mafter; 2dly, to the divifion of labour, applied to the object; and 3dly, to the repetition of the object of acquirement, until it is perfectly acquired. Under the fecond head, we will give our readers an example of the Author's mode of illuftration: If (fays he) the dying father in the Fable had had in view the furmounting of difficulties, inftead of the cementing of union, the fame bundle of sticks might have equally served to illuftrate the fubject. He might have shown his fons, that those difficulties in the acquirement of knowledge, which cannot be coped with in the aggregate, may be conquered in the detail; and that what is beyond our power united and entire, may be managed when reduced to its component parts. He would have applied the breaking of the faggot, ftick by ftick, when the whole furpaffed their power, to the overcoming of the minute parts of learning, when in the mafs they would have been unaffailable. DIVIDE AND GOVERN is as correct a motto for a school, as for a cabinet. It is the divifion of labour which facilitates the execution of every thing arduous and defirable; and this divifion may be applied in fchools, not only to the multiplication of power, but to the feparation of object; not only to the allotting of the labour among many hands, but to the apportioning of the fubject into its various parts, and of the task into eafy leffous. The elementary parts of learning are to be thus acquired: the alphabet muft be taught letter by letter; the words fyllable by fyllable; next word by word, then fentence by fentence; and nothing complicated muft be attempted, until the primary knowledge is diftinétly received, and permanently fixed in the mind.". The three next chapters relate to the formation of the fchool, the mode of executing the plan, and the means of promoting its fuccefs. In details of this kind, brevity and diftinétnefs are of the utmost importance: and in this refpect we must give our fair tribute to the author, for having compreffed into a fhort compafs, and yet having diftinctly explained, the detail of the minute arrangements of the fchool, and the application of thofe arrangements, together with the Helps and Practices (as he calls them) which contribute to their fuccefs. The fubject of the fixth Chapter is moral and religious inAtruction; or rather the manner in which it is infufed into the tender mind in the new fyftem. We fhall give our readers an extract from this chapter. "It is only amid the corruptions of Chriftianity, that at tempts have been made to cover religion with the veil of mystery. The divine author of our faith preached to the poor and ignorant. The The language which he ufed, was plain and fimple. The fame plainnefs and fimplicity diftinguished his followers, until the Gospel difpenfation was perverted into the inftrument of priest. craft and tyranny; and the fources of divine knowledge, the foun tains of living water, were fhut to them, for whofe benefit they were peculiarly intended. The knowledge of the fcriptures has thus been withheld from thofe (to ufe our BLESSED LORD's own Language, recognizing and giving authority to the evangelical prophet) to whom the Gofpel was originally preached. Weak and worldly indeed, would be any fyftem of inftruction, that looked no further than the prefent frail and fleeting period of existence. If the univerfal adoption of education is to be of any fe it must be by diffeminating freely and generally among the most numerous clafs of mankind, thofe pure principles of religion and 'morality, which, with the aid of divine grace, are competent to renew the age of innocence and purity in a fallen world. "The fame natural principle of fhort and eafy tasks, well un derftood, that is applicable to elementary knowledge, may 'alfò be applied to the acquifition of moral and religious inftruction, A practice, however, directly oppofite to this principle, has ob tained in the generality of fchools for the poor. Instead of confidering what the infant mind is capable of receiving and digesting, instead of fupplying it with that which is easily converted into intellectual nourishment,-and giving "the fincere milk of the word, to thofe, who have need of milk, and not of ftrong meat," the schoolmafter, as foon as his pupil can hobble through a fentence, conducts him at once, and without any preparatory fe lection, through all the New Teftament; and among other parts through St. Paul's Epiftles, in which (though excellent and admirable) even the chief of the Apoftles found things hard to be understood t. Yet thefe epiftles are among the first lessons of a young child; who labouring on, in wearifome ignorance of the object of his labour, acquires an indifference for all religious inftruction, too often followed by an habitual neglect of the holy fcriptures through life. The ambition, however, of the mafter does not stop here, If he can but obtain bibles for his fchool the clafs then goes through (as he expreffes it) the whole of the Bible at once: and the child is bewildered for a long time in the Levitical law, in the building of the temple, and in the annals of the Jews; in which many things occur, which cannot be understood, without thofe extended views of the general hiftory of mankind, of which their infant faculties are incapable. In the courfe of their labour they reach the prophetical writings; parts of which have baffled the refearch of the most learned and ingenious men of all after ages; men, who poffeffled faculties to understand, and yet could not understand, that prophecy, when firft delivered, was a SEALED BOOK, to be gradually unfolded and opened by the fubfequent events of the world; and destined to remain to future ages, a perpetual and increafing proof of the divine origin and unfailing truth of the holy fcriptures. "When thefe teachers have fo often read that Queen Cans dace's prime minister, reading the prophet Ifaiah, exclaimed, "how can I understand what I read, except fome man should guide me;"-it feems very extraordinary that the fame question has never occurred to them, as natural to be put on the part of their pupils; but that this and other fimilar parts of the Bible fhould have been made a kind of iniatory Spelling book, for children learning to read, without a guide or director, and without felection or preparation. The manner in which the youthful mind is prepared for the reading of the Bible in the new fchool, is by giving them, in feparate books, thofe parts of it, which are either moft eafy to understand, or most interefting to children. After fpelling through the child's first and fecond book, each of which contains religious inftruction, the child begins his reading with Our bleffed Saviour's Sermon on the Mount; published feparately, under distinct explanatory. heads, in a good type, and containing 24 pages. The next book in order, is Oftervald's Abridgement of the History of the Bible, a work of the fame fize, and calculated to give the child a fufficient degree of general knowledge on the fubject of fcripture history, until he is fo far advanced as to have the Bible itfelf put into his hands. To Oftervald's Abridge. ment fucceeds the Church Catechifin, broke into fhort queftions, and an account of the chief truths of religion; books, very little varying in fize from the two firft. The Pfalter comes next; or at leaft next after four little books, intitled the Parables, the Miracles, the Difcourfes, and the Hiftory of our bleffed Saviour,* which have been very recently published by the Society, for the ufe of the fchools for the poor. In this manner, when fome knowledge of the revealed word of God has been gradually ob tained, the difficulties of reading conquered, and the mind prepared for the reception of the treafures of divine knowledge,then and not till then, let the Bible be placed in the pupils' hands. "I have been the more earneft on this fubject, because I am convinced that great injury has been done to the interefts of religion, by the manner in which the Bible has been given to young children. Let it not, however, he fuppofed that I wish to with hold it from any one. I confider the Bible as the bafis of all moral and religious improvement: and that the great object of all education is this;-THAT EVERY INDIVIDUAL SHALL HAVE FREE AND UNRESTRAINED'ACCESS TO THIS SACRED BOOK; AS HIS INSTRUCTOR IN YOUTH, HIS GUIDE AND DIRECTOR IN ACTIVE LIFE, AND HIS RESOURCE AND CONSOLATION IN The Appendix contains a copy of fchool regulations, which may be very ufeful in the improvement of every old, and in the establishment of every new fchool; together with a detail of the manner of teaching adopted in the Kendal Schools, and the forms of the Regifter Tables proper to be ufed where Dr. Bell's fyftem is introduced; and concludes with fome obfervations on "Improvements on this fyftem; in which juftice is done to the merits of Mr. Jofeph Lancafter, for his exertions in respect to the education of the poor. The Society, from whence the preceding and many other useful publications have emanated, has very frequently been noticed by us *. Now, that their Reports occupy five octavo volumes, and contain a mass of evidence and infor mation on the fubject of the labouring clafs, not to be found in any other collection, we shall think it our duty to give our readers a further view of the fubject. The forming of this Society had been during the year 1796, the subject of fome conversations, between the Bishop of Durham and the three gentlemen whofe fignatures appear to the circular letter, propofing the first meeting on the fubject. The letter is inferted in the appendix to the firft volume of the Reports; and as it contains a pretty accurate account of their objects, we shall make no apology for submitting it to our readers. It is as follows: "Sir, "17th Dec. 1796. "The purport of this letter is to propofe the formation of a' Society for bettering the condition and increafing the comforts of the poor;' an establishment, which, we truft, may be the means of adding much to the general mafs of national happiness.-In other liberal pursuits, the joint labours of intelligent and active men have never failed to produce confiderable effects. Models, inventions, and experiments have been improved, and applied to purpofes of great importance. The fame degree of fuccefs may reasonably be expected from a fociety, formed for the improve. ment of the most beneficial of all fciences-the promotion of the welfare of our fellow-creatures. "Its object would be-every thing that concerns the happi. nefs of the poor-every thing by which their comforts can be increafed. To remove the difficulties attending parochial relief, * See Brit. Crit. Vol. xii. 558. xv. 87. xxii. 92. xxix. 205 and 309. Cc BRIT. CRIT. VOL. XXXV. APRIL, 1810. and and the difcouragement of induftry and economy by the prefent mode of diftributing it; to correct the abufes of workhouses; and to affist the poor in placing out their children in the world :—in this, and in the improvement of their habitations and gardens; in affiftance and information as to the ufe of fuel, fo as to give them more benefit from it; and in adding to, and meliorating their means of fubfiftence, by public kitchens, and by other means, much may be done by the union of liberal and benevolent minds, -much by the circulating of information, and by perfonal affiftance and influence. "It must afford a ftrong additional inducement to efforts of this nature to confider, that, in proportion as we can multiply domeftic comforts, in the fame degree we may hope to promote the cause of morality and virtue. For a very gratifying illuftration of this, as well as for the most important improvements in fuel, food, and in the mode of affifting the poor, the world is indebted to the philanthropy and abilities of Count Rumford. ments "It is not, however, merely the increafe of the comforts and morals of the poor, great as that benefit would be, that may be effected by the propofed establishment: its improveand experiments will be more or lefs applicable to farms, manufactories, private families, and to every fituation of life. But, fuppofing it otherwife, were its object confined to the poor only, yet to add to the plenty of a nation, by economifing its means, and to ftrengthen by increafe of happiness, the attachment which every true Englishman feels to his country and its invaluable conftitution, must be deemed, at any time, objects of no trifling confideration. "If you fhould fo far concur with us, as to give a general approbation of the plan, we fhall hope to be honoured by your attendance at Mr. Wilberforce's, Old Palace Yard, on Wednefday, the 21t inftant, at a quarter before two o'clock; in order to confider of the formation of the Society, and of the outline of the neceffary regulations." "We are, Sir, Your obedient humble Servants, W. Wilberforce, A meeting was accordingly held and the refolution adopted, of forming "a Society for bettering the condition and increafing the comforts of the poor;" of which HIS MAJESTY was gracioully pleafed inmediately to declare himfelf the Patron. The Members were fo much occupied in forming their regulations and arranging their eftabliliment, that it was not until fome time in May, 1797, that the firft report of their communications appeared. It was preceded by a prelimi nary addrefs, in which the author endeavoured to give in teret |