第 21 节
作者:
嘟嘟 更新:2021-04-30 16:07 字数:9322
life; but after twelve or thirteen years of age; provided the
master does his duty; force or restraint can scarce ever be
necessary to carry on any part of education。 Such is the
generosity of the greater part of young men; that; so far from
being disposed to neglect or despise the instructions of their
master; provided he shows some serious intention of being of use
to them; they are generally inclined to pardon a great deal of
incorrectness in the performance of his duty; and sometimes even
to conceal from the public a good deal of gross negligence。
Those parts of education; it is to be observed; for the
teaching of which there are no public institutions; are generally
the best taught。 When a young man goes to a fencing or a dancing
school; he does not indeed always learn to fence or to dance very
well; but he seldom fails of learning to fence or to dance。 The
good effects of the riding school are not commonly so evident。
The expense of a riding school is so great; that in most places
it is a public institution。 The three most essential parts of
literary education; to read; write; and account; it still
continues to be more common to acquire in private than in public
schools; and it very seldom happens that anybody fails of
acquiring them to the degree in which it is necessary to acquire
them。
In England the public schools are much less corrupted than
the universities。 In the schools the youth are taught; or at
least may be taught; Greek and Latin; that is; everything which
the masters pretend to teach; or which; it is expected; they
should teach。 In the universities the youth neither are taught;
nor always can find any proper means of being taught; the
sciences which it is the business of those incorporated bodies to
teach。 The reward of the schoolmaster in most cases depends
principally; in some cases almost entirely; upon the fees or
honoraries of his scholars。 Schools have no exclusive privileges。
In order to obtain the honours of graduation; it is not necessary
that a person should bring a certificate of his having studied a
certain number of years at a public school。 If upon examination
he appears to understand what is taught there; no questions are
asked about the place where he learnt it。
The parts of education which are commonly taught in
universities; it may; perhaps; be said are not very well taught。
But had it not been for those institutions they would not have
been commonly taught at all; and both the individual and the
public would have suffered a good deal from the want of those
important parts of education。
The present universities of Europe were originally; the
greater part of them; ecclesiastical corporations; instituted for
the education of churchmen。 They were founded by the authority of
the Pope; and were so entirely under his immediate protection;
that their members; whether masters or students; had all of them
what was then called the benefit of clergy; that is; were
exempted from the civil jurisdiction of the countries in which
their respective universities were situated; and were amenable
only to the ecclesiastical tribunals。 What was taught in the
greater part of those universities was suitable to the end of
their institution; either theology; or something that was merely
preparatory to theology。
When Christianity was first established by law; a corrupted
Latin had become the common language of all the western parts of
Europe。 The service of the church accordingly; and the
translation of the Bible which was read in churches; were both in
that corrupted Latin; that is; in the common language of the
country。 After the irruption of the barbarous nations who
overturned the Roman empire; Latin gradually ceased to be the
language of any part of Europe。 But the reverence of the people
naturally preserves the established forms and ceremonies of
religion long after the circumstances which first introduced and
rendered them reasonable are no more。 Though Latin; therefore;
was no longer understood anywhere by the great body of the
people; the whole service of the church still continued to be
performed in that language。 Two different languages were thus
established in Europe; in the same manner as in ancient Egypt; a
language of the priests; and a language of the people; a sacred
and a profane; a learned and an unlearned language。 But it was
necessary that the priests should understand something of that
sacred and learned language in which they were to officiate; and
the study of the Latin language therefore made; from the
beginning; an essential part of university education。
It was not so with that either of the Greek or of the Hebrew
language。 The infallible decrees of the church had pronounced the
Latin translation of the Bible; commonly called the Latin
Vulgate; to have been equally dictated by divine inspiration; and
therefore of equal authority with the Greek and Hebrew originals。
The knowledge of those two languages; therefore; not being
indispensably requisite to a churchman; the study of them did not
for a long time make a necessary part of the common course of
university education。 There are some Spanish universities; I am
assured; in which the study of the Greek language has never yet
made any part of that course。 The first reformers found the Greek
text of the New Testament; and even the Hebrew text of the Old;
more favorable to their opinions than the Vulgate translation;
which; as might naturally be supposed; had been gradually
accommodated to support the doctrines of the Catholic Church。
They set themselves; therefore; to expose the many errors of that
translation; which the Roman Catholic clergy were thus put under
the necessity of defending or explaining。 But this could not well
be done without some knowledge of the original languages; of
which the study was therefore gradually introduced into the
greater part of universities; both of those which embraced; and
of those which rejected; the doctrines of the Reformation。 The
Greek language was connected with every part of that classical
learning which; though at first principally cultivated by
Catholics and Italians; happened to come into fashion much about
the same time that the doctrines of the Reformation were set on
foot。 In the greater part of universities; therefore; that
language was taught previous to the study of philosophy; and as
soon as the student had made some progress in the Latin。 The
Hebrew language having no connection with classical learning;
and; except the Holy Scriptures; being the language of not a
single book in any esteem; the study of it did not commonly
commence till after that of philosophy; and when the student had
entered upon the study of theology。
Originally the first rudiments both of the Greek and Latin
languages were taught in universities; and in some universities
they still continue to be so。 In others it is expected that the
student should have previously acquired at least the rudiments of
one or both of those languages; of which the study continues to
make everywhere a very considerable part of university education。
The ancient Greek philosophy was divided into three great
branches; physics; or natural philosophy; ethics; or moral
philosophy; and logic。 This general division seems perfectly
agreeable to the nature of things。
The great phenomena of nature… the revolutions of the
heavenly bodies; eclipses; comets; thunder; lightning; and other
extraordinary meteors; the generation; the life; growth; and
dissolution of plants and animals… are objects which; as they
necessarily excite the wonder; so they naturally call forth the
curiosity; of mankind to inquire into their causes。 Superstition
first attempted to satisfy this curiosity; by referring all those
wonderful appearances to the immediate agency of the gods。
Philosophy afterwards endeavoured to account for them from more
familiar causes; or from such as mankind were better acquainted
with; than the agency of the gods。 As those great phenomena are
the first objects of human curiosity; so the science which
pretends to explain them must naturally have been the first
branch of philosophy that was cultivated。 The first philosophers;
accordingly; of whom history has preserved any account; appear to
have been natural philosophers。
In every age and country of the world men must have attended
to the characters; designs; and actions of one another; and many
reputable rules and maxims for the conduct of human life must
have been laid down and approved of by common consent。 As soon as
writing came into fashion; wise men; or those who fancied
themselves such; would naturally endeavour to increase the number
of those established and respected maxims; and to express their
own sense of what was either proper or improper conduct;
sometimes in the more artificial form of apologues; like what are
called the fa