the nation at large. It is perhaps impossible to compute the full amount of the benefits that fociety would derive from this measure; but taken in this point of view, it is obvious it must be very great.

With regard to debtors of note, who are in general greatly more culpable than thofe in lower rank, as they attract the attention of the people, the spirit of the times affords them a protection, against suffering undue feverities in prifon.-But fuch debtors would find it a much more difficult matter than they now do, to fhake themselves free from the effects of a bankruptcy, and afterwards to live in affluence and fplendor, while many of their creditors were, through their means, reduced to poverty and want.

Further explanations on this subject will be given in our next. Dr Anderson

For the Bee.

On the Prevalence of Error.

TRUTH is reality; error is nonentity. The one is the fource of good, the other of evil to the human race.In proportion to the deteftation of honest men towards every fpecies of delufion, deception, and falfehood, fo fhould be their efforts in removing ignorance, inconfideration, undue prejudice, precipitance of judgment, and unjust difcrimination as to the refpective importance of different subjects and pursuits; all of which give countenance and support to the prevalence of error among mankind.

Whatever be the fubject under confideration, a due knowledge of it is an indifpenfible requifite, towards a true judgment thereof. Mankind, therefore, fhould endeavour to balance the value of knowledge, against the temptations to ignorance, peculiar to their refpective fituations in life. Thus, in high rank, the allurements to inferior pleasure, would more often lofe their influ

ence in the contemplation of the more folid joys of reafon Secular care and an anxiety for riches, would in the middle clafs, be lefs generally put in competition with an enlightened understanding while thofe in the lower walks of human life, would be more apt to grafp at every opportunity of inftruction, which had a tendency to elevate their minds, and to enable them the better to exercise their own faculties.

The habits of men are greatly formed by education and circumstances. Often the one is deficient, and the other unfavourable towards mental improvement. Often too, the perfons themfelves, are infenfible of their lofs in both, and thus reft fatisfied.-Ignorance and error in thefe, are more to be lamented than blamed. There are others however, who have been early taught more enlarged ideas and better fentiments, who have alfo met with due encouragement to improve them, but nevertheless, difcover an infenfibility to the worth of knowledge and truth, that can only be accounted for, from an inattention to their importance, Some favourite paffion, pursuit, or external circumftance, or all of thefe, engross their whole thoughts. Hence arife contracted fentiments, falfe conclufions, and mifapplication of talents. A reflecting mind will not fo allow itself to waste its powers upon inferior confiderations, to the neglect of the noblest of all pursuits, that of truth Would men duly contemplate the value of wisdom, they would grafp at the means of it.

Truth is one unchangeable thing; but almost every. country has established truths of its own, and each looks upon the other as poffeffed of error. Nay, there is fomething peculiar that belongs to the mode of thinking and judging of every individual; and hence the fame thing will appear to different men in a different point. of view. As foon as mankind come to years of underftanding, they are initiated into the principles of their parents, or of the country where they chance to live ; and early impreffions are generally permanent and laft

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ing. To the ideas we have picked up in early life, how apt are we to cherifh a fond affection? When these chance to be founded on truth, the prejudice in their favour becomes ufeful, but if on error, extremely pernicious. Often in both cafes however, they are more the effect of feeling and education, than the refult of our own inquiry and inveftigation. Hence people often venerate what they do not fufficiently know, and make a great ado, about what they are unable to give a reason for. To hear the truth of their principles called in queftion, ftarties and aftonifhes them; and as they are not aware of objections, they will often admit none. They are hot and impatient under contradiction, and often uncharitable in their treatment. Thus it is that undue prejudice narrows and contracts the mind, that it stops the progress of truth and virtue in the world, and cherishes hatred and malevolence among mankind. A man devoid of it, and poffeffed of true liberality of mind, who regards truth above every other confideration, fets to work in order to find it out for himself, perfectly regardlefs where it may be found, whether among the many or the few, or where it may lead him, providing he difcover it. This is buying the truth; and after he has thus bought it, he will not fell it, nor make any mean compliances with the world inconfiftent therewith. He knows that from various confiderations, mankind muft differ in opinion: this teaches him candour and modeity, well knowing that truth exists; and that in however varied shapes it may appear in the world, it will finally prevail and

exhibit its own native lustre.

Precipitance of judgment, is unfavourable to the interefts of truth. When a man is impatient in his inquiries; when he will not be at pains to procure the requifite information; when he will not coolly and deliberately weigh and digeft arguments; when he infers general conclufions from particular cafes; when he allows his mind to dwell too much on one fide of an argument, to the neglect of every other confideration

which relate to the fubject in hand; when he retails as truth, what he picks up from doubtful report and general converfation; when he is much prepoffeffed by new external appearances and circumftances; when he is carried away by a love of novelty, or a propensity to fingularity; when the fear of deviating from beaten paths retards the progrefs of his enquiries; be it from thefe, or whatever caufe, when a man fully decides upon any one thing, fo as to make it a principle of his own, previous to his giving it a complete investigation, he runs ar eminent risk of falling into error, and of being the mean of diffufing it in fome degree or other.

Man being an imperfect being, he often stamps a fuperior value upon inferior objects. Prone to imitation, he frequently values and pursues things frivolous in themfelves, from no other reafon than because they are customary, fashionable, or generally adopted. There are many, who are much more folicitous to ornament their bodies than their minds; who prefer unprofitable amuse-ment, to those which enrich the understanding; who place their chief happiness in the acquifition of riches; and who, in fhort, are anxioufly careful about trifles, while important matters are by them much neglected. Not that worldly enjoyments are to be defpifed; they elaim our gratitude: but it is a prepofterous way of judging, to give them that place in our attention and regard, to which from their nature they are not entitled. Error, falfe maxims and conclufions, in this cafe, ufurp that place, due to the fearch of truth and propriety. Ideas are easily transferred from one cafe to another; their prevalence increafes; habit renders them fo familiar, as that their unsuitable station is fearce perceived; and thus the means of wifdom are weakened and undermined. It is the bufinefs of reafon, to value every object according to its real worth in the fcale of importance, and amidst varied purfuits, to give the prefer? ence to those which in their nature challenge it.

Many more causes might be affigned for the prevalence of error; but it is more properly the bufmefs of the preacher than the moralift to point them out ones CANDIDUS.

of

Of Gypfum or Plafter of Paris as a Manure. Ir is about a dozen of years fince this fubftance was difcovered to operate as a powerful manure, in certain circunftances, in France: But fince the noife it made at the beginning, we have heard little more of it. Most of our readers have of late heard from the public papers, of the wonderful effects that have refulted from the ufe of it in North America. Some trials of gypfum, as a manure, have been made in England, without the defired fuccefs; one by Mr. Arthur Young, and two other experiments by Sir Richard Sutton. But though thefe failed, there feems to be no reafon to doubt, from the facts ftated below, that in certain circumftances, this fubftance acts in a most powerful manner as a manure. It is of much importance to the practical farmer, to know what are the peculiarities of foil, and circumftances of crop that will infure him fuccefs; but thefe can only be afcertained by fair and accurate experiments, made with care, and reported with fidelity. In the mean time, from what has already happened, let our young farmers be warned to moderate their expectations of fuccefs, until they fhall have tried it on their own fields in fmall quantities, fo as that the failure cannot materially affect their intereft: But the accounts that follow are fo well attefted, as to prove a fufficient inducement, I fhould imagine, to make every spirited farmer try it on his own foil, without trufting to the report of any other perfon.

In agriculture, perhaps, more than any other fcience, men ought to be extremely cautious in drawing general conclufions from particular facts, as our knowledge is VOL. I. +

Pp