more or less useful and needful according to the different Stations and Bufineffes for which Children are defigned.

As the Sons of a Family should be educated in the Knowledge of Writing, Reading, Spelling and Accounts, fo neither fhould the Daughters be trained up without them. Reading is as needful for one Sex as the other: Nor fhould Girls be forbid to handle the Pen or to caft up a few Figures, fince it may be very much for their Advantage in almost all Circumftances of Life, except in the very lowest Rank of Servitude or hard Labour. And I beg Leave here to intreat the female Youth, especially thofe of better Circumstances in the World, to maintain their Skill in Writing which they have already learned, by taking every Occafion to exercife it And I would fain perfwade them to take Pains in acquainting themselves with true Spelling, the want of which is one Reason why many of them are ashamed to write; and they are not afhamed to own and declare this, as though it were a just and fufficient Excufe for neglecting and lofing the Ufe of the Pen.

SECT.

IN

SECT. V.

Of a Trade or Employment.

Na good Education it is required also that Children, in the common Ranks of Life, be brought up to the Knowledge of fome proper Bufinefs or Employment for their Lives; Jome Trade or Traffick, Artifice or Manufacture, by which they may fupport their Expences, and procure for themselves the Neceffaries of Life, and by which they may be enabled to provide for their Families in due Time. In fome of the Eaftern Nations, even Perfons of higheft Rank are obliged to be educated to fome Employment or Profeffion; And perhaps that Practice has many Advantages in it: It engages the younger Years in Labour and Diligence, and fecures from the mifchievous Effects of Sloth, Idleness, Vanity and a thousand Temptati

ons.

IN our Nation I confefs it is a Cuftom to educate the Children of Noblemen and the eldeft Sons of the Gentry to no proper Bufinefs or Profeffion, but only to an Acquaintance with fome of the Ornaments and Accomplishments of Life, which I fhall mention immediately. But perhaps it would be

far

far happier for fome Families, if the Sons. were brought up to Bufinefs and kept to the Practice of it, than to have them expofed to the pernicious Inconveniences of a fantering and idle Life, and the more violent Impulfe of all the corrupt Inclinations of Youth.

HOWEVER it is certain that far the greater Part of Mankind must bring up their Children to fome regular Business and Profeffion, whereby they may fuftain their Lives and fupport a Family, and become useful Members to the State. Now in the Choice of fuch a Profeffion or Employment for Children, many Things are to be confulted.

(1.) THE Circumftances and Eftate of the Parent; whether it will reach to place out the Child as an Apprentice, to provide for him Materials for his Bufinefs or Trade, and to fupport him till he fhall be able to maintain himself by his Profeffion. Sometimes the Ambition of the Parent and the Child hath fixed on a Trade far above their Circumftances; in Confequence of which the Child hath been exposed to many Inconveniences and the Parent to many Sorrows.

(2.) THE Capacity and Talents of the Child must be alfo confidered. If it be a Profeffion of hard Labour; hath the Child a healthy and firm Conftitution, and Strength of Body equal to the Work? If it be a Profeffion

Profeffion that requires the Exercife of Fancy, Skill and Judgment, or much Study and Contrivance; then the Queftion will be, Hath the Lad a Genius capable of thinking well, a bright Imagination, a folid Judgment? Is he able to endure fuch an Application of Mind as is neceffary for the Employment?

(3.) THE Temper and Inclination of the Child must be brought into this Confultation, in order to determine a proper Business for Life. If the daily Labour and Bufinefs of a Man be not agreeable to him, he can never hope to manage it with any great Advantage or Succefs. I knew a Bricklayer who profeffed that he had always an Averfion to the Smell of Morter: And I was acquainted once with a Lad who begun to learn Greek at School, but he complained it did not agree with his Constitution. I`think the first of these ought to have been brought up to work in Glafs or Timber, or any Thing rather than in Bricks: As for the other, (to my best Remembrance) he was wifely difpofed of to a Calling wherein he had nothing to do with Greek.

AND here I would beg Leave to defire that none might be encouraged to purfue any of the learned Profeffions, i.e. Divinity, Law or Phyfick, who have not the Signs of a good Genius, who are not patient of long Attention and close Application to Stu

dy,

dy, who have not a peculiar Delight in that Profeffion which they choose, and withal a pretty firm Conftitution of Body, for much Study is a Weariness to the Flesh, and the Vigour of Nature is fooner impaired by laborious Thoughtfulness than by the Labour of the Limbs.

(4.) IT fhould be alfo the follicitous and constant Care of Parents, when they place out their Children in the World, to feek out Masters for them who profess serious Religion, who practise all moral Virtues and keep good Orders and good Hours in their Family. The Neglect of this Concern has been the Ruin of a thoufand Youths in our Day; and notwithstanding the fenfible Mifchief arifing from this Negligence, yet there is ftill too little Care taken in a Matter of fo great Importance *.

THUS much for this Part of the Education of Sons. But you will fay then, What Business of Life muft Daughters be brought up to? I must confefs when I have seen fo many of the Sex, who have lived well in

the

*This Danger arifes in a great Degree from the immoderate Love of Pleasure, which fo generally pro vails, and leads Masters into Parties and Engagements especially on the Lord's Day; which not only occafions the Neglect of religious Inftruction and Family Prayer on the Evening of it, but fets an Example to Servants which they think themselves authorized to follow, though it be generally to their own Deftruc tion.