fe his own tormentor, and the pest of all with
whom he is to be associated.--No one can reasonably deny this; and the
conclusion is plain, that education of some kind or other is really more
necessary for the infant and the child, than it is either for the youth
or the man.

If this general principle be once admitted, and we set it down as an
axiom that the infant and the child are to learn _something_,--it
naturally follows, that we are required to teach them those useful
things for which Nature has more especially fitted them; while we are
forbidden to force branches of knowledge upon them of which they are
incapable. Our object then, ought to be to ascertain both the positive
and the negative of this proposition; endeavouring to find out what the
infant and child _are_ capable of learning, and what they _are not_. Now
it is an important fact, not only that infants and young children are
peculiarly fitted, by the constitution of their minds and affections,
for learning and practising the principles of religion and morals; but
it is still more remarkable, that they are, for a long period, incapable
of learning or practising any thing else. If this can be established,
then nothing can be more decisive as to the intention of Nature, that
moral and religious training, is not only the great end in view by a
course of education generally, but that it is, and ought always to be,
the first object of the parent and teacher, and the only true and solid
basis upon which they are to build all that is to follow. Let us
therefore for a moment enquire a little more particularly into this
important subject.

When we carefully examine the conduct of an enlightened and affectionate
mother or nurse with the infant, as soon as it can distinguish right
from wrong and good from evil, we find it to consist of two kinds, which
are perfectly distinct from each other. The one regards the comfort and
physical welfare of the child;--the other regards the regulation of its
temper, its passions, and its conduct. It is of the latter only that we
are here to speak.

When this moral training of the judicious mother is examined, we find it
uniformly and entirely to consist in an indefatigable watchfulness in
preventing or checking whatever is evil in the child, and in
encouraging, and teaching, and training to the practice of whatever is
good. She is careful to enforce obedience and submission in every
case;--to win and encourage the indications of