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EDUCATION OF THE POOR. "Just education forms the man." GAY. Mr. URBAN, Feb. 1.

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" bountiful eye" sees the poor, and the "benevolent heart" feels for them, as brethren, who contain within them the common excellent nature, intelligent minds, and capacities for improvement. The truth and liberality of this sentiment, to the honour of the age and country in which we live, is spreading through the kingdom, from the worthiest motives, the warmest hearts, and with the most extraordinary promptitude and energy, to ameliorate the condition of the poor, from the pressures of extreme poverty, to a practical system of intelJectual culture and proficiency. It is only to develope talents, in order to improve them; and it is not too much to say, we may expect, from the obscured endowments amongst the lower classes of the people, "to hail the general dawn" of understanding that illumines and invigorates the mind of man, as the dawning day opens all nature, and expands all her powers.

Acts of charity are distinguished in as many different ways as there are different occasions for them: but the finest feelings of humanity are those expressed in the comprising plan and happy combination of " eleemosynary alms and elementary instruction," that the poor, provided not only with sustenance, and other human comforts, to the relief of their necessities, may be "taught" also to improve their condition in common life, and in the approach of death to acknowledge thankfully the "gift of knowledge," and religious education.

We have an instance upon record, and that record, it is to be hoped, indelible, where an Act was proposed [Ric. II.] " that no villaines should put their children to school," or, in plain language, that the poor should

not be taught to read; and was rejected, in the Council of the Nation, from the most generous feelings, and lively sense in the cause and interest of humanity. If ever there has been a question, it is no longer entertained in these enlightened days, whether " in having been taught to write," the poor have not derived, from this manual ac quirement, a benefit to themselves as essential as their services to the community.-Instruction, it is true, may be perverted, as fine penmanship may lead to forgery: but, if seminaries for educating certain classes of the people," who are unable to purchase instruction," are not encour aged; if institutions similar, for instance, to that of Christ's Hospital, are not filled as at present, and, it is hoped, ever will be filled, with youth trained to industry and integrity, educated and exercised in all branches of knowledge useful to themselves and to the community; then the succession of able men, and of assistants, inust fail to serve the commercial world, the church, and state. Here the " original observation of Sir Robert Ladbroke, knt." in the House of Commons, is to be recorded, "that not one of the thousands educated in Christ's Hospital had ever held up their hand at the Old Bailey."

If then material qualifications are obtained from education, for the purposes of common life, how deplorable is the state of the "uneducated," where the seeds of knowledge have never been sown, or the latent sparks of improvement have not been elicited! The mind of man, depressed, detained, en laved by ignorance, is lost to virtue and exertion, in the deprivation or neglect of the "intellectual better half," whilst the machine of body, the wonderful structure, and the work of God, remains on earth to vegetate and rot, till it shall be restored to a stranger. Mr. Dibdin is not writing for those who altogether despise book pursuits, but for those whose taste is congenial with his own. There is no question, therefore, upon the value of the pursuit itself; but what is the extent of the obligation which these latter owe to the author. The best answer to be given will be found in the work itself. I will venture to affirm, that there is no where to be found a greater quantity of matter, a greater multiplicity of anecdotes, or a greater variety of useful information within the same compass. He has contrived, at the same time, to set off and enliven his subject by that gentlemanly temper, and that good-natured vivacity, which wenever Jose sight of, and for which qualities Mr. D. is himself, in private life, so distinguished. It was too true an observation of Dr. Johnson's, that the pioneers in literature are often trampled upon and forgotten by those whose progress they have been facilitating: nor must Mr. D. complain that he may in some instances meet with a similar fate: humani nihil alienum; he can claim no exemption. His labours, however, have not been frustrated: he has the satisfaction of knowing that he has secured to himself the

grateful acknowledgements of a large description of readers, to whose favourite study he has contributed a fund of pleasing and useful information. Yours, &c. S. P.

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Mall, on Thursday the 6th of Feb last, and was witness to a mos traordinary transaction. Mr. Cha the worthy and skilful auctio seemed himself to be lost in an ment: the biddings flew, like shu cocks, from one side of the 2001 the other. "On, gentlemen, fast as you please: the pleasa pace imaginable"-was Mr. Chris remark; while surprize sparkle his eye, and joy set his heart a d ing. The lot was the Philosoph Works of Cicero, printed for the of the Dauphin, in 1689, 4to; but TRUE EDITION, Mr. Editor: that, I beseech you; the true editi not the best (for it is an indiffer one*); but the true edition. I tha you, Mr. Dibdin, "for that word." Who should be the purchaser such a lot? and for what sum was knocked down? Posterity will be credulous, when they hear it was M D. himself; and he gave 591. 68. f the volume: so said the Morni Chronicle and the Courier, for ti subsequent day and evening. Fro these too we find, that the purcha was made for LORD SPENCER; a No bleman of whose book-spirit an book-treasures, the publick can neve hear too much in commendation Well, Mr. Editor, the volume nov ornaments the shelves in St. James' Place; and its utility and rarity are no doubt justly appreciated by its no ble possessor.

I was much diverted on hearing the remarks that were made immediately after the purchase. "Here is Mr. D. (said one) who writes a learned volume, to distinguish the symptoms, and trace the history, of BooK-MADNESS, himself giving public demonstration, that he is as deeply infected with the disease as any of his brethren!" I expect to read many sharp squibs against him, for so extraordinary a conduct; but I already hear

him

towns, or in schools of inferior instruction, in most of the villages throughout the kingdom. It is in reflection the mind is best satisfied; but he who undertakes the instruction of rich or poor, is the first to be gratified, of course, in seeing numbers, and the increase of them; as Cujacius saw " eight hundred of his scholars following in his train," instructed in his principles and profession of civil Law.

Admitting freely the merit of Mr. Lancaster, and the benefit and success of his schools for reading, writ ing, and arithmetic, and the Holy Bible put into the hands, or permitted, of the poor, as the first and initiatory book, it is in candour and equal justice due to Dr. Bell, in his "improved" plan, to admit Creeds, Liturgy, and the Church Catechism, in his school, and mode of instruction, in order to have his scholars grounded in sound faith, and upon principles of the Established Church. He who has founded rights will not compromise them; and he who would compromise " religious principles," in times of danger, deism, secession from the church, and even persecution, is like the suppliant in a storm at sea, who would then compound his safety for genuflexion and instant prayer.

It is unnecessary to speak to Mr. L. of Articles, Creeds, Tenets, Rubric, and Formularies, excluded from his plan of education, though he professes "not to prevent instruction in them." He must not escape, however, from notice of his words, and Mr. Pope's wish added to them. Mr. L. had said, "I long to see men who profess Christianity, contend not for Creeds of faith-words and names." Mr. Pope had uttered the same sentiment a century ago. The immediate observation is as obvious as true, "though Mr. Lancaster is a man of sense, he is a Quaker-Mr. Pope, a man of genius, was a Roman Catholic;" and Dr. Bell is a sound member of the Established Church.

There are expressions also, "narrow-minded bigots and alarmists," to be noticed, as terms of ntemperate language, used with vehemence, and directed against the firm adherents to ecclesiastical ordinances, and faithful watchmen, who, aware of latent insidiousness (Qui capit ille facit), are prepared against surprise, and by

alertness, misinterpreted for alarm, are ready to repel the open attacks of the adversaries of the Established Church, or, if such there be, of Revealed Religion..

In closing the subject of the Eastern system, and mode of instructing the poor, less could not be expected from the mind and activity of Mr. Lancaster, or more from the improved plan of Dr. Bell. In commending both, highly and justly, and their exertions, as first and fast friends of the poor, and at length, in preferring the plan of Dr. Bell to that of Mr. Lancaster, we leave it to posterity to be determined, that Mr. L.'s plan was the epoch that ends where the æra of Dr. Bell's improved plan begins: but in the present age, we must all unite in the same wish and hope, that, through the exertions of the two competitors for preference, in doing the most and best for the poor,

knowledge" may break forth, and be diffused, as the Sun, " with irradiations of genius and national talents," and that Christianity may be as universal as knowledge in all quarters of the world.

I am, Mr. Urban, of the Church
Militant, MILES EMERITUS.

MR. DIBDIN'S BIBLIOMANIA. Mr. URBAN, Feb. 12.

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AVING received considerable pleasure, as well as information from this entertaining work, I am happy to see your pages, on more occasions than one, doing justice to its merits. I was lately much surprised, on accidentally opening one of our Reviews, among other, what appeared to me, irrelevant observations, to find a particularly frivolous charge brought against the the texture of the dialogue. I would ask, in what manner the subject-matter was to be conveyed? Would a dry detail of catalogues, and names of books and dates, have answered the end? Or is it not obvious that many of its present readers would have been prevented looking into it? Every one must see and acknowledge, that the dialogue is only a convenient vehicle for the more important substance of the notes; and the lively and agreeable manner in which this part is executed, has led many a reader to seek for information upon a subject to which he was before an entire stranger