A New and Appropriate System of Education for the Labouring People; Elucidated and Explained, According to the Plan Which Has Been Established

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1806 edition. Excerpt: ... inatized for the children of the poor in Westminster, it will be seen that in addition to the advantages which the pupils are expected to derive, an attempt is made, through the medium of this institution, to contribute to the reform of the parents. It is much to be lamented, that many of them are ignorant, and extremely ill educated, while not a few are, most unfortunately for their offspring, immoral and profligate. The great object, therefore, is to steel the children's minds against the evil examples which are too frequently before them. These details are also given with a view to induce respectable and philanthropic individuals in the other parishes in the metropolis, and indeed all over Great Britain and Ireland, to adopt a similar cheap mode of education, with a view to embrace as great a portion of the children of the poor as may fall within the compass of private benevolence, that, if possible, the manners and morals of the rising generation may (at least to a certain extent) be improved, and their condition ameliorated by habits of sobriety, industry, and virtue. It is scarce possible to conceive a mode whereby a greater benefit can be conferred 4 on the state, or on the community at large. It embraces almost every object that is useful and important in political economy. This exposition evinces how much could be done for a very inconsiderable sum of money; since 1000 children may be nearly as well taught, according to this system, and at no greater expense, than the small number of 30 or 40, who are clothed and fed at foundation charity schools, while both are upon a par in point of religious, moral, and all other useful instruction, when they grow up to an adult state. Great errors are often committed, and much money wasted in...