10 AN ESSAY ON CHARITY- SCHOOLS. And it is myopinion, that amongst all the poor, these children ought to have the chief advantage of the schools of charity. 1V. It seems also not unreasonable, that some distinction may be made between the children of the poor in great towns or, cities, and those who are born and bred in far distant villages. The poor who are born and bred in towns and cities, see and know more of the advantages of mankind, and the brighter side', of the world, and come into more acquaintance with the better parts and offices of life, and by this means are, as it were, natu- rally something nearer le them, and are sometimes occasionally called to assist in them : Whereas those who are born and bred afar off in country- villages, see and know little or nothing of this, and therefore, as they have less aptitude for these things, and have less need of them, so they have no tendency or reach of soul after them ; for providence seldom throws these objects or opportunities in their way. V. If therefore the poor who are bred in towns and cities, should enjoy some small advantages in their education, beyond those who are born in far distant fields and villages, if they should be taught to add and subtract a few figures, as well as to write a plain hand, it is but agreeable to, and correspondent with that providence which has determined the place of their birth, and " fixed the bounds of their habitation ;" Acts xvii. 26. But for the poorest of mankind in distant parts of the country, per- haps the art of reading, maybe sufficient, to answer most of their necessities : And if they are taught to read well, I will not urge the charityof my friends to bestow any higher degrees of learn- ing upon them, on supposition that they are to be engaged in the business of husbandry and day-labour. VI. And if it were possible, -I would have every charity- 'school soconstituted, that the children of the poor both in city and country, might be employed in some work and labour, ge- nerallyone half of the day ; that it might have partly the nature of a work-house, as well as of a school,' forall those who are to live by their hard labour, rather than by their learning. T men- tion several of these things but very briefly here, because I shall' have occasion to resume these subjects in the following parts of my discourse. I proceed now to give some answers to the coin - mon objections, against all our charity-schools for the instruction of the poor. Objection I. 'There is no need of any learning at all for the meanest ranks of mankind : Their business is to labour, not to think : Their duty is to do what they are commanded, to fill up the most servile posts, and to perform the lowest offices and -drudgeries of life, for the conveniency of their superiors, and common nature gives them knowledge enough for this purpose, They are born in the lowest station, and they ought always to
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