by enforcing upon him the study of navigation. In
a public school, therefore, when all classes of the community are to be
taught, the truths and exercises should be selected in such a manner,
that they shall, if possible, be equally useful to all; leaving the
navigator and the agriculturist, the surgeon and the lawyer, to
supplement their _general_ education, by the study of those special
branches of learning which their several professions require.

But even this is not enough:--Among those subjects and exercises in
which all the children in a school may be equally interested, there are
many which are neither equally useful, nor equally indispensable. A
thorough consideration, and a careful selection of those which are most
valuable in themselves, and which are most likely to be useful during
life, become both prudent and necessary. In all ordinary cases, men act
upon this principle. Health, food, and recreation, are all good and
useful things; but even from among these we are sometimes compelled to
make a choice, and the principle of our decision is always the same.
When we cannot procure all, we chuse those which appear to us the most
necessary, and abandon the others without regret. A man readily denies
himself to sports and amusement, when he finds that he must labour for a
supply of food and necessaries; and even the pleasures of the table are
willingly sacrificed, for the purpose of securing or restoring the
blessings of health. In like manner, those branches of education which
are most important for securing the welfare of the pupils, and most for
the benefit of society, ought to be selected and preferred before all
others; seeing that to neglect, or wilfully to err in this matter, would
be injurious to the child, and unjust to the community.--Our object at
present therefore is, to enquire what those general principles are which
ought to regulate us in our choice of subjects and exercises for the
education of youth.

1. The first and fundamental rule which ought to guide the Educationist
and the Parent in the selection of subjects for the school, is to chuse
those which are to promote the happiness and welfare of _the pupil
himself_; without regard, in the first instance at least, to the
interests or the ease of his friends, of the teacher, or of any third
party whatever.--Children are not the property of their parents, nor
even of the community. They are strictly and unalienably the property of
the Almighty, w