methods are the most likely to be efficient: and the smallest progress should be watched, and commended, that it may excite to farther attention and diligence. With those who are called dull boys, this method rarely fails.

But there are very few teachers who possess the happy art of developing genius. They have not a sufficiency of penetration to find out the bent or characteristic propensity of the minds of their pupils, in order to give them the requisite excitement and direction. In consequence, there have been innumerable native diamonds which have never shone, because they have fallen into such hands as could not distinguish them from common pebbles; and to them neither the hand nor the art of the lapidary, has ever been applied. Many children, not naturally dull, have become so under the influence of the schoolmaster.

As soon as Adam got through the Reading made easy, had learnt to spell pretty correctly, and could read with tolerable ease in the New Testament; his father, who wished if possible to make him a scholar, put him into Lilly's Latin Grammar. This was new and painful work to little Clarke, and he was stumbled by almost the first sentence which he was ordered to get by heart; not because he could not commit it to memory, but because he could not comprehend

"In speech be these eight parts following; Noun, Pronoun, Verb, Participle, declined; Adverb, Conjunction, Preposition, Interjection, undeclined."

He, however, committed this to memory, and repeated it and many of its fellows, without understanding one tittle of the matter; for no pains were taken to enable him to see the reason of those things which he was commanded to get by rote; and as the understanding was not instructed, the memory was uselessly burthened.

The declensions of nouns were painful, but he overcame them: the conjugations of the verbs he got more easily through, because there he perceived a species of harmony or music, and they were no burthen to his memory; though each verb was required to be conjugated after the manner of Hoole, yet he could pretty readily run through them all, and took delight to puzzle his school-fellows with difficult verbs, especially those which admitted great variety of inflection: e. g. Lavo, lavas, lavi, atque lavavi; lavare, lavandi, lavando, lavandum; lautum, lautu, lotum, lotu, atque lavatum, lavatu; lavans, lauturus, loturus, atque lavaturus.

Propria quæ maribus, he got through with difficulty, at two lines each lesson; which he was to repeat, afterwards construe, and lastly parse. With the As in præsenti, of the same ponderous grammar, he was puzzled beyond measure: he could not well understand the bo fit bi, do fit di, mo fit ui, no fit vi, quo fit qui, to fit ti, &c. &c., and could by no means pro

ceed of the reason or probable utility of such things, he could form no adequate judgment: and at last this became so intolerable, that he employed two whole days and a part of the third, in fruitless endeavours to commit to memory two lines, with their construction, of what appeared to him, useless and incomprehensible jargon. His distress was indescribable, and he watered his book with his tears: at last he laid it by, with a broken heart, and in utter despair of ever being able to make any progress. He took up an English Testament, sneaked into an English class, and rose with them to say a lesson. The master perceiving it, said in a terrific tone, "Sir, what brought you here? where is your Latin grammar?" He burst into tears, and said, with a piteous tone, I cannot learn it. He had now reason to expect all the severity of the rod: but the master, getting a little moderate, perhaps moved by his tears, contented himself with saying "Go, Sirrah, and take up your grammar: if you do not speedily get that lesson, I shall pull your ears as long as Jowler's, (a great dog belonging to the premises,) and you shall be a beggar to the day of your death." These were terrible words, and seemed to express the sentence of a ruthless and unavoidable destiny. He retired and sat down by the side of a young gentleman with whom he had been in class, but who, unable to lag behind with his dulness, requested to be separated, that he might advance by himself. Here he was received with the most bitter taunts, and poignant insults. “What! have you not learned that lesson yet? O what a stupid ass! You and I began together: you are now only in As in præsenti, and I am in Syntax !" and then with cruel mockings, began to repeat the last lesson he had learned. The effect of this was astonishing-young Clarke was roused as from a lethargy; he felt, as he expressed himself, as if something had broken within him: his mind in a moment was all light. Though he felt indescribably mortified, he did not feel indignant: what, said he to himself, shall I ever be a dunce, and the butt of those fellows' insults! He snatched up his book, in a few moments committed the lesson to memory, got the construction speedily; went up and said it, without missing a word!-took up another lesson, acquired it almost immediately, said this also without a blemish, and in the course of that day wearied the master with his so often repeated returns to say lessons; and committed to memory all the Latin verses with their English construction, in which heavy and tedious Lilly has described the four conjugations, with their rules, exceptions, &c. &c. Nothing like this had ever appeared in the school before-the boys were astonished-admiration took the place of mockings and insult, and from that hour, it may be said from that moment, he found his memory at least capable of embracing every subject

that was brought before it, and his own long sorrow was turned into instant joy!

For such a revolution in the mind of a child, it will not be easy to account. He was not idle, and though playful never wished to indulge this disposition at the expense of instruction-his own felt incapacity was a most oppressive burthen; and the anguish of his heart was evidenced by the tears which often flowed from his eyes. Reproof and punishment produced neither change nor good, for there was nothing to be corrected to which they could apply. Threatenings were equally unavailing, because there was no wilful indisposition to study and application; and the fruitless desire to learn, shewed at least the regret of the want of that ability for the acquisition of which, he would have been willing to have made any kind of sacrifices.

At last this ability was strangely acquired, but not by slow degrees; there was no conquest over inaptitude and dulness by persevering and gradual conflict; the power seemed generated in a moment, and in a moment there was a transition from darkness to light, from mental imbecility to intellectual vigour, and no means nor excitements were brought into operation but those mentioned above. The reproaches of his school-fellow were the spark which fell on the gunpowder and inflamed it instantly. The inflammable matter was there before, but the spark was wanting. This would be a proper subject for the discussion of those who write on the philosophy of the human mind.

This detail has been made the more particular, because he ever considered it as one of the most important circumstances in his life; and he has often mentioned it as a singular Providence which gave a strong characteristic colouring to his subsequent life. This account may not be unuseful to those who have the care of youth; and it may teach the masters of the rod and ferula, that these are not the instruments of instruction, though extremely proper for the correction of the obstinate and indolent ;-that motives exciting to emulation and to the prevention of disgrace may be, at least in some cases, more powerful and efficient than any punishment that can be inflicted on the flesh. A thorough study of the philosophy of the human mind and what constitutes individual character, seem essentially necessary qualifications for all those to whom the instruction of the rising generation is confided; and if this be so, there are few persons properly qualified to be competent Schoolmasters.

Let not the reader imagine from this detail, that from the time mentioned above, A. C. found no difficulty to cultivate his mind in the acquisition of knowledge; it was not so: he ever found an initial difficulty to comprehend any thing; and till he could comprehend in some measure the reason of the

thing, he could not acquire the principle itself. In this respect there was a great difference between him and his brother; the latter apprehended a subject at first sight, and knew as much of it in a short time as ever he knew after: the former was slow in apprehension and proceeded with great caution till he understood and was sure of his principles; he then proceeded with vigour, endeavouring to push those principles to the utmost of their legitimate consequences.

There was one branch of knowledge in which Adam could never make any progress; viz. Arithmetic. He was put to this when he was very young, before he was capable of comprehending its leading principles; and the elementary books then in common use were not happily conceived for the advantage of learners. Fisher's Arithmetic, was that out of which he learned the five common rules, and in it the examples in many cases are far from being distinct, and are often not well constructed to shew the principles of the rule which they are intended to illustrate. What can a child make of the following question in Multiplication :-" In ninety-eight casks of capers, each 3cwt. 3qrs. 14lbs., how many hundreds ?" This was a question with which he was grievously puzzled, and which when he had mastered, he thought he had performed a work of no small magnitude.

The depressed state of this Family has already been referred to, and in such a way as not to leave the Reader any great hope of its emerging and rising to affluence: this was never the case. Still, however, the best provision was made for the education of the two only sons, which the disadvantageous circumstances of the family could afford.

But how true is the saying of an eminent poet :

Haud facile emergunt quorum virtutibus obstat
Res angusta domi.-

Slowly they rise whose virtues are oppressed
By hard distress at home.

Mr. Clarke had always a small farm, this was necessary for the support of a large family; his professional labours being inadequately remunerated at best, and often ill repaid by the parents of his pupils. It has no doubt been already perceived that Mr. C.'s school was of a mixed nature. He taught by himself alone, Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic, comprising Bookkeeping, Trigonometry, and Navigation; together with the Greek and Latin classics. The price at which each was taught may be reputed a curiosity :—

Reading, 1d. per week; Writing, 2d.; Writing and Accompts, 4d.; and Greek and Latin 7s. per quarter. These were the highest terms in that country in the latter end of the eighteenth century.

Should it be supposed that the work was proportioned to the wages, it may safely be asserted, it was not. Mr. C. was a good penman, few, if any classical scholars superior: he was thoroughly acquainted with arithmetic, and taught it well; and of his classical knowledge, his son Adam, no mean judge in a matter of this nature, has been heard to say, "I have known many of more splendid literary talents than my father, many who could shine more pro re nata, in Greek and Latin learning; but a more correct scholar I never knew." Many persons of considerable eminence in all departments of science and literature were educated by Mr. Clarke,-Clergymen, Presbyterian Ministers and Popish Priests; Lawyers, Surgeons, Physicians, and Schoolmasters.

From this statement it will appear, that he required something to help out the deficiencies of his school, for the support of a numerous family: Agriculture, as has already been observed, of which he was particularly fond, was that to which he had recourse. On a peculiarly ungrateful soil, which he held for many years, he bestowed much of his own labour both early and late, this was the only time he had; for both in summer and winter he entered his school precisely at eight in the morning, which he continued till eight in the evening in summer, and till near four in the depth of winter. From May till September, he allowed one hour for dinner: during the rest of the year the school was continued without any intermission. He had only two vacations in the year, amounting to three weeks in the whole; eight days at Easter and a fortnight at Christmas. Before and after school hours was the only time in which he could do any thing in his little farm; the rest of the labor, except in those times when several hands must be employed to plant and sow, or gather in the kindly fruits of the earth, was performed, with very little foreign assistance, by his two sons. This cramped their education; but, Omnia vincit improbus labor; the two brothers went day about to school, and he who had the advantage of the day's instruction gained and remembered all he could, and imparted on his return to him who continued in the farm, all the knowledge that he had acquired in the day. Thus they were alternately instructers and scholars, and each taught and learned for the other. This was making the best of their circumstances, and such a plan is much more judicious and humane than that which studies to make one son a scholar, while the others, equally worthy of attention, are made the drudges of the family, whereby jealousies and family feuds are often generated. Their Father, who was a great admirer of the Georgics of VIRGIL, the finest production of the finest Poet that ever lived, -without particularly calculating that the agricultural rules in that elegant work, were in many respects applicable only to the soil and climate of Italy, Lat. 45, applied them in a widely