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    cation , which places it in a great measure figfc ^ tjbe flerjjy of ^ $ prni $ | i Church . At tne same time nowever ne allows of protestant universities , and his code does not interfere with the maintaining of any religious ^ p ioiptis J > y those , who afterwards hold civil offices . All the books

    to he used in theechools and universities are under the direction of the civil power ; and against this species of tytfcnhjf , as it called , our papers are very Violent in their remarks . But it may justly asked * whether , there is more dan-£ fenr ift the civil power selecting books ,

    than in -. the University of Oxford doing it ' for tjieir students : and can any thing lie Worse in this selection of books , than tfo ^ iat is practised at Oxford , where every Y . ouh g rnah on his admissson into the university is compelled to subscribe to iQe thirty nine articles . At Cambridge kn 4 Dublin this ceremony is delayed to the time of taking a masters degree ; but

    a £ Cambridge , on taking a bachelor s degree , ' tfee ^ tudent must cleclare that he is ^ rnemher of the Church of England , as by law established . In oiir charity «? . ehools anc ) puBlic schools the Church of England catechism is used : and not long ago , at a meeting in a large city , for the

    introduction < ° * Mr . Lancaster ' s plan , one qij the resolutions was , anct a particular stress was laid upon it , that the iatechism of the Church of England should be employed ; and every body Ipxowk , that that catechism is formed in U * authoritative a manner upon religious « Joglfeias , as that of the Church of Rome , © V ' th ' e one lately formed by Buonaparte .

    In fact the true Christian has to lament , when he considers the conduct not only o ^ kin gdoms bwt of private families of < fosehtSis , that * the same error with rcspec ^ to education universally prevails . * M ? e are hot so anxious to teach the rising g irteration how to think , fyut to enforce Xipbh the ^ m , what we think : and we mistake tne repetition of an answer for

    tne . conviction of the min $ . By the frcdilent repetition however of an erroneous answer , the mind is \ yarped just as much , as a tree by improper tensioninctmany unfo ^ tunatebeirigspass through fif ( C , incapable of recovering their " J rtfistinc vigour , and T ^ etpg the slaves and dupes ^ f bigotry ancj superstition . r 'Great , c ^ fe inde ' ed is , to be taken of education , and it cajnnot be left too free for private exertions within certain limjtts . JV curipus circumstance has hapttericd in the first school of this country ,

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    where the lads of our first 'nobility receive the ruclimenjLs of their -education , arid are disciplined in a better manner , than prevails with respect to persons of Tank in any country . The older boys have established among themselves , a species of parliament ; they have also a theatre and a reading room ; the latter in imitation of the institutions , which

    are so deservedly encouraged m the metropolis and various towns in the country . The parliament has come to the knowledge of the master , who is "determined not to permit this species of debating in his kingdom . Taking advantage therefore of the holidays , fee has addressed a letter to the parent of each boy ,

    requiring a promise on the part of the boy , in case he returns to school , that he will not belong to this parliament . Th $ circumstance put us Jn mind of an anecdote of Cyrus , and the mode of

    education among the Persians , with whom the boys were encouraged to form a tribunal among themselves- for the trial of offences . One personated the judge , others the council , others the inferior officers , and every thing was regulate 4 in the best manner after that used in the

    public courts . It was supposed , that this exercise would tend to enlarge the minds of the lads ; and probably the boys of Eton derived their idea of a parliament from the same source . But

    the master may justly fear , that this parliament , instead of improving , may injure the mind ; may produce a miserable set of talkers who spin out a speech to the length of two or three hours , filled with all sorts of matter , extraneous

    to the subject , rather than improve the judgment ; and they may also introduce many subjects , on which at their age they may not be capable of forming just opinions . Much may be said on both sides ; but assuredly the boys deserve no small degree of credit , for being capable of receiving so much intellectual entertainment . Such a thing would hardly hav < j [ occurred in Spain or Portugal ,

    The two last countries cannot be mentioned -without serious reflections . The emperor of the French is probably at this time arranging the affairs of Spain at Madrid . The last letters presented a wretched account of the distraction of t ^ e ? cabinet of Spain , and a p lan we tave reason to believe was in agitation for the removal of the kin «^ to his domi - nions in Mexico . The fate of Portugal has probably made a deep impression

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    216 State of ^ Public Affairs .

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), April 2, 1808, page 216, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2391/page/44/