[No. LXXIX.j
the tablet.
No. LXXIX.
»< Nothing should be thought cheap, that badly an
fivers the end for which it is defigntd."
(Continuation from the last number.)
" A MOTHER great inconvenience to which
J\ our schools are fubjed:, and one that
will render the benefit of anyfchool very trifling,
is that they confill of too many scholars. People
suppose that by supporting a few schools, they
may all reap the advantage with little expence.
They do so. Their advantage is proportionate
to the expence. The expence is trifling, and so
is the benefit. It is utterly impossible tor a man
to take proper care of leventy or eighty fcholais
at once. Thirty is a large number ; and if a
teacher understands his business, children will
be educated cheaper, if there are nevermore
than twenty or twenty five pupils under the
charge of one inftru<ftor. It is true, a man may
hear an hundred children read, in half a day, it
he proceeds as is customary with many Ichool
masters. It is a practice not uncommon with a
mailer, who cannot attend to all the children
hiinfelf, to set the higher clafles to overlook the
lower. These subordinate guides, as is general
ly the cafe, when fniall folks bear rule, afluine
an haughty air of authority, and teach the chil
dren to hate the inftrutfors much fafter than to
love or learn their leflbn. Great numbers are
directed to read at once, and it is impofhble to
know whether they proceed right or wrong. As
for those that can read, they are bid to take a
chapter in the bible, and hurry it over with as
much rapidity as possible ; for he that can read
the fafteft and miss the leatt, is kept at the head
of the class, and accounted the best fellow. Thus
a class of twelve or fifteen ftholars is dispatched
in about eight or ten minutes : perhaps indeed
not much vvorfe, but very little better, for all
they read.
" A matter should attend to each lcholar in
particular, and tell them how to pronounce, and
where to lay the emphasis, and not fuffer them
to hurry over a paflage, without any direction,
as is too often the caf». A matter ought also to
be particularly industrious to excite the emulati
on of his scholars and make them fond of ttudy ;
for unless they do it chearfully, they will not
learn at all. It is my serious opinion that, when
1 was a school-boy, the greatett part of the scho
lars did not employ more than an hour in a day,
either in writing or reading ; while five hours of
the school time was spent in idlenefs —in cutting
the tables and benches to pieces—in carrying on
pin-lotteries, or perhaps in some more roguish
tricks. The reason of such mifpenfe of time
was, that they had nothing to excite them to ap
plication : A matter would perhaps reason with
his scholars, telling them they had better be di
ligent, aud if they were not, they would be sor
ry some time or other. But children are too
youn<* to attend to such advice ; and so long as
their future interest is the only motive they have
to learn, they will never learn at all. And to
chattife them and force them to learn, is a more
vain and fruitlefs attempt still. So long as chil
dren drag along under the lash ot a matter s rod,
without any delight in books, they will never
improve much under the belt inttrucflions. But
once hold up to their view some alluring objed,
Something that will ttrike the fancy, books are
then a pleasure ; the matter finds an easy talk and
the child makes rapid improvement. Some tri
fling gratuities, on quarter-day, or something
of that kind will do more to engage children to
be diligent and make them fond of books, than
all the reasoning in the world, or ten thousand
rods of correction.
" There is a great advantage attending dialogue
speaking, which is, that it teaches them to read
and speak with propriety. The perfection of
reading is to do it naturally. Every word should
be fpokea as if thefpeaker was himfelf the author.
Here then is another eflential and obvious de
feat in the present method of education. Pro
nunciation of words, as taught in our schools, is
wretched. All propriety is dettroyed with re
fpettto reading agreeable to the sense and mean
ing. It is as eaf vat firft to teach children right
as wrong. There is no inherent propensity which
induces children to pronounce words wrong and
read with a monstrous tone : But such things,
either taught or indulged in youth, grow up in
to inveterate habit, which it is often impo 1 e
to remove. (Ts be concluded in the next number.)
EXTRACT.
CATO was the tosy of the age in which he
lived.—C/ESAR on the other hand was the dar
ling of the people, and whig of his country
How ftrangeiy sentiments are altered.
WEDNESDAY January 13, 179°-
FROM THE INDEPENDENT GAZETTEER.
MR. PRINTER,
Tour giving the following a place in your afeful pa
per, may be of public utility.
IN the year i 774, the Society of London insti
tuted for the encouragement of arts, manu
factures, and commerce, took, the fubje(ft of in
variable measures into serious consideration, and
offered a reward of one hundred guineas to any
person residing in any country whatever, who
should discover and communicate to the Society,
on or before the third Tuesday in March, i 77S>
a mode whereby to obtain invariable standards
for weights and measures, communicable at all
times and to all nations; but the liberal encourage
ment thus held out to the public, was not produc
tive of a single attempt —therefore the fame en
couragement was repeated the following years,
viz.in 1776,1777, and 1778, in consequence thereof,
011 the third Tuesday in March 1779, fi v e plans
were presented to the Society, amongst which
number, that by Mr. John Hatton, Watch-maker,
in London* was the most approved, though not
perfected to that degree of accuracy required in
the constitution of invariable measure. How
ever, as the idea was new, and appareatly caPa
ble of being carried to a much greater degree of
perfection, the Society, in consideration of its
merits, and as some encouragement to reconfidei
the fubje<t, presented him with thirty guineas,
and they also renewed their former encourage
ment.—Several years elapsed, and no Iteps weie
apparently taken by Mr. Hatton, towards a more
effectual application of the princif les he suggest
ed. Mr. Hatton's plan has since been improved
by Mr. John Whitehurft, F. R. S. but his plan
was thought fubjeift to many inconvenience®, and
capable of improvement, so the encouragement is
still continued, which lias induced a citizen of
Philadelphia, to take up the matter, who has so
far Amplified and improved Mr. Whitehurft s
plan, that the whole conftru<tion of the appara
tus, and the method of uiingit is so eafy,that with
it, any peifon of common lenfe, may find three,
four, or five feet, with the greatefteafe and exact -
ness, by one single raenfuration. Now if any
legislative body, or society, in the United States,
think the discovery worth attending to, they may
receive further information by fending their ap
plication or address, (postpaid) to the Poft-Office
of this city, directed to S. W. M. Philadelphia,
if 110 application is made within three months
from the date hereof, the inventor will conclude
that the Americans tnink it not an object worthy
of their notice, which will put him under the
neceflity of communicating it somewhere clfe.
Philadelphia, January 6, I 790.
{ROM THE HAMPSHIRE GAZETTE.
A correspondent has jurnijhed at with the following
authentic anecdotes, which may Jhew the unhappy
and melancholy tffcCls of intruding the education
oj youth to immoralperfons or grangers.
ANECDOTES.
A PERSON from Great-Britain lately arrived
in South-Carolina, and set liiinfelf up for a
school-master. For a few months he was employ
ed witli foine degree of caution. But his abilities
as a school-master were soon conspicuous in the
uncommon progress of his pupils. Withal he
aflumed the appearance of ltricft morals and ex
emplary piety and devotion. This, added to his
lingular diligence and attention to his school,
soon procured him the unbounded confidence of
the neighbouring gentlemen and ladies. His
school flourilhed with growing reputation. Un
der a pretext of imparting inftruAion to several
young ladies under his care, he frequently de
tained one and another of them singly after the
school was difmifled for the day. In this practice
he continued until he had seduced and abus
ed no less than five or fix of the unhappy chil
dren At length he made an attempt upon a
young girl of resolute virtue and daring fpint,
whom he solicited to a compliance with his un
hallowed lulls—She deeply resented the base fe
licitation. His paflions were inflamed by oppo
fition—he offered violence—he attempted by
force what he could not obtain by entreaty. She
resolutely and fuccefsfully repelled his attacks,
until at length watching her opportunity, lhe
e leaped at the door, and hastened by her terrors
soon reached her father's house. She immedi
ately unbosomed her foul to her parents and
wave them a detail of the school-master s vile at
tempt. The father, by vigorous struggles frno
thered his resentment, until he had collected the
fathers of the young ladies in the school. io
them he opened the villainous affair, and ac
quainted them with the matter's long P ra( ? 1 " of
detaining their daughters singly in the school.
The parents agreed to make enquny
X Publ'tjhed (/ti Wednesday and Saturday .J
daughters.—Upon enquiry no less than five or fix
found that their daughters either by infinuarion,
threatning or force, had been overcome and de
based. Fully ascertained of the fadts, they re
solved upon the punishment of the culprit in a
summary manner—in a manner ditflated by the
nature of the crime. They made sharp their
knives, went in a body to the fcliool house, or
dered home the children, set the wretch's crimes
in order before him, and then castrated him on
the spot, and left him to his own reflexions. In
the following night he crept into a neighbouring
wood, and the next day died. Such was the u
niversal odium and detestation of his brutal luffc
and perfidious hypocrisy, that the voice of jus
tice made no enquiry after the authors of his
punishment.
A recent instance of the public execution of a
school-matter, aftranger, in the county of Wor
cester, convicted of a rape upon a young girl in
his school—And a third instance of a British fo
reigner, who eloped with another man's wife,
and married her, and set up a school in a town
in this vicinity, and was detected in attempts
upon the young girls in his school. These are
admonitions fufficient to all parents not loft to a
sense of decency, family purity and reputation,
never to employ a stranger, much less an immo
ral profligate, and a hag-beaten debauchee, in.
the government and inftru&ion of their beloved
offspring.
FRANCE.
LIEGE, OCiober 22.
THE letter sent by hisHighnefs the Princeßifli
optotheftates, in answer to their register,
touching the fundamental points, is couched in
the following terms .
" Sirs, ,
" YOUR dispatch of the 13th inft. I have re
ceived ? and itis withfenfibility and regret that I
behold the spirit of violence and fear which reigns
in all the deliberations at Liege, which more
and more juftifies the part 1 have taken in with
drawing from my usual residence. I know that:
the regiller which was sent me by my Chapter was
not agreed to by the majority of the capitulary
fuffrages ; a thing absolutely necellary in affairs
ofthe highest importance, it being by no means
fufficient that the members present decide mattfcrs
of consequence without the concurrence of those
who are obliged to be absent. If all this is con
sidered, and due regard paid to the Emperor's
mandate ofthe 27th of August last, in which his
Majesty dictates what lam to do, and from which
(as a vaflal) I cannot depart, I do not fee that I
can be required to fan<ftion whatpalfes at Liege,
till the constitution, good order, peace, with pub
lic and private security, are restored, and before
my three estates are legally composed and aflem
bled, I pray God to diredt and keep you under
his holy protection.
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY;
Tuesday, October 13.
Monsieur de Caftellanne having recalled to the
memory of gentlemen their resolution on the
rights of man, by which they had declared than
no man could be arretted or detained but by A
legal process, said that he had imagined that all
the Baftiles of France having been destroyed,
and ministerial despotism confounded in their
ruins, every citizen illegally imprisoned, had
been restored to liberty : but that to his greac
surprise he found there wereftill prisons, where
the victims of arbitrary power were confined—
Such places, he said, could not be fuffered to
exist, without bringingdifgrace upon the Nation
al Afl'embly. He then moved the following re
" The National Aflembly commands, that all
persons driven into exile, or imprisoned by any
orders whatever of the executive power, shall be
set at liberty. ,
" That in consequence of this, an address be
presented to his Majesty, requesting that he will
be graciously pleased to fend orders to the com
mandants of all fortreffes, to enlarge all such
persons as fliall be found to be confined without
due authority of law ; and that the Lord-Keeper
do examine the cases of such others aS,
been legally condemned, may be objedts of thac
mercy which it is his Majesty's prerogative to
The Count de Clermont Tonnerreand Mr. Tar
get warmly supported the motion. As did also
The Reverend Mr. Gregoire, who, to give
greater extent to it, moved, by way of amend
ment, that the absurd power granted bytheedift
160;, to Bishops, by which they are authorised
to lhut up in the Episcopal prisons any of their
clergy, who ftiould have transgressed the rules of
a clerical life, be abolished.