⚫ le grand mot de circonstances imperieuses, de mal entendu, et de • l'incertitude d'un assent general dans un Republique-et je n'y • manquais pas,' the whole of which is left out in the new im pression. At p. 75 of the first edition, there is a still more remarkable passage, which is, in like manner, omitted in the new one. It is in these words. J'ai toujours pris pour base de ma • politique l'interet des gens à qui j'avais affaire; et ai detesté 'les flatteurs du cour qui disent, "Ces Princes sont attachés personellement à votre Majesté." Ainsi l'on berce l'amour propre des souverains, qui aiment autre cela qu'on leur dise, "Tout va bien-au mieux !-ou va être reparé. At p. 100 of the first edition, there is also the following passage, which the last editor has been pleased to suppress. Je lui prouvai' (he is speaking of Frederic-William of Prussia) que depuis Pultava il n'y avait plus de Charles XII, et qu'il était prisonnier chez ses amis les Turcs. J'en etais faché, car il ne pouvait pas être un Gustave Adolphe, qui faisoit trembler l'Empire; mais je voulais qu'on empechât celui de Russie de s'agrandir, et je regardais le Suede comme un contrepoids pour l'équilibre de 'P'Europe. ' At p. 120, there is another passage about the French military character, which does not appear in the last edition; and at p. 148, a severe attack on the influence allowed to kept-mistresses, valets and grooms, in the French court, which is suppressed in like manner. To make amends, we have, at p. 189 and 190 of the new edition, two lively paragraphs about the abuses and the uselessness of domestic espionage, which are not to be found in the former; and at p. 217, a whole page about counsels of war and court flatterers, to which there is nothing corresponding in the copy we have used in the preceding review.

We cannot tell what to make of these variations. To speak candidly, we do not see what interest or feeling of Bonaparte's could be served, either by the suppressions or the interpolations. The latter are in the spirit of freedom, as well as in the style of the rest of the work; and though the former may be supposed to be dictated by a jealousy for French honour, or royal dignity, yet it is difficult to ascribe them to this cause, when we find so many passages far more exceptionable allowed to remain. The arro gance of Louis XIV, the desolation of the Palatinate, and the instability and levity of the French character, are spoken of without reserve in fifty places of the new edition. One thing, however, is certain, that those variations cannot have been introduced by accident or neglect; and that they afford a new and striking proof of that unprecedented faithlessness in the Parisian presses, which renders it necessary to watch over all their productions with the most unceasing jealousy.

ART.

ART. III. A Comparative View of the Plans of Education, as. detailed in the Publications of Dr Bell and Mr Lancaster. The Second Edition. With Remarks on Dr Bell's "Madras School;" and Hints to the Managers and Committees of Charity and Sunday Schools, on the practicability of extending such Institutions upon Mr Lancaster's Plan. By Jofeph Fox. &vo.. pp. 76. Darton and Harvey, London, 1809.

Instructions for forming and conducting a Society for the Educacation of the Children of the labouring Classes of the People, according to the general Principles of the Lancastrian or British Plan. Second Edition, with considerable Additions. pp. 30. Longman & Co. London, 1810. *

8vo.

The New School; being an Attempt to illustrate its Principles, Details, and Advantages. By Sir Thomas Bernard, Bart Third Edition. 8vo. pp. 111. Hatchard. London, 1810.t

TH HESE tracts relate to one of the most interesting and momentous fubjects which have ever attracted the notice of those whofe ftations or whofe virtues give them an influence over the lot of their fellow creatures. A method has been devifed, and, after various improvements, feems now to be brought very near to perfection;-by which the bleflings of education may be extended to perfons in the lower ranks of society, at a price within the reach of all but the pooreft, and to them alfo, with a very moderate affiftance from their happier brethren ;-by which the facility of learning is incalculably augmented to children of every class, and a vaft faving of time fecured even to those whose circumstances may put economy of money out of the question; while the facility of teaching is fo much increased, that, within almoft any given time, an indefinite number of inftructors can be provided. This method, which, from its regular form and fuccefsful experimental improvements, we may well denominate a practical fyftem, having from the first attracted confiderable attention, has of late (owing, in fome degree, to certain hoftile demonstrations

** The two first mentioned works are printed at Mr Lancaster's press;-an establishment, the profits of which are devoted to the promotion of his system.

+ This tract is published for and by the Society for bettering the Condition of the Poor; of which Mr (now Sir T.) Bernard has long been a most active and distinguished member.

monstrations on the part of the bigotted an! perfecuting claffes of fociety) increafed in popularity, and fhown figns of spreading, we would fain hope, over the whole empire. It is with the view of contributing our aid to fo great and good a work, and of recording the hiftory of the fyitem, that we now again bring this fubject before our readers, after an interval of three years; during which, the new doctrines have been working their way, through the affected contempt of fome, and the feeble and forgotten refiftance of others.

We have, on former occafions, (fee particularly No. XXI. of this Journal), explained the principles of this plan of education, and traced their operation in practice; and we refer the reader to thofe articles, and to the excellent writings of Mr Lancaster and Dr Bell themselves, for a full elucidation of the fyftem. We purpose, at prefent, to confider the questions connected with its more general diffufion; and it is with unfeigned regret that, in the outfet of this inquiry, we find ourfelves involved in a controversy, which we heartily with we could avoid-on every account,-from our respect for the excellent perfons engaged on both fides-from a natural dislike of all fuch difputes--but more especially from an apprehenfion that the great cause itself may fuffer by a protracted difcuffion among perfons who, having the fame benevolent object in view, fhould exert themfeives in perfect harmony to attain it.

The fubject now before us, the extenfion of popular education, gives rife to two distinct queftions. It has unhappily been contended by fonte perfons, that no good can refult from promoting the inftruction of the bulk of the community. They have even pretended to forefee a variety of evils as likely to originate in the greater diffufion of knowledge; and, combining with their fanciful anticipations of danger, views of past events juft as fanciful, have not fcrupled to raife apprehenfions of anarchy, tumult and revolution, from the progrefs of information among the people. The first question, then, and one of a preliminary nature, is railed by thofe perfons; and, fhould their objections be fuccefsfully obviated, there follows, of courfe, the inquiry as to the best means of diffufing education;-which involves the matters in difpute between the patrons of the different plans now under confideration.

The general objections to educating the poor, need not surely detain us long. Had they not received a higher fanction in the authority of fome eminent statesmen, than they ufually claim from the character of their ordinary fupporters, we should, willingly have left them to their fate. They are certainly not of a modern date; and the following paffage from Mandeville will show that they are not purely of clerical origin. After expatiating upon the ufes of poverty in fociety, and the neceflity of keeping up, by all

pollible,

poffible means, the stock of poor people, this licentious writer proceeds To make fociety happy, and people eafy, under the meanest circumstances, it is requifite that great numbers of them 'fhould be ignorant, as well as poor. Knowledge both enlarges and multiplies our defires; and the fewer things a man withes. for, the more easily his neceffities may be fupplied. Now, were it not trifling with our readers to answer fuch pofitions, we might obferve in paffing, that his two arguments in favour of ignorance and of poverty, are altogether at variance with each other; for, the more contented a poor man is, the lefs will he work and you have no furer way of getting him to labour, than by multiplying his defires; that is, by enlarging his knowledge., Dr Mandeville always fuppofes, like his orthodox followers in modern times, that, by increafing the knowledge of a poor man, you give him, not merely new defires, but new fupplies, without labour, both of thofe neceffities which he always had, as well as new gratifications of his newly acquired defires. In this ftrain he proceeds The welfare and felicity of every state and kingdom, require, that the knowledge of the working poor fhould be confined within the verge of their occupations, and never extended (as to things vifible) beyond what relates to their calling. The more a fhepherd, a ploughman, or any other peafant, knows of the world, and the things that are foreign to his labour or employment, the lefs fit he'll be to go through the fatigues and hardships of it with cheerfulness and content. The answer to all which is fo fingularly apt in a subsequent paffage of the fame work, that we fhall fave our own time by placing them together. A man,' he obferves, who has had fome education, may follow husbandry by choice, and be diligent at the dirtieft and moft 1iborious work; but then the concern must be his own; and avarice, the care of a family, or some other pressing motive, mult put him. upon it.' It is no doubt exactly to: the pressing motive of want alone could make any man work as a day-labourer; nor will all the learning of the fchools 1. ffen that motive, unlfs knowledge thall fomehow or other acquire the property of filling the belly and covering the back. Noi, again, is it educated men alone to whom Dr Mandeville's remark applies, unlefs he can alfo fhow that, without reading and writing, a man cannot tell whether or not he wants food and clothing. And then, if it be faid that a learned peafint will neit er do without eating, nor work to gain his bread, it must follow, that the love of labour, for its own fake,

is

Fable of the Lees, vol. i. p. 256. (Essay on Charity, and Cha rity Schools.) tld. ibid.

Ibid. p. 258.

is natural to man, and that it requires deep learning to make him prefer plenty and ease.

But let us look to his other arguments; for it does fo happen, that this Prous author has anticipated all the topics which have lately illuminated fome of our pulpits, excepting the cominon addition of the French Revolution, which is now-a-days added to every argument againit improvement, as regularly as the money counts, or the names of two diftinguifhed legal characters, are to certain parts of a record. Dr Mandeville purfues his reafoning thus Reading, writing, and arithmetic, are very neceflary to those whole bufinefs requires fuch qualifications; but, where "people's livelihood has no dependence on these arts, they are very pernicious to the poor, who are forced to get their daily bread by their daily labour. Few children make any progrefs at fchool, but, at the fame time, they are capable of being employed in fome bufinefs or other; fo that every hour thofe fort of poor people spend at their book, is so much time lost to the society.' To which the answer is obvious:-Either instruct children at fo early an age, that the lofs of their labour is not worth the trouble of reckoning; or, if you teach them when they might be employed in earning their fubfiftence, take care to let their parents maintain them all the while; and educate no one for nothing, unless his parents can, at the fame time, afford to fupport him. This check will affix limits within which the gratuitous affiftance of the higher claffes never can, by poflibility, either diminish the induftry of the lower orders, or in the fmalleft degree derange the general structure of fociety. And let it be obferved, that this remark prefuppofes no material benefit to be derived from the education of the children in queftion ;-nothing to be communicated which is worth the value of their labour.

The reverend author, whose work we are consulting, then brings forward another, and one of the most favourite of the modern topics Reading and writing,' he says, are not at"tained to without some labour of the brain, and assiduity; and 'before people are tolerably versed in either, they esteem themselves infinitely above those who are wholly ignorant of them; often with as little justice and moderation, as if they were of another species.' To this, also, the answer very commonly given, seems quite irrefragable-that if all men were well educated, no one would be vain of his acquirements, any more than any man is, in this country, vain of wearing a hat; which, nevertheless, is, in some countries, a distinction confined to the prince; and, of course, an object of great vanity. Akin to this, is the notion,

* Ibid. p. 257.

+ Id. Ibid.