could fully rely *, amongst these were Benjamin' Smith, the late Samuel Romilly, and William Allen, who had all been at New Lanark. Henry Brougham had seen Fellenberg's establishment in 1816, and given an account of it in 1818, in his evidence before the education committee, appointed by parliament; in the following winter, his friend, James Mill, of the India House, and himself, had much discussion with Robert Owen, respecting the plan, and they were immediately joined by John Smith, M.P. the Marquis of Lansdown, Zechariah Macaulay, and Thomas Babington, in the attempt to establish an Infant School in Westminster; in a few weeks they were joined by Lord Dacre, Thomas Baring, Bart. William Leake, M.P. Jos. Wilson, of Spital Fields; Henry Hase, of the Bank; John Walker, of Southgate, and one or two other friends. Robert Owen kindly furnished them with a master, J. Buchanan, who had been superintendent of his Infant School at New Lanark; and the necessary preparations being completed, the children were received early in the year 1819; at first gratis, and after about two years trial, for weekly payments, which they have since been obliged greatly to reduce, "During the last year and upwards, Benjamin Smith, (son of the member for Norwich) has been constant in his care and exertions to watch over and encourage the institution; and they have been occupied in placing it on a permanent foundation. Joseph Wilson has formed one upon a similar plan, but to a greater extent in Spitalfields; and they certainly had reason to hope that a greater number of schools would have been established upon the same plan. But the distresses of the times have most probably interfered with the benevolent views of persons in superior classes; and the poor have not readily come into the plan, of paying a moderate sum for the care and tuition of their children; or rather, they seem more willing to pay, where the tuition is, in every respect, less advantageous." Pole's Observations, p. 6. Such is the history of these Institutions for the Education of the Infant Poor. They were established upon principles manifestly erroneous. They confound the education of children with their schooling, and talk as if babies can learn nothing at home. They orignated either with Fellenberg, the greatest quack in Switzerland, or with Robert Owen, the greatest quack in Britain; or with Henry Brougham, equally distinguished for his talents and his whims. And the suc cess or the failure of such establishments will furnish no grounds for deciding the general question. Dr. Pole and Mr. Wilderspin assure us, that the success has been complete, that the children are better and happier than could be "The author wishes it to be understood, that in recommending Robert Owen's plan for protecting children at a very early age, and instructing them in the use of letters, he would confine his recommendation to the mechanical part of such plan, as he is unacquainted with the details of the instructions given at the school in New Lanark." imagined, and that a sufficient number of similar Institutions will restore society to its most perfect state. We can readily believe that children kindly and judiciously treated, will behave themselves accordingly; but we must confess we have some doubts respecting the qualification of these writers for reforming the condition of the world. The doctor, whose quakerly plainness leads him to call men by their Christian name, apologizes for Mr. Wilderspin's want of practice as an author, and proceeds to furnish us with the following specimen of the manner in which Observations on Infant Schools ought to be composed. "Man is now emerging from the deep shades of ignorance, and the light of a celestial morning is breaking forth with unprecedented splendour since the commencement of the 19th century; an ever memorable æra, when benevolence of celestial birth, the offspring of Christianity, hath raised her head with indescribable majesty in the British isles, which she has chosen for her favourite abode, and the centre of all her exertions: there has she swayed her golden sceptre, and thence sent forth her ambassadors to every empire. They have listened to her counsels with joy, and cheerfully obeyed her precepts; her chariot wheels have traversed the circumference of the earth with a rapid career, and her footsteps are indelibly impressed upon the mountains, and the rocks, and in the vallies of every land; nor will she return to her resting place, until the great deceiver of nations shall utterly fall. Pole's Observations, p. 11. Many persons think that the moment a child is brought into the school, he should be taken to his seat, and there kept until the time of going home; but this, he observes, is a most injurious practice, instead of which, they are permitted, in these schools, to join in play with their schoolmates, as they may be inclined, until they are all, or nearly all collected. These amusements are calculated to give the children habits of industry, and to prevent their having any time, (if they had the inclination) for repining; it also greatly tends to the promotion of health and bodily vigour. Herein we follow the dictates of reason and nature, for young growing children, and animals of every species, are prone to activity, in proportion to that kind of life, which, in the order of an all-wise Providence they were intended to live. We may observe this in all animals of prey, (quadrupeds) formed to live by feats of agility, effected by the elasticity and spring of their muscles; such animals, in a young and growing state, are remarkably active and playful; an instance of which, familiar to us all, is seen in the cat, and cats are animals of prey; they pursue their prey by celerity in the movement of their feet, or springing like a tyger at once ⚫ upon it; and young cats (kittens) are remarkably active and playful. On the other hand, swine, in a state of nature, are formed to walk gravely over the ground, to feed upon growing vegetables, the fruits which fall from trees, and to root with their noses under the earth for such productions as are to be found there: their young shew very little inclination to sportive agility." Pole's Observations, p. 46. On the subject of corporal, or as he learnedly says, corporeal punishments, the doctor differs from Mr. Wilderspin, and confutes him in the following passage: "I think the author in question endeavours, upon erroneous principles, to support his opinion in favour of corporeal punishments; he says, (p. 56) it appears to him, that while men continue to be imperfect beings, it is not possible, that either they, or their offspring, can be governed without punishment.' In p. 57, he says, 'I admit it is possible to manage some children without corporeal punishment,' implying, that the far greater part will require it. He informs us that the only corporeal punishment he inflicts, is a pat upon the hand, which is given with a small twig, and is of very great service.' He pleads for such punishments, justifies the practice by appealing to the sacred Scriptures, and quotes the wise man, He that spareth the rod spoileth the child,' which I think is not quoted quite correctly, he might have used the stronger language of Solomon, as, He that spareth his rod, hateth his son, but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes,' Prov xiii. 24. The rod and reproof give wisdom,' Prov. xxix. 15. The word rod is variously used in the sacred Scriptures, sometimes for a tribe or people, remember the rod of thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed,' Psa. lxxiv. 2. The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion.' The words rod and staff were also used to imply government or authority, Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood,' Mich. vi. 14. He also refers to the evangelist Luke, in whose history of the Gospel it is said, and that servant which knew his Lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes,' Luke xii. 47. 6 "Our author's vindication of corporeal punishments has by no means convinced me of the necessity, or the propriety of such punishments; when he speaks of a pat on the hand,' with a small twig, we know not how moderately, or how severely that pat may be given by other masters, in other schools, who may not be quite so calm and compassionate as himself. And the twig used for the purpose may not be so small as that used in the Spitalfield's school. Under these considerations, I am persuaded that no such instrument of correction should ever be admitted into these schools. Our own tempers, under much provocation, are not always to be trusted." Pole's Observations, p. 49. On two points, however, we fully coincide with this profound interpreter of the Book of Proverbs; the impropriety of children" repeating the Lord's Prayer upon their knees, with hands placed together, in a suppliant manner" as a mere school exercise; and the propriety of taking care that in the formation of a school "no individual person or persons should be at liberty to make it a means of promulgating their own peculiar and distinguishing religious tenets." The former is a nuisance to be abated wherever it exists; the latter is a good hint to the Edinburgh Review; in the last Number of which an ignorant and bigoted Unitarian, writing upon this very subject, anathematizes those "who deem the Church Catechism, with all the doctrines of Calvinism, quite essential to every kind and stage of education." In other words, this wise personage, who makes such a bad figure as a Socinian translator of Dante, that Mr. Jeffrey is obliged to give a closer version in the notes, has the modesty to censure Churchmen for bringing up children in their own faith! We shall content ourselves with handing over such a promulgator of peculiar tenets to friend Pole, and hoping also that his friendship will be so good as to correct in the second edition of his present work, that part of the Children's Dialogues which has a tendency to influence their minds in the future choice of a religion. "Q. What is that? "A. A house. "Q. What kind of a house? "A. A chapel. "Q. What is a chapel for? A. A chapel is for us to meet in to worship our Maker." Mr. Wilderspin is the best of all infantine school-masters, but some of his directions, distresses and delights, are rather of an entertaining nature. His fourth Rule for the master and mistress is "Never to overlook a fault, but in all things study to set before the children an example worthy of imitation, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Importance of Educating Children, p. 16. His Pence Table is conceived in the following terms; "If it is the pence table, they say Twenty pence are one and eightpence, That we can't afford to lose; Thirty pence are two and sixpence, That will buy five pounds of cheese. Sixty pence will make five shillings, Which, we are told, is just a crown; Eight pence more make just nine shillings, Importance of Educating Children, p. 38. His method of subduing a refractory pupil is detailed in very striking terms. "I was unwilling that it should be said, that a child of only five years of age should master us all, and knowing that the older he was, the more difficult he would be to cure. I however at last hit upon an expedient, which I have reason to thank the Almighty, has had the desired effect, namely, we have a kind of guard in the school, for the purpose of keeping the children from getting too near the stove, and it forms a kind of cage. In the summer this guard is put on an elevated situation, at one end of the school, and it struck me, that if I put him in there, it might do him some good. I accordingly procured a ladder, and placed him in it, taking care to prevent the possibility of an accident; he had scarcely been in five minutes, when the whole of the children, as if by common consent, called out, Pretty Dicky, sweet Dicky,' he immediately burst into tears, a thing very unusual with him, and I must say, I was extremely glad to see it, and have to observe, that I have never known him absent without leave since, and what is more, he appears to be very fond of his school, and is now a very good child. Is not this, then, a brand plucked from the fire?" Importance of Educating Children, p. 74. Having assured us that common writing ink is a sovereign remedy for burns, he proceeds to adduce various arguments for infant schools; some of them are perfect in their kind. "I have mentioned before, that the poor are unable to take that care of their children which their tender age requires, on account of their occupations, and have shown that it is almost certain, that the children of such persons will learn every species of vice. But there are other kinds of danger which more immediately affect the body, and are the cause of more accidents than people in general are aware of. "It is well known that poor people are frequently obliged to live in garrets, three or four pair of stairs high, with a family of six or seven children; and it frequently happens that when the children are left by themselves, two or three of them will come |