men, as shall make it worth his while to be contented with those few? suppose five, six, seven, or eight at most, whose morals and breeding he may attend to, as well as to their learning? The farther this master lives from the young gentleman's friends, the better it may be. We will hope that he is a man of a mild disposition, but strict in his discipline, and who shall make it a rule not to give correction for small faults, or till every other method has been tried; who carries such a just dignity in his manner, without the appearance of tyranny, that his looks may be of greater force than the words of some; and his words than the blows of others; and who will rather endeavour to shame than terrify a youth out of his faults. Then, sir, suppose this gentleman was to allot a particular portion of time for the more learned studies; and before the youth was tired with them, suppose another portion was allotted for the writing and arithmetic parts; and then, to relieve his mind from both, suppose the dancing-master should take his part; and innocent exercises of mere diversion, to fill up the rest, at his own choice; in which, diverted by such a rotation of employments (all thus rendered delightful by their successive variety), he would hardly wish to pass much time. For the dancing of itself, with the dancing-master's instructions, if a well-bred man, will answer both parts, that of breeding, and that of exercise; and thus different studies, at one time, may be mastered. Moreover, the emulation which will be inspired, where there are several young gentlemen, will be of inconceivable use both to tutor and pupil, in lessening the trouble of the one, and advancing the learning of the other, which cannot be expected where there is but a single youth to be taken care of. Such a master will know it to be his interest, as well as his duty, to have a watchful eye over the conduct and behaviour of his servants. His assistants, in the different branches of science and education, will be persons of approved prudence, for whom he will think himself answerable, since his own reputation, as well as his livelihood, will depend upon their behaviour. The young gentlemen will have young gentlemen for their companions, all under the influence of the same precepts and directions; and if some chosen period were fixed, once a week, as a reward for some excellence, where, at a little desk, raised a step or two above the other seats, the excelling youth should be set to read, under the master's direction, a little portion from the best translations of the Greek and Roman historians, and even from the best English authors; this might, in a very engaging manner, initiate them into the knowledge of the history of past times, and of their own country, and give them a curiosity to pass some of their vacant hours in the same laudable pursuit: for, dear sir, I must still insist that rewards and innocent gratifications, as also little honours and distinctions, must needs be very attractive to the minds of youth. For don't you think, dear sir, that the pretty ride, and dairy-house breakfasting,* by which Miss Goodwin's governess distinguishes the little ladies who excel in their allotted tasks, is a fine encouragement to their ductile minds?—Yes, it is, to be sure!—And I have often thought of it with pleasure, and have, in a manner, partaken of the delight with which I have supposed their pretty hearts must be filled on that occasion. And why may not such little triumphs be, in proportion, as incentive to children, to make them endeavour to master laudable tasks, as the Roman triumphs, of different kinds, and their mural and civic crowns, all which I have heard you speak of, were to their heroes and warriors of old? For Mr. Dryden well observes, that Men are but children of a larger growth, And full as craving too, and full as vain. Permit me, sir, to transcribe four or five lines more for the beauty of the thought: *See vol. ii. p. 132. And yet the soul, shut up in her dark room, Improving the thought; methinks I can see the dear little miss who has, in some eminent task, borne away the palm, make her public entry, as I may call it, after her dairy breakfast and pretty airing, into the governess's courtyard, through a row of her school-fellows, drawn out on each side, to admire her; her governess and assistants receiving her at the porch, their little capitol, and lifting her out with applauses and encomiums, with a Thus shall it be done to the miss whom her governess delighteth to honour! I see not, my Mr. B——, why the dear miss, in this case, as she moves through her admiring school-fellows, may not have her little heart beat with as much delight, be as gloriously elated, proportionably, as that of the greatest hero in his triumphal car, who has returned from exploits perhaps much less laudable. But how I ramble!-Yet, surely, sir, you don't expect method or connection from your girl. The education of our sex will not permit that, where it is best. We are forced to struggle for knowledge, like the poor feeble infant in the month; who, as I described in my first letter on this subject, is pinned and fettered down upon the nurse's lap; and who if its little arms happen, by chance, to escape its nurse's observation, and offer but to expand themselves, are immediately taken into custody, and pinioned down to their passive behaviour. So, when a poor girl, in spite of her narrow education, breaks out into notice, her genius is immediately tamed by trifling employments, lest perhaps she should become the envy of one sex and the equal of the other. But you, sir, act more nobly with your Pamela; for you throw in her way all the opportunities of improvement that can offer; and she has only to regret, that she cannot make a better use of them, and, of consequence, render herself more worthy of your generous indulgence. I know not how, sir, to recover my thread, and so must break off with that delight which I always take when I come near the bottom of my letters to your dear self; because then I can boast of the honour which I have in being Your ever dutiful P. B. LETTER XCIII. Mrs. B- to Mr. B. WELL, but, my dear Mr. B--, you will perhaps think, from my last rambling letter, that I am most inclined to a school education for your Billy, some years hence, if it shall please God to spare him to us. But indeed I cannot say that I am I only lay several things together in my usual indigested and roving way, to take your opinion upon which, as it ought, will always be decisive with me. And indeed I am so thoroughly convinced by Mr. Locke's reasons where the behaviour of servants can be so well answered for, as that of yours can be, and where the example of the parents will be, as I hope, rather edifying than otherwise, that without being swayed, as I think, by maternal fondness in this case, I must needs give a preference to the home education; and the little scheme I presumed to form in my last, was only, as you will be pleased to remember, on a supposition that those necessary points could not be so well secured. In my observations on this head, I shall take the liberty, in one or two particulars, a little to differ from an author that I admire exceedingly: and that is the present design of my writing these letters; for I shall hereafter, if God spare my life, in my little book (when you have kindly decided upon the points in which I presume to differ from that gentleman), show you, sir, my great reverence and esteem for him; and shall then be able to let you know all my sentiments on this important subject, and that more undoubtingly, as I shall be more improved by years, and your conversation; especially, sir, if I have the honour and happiness of a foreign tour with you, of which you give me hope; so much are you pleased with the delight I take in these improving excursions, which you have now favoured me with at times, through more than half the kingdom. Well then, sir, I will proceed to consider a little more particularly the subject of a home education, with an eye to those difficulties of which Mr. Locke takes notice, as I mentioned in my last. As to the first, that of finding a qualified tutor; we must not expect so much perfection, I doubt, as Mr. Locke lays down as necessary. What, therefore, I humbly conceive is best to be done, will be to avoid choosing a man of bigoted and narrow principles, who yet shall not be tainted with sceptical or heterodox notions; who shall not be a mere scholar or pedant; who has travelled, and yet preserved his moral character untainted; and whose behaviour and carriage is easy, unaffected, unformal, and genteel, as well acquiredly as naturally so, if possible; who shall not be dogmatical, positive, overbearing on one hand, nor too yielding, suppliant, fawning, on the other; who shall study the child's natural bent, in order to direct his studies to the point in which he is most likely to excel. In order to preserve the respect due to his own character from every one, he must not be a busybody in the family, a whisperer, a tale-bearer, but be a person of a benevolent turn of mind, ready to compose differences: who shall avoid, of all things, that foppishness of dress and appearance which distinguishes the petit-maitres and French ushers (that I have seen at some boarding-schools) for coxcombs rather than guides of education: for as I have heard you, my best tutor, often observe, the peculiarities of habit, where a person aims at something |