cruel, children, being not reasonable, can be governed only by fear. To imprefs this fear, is therefore one of the firft duties of thofe who have the care of children. It is the duty of a parent; and has never been thought inconfiftent with parental tenderness. It is the duty of a mafter, who is in his highest exaltation when he is loco parentis. Yet, as good things become evil by excess, correction, by being immoderate, may become cruel. But when is correction immoderate? When it is more frequent or more fevere than is required ad monendum et docendum, for reformation and inftruction. No feverity is cruel which obftinacy makes neceffary; for the greatest cruelty would be to defist, and leave the fcholar too carelefs for inftruction, and too much hardened for reproof. Locke, in his treatise of Education, mentions a mother, with applause, who whipped an infant eight times before fhe had fubdued it; for had she stopped at the feventh act of correction, her daughter, fays he, would have been ruined, The degrees of obftinacy in young minds, are very different; as different must be the degrees of perfevering feverity. A ftubborn fcholar muft be corrected till he is fubdued. The discipline of a fchool is military. There must be either unbounded licence or abfolute authority. The mafter, who punishes, not only confults the future happiness of him who is the immediate fubject of correction but he propagates obedience through the whole school; and establishes regularity by exemplary juftice. The victorious obftinacy of a fingle boy would make his future endeavours of reformation

ΟΣ

or inftruction totally ineffectual. Obftinacy, therefore must never be victorious. Yet, it is well known, that there fometimes occurs a fullen and hardy refolution, that laughs at all common punishment, and bids defiance to all common degrees of pain. Correction must be proportioned to occafions. The flexible will be reformed by gentle discipline, and the refractory must be subdued by harfher methods. The degrees of fcholaftick, as of military punishment, no ftated rules can afcertain. It must be enforced till it overpowers temptation; till stubbornnefs becomes flexible, and perverseness regular. Custom and reafon have, indeed, fet fome bounds to fcholaftick penalties. The schoolmaster inflicts no capital punishments; nor enforces his edicts by either death or mutilation. The civil law has wifely determined, that a mafter who ftrikes at a scholar's eye fhall be confidered as criminal. But punishments, however fevere, that produce no lafting evil, may be just and reasonable, because they may be neceffary. Such have been the punishments ufed by the refpondent. No fcholar has gone from him either blind or lame, or with any of his limbs or powers injured or impaired. They were irregular, and he punished them; they were obstinate, and he enforced his punishment. But, however provoked, he never exceeded the limits of moderation, for he inflicted nothing beyond prefent pain; and how much of that was required, no man is so little able to determine as thofe who have determined against him;-the parents of the offenders.-It has been faid, that he used unprecedented and im

proper

1/72.

Etat, 63

Etat. 63.

1772. proper inftruments of correction. Of this accufa tion the meaning is not very eafy to be found. No inftrument of correction is more proper than another, but as it is better adapted to produce prefent pain without lafting mischief. Whatever were his inftruments, no lafting mifchief has enfued; and therefore, however unufual, in hands fo cautious they were proper.-It has been objected, that the refpondent admits the charge of cruelty, by producing no evidence to confute it. Let it be confidered, that his fcholars are either dispersed at large in the world, or continue to inhabit the place in which they were bred. Thofe who are difperfed cannot be found; those who remain are the fons of his perfecutors, and are not likely to fupport a man to whom their fathers are enemies. If it be fuppofed that the enmity of their fathers proves the justice of the charge, it must be confidered how often experience fhews us, that men who are angry on one ground will accufe on another; with how little kindness, in a town of low trade, a man who lives by learning is regarded; and how implicitly, where the inhabitants are not very rich, a rich man is hearkened to and followed. In a place like Campbelltown it is is eafy for one of the principal inhabitants to make a party. It is eafy for that party to heat themselves with imaginary grievances. It is eafy for them to opprefs a man poorer than themfelves; and natural to affert the dignity of riches, by perfifting in oppreffion. The argument which attempts to prove the impropriety of reftoring him to the fchool, by alledging that he has loft the confidence of the

people,

people, is not the fubject of juridical confideration;

1772.

for he is to fuffer, if he muft fuffer, not for their Atat. 63. judgement, but for his own actions. It may be convenient for them to have another mafter; but it is a convenience of their own making. It would be likewife convenient for him to find another fchool; but this convenience he cannot obtain.The question is not what is now convenient, but what is generally right. If the people of Campbelltown be distreffed by the restoration of the refpondent, they are diftreffed only by their own. fault; by turbulent paffions and unreasonable defires; by tyranny, which law has defeated, and by

malice which virtue has furmounted."

"This, Sir, (faid he,) you are to turn in your mind, and make the best use of it you can in your speech."

Of our friend Goldsmith he said, "Sir, he is fo much afraid of being unnoticed, that he often talks merely left you should forget that he is in the company.' BOSWELL. "Yes, he ftands forward." JOHNSON. "True, Sir; but if a man is to stand forward, he should wish to do it not in an aukward posture, not in rags, not fo as that he fhall only be expofed to ridicule." BOSWELL. "For my part, I like very well to hear honeft Goldsmith talk away carelessly." JOHNSON." Why yes, Sir; but he should not like to hear himself."

On Tuesday, April 14, the decree of the Court of Seffion in the schoolmafter's caufe was reversed in the House of Lords, after a very eloquent fpeech by Lord Mansfield, who fhewed himself an adept in school discipline, but I thought was too

rigorous

Etat. 63.

1772. rigorous towards my client. On the evening of the next day I fupped with Dr. Johnson, at the Crown and Anchor tavern, in the Strand, in company with Mr. Langton and his brother-in-law, Lord Binning. I repeated a sentence of Lord Mansfield's fpeech, of which, by the aid of Mr. Longlands, the folicitor on the other fide, who obligingly allowed me to compare his note with my own, I have a full copy: "My Lords, severity is not the way to govern either boys or men.' "Nay, (faid Johnfon,) it is the way to govern them. I know not whether it be the way to mend them."

I talked of the recent expulfion of fix ftudents from the University of Oxford, who were methodists, and would not defift from publickly praying and exhorting. JOHNSON. "Sir, that expulfion was extremely just and proper. What have they to do at an Univerfity who are not willing to be taught, but will presume to teach? Where is religion to be learnt but at an University? Sir, they were examined, and found to be mighty ignorant fellows." BOSWELL. "But, was it not hard, Sir, to expel them, for I am told they were good beings?" JOHNSON. «Sir, I believe they might be good beings; but they were not fit to be in the University of Oxford. A cow is a very good animal in the field; but we turn her out of a garden." Lord Elibank used to repeat this as an illuftration uncommonly happy,

Defirous of calling Johnfon forth to talk, and exercife his wit, though I fhould myself be the object of it, I resolutely ventured to undertake the

defence