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

LETTERS, TRACTS, Iffc. 2*]verfation, and free us from the imputation of ignorance.What thefe branches of knowledge are it is notdifficult to fee ;pra6tical mathematics, hiftory in general,the hiftory of our own country, and of thofein the neighbourhood, or with which we carry oncommerce, natural hiftory, geography, the hiftory ofcommerce, and pra61;ical morality. Were there anydoubt about the parts of fcience that are propereftto be taught us, it might be removed by obferving,that thofe of us who are ftudious naturally apply tofome of the branches we have juft mentioned. Manyin this city, without any advantages in their youth,have by their own good fenfe and the dint of application,made a very confiderable progrefs in the knowledgeof hiftory, belles lettres, and mathematics j butwe know none who ever turned their heads to idealentities, or to quibble fyllogifms. And if wp had anopportunity of fuch a courfe of education, our citywould foon ftiow to the world, that the defire andtafte of ufeful and attainable knowledge are as generalamong us as in any other city whatfoever, that isbut equally populous.Some eight or ten years ago, the principal andprofeflbrs of the Marifhal College at Aberdeen, " inorder to render the ftudy of the fciences more naturaland progrefiivc, did unanimoufly agree to departfrom the old plan, and from that time forth to obfervea very different order. They continued indeedto teach the claflical learning as formerly, but infteadof logic and metaphyfics, they appointed that year tobe fpent in teaching hiftory, geography, chronology,an introduction to natural hiftory •, and that all theftudents of that clafs fliould attend the leflbns of theprofeflbr of mathematics : That the next year be employedin natural phiiofophy, and the laws of matterand motion ; in mechanics, hydroftatlcs, pneumatics,optics, and aftronomy ; and that the laft year of thecourfe be allowed to the ftudy cf the abftraCl fciences.