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trinfic value, and am grieved at the long indifference about it; I am grieved that they have been fuffered to remain as a rich metal in the mine, which no fashioning hand of an artist has hitherto attempted to polifh into beauty, and upon which no ftamp of inftruction has been set to give it an acknowledged worth and currency. Nor let it be apprehended that a measure fuch as this has been formed in the defign, or is calculated to have the effect of depreffing the spirit or fubduing the fortitude of a people, whofe manners it would urbanife, and whofe temper it would regulate. No, it would infufe divinity into their spirit, and make their cottage the preferver of general tranquility. Learning never yet made man degenerate into fervility, or enfeebled the vigour of his mind, while it foftened the feelings of his heart,

Doctrina fed vim promovet infitam, "Rectique cultus pectora roborant; "Utcunque defecere mores,

"Dedecorant bene nata culpæ."

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All ranks, all descriptions of feciety, are amended and ennobled by the leffons of virtue; and where morals are defective, the taint of vice corrupts and defiles the patrician still more than the peafant. Where has been the nation, to which learning has contributed no advantage? What people has not been rendered more formidable by knowledge as auxiliary to their bravery Has public liberty been injured by understanding its true meaning? Has freedom loft its exertion, because society has learned to comprehend and obey the laws? The braveft people, whofe hiftory we can trace, and who attained the highest rank among the nations, mixed with an undaunted courage the love and the cultivation of letters. Even Sparta, which claimed all her fons as foldiers, made their education in their learning as well as their discipline in arms the public care. No individual parent could idly deprive his children of that inftruction, which tended to exalt them as men, and improve them as citizens. The

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community could not afford the ignorance of any of their members, and they afferted their rights in that refpect as fuperior to thofe of parental authority. The children were accounted the offspring of the public, and the nurture of their minds was fecured by a public provision.

The best fupport of courage, Humanity, was by fuch means allowed to maintain her juft influence over the actions of man, inftances of which in days of old as well as of modern date, have reflected not more honour than benefit on mankind. The ftern and rough form of war has been foftened into fimiles; the ftrides of defolation and ruin have been arrefted "in the very imminent deadly breach.”

But however little value feems at the prefent day to be fet upon the youth of your peasantry, the wisdom and humanity of our ancestors held them in much higher eftimation; they knew that with these rough materials, great part of the fabric of the nation was to be compofed, and therefore they endeavoured to form them in the firft ftage with fome degree of attention; accordingly, they inftituted fchools of various kinds, in doing which they could have had no motives but the pure love of their country, and the honeft ambition of being remembered as the benefactors of mankind; they might indulge a virtuous hope that

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"When they had run their courfe, and flept in bleffings, Should have a tomb of orphan's tears wept on them"

But alas! Their memory has not been thus revered. The voice of infant gratitude has rarely been inftructed to found the name of its benefactors. Inftruction has not often met the eye or reached the ear of the parentlefs, or of those who bad none to teach them. The altars of instruction have been robbed of their incenfe, too frequently diffipated or confumed by the chofen minifters, who have fcarcely deigned to chaunt

a fcanty requiem, or have made a farce of the fervice, which it was enjoined them to perform over the afhes, and in hon,. our of their patrons. We have only now to hope that the child may not yet be unborn, who fhall first have its lips infpired with the leffons of charity, and whofe mind shall be taught, although ftill too late, to reftore the genuine tribute of glory to the author of their inftruction. It would be at kind of facrilege to fuffer thefe rites to be longer neglected; and in vindicating from abufe the provifion which was made for them, you will draw upon yourfelves a fhare in the bleffings of an infant generation, who will venerate you as the common founders of their relief and improvement. And you will hereafter experience a ftill higher reward in the confe quent increase of profperity to your country.

Mr. Orde then proceeded to state the modes of fupport for the various degrees, claffes or divifions of this fyftemn, beginning first with the children of the loweft orders of the people. By the act of 28th Hen. VIII. the minifter of each parish is obliged to teach every child that prefents himself for inftruction in the English language; the English language at the time of enacing the law was as little known to the peafantry of Ireland, as the language of Athens or Rome, and therefore teaching children to read was not a very trivial duty. Yet though every parith minifter is bound by oath to comply with this act, the only thing done towards carrying it into effect is, a commutation of 40s. per annum paid by the minifter in each parifh. This fum therefore, he proposed to take as the lowest rate of contribution from all livings not exceeding 150l. per annum; from thence to 200l. per annum the contribution fhould be three pounds, and fixpence in the. pound after two hundred pounds. The fame rate of contribution he propofed for the proprietors of rectorial and impropriate tithes, and whatever might be afterwards deficient towards the full fupport of the parish school, he propofed

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to raife by affeffment, not on the parish at large, but at the difcretion of a veftry, on the more opulent proprietors of the lands in the parish.

The fecond divifion of this fyftem, which was to consist of four great schools, one in each province, fimilar to the Blue Coat Hofpital in Dublin, or Chrift's Hospital in London, he propofed to fupport by a gradual change of the application of the funds now given to Charter Schools. With the new fchools he intended to unite Erafmus Smith's charity; and as from thefe feminaries the mariner, the merchant, the trade fman, the manufacturer, the artificer, the farmer, the accountant, the mathematician; in a word, the most useful members of society might hereafter spring, he proposed to pay a very great degree of attention to them, and that navigation, mercantile knowledge, modern languages, mathematics, geometry, agriculture, and drawing, fhould be there taught; and he mentioned that this being a part of his plan, which was ready for almost instant adoption, the buildings at New Geneva, which are already property, might be made fubfervient to it,

I will here, faid he, take a short review of the propofed establishment, and of its feveral divifions, with fome general calculation of the probable expence, and of the funds at prefent exifting, which may be applied to this purpose, and of those which must be supplied by parliamentary aid or other ways and means.

I have mentioned one principal or refident guardian of this fociety, one head-mafter alfo.-The number of under masters and affistants muft depend upon the divifions of scholars and the number of children which it may be propofed to educate. in them. I conceive that the whole establishment may confift of eight or nine hundred boys, divided into two parts; the former of which might be about three hundred and twenty.

I take that number upon the idea of arranging them into eight wards, for their lodging, of forty each. For thefe there may be allotted feven schools, which I apprehend, will be a fufficient number to give ample opportunity for inftruction in the feveral branches of learning and science, which I would arrange in this manner :

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ift. Reading and Grammar, feveral divifions.

2d. Writing and Accounts,

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3d. Mathematics and Navigation, with apparatus, &c. &c. and space for experiment.

4th. Husbandry and Agriculture, with do.

5th. Mechanics, Geometry, and Manufacture, with do. 6th. Drawing, &c. &c.

7th. Foreign Languages and Geography.

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There must of course be seven mafters for these, and fome of them will require affiftants, especially the reading and grammar schools, and that for writing and accounts. The fecond divifion will confift of either four hundred and eighty, or five hundred and eighty, according to what may be determined of the grofs number. I should imagine that for these four schools might be fufficient; a reading and a writing-school, each of them consisting of several divifions, and two working fchools for their instruction in different kinds of handicraft or other inferior occupations. There will of courfe be four mafters wanting for thefe fchools, and feveral affiftants. It is to be remembered that the principal will fuperintend the management of the whole, and the head-mafter will overlook the department of inftruction in this divifion as well as the other. And I would here repeat another remark in favour of this establishment, for the reception of fuch children ás are at present diftributed in the feveral charter-schools, that it will admit of the means to provide, not indeed a greater number of masters, instructors, &c. &c. but men of much fuperior qualifications. Another advantage of infinite conse

quence

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