The works of the Rev. William Thom, late minister ... - waughfamily.ca

•everL'ETTEKS, TRACTS, IS V.*26'^eohfumed one whole feiTion at the univerfity and partof another. Thefe arts or fciences (for it is not yetagreed which of them they are) are to the greatefcpart of ftudents quite uninteUigible ; and if they couldbe underftood, v/e cannot for our Hfe difcover theirufe.Nature has made ctUto be got ',tlie chief pleafures of hfe eafy{he has alfo made all that knowledge whichis generally ufeful eafy to be attained : Did men ob-'ferve this, they would foon difcover what is the knowledge-they ought to acquire and teach ; but it has unluckilyhappened, that o^iany who ought to have beenwifer have ever negle6ied that knowledge which inobvious and ufeful, and have puzzled their brains toget what is difficult, metaphyfical, and ufelefs : Fromthe difficulty they have found in acquiring it, they''have concluded it muft be important, and have takenmuch pleafure in conveying it to others ; but if thefelearned gentlemen would but attend a little, theywould foon fee the unprofitablenefs of what they areaccuftomedfo much to magnify. What ordinarycompany, what company of gentlemen is it Vv'heremetaphyfical difputes or the logic of the fchools arefo much as mentioned ? Will a gentleman, bythe deepeft fkill in them, make the better figure inthe Houfe of Commons, or appear with the more dig-.'*nity at the bar Willhis eloquence in the pulpit bethe more perfuafive, or will he be the better Ikilled inthe animal economy ? Will metaphyfics infpire himwith devotion, give him a higher relifli of virtue, orenable him to a6l with greater propriety in life ? Orwill the knowledge of them be of any advantage tothe farmer, the archite6^, or the merchant ? We ap-|>rehend, that none of thefe queflions can be anfweredin the affirmative.And mufl acquirements, that arefo confefledly of no uie in life, that are never fo muchas talked of in good company, walle a year or two ofa young man's time.''Is.''life fo long Isztime of fo