danger unnecessarily, than delude the victim to inevitable destruction by avoiding to point out the snares and temptations with which his pathway is encompassed; he would affirm, that his portraits are all drawn from observation, and actually now possess, or have possessed their living, moving, thinking, acting originals, of which his resemblances are a faithful copy; he would declare that his opinions are the result of deliberate reflection, and unbiassed judgment, the judgment of a mind not readily assailed by prejudice, nor easily perverted by fancy, nor led astray by the dreams of a waking imagination; and lastly, he would appeal for the justice of his conclusions to fact and argument, and if the former should be found coincident with the latter, no matter how frequently they may interfere with things as they are; it cannot be the conclusions which are wrong, if the premises and reasoning be correct'; and the fact of their being found at variance with much of the practice of mankind, should only urge a rigid inquiry into the present plans, in order to ascertain if they be the very best that can be pursued, and to be fully satisfied that every kind and degree of farther improvement is utterly impracticable. But if such be the various and contradictory views of the author and his opinions, it would not be very unfair to conclude that there must be something good about him; and that if he have excited the complaints of so many different reasoners, it may have arisen from his combating their respective errors, and interfering with their respective prejudices. It is just possible that he may have traced out that golden path of truth and sincerity, which is equally distant and distinct from the opposite extremes of error; and perhaps it would not be too much to ask for him a patient inquiry, and a close investigation of his views and opinions; and if these cannot be proven to be false, they would at least deserve to be tried by experience. Reason and experience are the impartial judges to which he appeals; and most inexpressibly happy will he be, if in after years, he may entertain the satisfaction of hoping, that his imperfect thoughts, (and nobody is more conscious of their imperfections than himself,) may have been useful in arresting the attention, to that principled education, the great object of which is to prepare man, for all the conflicts of the world, to fortify him against the difficulties and perplexities, the errors and temptations to which his course is liable, the mazes of doubt, and the labyrinths of prejudice, and the whirlpools of passion, and all the other ingredients, which constitute the bitterness of the present scene of trial and probation; to conduct him to principled and virtuous conduct here, founded on obedience to the will of heaven, and, through these, to that eternity of happiness which is prepared for all those who have loved and served God in sincerity, believed in him as their Saviour, received him as their king; attended to him as their prophet, and trusted in him as their Advocate, Mediator, High Priest, and Intercessor: " to Him be glory for ever and ever." CONTENTS OF VOL. I. page 1 CHAP. 4. On physical education-General principles-earliest physical attentions--precautions with regard to air, washing, clothing, and the function of the skin generally. CHAP. 5. Physical education continued. On food-nursing- regular system of feeding-maternal diet-wet nurses-dry nursing-sleep-weaning, and its appropriate change of diet. CHAP. 7. Development of the loco-motive function—caution against putting an infant early upon its feet-muscular exertion dependant on volition—development of the function of expression, as connected with the muscular system-Phy- siognomy-language, natural and artificial CHAP. 8. Influence of external physical agents-climate- |