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Untitled Article
to observation ; —the first , and mast absurd , that of the parent pre-arranging the fate of his child ; and the second , that of the persons who condemn the conduct of a man in a particular vocation , without knowing the circumstances attending his entrance upon it .
We now come to the consideration of certain processes in the instruction of youth as productive of prejudices . Daring childhood and adolescence we shall observe that the details or education tend to preserve the mind of the pupil in a train of sentiment agreeable to the prepossessions of the sect or party to which his parents or instructors belong . Certain
precepts are instilled into him which he is taught to believB are infallible ; and that examination of them would not only be useless , but sinful ; he is to accept all opinions upon authority , all data upon credit , and he is guided to certain conclusions from premises which must be admitted , without being allowed
to ask for any connecting links of demonstrative or even probable reasoning . A staunch disciple of Calvin would hardly encourage his child to reprobate tbe conduct of that celebrated man in burning Servetus ; nor a man whose predilections were as monarchical as those of Sir Robert Filmer be anxious to
place Locke ' s refutation of that champion of despotism before his son ; far less such a work as " Political Justice . " Moral and political authors who have truckled to the great , and hired their pens in the service of power , are selected for the stud y of youth , whilst those who have written in freedom and fearlessness are proscribed . This arises from the mistaken and
narrow views of those parents and teachers who fancy their own feelings and sentiments the only criterion by which those of their children should be regulated . What the father thinks the son must echo— the same cause the parent espouses , the son roust advocate also , or be deemed a renegade and backslider . What is this but a prejudice of age shackling the
understanding of youth , and , thus chained , compelling it to turn from the light of reason , and walk in the darkness of dogmatism . Why is it essential that the son should follow the same track , both of speculation and practice , pursued by his father ? That he may be equally wise and good \ That depends upon whether the father be wise and good ; but , suppose he is , do all wise men think alike , or all good men act alike ? Besides , by nuch a
mode what a contradiction is involved . Bigoted perseverance , in imbuing the mind with certain fixed tenets , seems to imply strong belief in their excellence , and even infallibility ; whilst the concealment of every thing opposite in tendency betrays consciousness of their fallacy , or , at least , distrust of their power of enduring analysis . Will not Truth bear investigation ? Will not pure gold bear the test of the chymist , and ienot douty removed by the process ?
Untitled Article
$ H Cursory Remdrk * oW Pryudfce ,
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), May 2, 1836, page 314, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2657/page/50/
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