No 313. I Thursday, February 28. Exigite ut mores teneros ceu pollice ducat, Juv. Sat. 7. ver. 237. Bid him befides his daily pains employ, CH. DRYDEN. SHALL give the following letter no other recommendation, than by telling my readers that it comes from the fame hand with that of laft Thursday. SIR, I SEND you, according to my promife, fome farther thoughts on the education of youth, in which I intend to difcufs that famous question, "Whether "the education at a public fchool, or under a private tutor, is to be preferred?" 46 'As fome of the greatest men in most ages have been of very different opinions in this matter, I fhall give a fhort account of what I think may be beft urged on ⚫ both fides, and afterwards leave every perfon to determine for himself. It is certain from Suetonius, that the Romans thought the education of their children a bufinefs properly belonging to the parents themfelves; and Plutarch, in the life of Marcus Cato, tells us, that as foon as his ⚫fon was capable of learning, Cato would fuffer no body to teach him but himself, though he had a fervant named Chilo, who was an excellent grammarian, 'and 'who taught a great many other youths. On the contrary, the Greeks feemed more inclined to public fchools and feminaries. A private education promifes in the first place virtue ⚫ and good-breeding; a public school manly affurance, ⚫ and an early knowledge in the ways of the world. 66 4 Mr. Locke, in his celebrated treatife of Education, 'confeffes that there are inconveniencies to be feared on both fides; "If," fays he, "I keep my fon at home, "he is in danger of becoming my young mafter; if I "fend him abroad, it is fcarce poffible to keep him from "the reigning contagion of rudenefs and vice. He will perhaps be more innocent at home, but more ignorant "of the world, and more fheepish when he comes "abroad." However as this learned author afferts, that virtue is much more difficult to be attained than knowledge of the world, and that vice is a more stubborn, as well as a more dangerous fault than fheepishnefs, he is altogether for a private education; and the more fo, because he does not fee why a youth, with right management, might not attain the fame affurance in his father's house, as at a public school. To this end he advifes parents to accuftom their fons to whatever ftrange faces come to the houfe; to take them with them when they vifit their neighbours, and to engage them in converfation with men of parts and • breeding. 6 It may be objected to this method, that converfa⚫tion is not the only thing neceffary, but that unless it ⚫ be a converfation with fuch as are in fome measure their equals in parts and years, there can be no room 'for emulation, contention, and several of the moft lively paffions of the mind; which, without being fometiines moved, by these means, may poffibly contract a dulnefs and infenfibility. One of the greatest writers our nation ever produced obferves, that a boy who forms parties, and makes himfelf popular in a fchool or a college, would act the fame part with equal eafe in a fenate or a privy-council;, and Mr. Qbarn, fpeaking like a man verfed in the ways of the world, affrins, that the well laying and carrying, on of a design to rob an orchard, trains up a youth infenfibly to caution, fecrecy, and circumfpec⚫tion, and fits him for matters of greater importance. In short, a private education feems the most natural ⚫ method for the forming of a virtuous man; a public education for making a man of business. The first ⚫ would furnish out a good fubject for Plato's republic, the latter a member for a community over-run with • artifice and corruption. It must however be confeffed, that a perfon at the head of a public school has fometimes fo many boys ⚫ under his direction, that it is impoffible he thould extend a due proportion of his care to each of them. This is however, in reality, the fault of the age, in ⚫ which we often fee twenty parents, who, though each expects his fon fhould be made a scholar, are not con⚫ tented all together to make it worth while for any man of a liberal education to take upon him the care of their inftruction. In our great schools indeed this fault has been of late years rectified, so that we have at prefent not only ingenious men for the chief mafters, but fuch as have proper ushers and affiftants under them. I muft neverthelefs own, that for want of the fame encouragement in the country, we have many a promifing genius fpoil⚫ed and abused in thofe little eminaries. I am the more inclined to this opinion, having my⚫ felf experienced the ufage of two rural masters, each of them very unfit for the truft they took upon them to discharge. The firft impofed much more upon me than my parts, though none of the weakeft, could endure; and ufed me barbaroudly for not performing impoffibilities. The latter was of quite another temper; and a boy, who would run upon his errands, wash his coffeepot, or ring the bell, might have as little converfation with any of the claffics as he thought fit. I have known a lad of this place excufed his exercite for aflifting the ⚫ cook-maid and remember a neighbouring gentleman's fon was among us five years, most of which time he employed in airing and watering our master's gray pad. I fcorned to compound for my faults, by doing any of thefe elegant offices, and was accordingly the bet fcholar, and the worft ufed of any boy in the fchool. ་ : I fhall conclude this difcourfe with an advantage mentioned by Quintilian, as accompanying a public way of education, which I have not yet taken notice of; namely, that we very often contract such friendships at fchool, as are a fervice to us all the following parts of ' our lives. I fhall give you under this head, a story very well known to feveral perfons, and which you may depend upon as real truth. Every one, who is acquainted with Westminster⚫ school, knows that there is a curtain which used to be drawn across the room, to feparate the upper fchool from the lower. A youth happened, by fome mif⚫ chance, to tear the above-mentioned curtain: the severity of the mafter was too well known for the criminal to expect any pardon for fuch a fault; fo that the boy, who was of a meek temper, was terrified to death at the thoughts of his appearance, when his friend who fat next to him, bade him be of good cheer, for that he would take the fault on himself. He kept his word accordingly. As foon as they were grown up to be men, the civil war broke out, in which our two friends took the oppofite fides, one of them followed the liament, the other the royal party. par As their tempers were different, the youth, who had torn the curtain, endeavoured to raife hinfelf on the 'civil lift, and the other, who had borne the blame of it, on the military: the firft fucceeded fo well, that he was in a fhort time made a judge under the Protector. The other was engaged in the unhappy enterprite of • Penruddock and Grove in the weft. I fuppofe, fir, I need not acquaint you with the event of that undertaking. Every one knows that the royal party was routed, and all the heads of them, among whom was the curtain champion, imprifoned at Exeter. It hap pened to be his friend's lot at that time to go the western circuit: the trial of the rebels, as they were then called, was very fhort, and nothing now remained but to pass sentence on them; when the judge hearing the name of his old friend, and obferving his face more attentively, which he had not feen for many years, afked him, if he was not formerly a Westminsterfcholar? By the anfwer, he was foon convinced that it was his former generous friend; and, without faying any thing more at that time, made the best of his way to London, where employing all his power and intereft 'with the Protector, he faved his friend from the fate of his unhappy affociates. • The gentleman, whofe life was thus preferved by the gratitude of his fchool-fellow, was afterwards the father of a fon, whom he lived to fee promoted in the church, and who ftill defervedly fills one of the highest ⚫ftations in it.' X. N° 314. Friday, February 29. Tandem define matrem Tempefiiva fequi viro. HOR. Od. 23. 1. 1. ver. 1 1. Attend thy mother's heels no more, Now grown mature for man, and ripe for joy. 6 Mr. SPECTATOR, CREECH. Feb. 7, 1711-12. I AM a young man about eighteen years of age, and have been in love with a young woman of the fame age about this half year. I go to fee her fix days in the week, but never could have the happiness of being with her alone. If any of her friends are at home he will fee me in their company; but if they be not in the way, the flies to her chainber. I can discover no figns of her averfion; but either a fear of falling into the toils of matrimony, or a childish timidity deprives us of an interview apart, and drives us upon the difficulty of languishing out our lives in fruitlefs ex• pectation. Now, Mr. SPECTATOR, if you us ripe for œconomy, perfuade the dear creature, that to pine away into barrennefs and deformity under a think |