My young Friends,
Having drawn up the following _Heads of Lectures_ for your use, I take
the liberty thus publickly to dedicate them to you; and as I earnestly
wish for your improvement and happiness in all respects, excuse me if I
take the farther liberty of making a few observations, and giving you
some advice, of a more general nature, adapted to your age and
circumstances.
As you will soon leave this place of education, and enter upon your
several professions and employments, I hope your conduct will
demonstrate to the world the solid advantages of this institution, and
that the great expence attending it, and the best attention of the
managers, have not been bestowed in vain.
Many liberal friends of science, of virtue, and of religion, have
contributed to procure you the advantages which you enjoy. They have
spared no pains to provide able and careful tutors, and you have had
every other advantage for the prosecution of your studies that they
could procure you, unclogged by any subscription to articles of faith,
or obligation of any other kind, besides such as they have deemed
necessary for your own good, and to give the institution its greatest
effect. This is an advantage you could not have found elsewhere, at
least in this country. And in every seminary of education much more
depends upon opportunity for study, free from any obstruction, and undue
bias, than upon the ability of tutors; though there is an additional
advantage when they are able men, and eminent in the branches of science
which they undertake to teach. But this is by no means so essential as
many other circumstances.
Whatever be the qualifications of your tutors, your improvement must
chiefly depend upon yourselves. They cannot _think_ or _labour_ for
you. They can only put you in the best way of thinking and labouring for
yourselves. If, therefore, you get knowledge, you must acquire it by
your own industry. You must form all conclusions, and all maxims, for
yourselves, from premises and _data_ collected, and considered by
yourselves. And it is the great object of this institution to remove
every bias the mind can lie under, and give the greatest scope to true
freedom of thinking and inquiry. And provided you be intelligent and
virtuous men, and good citizens, it will be no cause of regret to the
friends of this institution, if, with respect to _religion_, or
_politics_, you adopt systems of principles, and maxims of conduct, very
different from theirs.
Give me leave, now that I am addressing you as _young men_, and young
_students_, to suggest a caution on a subject, of the importance of
which it is hardly possible that you should be sufficiently aware,
because it is only impressed by that _experience_ which you have not yet
had. I mean that degree of vanity which generally accompanies the
acquirements that diligent persons of your age make in places of liberal
education, and the contempt they are too apt to entertain for those who
have not made the same proficiency with themselves. And I assure you,
that in the observations I shall make on this subject, I have no view
whatever to any thing that I have observed, or heard, of any of you in
particular. But I have been in your situation myself, and I know the
importance of these observations to students in general.
You are now at an age in which young persons usually make the most
sensible advances in knowledge, and in which the understanding appears
to ripen the most rapid manner. You are able to say every year, every
month, and almost every day, what particular advances you have made, and
how much you know more than you did before. And being taught, and
accustomed, to express your thoughts in writing, you find yourselves
qualified to do this in a manner of which you had no idea, or
expectation, but a little time ago. You also perfectly remember what you
have so recently learned, and many respects may be more particular and
exact than even your tutors themselves.
The almost unavoidable effect of this is a high idea of your own powers
and attainments, and too often a proportionable contempt of those who,
not having had equal advantages, cannot do what you are easily capable
of. A certain degree of vanity is, therefore, excusable in young
persons; and, indeed, it is by means of it that they are excited to
exert themselves in a manner that they would not otherwise have done.
But be careful that this temper be not indulged to excess, for it will
then be found to have serious ill consequences; the least of which is
the precluding future improvement, from being already satisfied with
yourselves, and conscious of a sufficient superiority over others.
The foundation of this self-conceit, on account of literary attainments,
will be found to be extremely weak. In fact, we learn more before the
period to which you are now arrived, and I hope you will continue to
learn more after it, without its being so much noticed; and the
_ability_ that is discovered in the acquirements which are the subjects
of this vanity is not greater than appears on other occasions. Only they
are not so conspicuous.
What we all learn in the first three years of our lives, is much more
extraordinary in its nature than all that we acquire afterwards. I mean
the perfect use of our limbs, and the elements of speech. What we learn
in a month in that early period of life, could not, if we were brought
up in the ignorance of it, be learned in a year at any subsequent
period. But these acquirements being universal, and what the
circumstances in which we are all necessarily in compel us to learn, it
does not appear extraordinary in any particular individual. Also, the
proficiency that boys make at a grammar school, in which, in general,
the dead languages only are taught (a knowledge of which is commonly the
result of severe application) is too common to be the cause of much
self-conceit. But the advances that are made at places of liberal
education are both less common, and of a more conspicuous nature.
You will also find, if you continue your application to study, that it
is only the elements of science that you can acquire here, and that if
you live many years, they will bear but a small proportion to your
future acquirements. But those future acquirements, in consequence of
their bearing a less proportion to your whole stock of knowledge, will
not be so conspicuous. Thus, though all the buildings that in one year
are added to such a city as London would make a pretty large country
town, they bear so small a proportion to what was built before, that
they are not much noticed; whereas, had half the quantity of building
been erected in a place where no house had existed before, it would have
been a memorable event in the history of the country.
Also, as in old cities many buildings will fall to decay, while new ones
are added; you must expect to forget much of what you now know. No man
can give equal attention to every object; and as we advance in life,
we, in general, only learn new things at the expence of the old ones.
But then they are the more valuable articles of knowledge, the more
general and leading principles, which remain with us; while the more
useless ones, things to which we give less attention because we find
them to be of less use, disappear. Yet it is no uncommon thing for
ingenious students to despise old scholars who are not so ready in the
_minutiae_ of literature, though they may have forgotten more than those
youths ever knew, and may retain what they cannot acquire without
forgetting as much.
Another observation proper to lessen the conceit of literary men, is,
that genius is not confined to _them_, but is equally great, though not
equally conspicuous, in every other line of life, and especially in
manufactures and the arts. Here, however, discoveries equal, with
respect to _sagacity_, to those of Newton, contribute little to
posthumous fame, because the discoverers are not writers.
But the greatest branch of intellectual excellence with respect to
which every other is nothing, and which, from its nature, can never be
foundation of any self-conceit, is _virtue_, or right dispositions of
mind, leading to right conduct in life. Proper sentiments, and just
affections of mind, arise from just, and often comprehensive, views of
things, past, present, and to come. And if the real greatness of any
thought, or action, be estimated by the number of elements that
constitute it, and its remoteness from the dictates of sense and natural
appetite, a virtuous and pious man will appear to be a much more
dignified character, more proper to be viewed with admiration and
esteem, than the greatest scholar; discovering, in fact, greater
comprehension and force of mind. I mean, however, that virtue which is
the result of reflection, of discipline, and much voluntary exertion,
which, though operating with equal promptness and facility, is as much
superior to mere _innocence_, and what is commonly called _good nature_,
as motions secondarily automative are to those that are primarily so; a
comparison which you who have studied _Hartley's Theory of the Mind_
will see the force of.
These considerations I take the liberty to suggest, as being proper to
lessen that vanity which is so incident to those who distinguish
themselves in the fields of literature, and which, operating like the
acquisition of riches, or power, or any possession that is _rare_ among
men, instead of enlarging, may tend to contract the mind, by confining
its attention to itself. Beginning with a generous emulation, it
proceeds to envy and jealousy, and ends in actual hatred and malignity,
against which you cannot, surely, be too strongly put upon your guard;
this being the greatest depravity to which human nature is subject, and
which yet, like any other vice, may be in full possession of the mind,
without the person himself knowing, or suspecting it; unless he give
more attention to his feelings than most persons do. If no man ever
thought himself to be avaricious, or cruel, can it be expected that any
person should ever discover that he is too self-conceited?
Better, however, infinitely better, were it to rank with the merest
dunces, than have the conceit and malignity (produced originally from
conceit) of some who have distinguished themselves the most as
linguists, critics, and poets. Even the study of nature, though, from
its vast extent, it is less apt to produce this baneful effect, is not
always a sufficient guard against it. This is an affecting and an
alarming consideration. But in the intellectual, as in the civil and
commercial world, we gain nothing but at the risk of some loss; and in
this case the possible gain is worth the risk of even this great loss.
For when literary, and scientific excellence coincide with that which is
of a moral nature, it adds unspeakably to the value of a character.
Ingenuity coupled with modesty, and great genius with benevolence and
true piety, constitute the perfection of human character, and is what we
should ever have in view. And a course of education in which both these
objects are equally attended to, is the only one that deserves to be
called _liberal_: but such as, I hope, you have found this to be.
Give me leave further to observe to you, that the time that you spend in
a place of liberal education is of more importance to you than you can
be at present aware of. Whatever be the sphere of life for which you are
destined, the probability is, that you will hereafter have but little
leisure for reading and studying, compared to what you have now.
Besides, general maxims of all kinds, such as are the foundation of all
our future conduct, in morals, religion, or politics, are generally
formed at your time of life. From this period expect no great change in
your opinions, or conduct; because now it is that you give particular
attention to the forming your opinions on all subjects of importance; so
that very little that is materially new to you can be expected to occur
to you in future life, and almost every thing that you would choose to
read will only tend to confirm you in the general principles that you
will now adopt. There are, no doubt, exceptions to this, as well as
every other general observation; but it is wisdom to suppose, and to act
upon the supposition, that we are constituted as the generality of
mankind are, and that we shall feel, and act, as they do. Since, then,
so much depends on the leading principles and maxims which you will now
adopt, be it your care to form just and good ones, and let no authority
of tutors, or others, have any undue influence over you. In all cases
think and judge for yourselves, and especially on all subjects of
importance, and with as much attention as you can give to them.
It may not be amiss, in the present state of things, to say something
respecting another subject, which now commands universal attention. You
cannot but be apprised, that many persons entertain a prejudice against
this College, on account of the republican, and, as they choose to call
them, the licentious, principles of government, which are supposed to be
taught here. Show, then, by your general conversation, and conduct, that
you are the friends of peace and good order; and that, whatever may be
your opinions with respect to the best form of government for people who
have no previous prejudices or habits, you will do every thing in your
power for the preservation of that form of it which the generality of
your countrymen approve, and under which you live, which is all that can
be reasonably expected of any subject. As it is not necessary that every
good son should think his parent the wisest and best man in the world,
but it is thought sufficient if the son pay due respect and obedience to
his parent; so neither is it to be expected that every man should be of
opinion that the form of government under which he happens to be born is
the best of all possible forms of government. It is enough that he
submit to it, and that he make no attempt to bring about any change,
except by fair reasoning, and endeavouring to convince his countrymen,
that it is in their power to better their condition in that respect, as
well as in any other. Think, therefore, speak, and write, with the
greatest freedom on the subject of government, particular or general,
as well as on any other that may come before you. It can only be avowed
tyranny that would prevent this. But at the same time submit yourselves,
and promote submission in others, to that form of government which you
find to be most approved, in this country, which at present
unquestionably is that by _King, Lords, and Commons_.
As to _religion_, we may, surely, be allowed to think and act entirely
for ourselves; in all cases obeying God and conscience rather than man.
But let us be thankful for the degree of liberty that we are allowed,
though it be not all that we are justly entitled to; and let us not use
any other means than reason and argument in order to better our
condition. By this peaceable and steady conduct we shall at length
convince those who will hear reason, that we are entitled to greater
consideration; and doubt not but whatever is _true_ and _right_, will
finally prevail, and be universally established.
That any of your tutors, or any of the friends of this institution,
wish to promote reformation, in church or state, by any other means than
those of reason, and argument, is a _calumny_, utterly void of
foundation, or probability. But your conduct, dispersed as you will soon
be in different parts of the country, will be the best means of refuting
it. Let us leave the method of proceeding by _riot_ and _tumult_ to
those persons to whose schemes such proceedings are congenial. Truth
stands in no need of such support, and will always triumph when assailed
by such weapons. In return, then, for the advantages which you have
enjoyed in this institution, do it this service; and in recommending it,
I trust you are doing substantial service to the cause of liberty and
truth; and conferring a most important benefit on your country, and on
mankind.