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

_andLETTERSj TRACTS, lift*.^OJthey occur to me, without following your order, oreven attempting, to obferve any fort of method.But firil I will frankly acknowledge that tlr^re Isnothing -extravagant in the plan which you propofc vit might very cafily be executed, and v/ould be of un-Thi-o is not the firil time I havefpeakable ad'v^antage.thought of tlvi nrattcr : I firmly believe that if fomc.fuch courfe of education had b.>^n delivered for theli:".fifty air fixty" years paft, our country at this day wouldhave been in a Hate of improvement v/hich it cannpt«.arrive at for many years to come-But the propofed academy would he far more com-fuch as horfe-plete, if fome of the genteel exerclfes,manfhip, were taught at it. This, as I have heard,is already done at Perth, and furely it is as neceiTary,may be done as eafily, at Glafgow. Though theart of fitting firmly and gracefully on horfeback hasbeen much neglected, it is a valuable and manly pieceof education. The things you mention are very fuitableto us ; but if they are now to be taught, provisionfhould be made for teaching this alfo.I mufl alfo grant to you, that tJie things taught,and the manner of teaching them pra£^ifed at prefentin univerfitles, are liable to much cenfure.Thecafe is.fufEciently underilood, even by thofe v/ho areunwilling to confefs the truth of it. Without allqueftion, education might eafiJy be put upon a muchmore advantageous footing. 1 have heard fo manygood judges, and indeed every one that I converfcwith, of this opinion, that I fuppofe there are but veryfev/ who will offer to difpute the point with you. Byall that I can learn, it is almolt the uiiiverfal opinionin this place, that if we would expecl any generalbenefit from a courfe of fchool education, either theplan that is purfued in the univerfity muit be greatlyaltered, or fome other proper method of educationmud be fallen upon.Remark i. But whether your letter is wrote 'in thec c ^