36 IN .ESSAY ON CHARITY-SCHOOLS. I cited a little before, is a very great friend to these schools of charity ; but he does not deny but that therehas been too just ground for complaint some years ago, that in many of them the children have been trained up to a disaffection to our present government. His words are these: " This is a very heavy ob- jection indeed, viz. that in many of the charity -schools, the children are trained up todisaffection to the government, and it is a point that the government is nearly concerned to look after, since it is to little purpose to subdue and conquer the present ill humours, if a succession of disaffected persons is to be perpetu- ally nursing up in our schools. And it is as little to be expected that any personswho are well-affected to the government, should contribnte to the maintenance of such schools, as long as the opinion of this disaffection continues." After that, his lordship hopes and believes, " that there is not at present the like ground to complain of disaffection in our charity-schools, as there was some years ago ;" yet he acknow- ledges, that "while theprotestant succession remained doubtful, and no stone was left unturned to defeat it, some persons who had their views a different way, that is, jacobites, endeavoured to get the management of these schools into their hands, and to make them instrumental in nourishing and spreading an aver- sion to the protestant settlement. Which says he, was so noto- rious, as well as from some particular recommendations of masters and mistresses, as from the behaviour of toamany of the children themselves, that the fact as to that time, cannot possibly be denied." His lordship indeed concludes, " that there is great reason to believe that much of this leaven is worked out ; ° and he is willing to hope, that since things are better, true and loyal subjects will begin to think more favour- ably of them. It must be confessed his lordship, who is a most sincere and hearty friend to the protestant succession in the house of Hanover, bath employed his zeal and influence to recover the charity-schools of the established church from this bad charac- ter But things are not changed all of a sudden; and his lord- ship gives us but very low and doubtful indications of any universal change for the better when he only tells us, " there is not the like ground to complain of disaffection, as there was some years ago, and there is great reason to believe much of this leaven is worked out." Though perhaps there may be too much of it still remaining. And what a dismal thing would it be, If a great part of the poor among the protestant dissenters, whose zeal for the present government, is their known and constant glory, if these very persona by the temptation of clothing and trades to be provided for their children, should be allured to place them under such sorts of masters and mistresses as the
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