of social vices. It is true the latter was sometimes abused; but what of that? With us the drama reached at one time its acme of abomination.

It was persecuted, and out of spite to its persecutors changed its true nature and purpose. It would not be difficult to correct the drama and make it a most useful teacher; and this has been the opinion of very wise and good men. I will quote an applicable passage from a sermon of Archbishop Tillotson. "To speak against them (viz. plays) in general, may be thought too severe, and that which the present age cannot too well brook, and would not, perhaps, be so just and reasonable, because it is very possible they might be so framed, and governed by such rules, as not only to be innocently diverting, but instructing and useful; to put some vices and follies out of countenance, which cannot perhaps be so decently reproved, nor so effectually exposed and corrected any other way." This sound judgment was given when theatres were perhaps in their worst state. The last paragraph of the quotation is of great weight, for it shows the link wanting in the sermon to connect the lesson of morality with real life. The - sermon may not descend to ridicule the drama may. The action in the sermon is confined and weak in description. The dramatis persona are no mere pictures; they show visibly, and to the life, what is good or what is odious.

"Segnius irritant animos demissa per aures Quam quæ sunt oculis subjecta fidelibus; et

"Show me your company and I will tell you what you are," is a truth. The play has its good companionships. Down went the play and down went king and bishops, and they were all restored together. Even John Milton,* who was never quite comfortable and at home in his puritanism, loved the drama, and wrote plays, both in his youth and his mature and declining years; and thought it no profanation to take his subject from the Bible. Hear with what respect he speaks of the drama :

"Then to the well-trod stage anon,
If Jonson's learned sock be on;
Or sweetest Shakespeare, fancy's child,
Warble his native wood-notes wild."

Again

"Sometime let gorgeous tragedy
In sceptred pall come sweeping by,
Presenting Thebes' or Pelops' line,
Or the tale of Troy divine;

Or what (though rare) of later age
Ennobled hath the buskin'd stage."

That is well said-" ennobled." Even in Puritan Milton's view, then, (if Puritan he was) the stage was noble. And why may it not be noble again? Subject as we are to all the joys and sorrows of life, it cannot be amiss to have an initiatory discipline,

an imaginary and vicarious experience of situations, in which we may in reality one day find ourselves, a fore-trial of the virtue that is in us. It is well to know the stuff we are made of, and pass judgment on our powers, through fictions true to life, before the day of the demand for action. It is surely beneficial to have our natures stirred to sympathiesfor these natural instincts lack use; to take home to ourselves the luxury of our feelings, without their real pain. Years ago, Eusebius, when we (that is, you and I) were both of us not past the moulding days of our moral life, we were not only readers of plays, but frequenters of theatres; and often have we since then looked back, and studied our educational process, through a public school and the university; and agreed in this, that we owe much, perhaps the best portion of our moral culture, to The

Play. The strength and tenderness of true manhood are growing together during the action of a good play. Every play-goer must have noticed how a generous sentiment has found an electric passage to the hearts of the spectators,-how noble action or pity has in an instant made all classes akin. How often, beyond the power of all other persuasion, has low vice been at a moment convicted of its odiousness. Here is an instance. Our friend S. told me the other day that, being at a theatre (I think at Brighton), when Othello was acted, he noticed, with much satisfaction, the unanimous burst of approval from the audience to Cassio's repentant condemnation of drunkenness: "O that men should put an enemy into their mouths to steal away their brains; that we should with joy, revel, pleasure, and applause transform ourselves into beasts." You told me, Eusebius, of a temperance society travelling the country with two dramatis persona, a confirmed and a reclaimed drunkard - example and warning. If a fact, it is an incident of a dramatic kind, but wanting in the circumstance of a plot. I expect this will be called the fair side of the subject, the best aspect. The question should be, is it a true one? Has not the theatre this fair side? Let this then be considered its legitimate, its uncorrupted beauty. Candour must admit the other view. But if it be an educational means, as I believe it to be, I would have it purified, cared for, guarded. No sensible man would let loose the ribaldry of a degenerate stage, to invade any educational system. There should be a real effectual censorship. I know very well difficulties that seem insuperable present themselves. But what good is not beset with difficulties? The best theatres may be purified with real advantage to themselves. It would be Quixotic indeed to expect any government, in the present state of things, of adverse opinions and prejudices, to set up throughout the land theatrical amusements, though they might do much less rational things. Yet, Eusebius, firmly believe that all the public grants for educational purposes, beyond what would be needful for the teach

I

ing reading, writing, and arithmetic, would be far better bestowed in some such scheme than for the absurd, high-flown, useless education which the ingenuity of emulous Government inspectors unhappily invents. A few good travelling-companies of actors would very profitably displace the whole roving company of inspectors. Actors have their dignity of title-" Her Majesty's servants." Give them a due repute, and they will learn to keep it. There is, however, another quarter to which it may not be so unreasonable to look: the country gentry. It would be admirable if, by themselves or professional actors, they would, in their little villages and towns, set up, with care and forethought as to moral tendencies, theatrical amusements — at least occasionally during their visits to their estates. Plans also of small subscriptions might be devised in places less under the other influence, so that very cheap admissions might be adopted. That was a right pleasant scheme set on foot by some of our best literary men, when they visited our towns, and acted so admirably," Not so bad as we seem." I should like to see these amateur performances extended to our villages. Would not this general communion, this mutuality in amusement, tend greatly to endear class to class? The aristocracy are lecturing-that is well and praiseworthy, and will have good effect; but the theatrical scheme would be far better teaching, and give infinitely more pleasure. sides, they confine their lectures to town Athenæums, where teaching and amusements are far less wanted. Let joy be diffused over the population, rural as well as town; it has worn a sad discontented aspect long enough. There should not be a nook in England where something of Shakespeare should not be known, through his plays. If there were little theatres, under regulation, with attached teaand-coffee houses, all intoxicating drink prohibited, our beer-shops and disgraceful spirit pot-houses would find daily decreasing custom, and ultimately suppress themselves; for the lack of amusement is their encouragement-nay, their very life.

Be

Let any one, who has not much

encountered dramatic reading, enter upon a regular course of study of our best old dramatists, and he will be surprised to find what noble treasures have been within his reach, and hidden from him. And if he be pure himself, he will receive no hurt from the dross. The good will remain and germinate. He will be convinced that there is an education of the people too much neglected.

It is not a bad time, Eusebius, to recommend that theatrical amusements should be engrafted upon educational schemes; for although many causes, and chiefly a change in the hours of domestic appointments, have damaged the fashion of the theatre, yet the old prejudices are wearing away; and a little purification in the management would easily remove the more substantial and real objections. There is not, nowadays, the affectation of ignorance of and contempt of the drama which was very common when we were younger. We shall not now have such an instance of this affectation of ignorance as the following, told me a few days since by a friend. He said he remembered a wealthy Quaker, of mercantile consequence, a utilitarian contemner of unrealities, coming to his father and saying, "Friend, thee knowest something of play-wright, and hast heard of one William Shakespeare and David Garrick. These men having a dispute as to what part of England produced the greater number of fools, laid a wager upon it; and it was determined that it should be a foolish exhibition at Stratford-on-Avon, to which all the world should be invited. This was done, and it was found that the greater number of visitors came from London." I remember a story of an elderly Quaker being seen at a play, with the ready excuse that he only went to see if any of their young folks were there. A few years after this the young folk emancipated themselves from such prohibitory discipline; for more than twenty years since a youth of the Society, with whom I had a day's travel on the top of a coach, asked me, when we arrived at a large city, if I would accompany him to the play. I expressed surprise. He assured me they were no longer under that restraint.

This may be thought a long digression concerning theatres, having little to do with Census and Civilisation. But consider what education really is, and all the various modes by which people may be taught: how few are there more effectual, if properly applied, than the drama? I will end the discussion, as I began it, with a wish that every village had a church at one end of it, and a theatre at the other; and I will add, a good parsonagehouse in the centre, and a well-educated rector or vicar within, gladdening his flock by sympathising with them in their enjoyments as well as their cares and duties. Little need would there be of absurd high-flown teachings, and such vanities as are some Government inspectors.

If, however, I have made a digression, why may not a digression be a relief, where to stop a while and bait, and go on refreshed? The wise and witty author of the Tale of a Tub knew the value of a digression. His was "madness," and perhaps mine may be thought not much better. Never mind, Eusebius; through you I throw out my Tub for the great whale, the public, to sport with, though he will not swallow it. And now, therefore, Eusebius,

"E diverticulo in viam."

When I branched off to this byplay, I had been speaking of public libraries and Athenæums. Educationists are urging scholarship by compulsion and penalty, and means of after-study by a compulsory penny rate for libraries. All vanity, vanity, vanity! The difficulty of getting books has been discussed-that is, a selection; for it is possible that if a push is made for the management, there may be very infamous libraries indeed. I will not give them credit for having many readers after the first novelty of the privilege has worn off, unless the reading be of a mischievously exciting character, in which case they who have with design pushed themselves into the management, will push in readers also. The press teems with publications whose object is to subvert all our institutions and the monarchy itself. Public libraries might in too many cases become clubs, religious, or rather irre

ligious, and political; and what necessity can be urged? Books are so cheap that the poorest may buy all he would read. At the window of the largest bookseller in a large city were the following temptations for any aspirants for knowledge:"Hurd's Horace, 4 vols. ; Harwood's Classics, 2 volumes; Shenstone's Poems, 2 vols. These books will be given away to any who will undertake to read them." "Godwin's St Leon, and two others," on the same terms; and "Eight vols. of Spectator" followed-terms, ditto. I was conversing lately with an active member of a magnificent Athenæum. He lamented that, though they had a library, no one ever read there.

On the subject of literary institutions I have a word to say to Census. He must therefore appear again. This Report on Education commences with a statement of a difficulty which met our Gulliver in the very first step of the inquiry. So ill do official people know their proper functions, so little are they acquainted with the nature of the legitimate rules which are to guide them, that in this case of the educational inquiry the Census papers had been despatched to every corner of Great Britain, as if bearing a Parliamentary authority, to which they had no rightful claim, before it was discovered, not by the framers or officials of the Census, but by their opposers, that they bore no authoritative power whatever. It might have been supposed that the issued forms would have been recalled. But no: they were allowed to work their way, with the chance of imposing upon the people, with the ostensible salvo of an intimation," intimating to the heads of schools that they were not compellable to fill up the returns, and that their own opinion of the value of an accurate Census was the only influence by which they were expected to be guided." A pretty sort of Census this must be, which confesses a strong opposition-so strong as to cause a long delay; and yet, in the face of that unwillingness to make returns, proceeds, relying upon voluntary answers to their queries. "The opposition which the scheme encountered in some quarters led to the discovery that inquiries on this subject did not

strictly come within the scope of the Census Act, and could not, therefore, be assisted by the compulsory provisions which secured complete and truthful answers to the ordinary questions as to age, condition, occupation, birthplace, &c." Truthful, indeed! It has been shown as to these items how untruthful they were, for innumerable were the evasions, under even the compulsory provision; so much so, that the former Census was forced to allow a latitude in ages, and this Census makes the confession of the thousands of "females" who must have told fibs (for which, by the by, they have a popular absolution); much less could a voluntary return be depended upon, when it must have been known that the numerous opposers of the scheme would do their best to thwart its object. But beyond this no dependence could be placed in the Census officers themselves; for the Report says, that, after the returns had been received, "there yet remained a considerable number, with respect to which-either from the indifference of the Census officers on a matter which had been confessed to be not strictly within the act, or from unwillingness on the part of school authorities-no information had been given." In this state they were bound to make no returns at all; for the present returns are worse than none; for the known abstinence of a large party of opposers, would naturally offer an intimation to other parties to magnify their own sects; and thus, after taking about three years to concoct the matter, by a hocuspocus which few can understand, and fewer still look into, very inaccurate, not to say quite false returns, flourish in the Census.

The falsity of the religious returns will be shown in another place; but it must be noticed that, as the whole discussion upon education, all the differences of opinion, resolve themselves into a religious question and controversy, the tendency of the influence of this falsity must be to magnify the importance of those who are too wise in their generation not to seize the opportunity and advantages offered to them. That party is not the Church of England. But I wish to show, Eusebius, the "indifference"

or utter carelessness of the Census manufacturers in one matter which came under my observation when I looked into the returns of the literary institutions, Athenæums, &c., of which I had spoken. In page 234 is a table of literary institutions, their number of members, amount of subscriptions, number of volumes in the library, and lectures. I looked to the return for the city of Bristol-a very large, important city indeed, and by no means deficient in literary aspirations. Perhaps Census thought this locality a "modern Boeotia," as it was once called by a malicious critic in the Chattertonian controversy, and therefore gave himself little trouble about it. Be that as it may, see, Eusebius, the value of a Census inaccuracy. Bristol and Clifton are one. These institutions are noted thus, heading the page, No. 329, Bristol as having two "The Bristol Philosophical Institution" and the Mesmeric Institute; No. 330, Clifton as having one "The Hotwell Reading Association." The number of volumes possessed by the Bristol portion is stated to be "2400"-for the Clifton portion "550." Would any one, not knowing the locality, believe that there is a "Bristol city library" of nearly a century standing, and containing above eighteen thousand volumes, totally ignored!! whereas those which appear in the return are really the least important. A spirited firm had established, above half a century since, a very valuable library for subscribers, continually increasing, and at this time forming a very large and important collection of books of a superior order. The Baptist College possesses a very valuable collection. I do not pretend to enumerate all the literary institutions of Bristol, but put down those which at the moment come into my mind. There are two Athenæums, an Archæological Society, an Architectural Academy of Arts, Medical and Law Library, Microscopic Society, a Church of England Young Men's Society. But then, what could induce Census to put in the insignificant list the "Mesmeric Institute," which is in reality no society at all-a merely temporary affair, having a hired room for occasional lecturing? Perhaps a future

Census may build upon this inaccuracy a grand necessity of supplying the city of Bristol with newfangled library schemes which it does not want. Perhaps while I am writing Mr Ewart is turning over the leaves of Census, and, finding so gross a case of literary neglect in so very large a city, may meditate an exposure of its ignorant population, in order to enforce the adoption of his pet Library Bill, and bring Census as a witness of that universal ignorance which, in fact, exists only in Census's own head. This and so many other inaccuracies sink the reputation of Census so low, that I do not see how one can place the slightest reliance upon any of his returns.

If it be asked, what are the objects to be obtained by all this parade of educational machinery? and the answer be given, to promote the happiness of the people and suppress crimes, it is time to inquire what has been the result. There is a universal complaint of the frightful increase of crime. Government has, for some years past, expended large annual sums for schools these sums have been at the disposal of the Committee of Privy Council. "The Committee of Privy Council has been gradually developed from a rather humble origin to its present large dimensions, mainly by fortuitous events, and principally by the legislative failures which demonstrated the inability of Government to carry any large and comprehensive measure. It was then perceived that if the State was to act at once and efficiently in promoting education, it was only through the medium of this Committee that its operations could be carried on. Accordingly, the plans of the Committee were elaborated, and the funds at its command progressively augmented, till they reached in 1853 the annual amount of £260,000. That this amount will be increased still farther, seems to be inevitable, unless speedily some national measure be adopted." Large sums, then, have been expended, and larger contemplated-cui bono? What has been done for the happiness or correction of the people, that could not have been done by the people themselves? If the people were encouraged practically, by showing them the good that