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** Fragments of Lord Bacon, continued.<

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UN ((FROM THE BEE.—AUGUST 7. 1793.) ▼ 36 Of

Art of life, in habits of attention and observano tion. Cu a oblaɔ m

23.10 bom sd 10 ago MÁ DNE ***WHEN reason, industry, and experience, builds upon nature, we may expect Pyramids; but where the foundation is artificial, nothing that is great or

durable.

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Nature is often hidden, sometimes overcome, seldom extinguished.

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Force makes nature more violent in the rebound from constraint; long custom only doth alter and subdue it to the reasonable and social purposes of life, which is mainly visible in getting, keeping, and quickening the habitudes of observation and attention, which rise more sure and orderly from the nature of man and from time, than from pedantick in stitution.

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Touching our early years, we do not rightly appretiate the wisdom of God in giving unto children the insatiable love of variety, and of handling and examining every thing that is subjected unto their view. >V

It is then that the human microcosm is rising out of chaos, and that the spirit of curio

sity sits brooding upon the face of the deep, to bring forth the infinite variety of the human nature; and this grand operation, tho' it may be somewhat directed by education, or the drawing forth of the human powers, ought not to be in any wise obstructed or precoceously directed to artificial considerations.

This exercise of natural curiosity produceth in children what may be called foreign travel, and knowledge of the world, on which the whole of the future excellence of the man is to be formed and established; and during this exercise, "if it is not preposterously and fool"ishly disturbed by parents, guardians, or pedagogues," the habitudes of attention and observation are acquired and confirmed.

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This is the first grand principle of a novum arganum educationis, which after ages, loosed from the trammels of prejudice, will evince and establish.

It hath been a complaint universal among all who charge themselves with education, "that the difficulty of obtaining and fixing "the continued attention of children to learn"ing, baffleth all their endeavours; and that "while the book is in their hand, their "thoughts are engaged in plays that are past, "or plays that are looked for, when the irk"some task of the hour, or of the day, is ac complished

Now the question herein plainly occurreth which may be quickly answered: 0

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Whether is the Creator of the child, the great God of the universe, or the silly parent i and pedagogue, the proper judge of what in clination the child ought to have in common with all other children for the fitting of the whole future man for fulfilling the intention » of his creation?o Judayaga qa 976 (ant Certainly what we foolishly call a disposizi tion in the child to trifle, and disregard our? discourses and instructions, is no other than the b far superior, more interesting, more useful, o important, and delectable instruction whichoe the

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e child is hourly, daily, and perpetually rem ceiving from the book of nature, and from the author of nature, in the visible, audible, sand tangible, objects of creation, which by infinite multiplications, combinations, divisions, and re-unions of impressed notions, are verifying by experience the right knowledge of exter nal objects, and forming that complex rational being, which, when duly improved in after times, is to be truly entitled to the appellation of man.

Now what sort of attention would you expect from Galileo Galilei, or from Keplerus, to an impertinent schoolman who should pester them with pneumatological discussions, whilst they were examining and exploring the stars of the Medicis, or the laws of the hea venly orbits?

Do you think they would sit contentedly to listen to the jargon of the schools, while

every moment was offering or presenting to their wondering perception some new appearance of delectable novelty? -*

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Can we then marvel at the inattention of children, occupied as they are by the irrisistable power of young desire, and charmed as they are, with the enjoyment of new and delightful acquaintance with surrounding nature, for which the author of that nature has en dowed them with the inexterminable instinct of tetriosity the Palladium of human rea song and that which in its greatness setteth man so peculiarly at the head of animated pature.on

We shall generally find, that what is called genius, or an uncommon reach of novelty in thought and invention among men, is no other than the fruit of the unshackled powers of the understanding, working by attention, observation, and comparison, the habitude of which hath been obtained by following that which peculiarly tickleth and delighteth the imagi nation or the understanding.

It is this which leadeth some men into enterprises, that are never so much as thought of by such as be guided in the trammels of pe dantic institution, and from whence we see that most of our notable discoveries have been due unto men that have sprung from the earth, like the teeth of Cadmus, and have not been reared in the hot beds of pedantic semi

naries.

Unto a common and careless observer, a

rich meadow seemeth to consist of nought but grass, daisies, butter-flowers, and some wellknown weeds that do infest the pastures; but unto him who hath once been drawn to examine the diversity of plants which grow. therein, a short time will exhibit to his de lighted and wondering eye, a variety increa-: sing with the curiosity and intensity of obser

vation.

Now to foster this disposition, is a grand object both in the art of education and in the art of life, both with respect to the natural and the moral world.

The habitude of attention and observation, when it hath for its scope the almost infinite variety of humane character and conduct, will render more and more perfect, that notable, wisdom which enableth a man to discern the real dispositions of his fellows, their secret ins tentions, their weak and their strong sides, their qualities and prejudices, and to know how to apply himself to please others, and yet to avoid the dangers arising from selfishness and treachery, a wisdom truly that is nowise crooked, and may be honestly conjoined unto moral virtue..

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The eye and the ear, when duly accustomed to observe all the movements of the coun tenance, and the gesticulations of the body, together with the various modulation of the voice and accent, will be able to discern the slightest approaches to envy, malevolence, cir cumvention, and treachery; and if the guard

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