the form of a le

these conversatio

station have a co

treated of, he tho

of these letters, a

has put them int

use they were in dressing himself

young travellers,
and virtue; and

fervour of
youth
bearing influence
Though some
hands, and he wa

tion, he lays no

motive is the desi

of youth; and if

of answering, in a

THE Author of the following Letters having to make himself as useful as he could in the an important trust, not only by reading book pils, and teaching sciences, but by conversi them, as occasion required, on literary and m he took frequent opportunities of committin the form of a letter, the substance of what these conversations. And as all young peopl station have a common interest in most of the treated of, he thought it might be of service t of these letters, and send them to the press; has put them into the hands of his own pup use they were intended), he may have the dressing himself as a friendly monitor and g young travellers, who are upon the same ro and virtue; and have many dangers to encou fervour of youth, their own inexperience, bearing influence of ill principles and bad ex

Though some copies of these letters were g hands, and he was solicited by his friends to tion, he lays no stress upon these considerati motive is the desire of making an experiment of youth; and if this little volume should be of answering, in any degree, so desirable an

accepted by such parents and teachers, as wish not only to cultivate the understanding of their scholars (which perhaps is their first object), but to secure them against the errors and miscarriages to which they are more particularly ex posed in the present age; and to such he begs leave to recommend it for their patronage and protection. If his design should meet with the approbation of those who are the proper judges, he may be encouraged to send abroad here. after another volume upon the same plan.

REV. W. JONES'S

LETTERS.

I.

ON A TEACHABLE DISPOSITION.

WOLFE instructed his soldiers, that if the French should land in Kent, as they were then expected to do, actual service in that enclosed country would show them the reason of several evolutions, which they had never been able to comprehend.* The soldier, therefore, submits to learn things of which he does not see the use. And is not every learner under the same obligation? If he desires to be taught, must not he bring with him that teachable disposition, which receives the rules and elements of learning implicitly, and trusts to the future for the knowledge of those reasons on which they are grounded? This is not a matter of choice: he can be taught on no other principle; for though the practice of a rule may seem very easy, the reason of that rule will generally lie too deep for a beginner;

*See General Wolfe's Instructions, p. 51. second edi tion.

and long experience will be necessary before it can be understood: indeed, there are many rules established, for which we have no reason but experience. If a learner will take his own judgment concerning the propriety of what is proposed to him, before he is capable of judging rightly, he will cheat himself, and preclude his future improvement at best, he will lose a great deal of time, and go the farthest way about; and, which is the greatest misfortune, he will contract bad habits in the beginning, and perhaps find himself unfit to be taught, when he would be glad to learn. I have seen some examples of young persons, who have been disappointed by trusting at first to their own shallow conceptions, and supposing, what is very pleasant in idea, that Nature may be a master before it has been a scholar. If the consequences of this error are so bad in arts, and sciences, and matters of accomplishment, they will be much worse in those things which relate to the economy of human life.

It is indeed a very dangerous mistake to imagine, that the mind can be cultivated, and the manners formed, on any principle but that of dependence; and, therefore, we cannot sufficiently lament, that this wholesome and necessary doctrine is growing every day more and more out of fashion. Nothing is now to be taken upon authority. A wild and absurd system is prevailing, which encourages the depravity of nature, by admitting, that nothing is to be complied with by young people, of which they do not see the propriety: though it is morally impossible they should see it in many cases, till they look back upon the past time with eyes that are opened