42

THE TRUTH OF THE MATTER

6

themselves, as Franklin was of electricity, or Jenner of vaccination.' The chevalier Paulet had certainly preceded him. In the Literary Repository for April 16th, 1788, there is an account of the establishment of this celebrated man in Paris, translated from the Journal of Geneva. Two principles are there distinctly laid down as carried out in his school. One is, that the pupils govern themselves; the other, that the care of instruction is, to a great extent, devolved upon the scholars.' A president of the parliament of Bordeaux, who was visiting this institution, was, it is said, so much struck with the abilities of a scholar of fourteen, in instructing his class, that he engaged him as tutor to his son, a boy of eight years old. Similar details abundantly show that fifteen years before the Madras Asylum was instituted, the principle of mutual instruction was both known and practised.

The truth is, so far as we have been able to ascertain it, that both Dr. Bell and Mr. Lancaster were, to a certain extent, inventors, and both, to a much larger extent, adopters and improvers of existing plans. Pressed by the same difficulties as Dr. Bell, and, like him, familiar with military tactics, Lancaster appears, without being conscious of it, to have resorted to the same expedient. Inspired by equal, if not superior energy, he seems to

RENDERS HARSHNESS WRONG.

43

have produced the same result. Excited by similar success, and perhaps inflamed by like vanity, he imitated his predecessor in magnifying the importance of his method, and in claiming an amount of merit as a discoverer, which, to say the least of it, was preposterous and absurd. But that he was fraudulent,'' dishonest,' 'tricky,' and 'immoral,' or, as Coleridge expresses it, that he was 'a wretched quack,' a liar,' an ignorant, vulgar, arrogant charlatan,' we do not for a moment believe. Whatever were the faults of his maturer years, his early life was that of a sincere, humble, and disinterested Christian.

Lancaster's own account of the matter, given in a letter to Dr. Bell, dated Nov. 21st, 1804, carries with it all the appearance of truthfulness and integrity; and as at that time he was corresponding with the Doctor as a friend, was proposing to visit him at Swanage, was asking his advice, and soliciting his aid, there seems no reason for supposing that he would do otherwise than express himself with straightforwardness and simplicity. He says,—

I began a day school (in 1798). The methods I pursued soon became popular, and people sent their children in crowds. This plunged me into a dilemma; the common modes of tuition did not apply; and in

44

THE PARTIES CORRESPOND,

puzzling myself what to do, I stumbled upon a plan similar to thine; not, however, meeting with thy book till 1800. I have succeeded wonderfully, yet not equal to my desire. If thou wilt favour me with any original reports of the asylum at Madras, (for nothing is more essential than minutiæ,) I shall be much obliged.'

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Now let it be borne in mind, that at this time Mr. Lancaster's pretensions were not concealed; that for some years he had been claiming, through the press, to be the inventor of his improvements in education;' that in doing this he had referred distinctly, and by name, to Dr. Bell, recommending his book to the friends of education, acknowledging, without reserve, the value of several useful hints' he had adopted from it, and stating, that in some things he had been endeavouring to walk in his footsteps;' and then let any candid person say whether, if Dr. Bell had regarded him as a mere plagiarist, he would not have availed himself of the opportunity afforded by the receipt of this letter, to unmask his hypocrisy and to expose his pretensions?

The editor says, 'It does not appear what answer Dr. Bell returned to this letter.' As the original reply is now before us, we can supply the deficiency. It shall speak for itself:

AND ADMIT MUTUAL BENEFITS.

'Swanage, 6th Dec., 1804.

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'DEAR FRIEND,-1 was yesterday favoured with your letter, and the outlines, &c. I had before heard of your fame, and the progress which you had made in a new mode of tuition, and have long expected the pleasure of seeing you at Swanage; and though your letter does not promise me a speedy accomplishment of this expectation, still I shall hope that you will fulfil your intention as soon as shall suit your conveniency.

When I put my essay into the hands of my bookseller I said-with the apology suited to such enthusiasm that before the end of the next century every school in Europe would be taught on this principle.' I was pleased to see it some time ago acted upon and recited in the reports of the Society for Bettering the Condition of the Poor, and am delighted to hear that in the beginning of the century you have afforded such a specimen of the success of this system. I am fully sensible of the many disadvantages which you have to encounter; and, as recounted by you, they are, for the most part, such as I could have foreseen. I shall endeavour to find my original reports at Madras, that I may communicate them; but you will not meet with the details which you expect in them, as they were presented to those who had daily opportunities of seeing the seminary. Nor can I pretend to recite a thousand particulars which I could do vivá voce, and which I hope to do soon in thy school, which I promise myself much pleasure in attending when I am next in town.'

'I have been strongly urged to publish a brief extract of my essay for general circulation. Now you will do me a kindness by taking a copy of my publication, and drawing your pen through every line which you think might be spared, without any essential defect of information, taking care to efface whatever is not necessary to give an idea of the system of instruction. By this means I apprehend the pamphlet may be

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MRS. TRIMMER APPEARS,

reduced to a very few pages. At the same time I shall be glad of any observations which you may see fit to make, and particularly whether any part is difficult to be understood, and where you think a fuller explanation necessary.

In this way I may have an opportunity of recoinmending your institution, more general and more effectual than any other I could propose. For this purpose I must see everything with my own eyes, and by hearing of your difficulties I shall best know what requisite information I omitted in the report of my system, which does not comprehend more than the general principle and outlines of the mode of tuition. At all events I shall trust to your erasing everything which can possibly be left out in my publication as not bearing upon the elucidation of the system, but which I thought it necessary to insert in the first publication.* 'I am anxious to see your book, and still more to see yourself, and remain, my good friend, your sincere well wisher, A. BELL.'

Lancaster shortly afterwards visited Dr. Bell at Swanage; he remained there several days, and seems to have been pleased with his visit. A year afterwards Dr. Bell, in writing to Mrs. Trimmer, smiles at the absurdity of his attempts to form teachers by lectures on the passions'-a thing he never pretended to do, and observes, sensibly enough, that it is by attending the school, seeing what is going on there, and taking a share in the office of tuition, that teachers are to be formed, and not by lectures and abstract instruction; but he finds no fault

* The letter is too long to insert entire.