[No. LXXX.j
THE TABLE T. No. LXXX.
<1 jVe errors are more dangerous than those which ap
pear too trifiing to be correiled,"
(Continued from the la 11 number, and concluded.)
4'T WOULD just observe concerning the man
-1 ner-of teaching arithmetic, that boys in ge
neral spend a vast ileal more time and pains to
learn that art, than is neceflary, and do not al
ways learn it, when they have done. Boys can
not learn arithmetic mechanically, as they do
writing : They mail be old enough to unde: ltand
it. If lads are put upon the study of arithmetic
before they are fourteen or fifteen years old, How
will be their progress, and imperfect their at
tainments. The mind must have formed Come
Ikill in combination, before it can be employed
in that study to profit. But boys may acquire a
fufficient knowledge in arithmetic for allthepur
pofes of common life,by applying five or fix weeks
closely to it, under a good infti uctor, and at a
proper age. Instead of this, how often do we fee
boys spend winter after winter in learning a few
of the*moft simple rules of that art, and at last
not be able to reduce a single rule to practice ?
And is it not requisite that females should have
some acquaintance with a. ithiuetic ! A venerable
old man, in grey hairs,and an aged matron, who
cannot keep their own accounts, may justly weep
over a misfortune, for which they are not ant
werable ; but an indifferent fpecftator, who knows
the worth of an education, may view with indig
nation that criminal negligence in men of inter
est, which will render "the fate of posterity not
less unfortunate.
Thus have I hinted at the principal defecftsand
inconveniencies that attend the p<efent mode of
education. lam sensible that, though all I have
said may be coiifefied, yet there is one general
objection to any alteration ; which is, that the
people cannot support more expensive schools.
But in answer to this I would observe, that if they
would venture upon the experiment, they might
support schools with the fame or less expence,
that would be much more advantageous. Eco
nomy may defeat itfelf by being carried to an
extreme. * When calculations are tooclofe, there
may be a favitig in the expenditure, but the ob
ject will not be acconiplifhed; and byattempting to
save too much,all may be loft. Men who are al w.iys
employed in small, trifling business, who pursue
an unlteady course of life ; and who, to use a fa
miliar phrase, are always creeping along l>j the
edges, will never make a head in the world, but
must always remain poor and contemptible. 1:
is just so with schools. People build an honfe,
or rather put up fo/nething that ■mill do the turn
.for the present ; they fend fifty, fivy, or seventy
children to one Inftruftor, though this is too
great a number, they own, yet, he must do as
■well as he can : Part of them have books—foine
have only pieces of a book which mujt do the turn
for the present ; and some have none'at all, but
these must do as well as they can. The children
cannot be spared, more than two or three days in
a week, to attend school, but when they do go,
they must learn as we/I as they can. A matter is
hired, who perhaps is a vagabond, and if he is
not quite so good as could he wiihed, yet he is
cheap, and people must do as well as they can
these hard times. What is all this but creeping
along by the edges ? What is it but fq'iandering
away money and making a mock of education ?
Dare, my candid readers, to ltep from the bea
ten path ofcuftom and prejudice. Erert schools
npon a different footing, and you will find them
not only more advantageous for your children,
but in the end, much cheaper for yourselves.—
ButeVen upon the fuppofirion that good schools
arc eventually more expensive than had ones, this
should not frighten people, when they reflecft t hat
a good education is the best legacy they can be
queath their children. Thousands ofperfons,
who have grown up to a state of manhood and
found they could fcarcelv read or -.vrite, have
wiflied, fervently wiihed their parents had left
them less eftateand a better education. But there
is one argument of more weight than private ad
vantages, and which ought to make parents more
solicitous to encourage schools. We inhabit a
country evidently formed for a great empire,
where civil and religious liberty have taken up
their abode, and where they will be found, as
longasthey arc found on earth. Jhe only way
topreferve these unimpaired, is to diffule know
ledge among the body of the people. Once re
duce the mass of the people to a state of ignorance
and their bondage is inevitable. We haveltrug
gled through an arduous war to defend our reli
gion and freedom, and let us be vigilant to tui
liifh posterity with the means of defending them.
We fhoukl remember at the fame time, that we
live in a late period of the world, as well as a
glorious or.e, and may we not look forward with
SATURDAY January 16, 1790.
eagerness to that 'finifhed state of society, when
the difFufion of science shall have taught men,
that there canbe no happiness but in virtue ; no
liberty but in law ?"
FROM THE INDEPENDENT GAZETTEER.
Mr. Oswald,
AT a noted inn upon the road to Reading, I
found two countrymen, who had arrived
nearly at the lame time. After warming them
selves, they began a conversation, which appear
ed to me at once incerefting and diverting. 1
therefore took the firft opportunity of putting it
in writing, as nearly in the words of the parties
as my memory could enable me. If you think i.
will either be ufeful or entertaining to your read
ers, it is at your service. A Traveller.
Andrew. Aye ! three days? Why, how could you
fprre so much time ?
Henry. I was waiting for my waggons ; and it
was such fine fun to hear the speeches, that I could
hardly get away at last.
A. Then you can tell us a great deal of what
they are doing.
H. Why as to that—l do not know very well
what they are doing; but loii'e of them make
monlhous fine speeches.
A. Well and what do they fay?
H. O ! they do pay one another off so cleverly.
A. Why Henry I suppose that you and I must
put our hands in our pockets and help to pay them
all at last. If they spend their time in paying one
another off in words, we shall be forced to pay all
hands of them in solid coin. But can't you tell
us any thing about the business they were about ?
H. Yes—the firft day I was there, they were
just finifhingalong dispute about Eleifto.s. They
had been at it all the week before.
A. What about Electors ?
H. Why, whether the people should chufe for
themselves, or find some others to chufe for them.
A. To chufe what'?
H. Why, to chufe Senators, I think they called
them.
A. And why were the people not to chufe for
themselves ?
H. Because they would not chufe right—and it
svas too much like the old Constitution—so they
Taid.
A. And who were to chufe the Senators ?
H. The people were to chufe men to chufe
them—l don't well understand it.
A. Will there be no end of distrusting the peo
pie ? Have our gentry so soon forgot where they
sprung from ? I fuppole the people will not be
trusted to get their own children, by and by.—
But h< )vv did it end ?
H. It was voted at last, that the people lhould
chufe the Senators themselves.
A. Very good—l'm glad to hear it.—What was
the next thing ?
H. Compound rations was the next.
A. Compound ration*! what's that ?
H. 1 did not quite undei stand it—but they talk
ed as if a rich man was to have a great many more
votes than a poor man—Something about reckon
ing a man's head worth twenty (hillings, and
then making compound rations of his head and
his money.
A. What! are we to be governed only by the
wealthy ?
H. Why not ? Would you have beggars and
vagabonds govern us ?
A. No, by no means ; for beggars and vaga
bonds always vote on the fide of the rjch, whe
ther they are right or wrong; io that the weal
thv will always have full as much weight as they
ought to have, without increasing the number of
their own votes. The middling class of people,
freeholders and houfeholdei s, of moderate pro
perty, fettled refulents, who live industriously
upon'their labor, are the firmed supporters of
the country. They have a firm attachment to
their country, and they are free from tliofe am
bitious, aspiring thoughts which lead a man to
seek his own aggrandizement at the expense of
his neighbours. A rich man 13 always wishing to
be richer and greater ; and he always has a rab
ble of needy dependents ready to aiiilt him. He
need not be helped to more influence.^
NOTES.
+ I believe it will be found upon a very little reflexion thai
thole are naturally molt attached to their country, who have tht
most to lose in consequence of any d.fafters which may happen to
it ■ Asthe great bodv of oaf citixens coofifts of those in middling
cirrumftances. it necessarily follows, that they mull be the luppon
of the country ; but that " they arc tree from ambitious thoughts
. uher collectively or individually, is contradiftcd by the "Per
ience of all ages ; and eipenally bv that of the State of Pennfylva
ma, otherwifea form of government which centered ail P" wer m
a purely democratic assembly, never would have been so obi. 1-
nately fuppomd—a form of government, which left nothing to
the wealthy part of the community, but what they obta '" cd ' *7
intrigue, and the influence of property. And pray have the rich
no rights 1.1 which to be secured ? That wealth which the object
[.Vubltjhed ou Wednesday and Haturduj
H. Why, truly, there feemt fometliing in this
—But how will you hinder beggars and vat-rants
from voting ? 0
A. This might be done. Suppose that nobody
was to vote till his name had been at least a
welve-month on the county tax books, and the
taxes paid. I think this matter might be managed.
H. Well! Andrew! you could always out-talk
ne ; but if you were to hear ihe orutors in tlie
Convention, yon would be quite dumbfounded.
A. And vrho are the great orators ?
H. Why there is Will'on; but thay fay he has
changed fides.
A. How so ? what fule is he of ?
H. Why, he was againlt Ele&ors, and againfh
the compound rations. \
A. Well, whether he changed fides or nor, I
find he's on the right fide. Who are the other
orators ?
H. Why, there's a tall lean gentleman—l for
get his name; but it seems to me that his th"oat
is lined with bell metal, and his tongue fteeltd
like a broad-axe—He hack'd and hew'd at Wil
lon, like any wood-chopper—But Wilson could
alk back again—and it's fine fun. There's
a heap of them—all speakers—and they talk by
the hour.
A. But you forgot to tell me what became of
the compound rations, as you call them ?
H. O ! they had not finilhed that yet. —
A. No !—and when do they expetlt to get thrrt
their business ?
H. Some time next Summer, they talk.
A. Some time next Summer ! —\V hy I thought,
when some of you were carrying petitions about,
you told the people they were to lave expences ;
that the 'Convention would fit only a fortnight
and make us a cheap government. —
H. Why;—yes;—it was—somehow so ; —but,
to fay the truth, they begin to talk that the new
government is to coil more money than the old
Dii e. A. How so!
H, I can't tell;—but they talk about Chancel
lors and Judges with salaries all over the Hate. *
Indeed neighbor Andrew 1 almost wish I had been
.juiet as you advised me, and contented myfelf as
I was.
A. Well! well! come don't be discouraged;
(ince the Convention is met, let us hope for the
best. 1 trull they will go through with what they
ire about; and if they do but give us a tolerable
Government and cure the people of the itch for
calling Conventions for altering the government
every twelvemonth, 1 ihall be contented.—Good,
ometimes comes out of evil, and, for my part, I
really wish this Convention may not rife, till they
present us with a bill of colts that fliall make us
lick of them.— **
H. Why 1 hardly think I fball carry about a
petition for a new Convention very soon again.—
Gut which way are you travelling Andrew ?
A. To Philadelphia upon the old affair.—My
Lawyer writes me word that' the Supreme Court:
fits this month, and, if I will attend, he experts
o get final judgment for me this term. And
then I expert old Nicodemus will pay me off. I
really want my money, neighbour Henry ; and if
you and some others had not befriended me, I do
not know how 1 couldhave held out so long with
out it. _ j
H. Well, Andrew—have patience !—I have bad
news for you. So many of the Judges and Law
yers are in the Convention, that the Supreme
' ourt is put off; n ,
Upon this piece of information, lionelt Andrew
a (Turned an attitude and countenance that was too
diltreffing for my feelings. As I could not re»
lieve him, I left the room.
.ftnvy of desire—and the great spring of exertion to every man,
let his situation be what it will, n a jmpk democracy, may be, and
■cnerallv is employed to the moll pernicious purposes; orelle be
ing confide-rd as a grievance, or necelfary to be affirmed by the
majority for exigences of S.aie, proves the deftruftum of its po(-
fc/ffors—f fts iuftify these observations How important and ne
. (Tarv then is the great revolution in Pennfy Ivama, by which the
Right's of every class of citizens are more clearly aftertamed and
fee u red—
" For nature ). iath left the tinßure in the blood,
• 1 All men uou/d be tyrants ij they cou d.
Poor men are always wilhing to be rich : Rich men td be rich
er ; and power is equally attractive to all, but most dangerous in
the hands oi thole who are the most ignorant.
* " Chancellors, Judges, and Salaries."—lndividual, compe
tent, and refponflble officers, are held up as a bugbear—while the
x.ences of the people for their support, bear no proportion to
these innumerable ftreann which drain the public trealury to de
fray the charges of Committees on Committees Stateofficers with
out titles, and without refponfibihty, who always keep pubc
business in a circle, and never bring any to conclusion, whiife they
have a majority to keep the public purfeopen for their emolument.
** A very laudable with! but a free people never will be eafyun
der a bad Constitution ; and Conventions are the wisest expedient
that mankind ever adopted , and nexttothe w.fdom of
t,-y difcovcred in making Conftuutions, they do the greatest hou
or to our invention and philanthropy as a people : Let people
feel the salutary influences of a good Constitution, and they wl
not think of Conventions,