minated among a variety of individuals in ifferent classes of society, yet, among the great majority of the population in every country, a degree of ignorance still prevails, degrading to the rank of intellectual natures. With respect to the great mass of the inhabitants of the world, it may still be said with propriety, that "darkness covers the earth, and gross darkness the people." The greater part of the continent of America, the extensive plains of Africa, the vast regions of Siberia, Tartary, Thibet, and the Turkish empire-the immense territories of New Holland, Sumatra, Borneo, and the Burman empire, the numerous islands which are scattered throughout the Indian and the Pacific oceans, with many other extensive regions inhabited by human beings still lie within the confines of mental darkness. On the numerous tribes which people those immense regions of our globe, neither the light of science nor of revelation has yet shed its benign influence; and their minds, debased by superstition, idolatry, and every malignant passion, and ensiaved by the cunning artifices of priests, and the tyranny of cruel despots, present a picture of human nature in its lowest stage of degradation. Even in Europe, where the light of science has chiefly shone, how narrow is the circle which has been enlightened by its beams! The lower orders of society on the continent, and even in Great Britain itself, notwithstanding the superior means of improvement they enjoy, are still miserably deficient in that degree of knowledge and information which every human being ought to possess; nor are there many even in the higher spheres of life who cultivate science for its own sake, who set a due value an intellectual acquisitions, or encourage the prosecution of rational inquiries.

There is, perhaps, no country in the world where the body of the people are better educated and more intelligent than in North Britain; yet we need not go far, either in the city or in the country, to be convinced, that the most absurd and superstitious notions, and the grossest ignorance respecting many important subjects intimately connected with human happiness, still prevail among the great majority of the popula

tion.

Of two millions of inhabitants which constitute the population of the northern part of our island, there are not, perhaps, 20,000, or the hundredth part of the whole, whose know ledge extends to any subject of importance, beyond the range of their daily avocations. With respect to the remaining 1,800,000, it may perhaps be said with propriety, that of the figure and magnitude of the world they live in of the seas and rivers, continents and islands, which diversify its surface, and of the various tribes of men and animals by which it is inhabited-of the nature and properties of the atmosphere which surrounds them--of the disco

13

veries which have been made respecting light, heat, electricity, and magnetism of the general laws which regulate the economy of nature-of the various combinations and effects of chymical and mechanical powers-of the motions and magnitudes of the planetary and the starry orbs of the principles of legitimate reasoning-of just conceptions of the attributes and moral government of the Supreme Being-of the genuine principles of moral action-of many other subjects interesting to a rational and immortal being-they are almost as entirely ignorant as the wandering Tartar, or the untutored Indian.

Of eight hundred millions of human beings which people the globe we inhabit, there are not perhaps two millions whose minds are truly enlightened as they ought to be-who prosecute rational pursuits for their own sake, and from a pure love of science, independently of the knowledge requisite for their respective professions and employments. For we must exclude from the rank of rational inquirers after knowledge all those who have acquired a smattering of learning, with no other view than to gain a subsistence, or to appear fasirionable and polite. And, if this rule be admitted, I am afraid that a goodly number even of lawyers, physicians, clergymen, teachers, nay, even some authors, and professors in universities and academies, would be struck off from the list of lovers of science and rational inquirers after truth. Admitting this statement, it will follow, that there is not one individual out of four hundred of the human race, that passes his life as a rational intelligent being, employing his faculties in those trains of thought and active exercises which are worthy of an intellectual nature! For, in so far as the attention of mankind is absorbed merely in making provision for animal subsistence, and in gratifying the sensual appetites of their na ture, they can be considered as little superior in dignity to the lower orders of animated existence.

The late Frederick, king of Prussia, who was a correct observer of mankind, makes a still lower estimate of the actual intelligence of the human species. In a letter to D'Alembert, in 1770, he says, "Let us take any monarchy you please; let us suppose that it contains ten millions of inhabitants; from these ten millions let us discount,-first the labourers, the manufacturers, the artizans, the soldiers, and there will remain about fifty thousand persons, men and women; from these let us discount twenty five thousand for the female sex, the rest will compose the nobility and gentry, and the respectable citizens; of these, let us examine how many will be incapable of application, how many imbecile, how many pusillanimous, how many dissipated,-and from this calculation it will result, that out of what is called a civilized nation of nearly ten millions, you will hardly find a thousand well-informed persons, and even among

them what inequality with regard to genius! If eight-tenths of the nation, toiling for their subsistence, never read-if another tenth are incapable of application, from frivolity, or dissipation, or imbecility,-it results, that the small share of good sense of which our species is capable, can only reside in a small fraction of a nation." Such was the estimate made by this philosophic monarch of the intelligence possessed by the nations of Europe, sixty years ago; and although society has considerably advanced in intellectual acquisitions since that period, the great body of the people, in every country, is still shrouded in the mists of folly and ignorance. Such a picture of the intellectual state of mankind must, when seriously considered, excite a melancholy train of reflections in the breast both of the philanthropist and the man of science. That such a vast assemblage of beings, furnished with powers capable of investigating the laws of nature,-of determining the arrangement, the motions, and magnitudes of distant worlds,-of weighing the masses of the planets,-of penetrating into the distant regions of the universe, of arresting the lightning in its course, of exploring the pathless ocean, and the region of the clouds,—and of rendering the most stubborn elements of nature subservient to their designs: that beings, capable of forming a sublime intercourse with the Creator himself, and of endless progression in knowledge and felicity, should have their minds almost wholly absorbed in eating and drinking, in childish and cruel sports and diversions, and in butchering one another, seems, at first view, a tacit reflection on the wisdom of the Creator, in bestowing on our race such noble powers, and plainly indicates, that the current of human intellect has widely deviated from its pristine course, and that strong and reiterated efforts are now requisite to restore it to its original channel. Every lover of science and of mankind must, therefore, feel interested in endeavouring to remove those obstructions which have impeded the progress of useful knowledge, and to direct the intellectual energies of his fellow-men to the prosecution of objects worthy of the high station they hold in the scale of existence.

Were we to inquire into the external causes which have retarded the progress of the human mind, we should, doubtless, find them existing in the nature of those civil governments which have most generally prevailed in the world, and in several of the ecclesiastical establishments which have been incorporated with them. It has been a favourite maxim with all tyrants, that the people must be kept in ignorance; and hence we find, that in the empires of the East, which are all of a despotical nature, the people are debarred from the temple of science, and sunk into a state of the grossest ignorance and

servility. Under such governments, the minds of men sink into apathy,-the sparks of genius are smothered, the sciences are neglected,ignorance is honoured,-and the man of discernment, who dares to vent his opinions, is proscribed as an enemy to the state. In the more enlightened governments on the continent of Europe, the same effects have followed, in proportion to the number of those tyrannical maxims and principles which enter into their constitution. Hence, we may frequently determine the degree of mental illumination which prevails among any people, from a consideration of the nature of the government under which they live. For the knowledge of a people is always in proportion to their liberty, and where the spirit of liberty is either crushed or shackled, the energies of the human mind will never be exerted with vigour, in the acquisition or the propagation of literature and science. Even in the mildest and most enlightened governments of modern Europe, the instruction of the general mass of society forms no prominent feature in their administration, Knowledge on general subjects is simply permitted to be disseminated among the people, its promoters are not sufficiently patronized and encouraged,-no funds are regularly appropri ated for this purpose, and its utility, in many instances, is even called in question. It is to be hoped, however, now that the din of war is in some measure hushed, that the attention of princes and their ministers will be more particularly directed to this important object: for it might easily be shown, were it necessary, that an enlightened population is the most solid basis of a good government, and the greatest security for its permanence,-that it will always form the strongest bulwark around every throne where the sceptre is swayed by wisdom and rectitude. That the establishment of the Popish religion in any state has a tendency to impede the progress of knowledge, it would be almost needless to illustrate. The mummeries which have been interwoven with its services, the grovelling and superstitious notions which it has engendered, the ignorance which prevails among the population of all those countries over which its influence extends, the alarms of its priestly abettors at the idea of free discussion, and of enlightening the minds of the people, the records of its Inquisitions, the history of the dark ages, when it prevailed in all its rigour, and the recent experience of our own times, show, that it is a system founded on the darkness and imbecility of the human intellect, and can flourish only where the spirit of liberty has fled, and where reason has lost its ascendency in the minds of men."

Let it be carefully remembered, that in these remarks it is merely the system of popery to which the author refers. He is aware that many indiv

With regard to the internal causes of the ignorance which so generally prevails, they will be found in the general depravity of human nature, in the vicious propensities so prevalent among all ranks; in the indulgence of inordinate desires after riches and power; and in the general disposition of mankind to place their chief happiness in sensual gratifications,-evils which the spirit of Christianity only, in conjunction with every rational exertion, is calcuiated fully to eradicate. And therefore it is indispensable, that every attempt to diffuse intellectual light over the human race be accompanied with the most strenuous exertions to promote the moral renovation of mankind. For vice and ignorance, especially among the lower orders, generally go hand in hand; and experience demonstrates, that indulgence in evil passions, and in unhallowed gratifications, destroys the relish for mental enjoyments, and is one of the most powerful obstructions to the vigorous exercise of the intellectual powers.

That the general diffusion of knowledge among all ranks is an object much to be desired, will not, I presume, be called in question by any one who regards the intellectual powers of man as the noblest part of his nature,-and who considers, that on the rational exercise of these powers his true happiness depends. If ignorance be one of the chief causes which disturb the harmonious movements of the machine of society, by removing the cause we of course prevent the effects; and if knowledge be one of the mainsprings of virtuous conduct, the more it is diffused, the more extensively will be brought into action, on the stage of life, those virtues which it has a tendency to produce. A few Ferdinands and Wyndhams and Don Miguels may still remain, who regard the great mass of the people merely as subjects of legislation, or as the tools of tyranny and ambition, and that, therefore, they must be held in the chains of ignorance, lest they should aspire to the ranks of their superiors. But the general current of public opinion now runs counter to such illiberal and antiquated notions; and few persons of respectability, at least in this country, would hazard their reputation in defending a position so degrading and untenable. The more learning a people have, the more virtuous, powerful, and happy will they become; and to ignorance alone must the contrary effects be imputed. "There is but one case," says a French writer, "where ignorance can be desirable; and that is, when all is desperate in a state, and when, through the present evils, others still greater appear be

duals, distinguished for learning and piety, have been connected with the Romish church; and while he condemns the spirit and tendency of the peculiar dogmas and practices of that church, he deprecates every idea of persecution, and every attempt to deprive its members of those rights and privileges to which they are entitled as men and as citizens.

15

hind. Then stupidity is a blessing: knowledge and foresight are evils. It is then that, shutting our eyes against the light, we would hide from ourselves the calamities we cannot prevent." In every other case, knowledge must prove an inestimable blessing to men of every nation and of every rank.

That the period when a general diffusion of knowledge shall take place is hastening on, appears from the rapid progress which has been made in almost every department of science during the last half century; from the numerous publications on all subjects daily issuing from the press; from the rapid increase of theological, literary, and scientific journals, and the extensive patronage they enjoy from the numerous lectures on chymistry, astronomy, experimental philosophy, political economy, and ge neral science, now delivered in the principal cities and towns of Europe; from the adoption of new and improved plans of public instruction, and the erection of new seminaries of education in almost every quarter of the civilized world; from the extensive circulation of books among all classes of the community; from the rapid formation of bible and missionary societies; from the increase of literary and philosophical associations; from the establishment of mechanics' institutions in our principal towns, and of libraries and reading societies in almost every village; from the eager desire now excited, even among the lower orders of society, of becoming acquainted with subjects hitherto known and cultivated only by persons of the learned professions; and, above all, from the spirit of civil and religious liberty now bursting forth, both in the eastern and the western hemispheres, notwithstanding the efforts of petty tyrants to arrest its progress. Amidst the convulsions which have lately shaken the surrounding nations, "many have run to and fro, and knowledge has been increased;" the sparks of liberty have been struck from the collision of hostile armies and opposing interests; and a spirit of inquiry has been excited among nu merous tribes of mankind, which will doubtless lead to the most important results. These cir cumstances, notwithstanding some gloomy ap pearances in the political horizon, may be considered as so many preludes of a new and hap pier era about to dawn upon the world; wher intellectual light shall be diffused among al ranks, and in every region of the globe; when Peace shall extend her empire over the world. when men of all nations, at present separated from each other by the effects of ignorance, and of political jealousies, shall be united by the bonds of love, of reason, and intelligence, and conduct themselves as rational and immorta! beings.

In order that such a period may be gradually ushered in, it is essentially requisite that a com

viction of the utility and importance of a general diffusion of knowledge be impressed upon the minds of the more intelligent and influential classes of society, and that every exertion and every appropriate mean should be used to accomplish this desirable object. In accordance with this idea, I shall endeavour, in the following work,

I. To illustrate the advantages which would Low from a general diffusion of useful know

ledge among all ranks, and shall afterwards follow out the investigation, by

II. An inquiry into the means requisite to be used in order to accomplish this important object.*

As a particular illustration of the means by which a general diffusion of knowledge might be effected would render the present work too bulky, -this department of the subject will be prosecuted in a separate volume.

THAT the intellectual faculties of man have never been thoroughly directed to the pursuit of objects worthy of the dignity of rational and immortal natures-and that the most pernicious effects have flowed from the perversion of their mental powers, are truths which the history of past ages and our own experience too plainly demonstrate. That the state of general society would be greatly meliorated, were the mists of ignorance dispelled, and the current of human thought directed into a proper channel, might appear, were we to take an extensive survey of the evils which have been produced by ignorance, and its necessary concomitants, and of the opposite effects which would flow from mental illumination, in relation to all those subjects connected with the improvement and the happiness of our species. Here, however, a field of vast extent opens to view, which would require several volumes fully to describe and illustrate: I shall, therefore, in the mean time, select, from the multitude of objects which crowd upon the view, only a few prominent particulars, the elucidation of which shall occupy the following sections.

SECTION I.

ON THE INFLUENCE WHICH A GENERAL DIFFUSION OF KNOWLEDGE WOULD HAVE IN DISSIPATING THOSE SUPERSTITIOUS NOTIONS AND VAIN FEARS WHICH HAVE SO LONG ENSLAVED THE MINDS OF MEN.

My first proposition is, that the diffusion of knowledge would undermine the fabric of su

perstition, and remove those groundless fears to which superstitious notions give rise. Ignorance has not only debarred mankind from many exquisite and sublime enjoyments, but has created innumerable unfounded alarms, which greatly increase the sum of human misery. Man is naturally timid, terrified at those dangers whose consequences he cannot foresee, and at those uncommon appearances of nature whose causes he has never explored. Thus, he is led, in many instances, to regard with apprehension and dread those operations of nature which are the result of regular and invariable laws. Under the influence of such timid emotions, the phenomena of nature, both in the heavens and on the earth, have been arrayed with imaginary terrors. In the early ages of the world, a total eclipse of the sun or of the moon was regarded with the utmost consternation, as if some dismal catastrophe had been about to befall the universe. Believing that the moon in an eclipse was sickening or dying through the influence of enchanters, the trembling spectators had recourse to the ringing of bells, the sounding of trumpets, the beating of brazen vessels, and to loud and horrid exclamations, in order to break the enchantment, and to drown the muttering of witches, that the moon might not hear them. In allusion to this practice, Juvenal, when speaking of a loud scolding woman, says, that she was able to relieve the moon.

"Forbear your drums and trumpets if you please, Her voice alone the labouring moon can ease." Nor are such foolish opinions and customs yet banished from the world. They are said to be