concerted trials of temper are not advantageous. for very young children; those trials, which are sometimes prepared for pupils at a more advanced period of education, are not always more happy in their consequences. We make trifles appear important, and then we are surprised that they are thought so. Lord Kaimes tells us that he was acquainted with a gentleman who, though otherwise a man of good understanding, did not show his good. sense in the education of his daughter's temper. "He had," says Lord Kaimes, "three comely 66 daughters, between twelve and sixteen, and to "inure them to bear disappointments, he would propose to make a visit, which he knew "would delight them. The coach was bespoke, " and the young ladies, completely armed for conquest, were ready to take their seats. But, "behold their father had changed his mind. "This, indeed, was a disappointment; but as "it appeared to proceed from whim, or caprice, "it might sour their temper, instead of improving it." * But why should a visit be made a matter of such mighty consequence to girls? Why should it be a disappointment to stay at home? and * Lord Kaimes, p. 109. why should Lord Kaimes advise, that disappointment should be made to appear the effects of chance? This method, of making things appear to be what they are not, we cannot too often reprobate; it will not have better success in the education of the temper, than in the management of the understanding; it will ruin one or the other, or both: even when promises are made with perfect good faith to young people, the state of suspense which they create is not serviceable to the temper, and it is extremely difficult to promise proper rewards. The celebrated Serena established her reputation for good temper without any very severe trials. Our standard of female excellence is evidently changed since the days of Griselda; but we are inclined to think that, even in these degenerate days, public amusements would not fill the female imagination, if they were not early represented as such charming things, such great rewards, to girls, by their imprudent friends. The temper depends much upon the understanding; and whenever we give our pupils, whether male or female, false ideas of pleasure, we prepare for them innumerable causes of discontent. "You ought to be above such things! "You ought not to let yourself be vexed "by such trifles!" are common expressions, which do not immediately change the irritated person's feelings. You must alter the habits of thinking, you must change the view of the object, before you can alter the feelings. Suppose a girl has from the conversation of all her acquaintance learned to imagine that there is some vast pleasure in going to a masquerade: it is in vain to tell her, in the moment that she is disappointed about her masquerade dress, that “it is a trifle, and she ought to be above trifles." She cannot be above them at a moment's warning; but if she had never been inspired with a violent desire to go to a masquerade, the disappointment would really appear trifling. We may calculate the probability of any person's mortification, by observing the vehemence of his hopes; thus we are led to observe, that the imagination influences the temper. Upon this subject we shall speak more fully when we treat of Imagination and Judgment. To measure the degrees of indulgence which may be safe for any given pupils, we must attend to the effect produced by pleasure upon their imagination and temper. If a small diminution of their usual enjoyments disturbs them, they have been rendered not too happy, but too susceptible. Happy people, who have resources in their own power, do not feel every slight variation in external circumstances. We may safely allow children to be as happy as they pos sibly can be without sacrificing the future to the present. Such prosperity will not enervate their minds. We make this assertion with some confidence, because experience has in many instances confirmed our opinion. Amongst a large family of children, who have never been tormented with artificial trials of temper, and who have been made as happy as it was in the of their parents to make them, there is not one ill-tempered child. We have examples every day before us of different ages, from three years old to fifteen. power Before parents adopt either Epicurean or Stoical doctrines in the education of the temper, it may be prudent to calculate the probabilities of the good and evil, which their pupils are likely to meet with in life. The Sybarite, whose night's rest was disturbed by a doubled rose leaf, deserves to be pitied almost as much as the young man who, when he was benighted in the snow, was reproached by his severe father for having collected a heap of snow to make himself a pillow. Unless we could for ever ensure the bed of roses to our pupils, we should do very imprudently to make it early necessary to their repose ; unless the pillow of snow is likely to be their lot, we need not inure them to it from their infancy. CHAPTER VII. On Obedience. OBEDIENCE has been often called the virtue of childhood. How far it is entitled to the name of virtue we need not at present stop to examine; obedience is expected from children long before they can reason upon the justice of our commands; consequently it must be taught as a habit. By associating pleasure with those things which we first desire children to do, we should make them necessarily like to obey; on the contrary, if we begin by ordering them to do what is difficult and disagrecable to them, they must dislike obedience. The poet seems to understand this subject when he says, "Or bid her wear your necklace rowed with pearl, The taste for a necklace rowed with pearl is not the first taste even in girls that we should * Elegy on an old Beauty. PARNELL. |