THE rapid growth and popula-, tion of the United States have excited the wonder and astonishment of Europe. While many countries of the old world have been retrograding from their for mer prosperity, and while the most flourishing have advanced with slow and painful steps to their present importance, Ame rica seems to have been exempted from the common lot of nations, and to have risen in the short period of thirty years to a distinguished rank in the world. The Grecian colonies proceeded, like Minerva, from their parent at the full period of maturity, and then slowly advanced or declined with the nations around them. The United States on the contrary, deprived in early infancy of a mother's fostering care, had long to struggle for independence; but, from the moment that was obtained, she has surpassed the sanguine expectations of ideal calculations, and has increased beyond any former example in numbers, strength, and riches, and

Vol. IV. No. 3.

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we might add learning, were an opinion to be formed from the number of her literary institutions.` While the growing political importance of the United States is acknowledged by every one, it may be useful to inquire how far her numerous schools, academies, and colleges entitle her to the character of being really learned.

New England, with less than double the population of either London or Paris, can boast of possessing more Universities, than either England or France.

Academies are established in every part of the country, and not a village, but has its schools. Indeed strangers might reasonably expect to find learning possessed here by every peasant, to see numbers in every village familiar with the writings of the ancients, or who had explored the deepest recesses of science; and that her universities would annually produce numbers, who by their taste and erudition might enlighten their own age, and advance the rising generation. It

is true, that information is more generally possessed in New-England, than in almost any other country in the world; that there are few, who are unacquainted with the first rudiments of learning; that a competent knowledge of mechanicks, but more particularly of geography, is generally diffused through the country; but in politicks, to which every one thinks himself competent, the people are the dupes of every designing knave; while the higher branches of learning, those which clevate the soul, and teach man the use of his noble faculties, droop for want of culture. The tree puts forth leaves most luxuriantly, but the fruit is without flavour. Our colleges are careful to exhibit catalogues of the numbers, whose brows they have encircled with the laurel wreath, but more care is taken to enrol their names, than to store their minds. Indeed the little learning, that is acquired at our colleges, is frequently left within their walls, or is soon dissipated amidst the bustle of active life. Frequently even the professional student does not scruple to throw aside his classicks for the more profitable study of cent. per cent. Some leave good sense and useful knowledge behind Them to carry only a remembrance of words into their commerce with the world. They confound the ignorant by their use of hard terms, and men of information by their conceit and jargon. For the truth of this observation we appeal to the orations, which the prolifick month of July annually produces, which defy all criticism, and excite the gape and admiration of the multitude, by being as totally beyond their comprehension, as they are deficient in common sense. As, at

most of our colleges degrees are obtained without any exercise being performed or any examination passed, it will readily be granted that degrees are frequently conferred without merit; but at the same time it may be asked, whether many of the pupils may not contend with the first scholars of Europe for literary fame. So far indeed is this from being the case, that an English school-boy must possess a classical knowledge, supcriour to what is required here at any period of an university education. Many, at the moment of receiving their degree, could not pass the examination, by which they gained admittance. Indeed not only are the students allowed to neglect the studies of the college; but those studies are inadequate to the formation of a finished scholar. Nor do the colleges afford the proper means of Instruction, either in classick literature or abstruse science. For the truth of these observations ask the first scholars of our country, whether they do not owe their present eminence to their own exertions, rather than to the fostering care of their alma mater. Vain would be the attempt to improve the internal regulations, without a radical reform in the whole system. Upon the present weak pillars the cumbersome superstructure could not be supported, but must speedily fall to the ground; the inadequate compensation of its officers is a defect, which pervades every branch of our government, and prevents its commanding the first talents for any situation. An office, without allowing its possessor a proper support, holds him, as a mark, for envy and discontent to shoot at. Indeed a man of abilities must possess uncommon ambition or

uncommon patriotism, that will accept an office either in the state or college. The teachers of our schools are those, who will serve cheapest, not those, who know their duty best. An instructor at an academy may hope to obtain the wages of a day-labourer, and a tutor at college generally receives as much, as a mechanick can earn by the sweat of his brow, At the same time, our democratick ideas would lead us to divide these paltry stipends among a still larger number of institutions; for every one supposes himself injur ed by the establishment of any institution nearer to his neighbour, than to himself. We have not, it is true, travelling colleges, or travelling academies; but as we have in some states travelling legislatures, and, in our own, travelling law courts, we may still hope for this further improvement. The multiplicity of colleges may tend to the diffusion of knowledge; but it likewise tends to disperse the rays. Collected into one focus, they might kindle some happy luminaries to give light and warmth to an age, but now, dispersed, are lost on too wide a surface. The same funds, which now faintly move through the veins of our numerous colleges, would give life and animation to one university, and excite an impulse, that would bring every dormant faculty into operation. When the parent is sickly, can we expect the offspring to be robust? and because some are endued with so strong a constitution, and such lively powers, as to overcome the disadvantages of education, shall we therefore praise the institution, that could not check their progress? The chair of a professor, instead of being sought for as the reward of industrious merit, can

The

with difficulty be filled. Sense of duty alone can induce any man of talents to accept it, and retirement is considered far preferable to the most dignified situation at the first of our universities. tutors only regard their situation as affording them time and opportunity to prepare for some permanent situation in life; they cannot therefore be expected to give more time to the discharge of their duty, than the discipline of the college absolutely requires Their thoughts must be devoted to their future prospects, rather than to their present drudgery. How could the best internal regulations raise such an institution to any degree of eminence? If such is the situation of our first universities, what shall we think of those minor institutions, where the stipend can never enable the instructor to maintain the rank of gentlemen, and where, banished from polished society, they can have little inducement to mental exertion? Their libraries, philosophical apparatus, and all the necessary, but expensive accompaniments of an university, are on the same contracted scale. The philosopher would wish, that his senses were deceived by some optical illusion, and that the sun of science, which appeared multiplied, but shorn of his beams, really existed, and would one day appear to us in his native splendour and beauty. The cheapness of instruction and of living attracts numbers to these inferiour colleges; for a degree from one of them will save as much time to the law student, will introduce the physician as readily into practice, and will as speedily procure a settlement for the divine, as from the first university in the world. Should it be objected that, altho' the edu

cation is not so perfect, yet it is afforded to a much larger number, than could be instructed at one university, which would be necessarily more expensive, the fact would be granted; but whence arises the benefit of giving such numbers an university education? Most, who receive it, think they must of course enter one of the three professions, law, physick or divinity, all of which are now greatly crowded. The abundance of the article has rendered the labours of the divine so cheap, that in the country he is frequently obliged to resort to the labour of his hands for the support of himself and family. The lawyer, who can neither descend to encourage the litigious spirit of his neighbours, nor to take advantage of their necessities, if he has ncither powerful friends nor great ta

lents, must for a long time content himself with the most moderate income. If the medical has formerly been less thronged than the other professions, it can no longer boast that exemption; and we much fear, that many worthy characters, unwilling to resort to empirick arts, must remain unrecompensed and unknown. Shall we therefore tempt greater numbers from the shop or from the plough to enter these professions already more than filled? Should the numbers be diminished, we have no fear, that industrious merit would be excluded from advantages now enjoyed. Private and publick liberality might make ample provision for exciting into action those latent sparks of genius, which now lie concealed in the humble walks of life.

THE above lines are very generally, though very superficially known: they have, in this country, been confined almost altogether to the use of children; whereas, among the Germans, they have been rendered into several languages, and have received the various annotations of the most learned men. That very profound scholar, Loshwhsrztcentshckoffershoff, has given a trans lation of them into Latin and Hebrew, with notes, &c. 6 vols.

fol. He has the following curious remarks respecting their author: Viri quanquam multi, doctissimi, ac nullius rei nescii, quæ scientiam spectat, hos versus elegantissimos ab Anglicano aliquo scriptos fuisse crediderunt, nullo modo tamen in eandem sententiam venire possum. Plane mihi constat, hoc jucundum poema scriptum fuisse ab Achivorum aliquo, anno circiter ante Christum 1184; nam hoc anno Troja capta fuit. Ergo judico multa illo

tempore accidisse miracula, quorum aliquæ his versibus numerari poeta voluit. Vol. 3, p. 748, not in Excurs. 24, q. v. This learned man in another place mentions, that they were probably first brought into England in the time of Claudius, 45 B. C. when Aulus Plautius was sent against the Britons.

We propose to enter into a criticism of the above poem in a series of. numbers as we shall study brevity as much as possible, the series will not exceed thirty, although the many beauties of this performance would lead us into a much longer dissertation. The poet begins with an address to his patron. Few poems, which commence with a compliment to the author's patron, are so elegant and concise, in this particular, as the production before us. This poct has addressed his Mecenas under the title of Diddle; and there is a certain elegance in the repetition of the name, which, while it impresses the title more strongly on the mind, increases the beauty of the poem, by adding smoothness to the verse. Horace had this in view, in the 14th Ode of the 2d book, where he addresses Postu

mus:

Eheu! fugaces, Postume, Postume, &c. But he has fallen far short of the original, by introducing the word fugaces, which is connected with the line below; and, where the same writer addresses Mæcenas, he has nothing of that beautiful brevity, which characterises the first line of the production under review :

Mæcenas, atavis edite regibus, &c. How is this to be compared to the following?

High Diddle Diddle!

The epithet High is, in fact, the greatest compliment, that Diddle could possibly receive. He was probably the same as "high chancellor" in the age in which he lived, and a much greater man than either Mæcenas or Postumus.

It has been called in question, whether or no this line was really intended, as the beginning of the poem, by the author himself. How much, in this respect, does the performance before us resemble the Eneid of Virgil! But this is not the proper place to in stitute a comparison between these two celebrated productions of the human mind.

The German critick, whose name we have already mentioned, conceives that the old English reading is very incorrect; and that it conveys nothing like the original meaning. He conjectures that the, first line was addressed to Venus, and supposes the Greek line stood thus ;

Για, Διίδάλια, Δείδαλια, This however seems altogether improbable, on several grounds. Venus could not be invoked to assist the poet, as appears by the exclamation ", and it is not to be supposed that she would be invoked by a Greek, when she was decidedly in favour of the Trojans. We rather conclude that Diddle