for, not content
with a proper foot-path, they must walk on a man's plantations, pull
up that which can be of no use, and thereby injure the property of
their neighbour. These things ought not to be, nor do I think they
would be so common, if they were noticed a little more in the
education of children. It has been too much the practice with many,
to consider that the business of a school consists merely in teaching
children their letters; but I am of opinion, that the formation of
character while there, is of the greatest importance, not only to the
children, but to society at large. How can we account for the strict
honesty of the Laplanders, who can leave their property in the woods,
and in their huts, without the least fear of its being stolen or
injured, while we, with ten times the advantages, cannot consider our
property safe, with the aid of locks and bolts, brick walls, and even
watchmen and police-officers besides? There must be some cause for all
this, and perhaps the principal one is defective education, and the
total neglect of the morals of the infant poor, at a time when their
first impressions should be taken especial care of; _for conscience,
if not lulled to sleep, but called into vigorous action, will prove
stronger than brick walls, bolts, or locks; and I am satisfied, that I
could have taken the whole of the children under my care in the first
infants' school, into any gentleman's plantation, without their doing
the least injury whatever; and this I could now do in any similar
circumstances_. I will mention, however, one fact.

One day, while I was walking in the play-ground, I saw at one end of
it about twenty children, apparently arguing a subject, _pro_ and
_con_; from the attitude of several of the orators, I judged it was
about something that appeared to them of considerable importance. I
wished to know the subject of debate, but was satisfied that if I
approached the children it might put an end to the matter altogether.
Some of the bystanders saw me looking very attentively at the
principal actor, and, as I suppose, suggested to the party the
propriety of retiring to some other spot, for immediately afterwards
they all went behind a partition, which afforded me an opportunity of
distinctly hearing all that passed, without being observed by them. I
soon found that the subject of debate was a _song_. It seems that one
of the children had brought a song to the school, which some of the
monitors