468 REFLECTIONS AT PARTING. "tilted o'er the waves," as Milton picturesquely expresses it; but those ponderous hulks are fixed to one spot and rest as on an immoveable foundation. There are immense warehouses on shore also, not unlike paper-mills, where, from their shelved construction, the wind passes through and through, drying most effectually what is placed in so airy a position. Most commendable it is in our government to take this precaution respecting health, the most invaluable of all earthly blessings. The plague which visited THE BRITISH METROPOLIS, in 1665, and destroyed thousands of its inhabitants, was conveyed in a bale of goods from Turkey! Of so much importance is it, in the first instance, to take every possible precaution for the safety of the community. I shall conclude this Epistle with remarking, that the Youth of both sexes formed the majority of our company. Their cheerful manners, indeed, contributed to the hilarity of the day. The tide was rapidly bearing us back to the point whence we in the morning started, and Night, with her sable mantle, was gradually concealing the face of nature from our view. We talked of the pleasantness of our voyage and regretted our approaching separation. :. A few reflections at parting may be acceptable, on the natural qualities of youth, on the advantages of education to youth, and on the best means of rendering happy the rising generation. Such a CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUTH. 469 FAREWELL will not be deemed an irrelevant con clusion BLYTHSOME GODDESS-sprightly YOUTH, Source of Innocence and Truth, Fairest virtues form thy train, Valour's gen'rous ardent flame 470 EDUCATION OF YOUTH. Thine the jocund spirits gay, Dancing suns that round thee play, These, enchanting YOUTH, are thine! Mrs. Moody. I am happy, after twenty years' experience in the Education of youth, to sanction this pleasing enumeration of the virtues by which the RISING GENERATION are distinguished. No employ is more honourable and delightful than training up young people in knowledge, in virtue, and in piety. I never will admit that our nature is altogether corrupted and debased. We are, indeed, weak and imperfect creatures. But with all our degeneracy there are left sufficient traces of our original grandeur and glory! The broken arch and the prostrate column indicate the magnificence of the edifice when first dismissed from the hands of the builder. Human nature is PALMYRA in ruins! By the rays of science the UNDERSTANDING is still capable of being invigorated, and by the discipline of the passions THE HEART may be rendered susceptible of a capacious and generous enlargement What joy! whilst YOUTH its aid supplies Of Sages and of Warriors dead ADVANTAGES OF EDUCATION. In soft attention catch the sound And with TIBULLUS melt in love, ROSCOE. 471 The teacher of youth hath noble materials with which to rear his intellectual edifice. Notwithstanding the occasional deterioration of prejudice and passion, MAN is the workmanship of God. Natural good qualities lead to correct moral feeling; correct moral feeling generates virtuous habits, and virtuous habits may (under the blessing of Heaven) terminate in a rational piety. EDUCATION, rousing the dormant energies of nature, furnishes man with materials for thinking, and teaches him to make the best use of them. Enlightening the mind, regulating the temper, and disciplining the heart, it at ennobles the individual, and confers a permanent blessing upon the community. Much has been said of the advantages of EDUCATION-which are extolled by every civilized nation under heaven. By none are these benefits depreciated, except by the besottedly ignorant, or by the savage who roams the wilderness as a beast of prey! The more intelligent of the human race know its advan 472 PROGRESSION OF HUMAN LIFE. tages, and hold them in due estimation. Revelation represents men as the offspring of God. Education, therefore, which developes and matures the faculties of rational beings, is sanctioned by the doctrines and precepts of CHRISTIANITY. The prominent trait of HUMAN LIFE is its progression. Time, measured out by the luminaries of heaven, suggests the idea to every thinking being. Thus Life is compared to a DAY, which has its Morning full of vigour, its Noon invested with a meridian glory, and its Evening known by its mild termination! Life is also said to resemble the four Seasons of the YEAR; having Spring scattering its seeds, Summer bringing them to maturity, and Autumn sober and abundant, whilst Winter stands frowning with desolation! Nor should it be forgotten, that Life has been likened to a JOURNEY, having its commencement, its middle stage, and its termination. But whether our condition of being resembles a Day or a Year, or a Journey, the chief trait may be pronounced-its PROGRESSION! This idea suggests an important consideration. Each state should be stamped by its distinctive character, and made preparatory to each other. The Seasons of the YEAR are a striking exemplification. Spring is the seed time, Summer the period of maturity, and Autumn gathers the fruit into the garner. When the PROGRESSIVE SEASONS are thus cultivated, ample provision is made for the ravages of Winter! And if Youth be duly improved, MANHOOD will be respectable, and OLD AGE fraught with its appropriate enjoyment. Such should be the |