They are unqualified for appreciating inteller tual instruction and moral habits, and have no higher ideas of the progress of education, than what arise from the circumstance of their children being transferred from one book to another; and hence, they frequently complain, that their children are learning nothing, because no tasks are assigned them, and no books put into their hands. But, it ought to be generally understood, that the art of reading is not the main object of attention in such seminaries, and that they would be of incalculable importance, even although the children were unable to recognize a single letter of the alphabet. At the same time, the knowledge of the letters and elementary sounds, and the art of spelling and reading, are acquired in these schools-almost in the way of an amusement-with more facility and pleasure than on any plans formerly adopted.

In throwing out the above remarks, I have all along taken for granted that infant schools are conducted by men of prudence and intelligence. It is not sufficient for insuring the beneficial effects of these institutions, that the individuals who superintend them have been instructed in the mode of conducting their mechanical arrangements. They ought to be persons of good sense, of benevolent dispositions, having their minds thoroughly imbued with the principles of Christianity, of an easy, communicative turn, and possessed of all that knowledge of history, art, and science, which they can possibly acquire. For no one can communicate more knowledge to others than what he has himself acquired; and no teacher can render a subject interesting to the young, unless he has acquired a comprehensive and familiar acquaintance with it. In order to secure efficient teachers for these establishments, normal schools, or other seminaries, would require to be established, in which candidates for the office of infant teachers might be instructed, not only in the mode of conducting such institutions, but in all the popular branches of useful knowledge. For, upon the intelligence, as well as the prudence and moral disposition, of the teachers, the efficiency of infant seminaries will in a great measure depend.

The first idea of infant schools appears to have been suggested by the asylums provided by Mr. Owen, of New Lanark, for the infant children of the people who were employed at his spinning-mills. Mr. Buchanan, under whose superintendence they were placed, was soon after invited to London, and a school was opened under his direction and management, on Brewer's Green, Westminster, which was established and patronized by H. Brougham, Esq. M. P., the Marquis of

Lansdowne, Zachary Macauley, Esq., Benjamin Smith, Esq., Joseph Wilson, Esq., and about eight or nine other philanthropic gentlemen. Mr. Wilson soon afterwards established one at his own expense in Quaker Street, Spitalfields. He built the schoolroom, and supplied everything that was necessary; and, on the 24th July, 1820, the school was opened. On the first day, 26 children were admitted, on the next day 21, and, in a very short time, the number of children amounted to 220, all of whom came forward unsolicited. Mr. Wilderspin, who has since distinguished himself by his unwearied zeal in promoting the establishment of such institutions, was appointed teacher. The Rev. Mr. Wilson, brother to J. Wilson, Esq., above mentioned, next established a similar school at Walthamstow, of which parish he was vicar; and an excellent lady, Miss Neave, opened one in Palmer's village, Westminster, for 160 children. In Duncan Street, Liverpool, the Society of Friends established, soon after, a very large one, and, in one day, collected among themselves, for this purpose, no less than one thousand pounds. All these schools were attended with complete success. A few years afterwards, namely, on the 1st of June, 1824, the Infant School Society was organized, at a meeting held at Freemason's Hall, London. The meeting was addressed, and powerful speeches delivered on the occasion, by the Marquis of Lansdowne, Mr. Brougham, late Lord Chancellor, Mr. Smith, M. P., Mr. Wilberforce, Sir J. Mackintosh, W. Allen, Esq., Dr. Thorp, Dr. Lushington, the Rev. E. Irving, and others; and, before the meeting had separated, a subscription, amounting to upwards of £700, was collected.

Since the above period, infant schools have been established in most of the populous towns, and even in some of the villages, of the British Empire; and, wherever they have been conducted with prudence and intelligence, have uniformly been accompanied with many interesting and beneficial effects. They have also been established in many towns on the continent of Europe, and even in Southern Africa, and in the Peninsula of Hindostan. The enlightened inhabitants of the Northern States of America, who eagerly seize on every scheme by which moral and intellectual in provement may be promoted, are now rapidly establishing such institutions, along with Maternal Associations, throughout every portion of their increasing and widely-spreading population; and, I trust, they will soon be introduced into every nation under heaven. But, before society at large feel the full influence of such seminaries, they will require to be multiplied nearly a hundred-fold beyond the number that presently exists.

of these plots, as G H, might be allotted for the classification of certain plants, as illustra tions of some of the principles of botany. They might be arranged into 24 compartments, as in the figure, each exhibiting a different class of plants. The remainder of the plot, particularly that portion of it immediately in front of the school-house, might be smoothed and gravelled for a play-ground, and be accommodated with a few seats, or forms, and an apparatus for gymnastic exercises. 6. Behind the building, two water-closets, I K, should be erected, one for boys, and another for girls, separated by a wall or partition. The roof of the building should be flat, and paved with flag-stones, and surrounded with a parapet, three or four feet high. The pavement of the roof should be formed so as to have a slight slope towards one corner, so that the rain which falls upon it may be collected in

a

large barrel, or cistern, placed underneath. An outside stair conducting to the roof may be erected at the posterior part of the building.

This flat roof is intended as a stage, to which: the pupils may be occasionally conducted, for the purpose of surveying the terrestrial landscape, of having their attention directed to the several objects of which it is composed, and of listening to descriptions of their nature, positions, properties, and aspects,—and likewise for the purpose of occasionally surveying the apparent motions of the stars, and of viewing the moon and planets through telescopes.

Such are some of the external accommodations which every village school ought to possess. The plan here presented, is not intended as a model to be generally copied, but merely as exhibiting the requisite conveniences and accommodations-the plan of which may be varied at pleasure, according to the taste of architects, or the superintendents of education. The plot of ground should not, if possible, in any case, be much less than what is here specified; but where ground can be easily procured, it may be enlarged to an indefinite extent. I do not hesitate to suggest, that even two or three acres of land might, with propriety, be devoted to this object. In this case, it might be laid out in the form of an orna❤ mental pleasure ground, with straight and serpentine walks, seats, bowers, and the various trees and shrubs peculiar to the climate. In these walks, or bowers, busts might be placed of such characters as Bacon, Newton, Boyle, Penn, Washington, Franklin, Pascal, Howard, Clarkson, Wilberforce, and Venning, and particularly of those who in early life were distinguished for knowledge and virtue. At every short interval, sentences, expressing some important truth, or moral maxim, should be inscribed on posts erected for the purpose such as, God is everywhere present.His Wis dom and Goodness shine in all his works.Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart.-Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.-Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you.The Lord is good to all; He maketh his sun to arise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust God resisteth the proud, but bestoweth favour on the humble.Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord. The lip of truth shall be established for ever; but lying lips are only for a moment.-To be virtuous, we must strive against many of our inclinations and desires.-The remembrance of virtuous actions is the most delightful consola tion of old age.-An industrious and virtuous education of children is a better inheritance than a great estate. The first step to knowledge is to be sensible of our own ignorance and defects.-Wisdom is better than riches.-Virtue and good behaviour are naturally productive

such exhibitions, in order that the positions of the countries, where the different objects are to be found, may be pointed out. These pic torial representations may be hung around the walls, or on posts, fitted up for that purpose, in such numbers as the allotted spaces will conveniently contain.-The specimens of natural history may be arranged around the walls of the school in presses, with wire or glass doors, so that the greater part of them may be exposed to view; and the apparatus and other articles may be deposited, when not in use, in the two large presses or closets formerly mentioned.

Although the various articles now alluded to could not be procured all at once, yet they might gradually be increased, and a considerable variety of them would doubtless be obtained in the way of donations from the private museums of liberal and philanthropic individuals in the vicinity around; and many of the little urchins who attend the school would rejoice in being instrumental in adding whatever they could procure to augment the splendour and variety of the museum.

There is one very simple instrument, not hitherto duly appreciated, which might be rendered subservient both to the amusement and the instruction of the young; and that is, the Optical Diagonal Machine, for viewing perspective engravings. This instrument, as sold by opticians, consists of a pedestal, somewhat resembling a large mahogany candlestick, having a plain mirror and a convex lens moveable at the top. The print to be viewed is placed on a table, before the instrument, in an inverted position. But this form of the instrument generally produces but a very slender effect, owing partly to the small diameter of the lens commonly used, and partly to the circumstance, that the engraving is generally visible to the eye, at the same time the observer is viewing its magnified image through the machine. To obviate those defects, about seventeen years ago, I fitted up a machine of this kind on another and more simple plan, of which the following is a brief description. It consists of the following parts: -1. A box made of thin deal, 2 feet deep, 2 feet long, and 1 foot broad, open in front. 2. In the side opposite to the opening, and near the top, a circular hole, about 6 inches in diameter, is cut, into which a tube containing the lens is put, capable of being moved an inch or two backwards or forwards. The convex lens is 5 inches diameter, and 20 inches focal distance, and its centre is about 20 inches above the bottom of the box. 3. The reflecting mirror-which is 12 inches long and 8 inches broad, and which should be formed of the best English plate glass the longest dimension being perpendicular to

the horizon. This mirror is suspended, in mediately before the lens, on two pieces of wood connected with a cross bar, which is capable of being moved backwards or forwards to its proper distance from the lens; and the mirror itself moves on two pivots like a common dressing-glass, so as to stand at any required angle. When the instrument is properly adjusted, the mirror should stand at half a right angle to the horizon. The top of the box opens by means of a hinge, to afford a facility for adjusting the mirror. The perspective views are placed on the bottom of the box, parallel with the horizon, and in an inverted position with respect to the eye of the observer. The engravings should be at least 17 inches long and 11 inches broad, exclusive of the margins, and coloured after nature. This instrument, thus fitted up, is greatly superior to the one commonly in use, as nothing is seen but the magnified image of the objects, and no conception can be formed of them to distract the attention, till the observer actually looks through the instrument. Every person who has looked through this instrument, has at once admitted its superiority to those of the common construction, and many individuals have got similar machines fitted up after this pattern. It may be fitted up at an expense not exceeding eighteen or twenty shillings; that is, nine shillings for the lens, seven shillings for the mirror, and two or three shillings for the box.

The following figures will convey some idea of this construction of the instrument. Fig. 1. represents a profile of the machine, one of the sides of the box being supposed to be removed. A is the mirror, standing at half a right angle to the lens and the picture, Fig. 1. Fig. 2.

with its back turned to the eye. B is the lens, fixed either in a tube or in a hole cut out of the side of the box next the eye. Ꮯ D is the bottom of the box, on which the perspectives are placed. E F is the top of the box, from which the mirror is suspended. Fig. 2 represents a view of the back of the box, or that part which is next the eye when the observer is viewing the prints, in which I represents the lens by which the prints are magnified.