who are so universally acknowledged to have all the interests of mankind most sincerely at heart, and to be very distinguishedly qualified to serve them, by that happy concurrence of knowledge of the world, good-breeding, and polite taste, with extensive, solid erudition, true goodness, and genuine piety, which makes the perfect character, that education ought to have in view, and should be adapted to form.
The main drift, my Lord, of these discourses, being to turn education from words to things; to recommend the moral culture of young minds that is requisite to prepare them for philosophical or religious lessons; to delineate the true philosophy which ought to be the principal subject and scope of their instruction; and to shew what advances may early be made in real knowledge, without neglecting useful languages or exercises, if proper methods of insinuating the love of it into youth, and of initiating them into the pursuit be taken: Even the philosophy which gives just ideas of providence, and the administration of the world, by pointing out the wise and good final causes every where pursued in it, and the many beneficial arts to which the knowledge of nature’s general laws leads; and from thence enforces just and full conceptions of human duty, dignity and happiness:—This being the end proposed, whatever failures there may be in the execution, the design is laudable in itself; and is therefore sure of finding your approbation: And it is a most sincere satisfaction to me, to have a proper opportunity of publicly declaring the high value I put upon the share in your esteem with which you have long honoured me, and my most ardent ambition to preserve it.
I am, My LORD, Your Lordship’s Most obedient Humble Servant, GEORGE TURNBULL.
THE CONTENTS
The observations in the following discourses are all taken from experience; so moral rules, as well as physical ones ought to be—The general scope of them—A Letter to the Author, containing several excellent remarks upon education.—The reason why so many authors ancient and modern are quoted in these discourses—’Tis here proposed to give the substance of all that hath been said by the ancients or moderns, on the subject, such as Socrates, Plato, Xenophon, Aristotle, Cicero, Plutarch, Quintilian, Milton, Locke, Montaigne, Mr. de Fenelon, Rollin, Nicol, &c.—Why in two Pieces of this collection the character of an ancient, narrating conversations about true philosophy and liberal education is assumed, p. 23.
In ancient times, in Greece particularly, the education of youth was reckoned a most honourable employment—A conversation about public and private education, in which the chief arguments on both sides are fairly stated, and a middle way is preferred to both, p. 32.
Arguments against force and restraint—The love of liberty, a passion that ought not to be crushed but cherished. The desire of power or dominion natural to man—How it appears in infants—How it ought to be guided and directed by early education, p. 40.
Arguments against corporal punishments—The bad effects of them—The temper to be formed by education is a disposition to hearken to and consult reason, p. 42.
A conference upon the proper methods of forming fortitude, temperance, and all the virtues early in young minds, wherein the use of rewards and punishments is fully considered, p. 44.
The great arcanum in education consists in forming self-denial and mastership of the passions, without weakening the vigour or activity of the mind, and how this may be done, explained at some length, p. 49.
There is but one lesson education has to teach or inculcate, love of virtue, and just notions of what it requires in all the various relations and circumstances of life—How it ought to be taught—How all the arts ought to be rendered subservient to this lesson—And how naturally they all tend or conspire to recommend the love of virtue, natural philosophy, geometry, poetry, and all the polite arts, their natural union, p. 52.
No hood-winking or blinding arts to be used in education—Youth ought to be warned and armed against the vices and snares with which they will find the world to abound so soon as they enter upon it, p. 64.
’Tis not enough to give rules to children, many good habits may be formed by right practice before rules can be fully comprehended—Yet we cannot begin too soon to reason with them—And they ought always to be treated in a rational way—Praise and blame the properest handles for moulding youth into a right form and temper, the force of honour and shame in human nature, p. 67.
A conversation upon giving a right turn to all the natural dispositions or principles in human breasts—Reflexions upon several methods by which children are corrupted—Wherein true virtue consists—And how it may be early formed and strengthened—A great difference between the cravings of nature and of fancy—Children ought to be taught where to place their happiness—And for that effect to distinguish between external and internal goods, and things subject and things not subject to human power—This distinction explained, and the importance of attending to it inculcated—What are the motives that are most consistent with virtue, and have greatest influence upon a good mind—Virtue ought to be represented as conformity to the Divine Mind, which he will reward and make happy in the final issue of things, this opinion renders the cause of virtue triumphant, p. 69.
Thus were virtue and science taught by the better ancients; their care about bodily health and vigour—The best preservatives of these are temperance and exercise—Two ancient fables illustrating this subject; the happy effects of ancient education, p. 82.
Education ought to be suited to the form of government established in a state; so it was among the ancients—It ought to instruct in the nature and end of government and laws—How difficult a science politics is; men could not, previously to very long experience of human affairs, form just ideas of the best civil orders and constitutions—Reflexions on this subject—All civil constitutions liable to diseases—The excellency of mixed monarchy: The sentiments of ancient republicans on that head, p. 86.
Adversity necessary to awaken a mind which hath been depraved by wrong education; or hath through neglect of education fallen into bad habits—Our dependance upon the care taken of our education, or upon the examples and instructions we receive from our parents and others about us—Providence vindicated in this respect—Here, by the by, some false notions concerning education are refuted—None of the affections natural to man ought to be opposed or crushed; they are all capable of great improvements, and how they ought to be guided and turned—A digression into the vindication of providence with regard to the distribution of happiness in this world—How men are furnished by nature for happiness, and whence inequalities in that respect amongst mankind proceed, p. 93.
The force of education considered and exemplified; what right education is able to do, p. 107.
A conversation about man, and his natural furniture for acquiring knowledge and virtue, and thereby true happiness, in which the ways of God to man are fully justified, and human vices and miseries are traced to their real causes or sources, p. 108.
The doctrine or lesson to be taught and inculcated by education is, That the Author of nature is wise and good in all his works, and hath made us capable of attaining to a great degree of moral
