28 AN ESSAY 0N CHARITY-SCHOOLS. ledge the justice of it, except in this one particular, viz. That á' few months is time enough for this learning. I am sure so scanty a space of time is not sufficient, to teach a youth of a commoa or low capacity, theart of writing and accompts enough to serve all the purposes even of the lower ranks of life. If children are not pretty thoroughly instructed in it by their masters and ac- quainted with it by much repetition and practice, it has been often found that they forget these things before they come to. make any use of them for any valuable purpose. Surely a year or more may be allowed for this part of their instruction, without any inconvenience : The generality of children are not blessed with so swift a genius. This one thing being allowed ; I would prosecute and urge the rest of this objection myself; for I do not think it reasonable that schools of charity should breed up children to all that politeness in any science, which should be- long only to young persons of higher rank, and in better oir- a;umstances, and whose parents can furnish out a better education for them. And here it maybe confessed, that it is possible these niceties of learning, these refinements beyond the true design of cha- rity-schools, may perhaps have raised some aspiring conceits in the minds of those children, who are generallyborn for the lower offices of life. I cannot but take the liberty here to transcribe, and recommend part of the right reverend, the bishop of Lon- don's* directions for this purpose : " If charity-schools should grow by degrees into a more polite art of education, if the boys should be taught fine writing, &c. the girls fine working, and both of them fine singing, hegrants, they wouldbe too ready to value themselves upon their attainments, and this would havea natural tendency to set them above the meaner and more labo- rious stations and offices of life : All these things therefore, says he, should be carefully kept out of our charity-schools : Which doubtless will stand more clear of objections, and best answer the end of their institution, when they pretend to no more than to prepare children to be good christians, and good servants." This wiseand sagacious prelate, who well knows the con- duct and state of many of the - charity schools in the church of England, saw sufficient reason for these cautions : He found that there were too many of these schools of ancient, if not öf later foundation, wherein children are taught Latin, Greek, ma- thematics, and manyparts of learning, which are by no means necessary for the poorer sort of mankind : And therefore he gives prudent advice against it. But the schoolsamong the pro- testant dissenters have no such supports and endowments : They are poor in the contributions that support them ; and as their poverty confines them to teach only a few plain and necessary * Dr. Edmund G ibsou.
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