*N SSSAY ON CHARITY-SCHOOLS. 20 things, so the very notion of charity-schools should forbid these refinements, lest too much of the younger life of children should be spent therein, and be withheld from more necessary business and labour for their own maintenance. Three years of diligence and application under prudent teachers will furnish most of the children of the poor with read-. ing, writing and arithmetic enough for their future stations of life, provided they are not taken into these schools too young And indeed, it is my opinion, they ought seldom to be admitted under eight or nine years old ; and that when they have spent two or three years in learning, they may go forth to some of the harder labours, and lower businesses of life, that are suited to their rank. I confess if it could be contrived so that half the day should be . spent in labour, and half in learning, then they might be indulged in a larger space of time, and this mixture of labour and learning, would render the charity-schools much more useful, and free from all exceptions But of this I have spoken before. And yet after all, I cannot but beg leave to put in oneword of apology for here and there a lad of a bright genius, that may happen to be found in these schools of charity. If any one bles- sed with more sprightly talents of nature, should make a swifter progress in learning than his fellows, and discover uncommon seeds of ingenuity and science, let him not be thrust out of the schools sooner than his neighbours, out of a mere caution lest he should learn too much. I would become an intercessor, that he might not be turned abroad into the wide world, beforethe com- mon term of years in that school is fulfilled, merely because he happens to have betterparts than his school-fellows, and bath im- provedhis timebetter than they. This wouldbe a most unreason- able andgrievous discouragement of industry, anda hard penalty laid upon wit and virtue. Objection VIII. But if these children of the poor, who are supported by the charity of others, be trainedup in reading, wri- ting and arithmetic, will not this render them qualified for clerk- ship, or book- keeping, or any better sort of place or employment, where learning is necessary ?" And then they become " compe- titors for such places with others of equal talents, who have yet far better pretensions to them." The sons of tradesmen and mechanics, who have paid public taxes and parish dues, and even have given bread and clothes to the poor, their sons have a right to be employed in all these stations, as clerks or servants to merchants and others, wherein there is a prospect of advance- ment in life : And there are a thousand such in England but if the charity -bred youth are preferred before them, it is taking the bread from those, whose fathers have fed, and clothed, and fos- tered them, to the prejudice of their own children.
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