The Scots Magazine

MEMORIAL for the PARISH-SCHOOL MASTERS in Scotland.
[This Paper was circulated among the Scotch Members of Parliament, as introductory to a
Bill for relief of the Parish-Schoolmasters.]

"Τ

HE education of youth, in
every civilised state, has al-
ways been confidered as an
object of the first import-
ance; because, upon it not only the fu-
ture happiness, but the future existence
of the ftate, in a great measure depends.
2. Where a right education is efta-

blished, and univerfally encouraged, ear-

ly habits of virtue, and good principles,

contribute more to the fafety, peace,

and happiness of society, than the most

perfect civil and criminal laws can do,

where education is neglected.

3. Every man who has accustomed

VOL. XLVI."

himself to reflect, must be convinced,

that the ftrength and profperity of eve-

ry state depend on the number of vir-

tuous citizens, and that good morals are

abfolutely neceffary to the increase of

mankind. The most effential branch of

education, therefore, is that moral dif-

cipline which habituates the mind of the

pupil, in his early youth, to prudence,

temperance, juftice, fortitude, and cha-

rity; to avoid sloth as an enemy, to em-

brace industry as a friend, to love truth,

to abhor falfehood, and univerfally to

refuse the evil, and chufe the good.

4. To read and to write our mother-

tongue

5. Without this early education, the understanding can never be opened to the jarts of civil life; the vigour of mind that prompts to discovery, to commerce, and to every improvement, muft fail; and fociety itself muft languish and decay.

6. In every civilifed country, and ef pecially in our own, there are men whofe minds are enlarged enough to fee and wish to promote the happiness of their fellow citizens; and thefe men, who are the supports and ornaments of fociety, have only to turn their attention to this object for a few moments, and they will readily acknowledge, that the right edu. cation of youth is the firft and great mean of turning the wilderness into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field into a garden, where innocence, industry, beneficence, and happiness, prevail.

7. From the revival of letters in Europe, to the present time, is but a fhort period in the hiftory of mankind; and yet that period, fhort as it is, exhibits to the pleafed reader a greater portion of public and private happiness, than is to be found in the hiftory of the whole preeeding thousand years.

8. Scotland, or North Britain, ftruggles with many natural difadvantages. The climate is cold, the sky feldom ferene, the weather variable, the foil unfruitful, the mountains bleak, barren, rocky, often covered with fnows, and the whole appearance of the country very forbidding to ftrangers; yet, by an early attention to the education of youth, to form good men and good citizens, The has uniformly maintained a high cha racter among the nations, has been always deemed an excellent nurfe of the buman fpecies, and furnished, not foldiers only, but divines, statesmen, generals, and philofophers, to almost every nation in Europe.

10. In 1616, an act of the privy council of Scotland was accordingly made; by which a school was appointed to be eftablished in every parifh able to defray the expence of fupporting it; and in 1633, this act of council was ratified in parliament, with this addition, That ne bishops, with confent of a majority f the parishioners, fhould have power to affefs the lands in the parish for the support of the school.

9. Our ancestors, about the beginning of the last century, turning their attention to this fubject, beheld with pleasure the progrefs already made in useful know. ledge. But, from the poverty, as well as the great extent of the country, they faw, that, without fome public encou ragement, the education of youth would be much neglected; and that it was neceffary to establish and fupport a body of en to attend upon this one thing.

11. In 1646, during the civil wars, an act of the convention of eftates was paffed, by which a school was appointed to be eftablished in every parish not then provided. The heritors or proprietors of land were also appointed to provide a houfe for a school, and to fettle a ftipend or falary on the schoolmaster, not under 100 merks Scots, or 51. 11 s. 1d. Sterling; and not exceeding 200 merks, or 11l. 2 s. 2 d. two thirds, to be paid one half by the proprietors of lands, the other half by their tenants.

At the restoration of King Charles II. the whole acts of this parliament were repealed without diftinction. But, in 1696, the statute above-mentioned, with regard to fchools and the falaries of schoolmasters, was re-enacted, and the form of proceeding for establishing the fchools was finally fettled.

12. The encouragement thus appointed by the ftate for the fchoolmasters, though not great, was yet well fuited to the times, the funds, and distinction of rank at that period. The emoluments of their office placed them, not only above day-labourers, and the poorer clafs of mechanics and farmers, but raised them to an equality with the more opulent farmers, refpectable tradesmen and citizens; among whom, their em ployment, and their manners, procured them a degree of respect very advantageous to their profeffion.

13. During the period of 140 years, which have elapfed fince the falaries of the schoolmafters were first established, it cannot admit of the leaft doubt, that by the increase of the wealth and riches of this country, the recompence of art and labour has increafed moft liberally. A day-labourer working at the coarfeft kind of work, earns now at the rate of 10 d. or more frequently I s. a-day; and confequently is paid at the rate of 131. or more frequently 151. 128. Sterling per annum. The loweft of the domeftic fervants of the nobility, gentry, and

wealthy

wealthy citizens, get 81. or 91. Sterling yearly of wages, befides meat, lodging, and cloaths, which, at an average, cannot be ftated at less than their wages. The encouragement of manufacturers is higher ftill.

14. It indeed feems reasonable, that as the comforts and conveniencies of life Love increased, the labourer, by whofe induftry they are procured, fhould reap a part of the benefit; and no liberal mind will repine at this.

15. In 1762, the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, having had occafion to take under their confideration the state of the fchoolmafters, the Moderator, by appointment of the Affembly, in his fpeech to his Majefty's Commiffioner, as appears from the records, expreff. ed himself thus: "The Affembly embrace this opportunity of acquainting your Grace of their fenfe of the importance of the parochial schoolmafters in Scotland, with refpect to the intereft both of church and ftate, by training up thofe committed to their charge in the knowledge of religion and virtue; and are deeply affected with their prefent diftreffed fituation, arifing from their fmall livings, as they have good reafon to believe, that more than one third of them do not enjoy, including their salary and whole emoluments, 12 1. per annum. The Affembly, therefore, humbly hope, that if it fhall be found neceffary to apply to parliament for increafing their prefent legal falary, which amounts to no more than 51. 118. 1 d. his Majefty will be graciously plea fed to give fuch countenance to that application as to his royal wisdom shall seem proper."

16. Upon farther inquiry, it appears that this report of the Reverend Affembly is even within the truth. In many parishes, the fchoolmafter, every thing included, has not above 81. Sterling yearly. The falary, for instance, in country parishes, has been generally fettled at the loweft rate, of 5 1. 11 s. 1 d. In feveral of these parishes, the fcholar is taught the ufual branches of education, viz. reading and writing, at 5 d. per quarter: Taking, however, the rate in general at Is. per quarter, fuppofing the conftant number of fcholars twenty, and the fees to be always paid, the whole emoluments will not exceed 91. 118. 14d. But in fact the number of fcholars in many parishes falls fhort of twenty; the rate of teaching is lower than a fhil

ling a-quarter; the school-fees, when the parents are poor, are often not paid; and part of the salary, which is drawn from a number of hands, the tenantry as well as the proprietors of lands, is frequently loft. Suppofe, then, that in Scotland there are 900 parish-schoolmafters, which is very near the truth, 800 of thefe will be found ftruggling with indigence, inferior in point of income to 800 day-labourers in the best cultivated part of this ifland, and receiving hardly half the emoluments of the menial fervants of country gentlemen and wealthy citizens.

17. The falaries of the schoolmafters are levied from the feveral proprietors of lands, and their tenants, in proportion to what is called the valued rent of their poffeffions, which was fixed about the middle of last century, and was the real value at the time. The fchoolmafters will not pretend to fay, in what proportion the rents in Scotland have increased: In general, however, they fuppofe, that an eftate rated at 4001. Scots of valued rent, will now yield not much less than 2001. Sterling per annum, which is an increase of fix fold; and, in many inftances, it is known, that an eftate of 4001. Scots valuation, will yield 400). Sterling of real rent, which is an increase of twelve fold.

18. It is by no means infinuated, that the falaries of the schoolmasters should increase in the fame proportion. They have no title to aspire, and do not aspire at any kind of luxury; but they are humbly confident, that the liberality of the British nation will not refuse them, what, according to the idea of the prefent times, are the neceffaries of life; and will put them on that footing on which the legislature of their country originally intended they should stand, and which has hitherto been productive of fuch beneficial confequences to the public.

19. The profeffion of a Schoolmaster is certainly a profeffion of the most important trust: It is alfo attended with great labour; and it is certainly much the intereft of this country, that the inftructors of youth fhould not fall into that ftate of contempt, which, in a com• mercial age and nation, is too frequently the attendant of poverty. It feems, indeed, a reproach to the enlightened minds and enlarged views of the prefent age, that nine hundred citizens, felected to form the tempers and characters of a

A 2

4. Revolt of the Ten Tribes, and of the Americans, compared. Vol. 46.

million, by conveying to them the first principles of literature, morality, and religion, should, in the last century, have been placed in a respectable station, poffeffing what were then reckoned, not merely neceffaries, but comforts and conveniencies; and by the progress of improvements which they themselves have been the means of introducing, that their fucceffors, equal in number, and chofen like them out of the great body of the people, to form the minds and manners of more than a million and a half of their fellow-fubjects, to the love of justice, temperance, integrity, induftry, and every virtue, and likewife to inftruct them in the rudiments of useful literature, fhould in this century be reduced fo low as to want the very neceffaries of life.

20. If no remedy be provided, the unavoidable confequence muft be, that few men in any degree qualified to teach will undertake that laborious employ. ment; the citizens, from age to age, will become more ignorant, and lefs virtuous; and the ftate will exhibit all the fymptoms of a fociety verging towards deftruction.

21. The common people of North Britain have long poffeffed a degree of education, both in morals and in letters, unknown to any other subjects of the fame rank in the British empire; and hence they have been much employed, and much approved, in the active departments of life throughout all Europe. The neighbouring nations are all ready to confefs, that no fervants are more faithful, fober, honeft, and induftrious; no failors more hardy and refolute; no foldiers more patient of discipline, or lefs licentious; and no citizens who know better both to command and to obey. It is hoped we shall long retain our national character; and that we may do this the more cafily, we ought to give fuch encouragement to the teachers of youth, as will incite the most virtuous, and best educated among the people, to embrace this profeffion.

22. Several years ago, repeated advertifements were made to the public, That if the landed intereft made any oppofition, the Schoolmafters would give up all thoughts of applying for an increafe of their falaries. Private applications have also been made to many refpectable individuals, and much encouragement has been received. On all thefe accounts,

therefore, the Schoolmasters humbly pro-
pofe to petition parliament for fuch re-
lief as to them, in their wisdom, shall
feem proper.

The previous Circumstances and Revolt of
the Ten Tribes of Ifrael from the Houfe
of David, and the late Dismemberment
of the British Empire, compared.
THE character of David, and that of

our fecond George, were compared
together by a diffenting divine, on the
death of his late Majefty, in a pamphlet
which made fome noife at that time, not
fo much by any merit of its own, but
by its exciting the wit of others. But
whatever likeness or difference there
might have been in the moral characters,
of the Hebrew and English kings, (which
was the fubject then agitated, with much
imprudence and profane misreprefenta-
tion on the one fide, and much pious
foolishness on the other), in the political
ftate in which these monarchs left their
kingdoms, and in the characters of their
fucceffors, there is a strong resemblance,
David, after fuppreffing a formidable re,
bellion, left his kingdom happy and vic-
torious over all foreign and domestic ene-
mies. Such was exactly the happy fate
of George II. David was fucceeded by
a moft magnificent and wife prince, who
was a poet, philofopher, and the exam-
ple and patron of architecture, mufic,
and all the fine arts. Now, though we
do not yet know for certain, that the
fucceffor of our late George is either poet
or philofopher, we know that he has a
most accomplished tafte for the fine arts;
and though he has not yet rivalled either
the palace of Lebanon, or the temple of
Jerufalem, built by Solomon, it is not
for want of good will, for he is the mu-'
nificent protector and friend of the arts,
from the fublime researches of the
"Knight of the polar ftar," down to
the fnuff-boxes and candle-fnuffs of Pin-
chy. Again, Solomon was the great pa-
tron of navigation, and fent ships to the
India fees, to bring home apes and pea-
cocks, (fee 2 Chron. ix. 21.); fo our
Sovereign fent to the South feas to bring
home cockle-fhells, and dried leaves of
weeds, of equal value. Solomon great-
ly extended his dominions, made fea-
ports in the land of Edom, on the fhore
of the Red fea, and all the neighbour-
Here indeed the parallel
ing kings of Arabia and Syria became his
tributaries.
cumftance
does not hold, but in every other cir-

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The Scots Magazine, Band 46