1 ling the very bonds of nature, fhould awaken families to an awful sense of their duty. The divine displeasure not only appears, frequently, in divers difeafes and in fundry kinds of death, but often it is feen, like a mighty flood, overwhelming individuals with reiterated ruin and misfortune; if the children, by their future undutifulness, be the inftruments of God's wrath, the wretched parents may, in vain, exclaim against their ingratitude, not 'weighing their own demerits, not confidering that these overwhelming miferies are the fatal effects of their own fordid and impious neglects-nay more, if it be true that children imbibe the difpofitions of the perfons from whom they receive their nurture, how must it rend a mother's heart with grief and remorse, to see, in her child, thofe ungovernable vices and deformities of mind, which were never found in herself or in her husband; and when, at laft, old age, when infirmities and decay deprive us of our meridian comforts, when we must depend upon the attentions of those about us for the little happiness that we can then have, how irksome must be a mother's reflection, that the deferves no happiness from from her children; for when they were helplefs and forlorn fhe, inhumanly, neglected her bounden duty towards them, either from an unwarrantable regard to a profligate fashion,. or from motives ftill more reprehensible: for all which reasons it is highly expedient, that no excuse for a mother's neglect in the fuckling of her child, provided that she be able to do it, should ever be confidered as of force or weight. any 2dly, I cannot forbear, freely, to condemn the custom of sending away children from home before they be ten years old; for the ties of family affection become strong and durable, only in proportion as they are entwined together by habits of focial duties, intimacy, and love: children foon forget, and, of course, they difregard their parents if they live not with them; they may indeed be taught to fay, and, perhaps, in a fmall degree, to understand the church catechifm, wherein they are enjoined to love, honour and fuccour their father and mother; but as they cannot, while eftranged from their parents, feel, with any warmth, the value of their obligation, they will, affuredly, make light of the inftruction, which, B 3 there therefore, cannot enter, deeply, into the heart: moreover, until children be accuftomed, by parental attention, and intercourse, to live in the practical discharge of religious and moral duties, it is a mistake to fuppofe that they can receive profit from a promiscuous affociation with other children; for if the mind remain uncultured without any good feed fown in it, the examples of their fellows will only ferve as an hot-bed to bring forward and to ripen the feeds of their own natural depravity.-But a father may say that he has not leisure to educate his children at home? In answer, let him reflect that no other employment can be of equal importance; for his own happiness, the happiness of his family, perhaps of his pofterity for ever, may depend upon his right conduct in this weighty matter: but if it be granted that he have not leifure, why then, furely, the mother may execute this neceffary work; but if the refufe, rather than loofen the ties of natural affection by long feparations, it is proper to entruft the education of children to fome faithful dependant in the father's house. If, indeed, a boy be intended for a learned profeffion, it is proper to fill his mind with elementary elementary learning before he be ten years old; but this moft neceffary work, may, I apprehend, be nearly as well done in a nursery as in a common fchool. But if the good parent, inflamed with that pious family love, which is the glory of his humanity, do strive to fill up the measure of his duty by himfelf, carefully educating his little children, how glorious is the example! how great the reward! Young and fertile minds, thus duly nurtured, do often expand beyond, ay! far beyond, a father's fondest hopes, far beyond the common limit of human attainments! So many instances might be produced of good and great men, who became good and great by means of an early parental care, that the fact is incontrovertible: but if it be difputed, behold and admire the two * great lights in this our age and country, who owe their brilliance to the well-timed care of their illuftrious parents. Perhaps it is a vulgar error to fuppofe, that these shining characters were, by nature, endowed with richer minds than ordinary men, because if education alone marks the difference of in *The Right Hon. Charles James Fox, and the Right Hon. William Pitt. tellect between the elegant European and the favage African, why might it not mark as great a difference between these great men and the common herd of mankind? 3dly, When it be found neceffary to fend a child from home for the fake of fchoollearning, and for the fake of due intercourfe with fociety, it should be well confidered where it may be most proper to send him. Private tuition, after a lad be ten years old, is not to be recommended; for if he be to live in the world, it is then full time that he affociate with many other perfons of his own age and level, in order to acquire that wariness and difcretion which may be of use to him hereafter; for the leading principles that direct the conduct of boys and men, are more alike than we do commonly imagine; and experience that cofts little is a good inftructor.-A fchool, then, wherein there be many in number, is to be preferred before that in which there are but few; but, except in the great fchools, on royal foundation, how are we to discover the real abilities and manners of fchoolmasters? Report fpeaks too little or too much. A father, therefore, who loves his child, should be cautious |