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

X-ETTERS, TRACTS, iSfC.3ItA diverfion fomewhat fimilar to this has beengiven by many teachers, fmce the revival of learningin Europe. One either invented or patched up afyftem, and gravely employed himfelf in teaching andrepeating it over every year, as if there had not beenmany other things that were more generally ufeful,and many books that had as much merit as what hehad invented or fet together. Difcerning people faw,that at any rate he was paying a very great complimentto himfelf ; and yet, for fever a 1 age^, there hasbeen a fucceffion of teachers who all followed muchthe fame track, each of them in his own particularway. There feem.s to have been fome fafcination inthis matter : For if, after fome years experience, anyone of them found, that there was not above one inten who underftood what he efteemed fo much, hemufl have been defperately, and over head and earsbewitched with his notions, if he (till continued toinfill principally upon them. Could any thing havebrought him to think juffcly of his favourite fyftem,it would have been his own obfervation, that it was,and muft have been unintelligible j fince, in many repeatedtrials, he himfelf was incapable to throw lightupon it, or to make his fchoiars comprehend it>I have fonietimes thought, that the things taughtin our univerfities ought to pe afcertained and fixedby law, and altered according to the neceffity of thetimes. A number of wife and good men mightpitch upon thofe parts of fcience which are moffc iike-^ly to render the youth ufeful, and to warm theirhearts with the love of virtue ; and each profefibrmight have his particular part affigned him which hewas invariably to keep by. Sornething like this feemsto have been done at the founding of univerfities : Itis done in England with refpe£^ to the grammar theretaught, and feems, at leaft, full as nece iTary with refpe£lto philofophy : For, as I faid before, it is, andwas ever thought odd enough to fee a profeilbr la-