as the conservator and promoter of learning and religion. When darkness covered the earth like a flood, during the medieval centuries, that church was the ark which saved for us the learning and religion of the old world. All thanks to the bright example of her heroic missionaries; for the recorded lives of those eminent saints, who through the long centuries, bore the mingled fruits of learning and holiness, for such as "Pascal who was all reason," and for such as "Fenelon who was all love."

My second argument is derived from the nature of Protestantism. The right of private judgment, in opposition to human claims to a dictatorial authority, in matters of faith, is an essential article in the protestant faith. Now this single fact, that we are to call no man master, is assumed on the ground that the followers of Christ are capable of forming, from the Bible, an opinion for themselves; and in order to form this opinion for themselves, from the study of the bible, they ought at least to be able to read the bible. For how can a man, in the exercise of the right of private judgment, form a correct judgment except on a correct basis, and how can he have a satisfactory basis in the bible, unless he understands that bible?

Besides the acknowledged advantages which they enjoyed in the Catholic church, some of the first reformers desired to enjoy this right of private judgment. They wished to escape from the heavy hand of authority by which they felt themselves humiliated. They were opposed to what was called carbonaria fides, "the Collier's faith," or implicit faith. A Collier being asked what he believed on a certain point, replied, "I believe as the church believes." And being asked what the church believes, he replied, "The church believes as I believe." And being asked again what he and the church believe, he replied, "The church and I believe the same thing."

Leading protestants, in opposition to this carbonaria fides, undertook to have a faith of their own, and to be able to state the grounds of their faith. In the language of Chillingworth, "the bible, the bible is the religion of protestants." In adopting this for their motto they virtually declared that the common people ought to be elevated to such a level in the scale of mental cultivation, that in the exercise of the right of private judgment in the formation of their opinions from the bible, they would not "wrest it to their own destruction."

The contest on the subject at issue, between Luther and his allies on the one hand, and the Pope and his Cardinals on the other, was like the battle between the gods, as described by Homer, or the battle between angels, as described by Milton. There was great intellec

tual power and great learning on both sides; and it required intellectual cultivation to judge of the merits of that controversy. Luther translated the bible; but of what use would that be, unless the people could read that translation? Luther, Melancthon and Carlostadius, all men of great learning, delivered lectures in the University of Wittemburg, which helped to enlighten the people and give currency to his doctrines. The revival of classical learning near that time contributed largely to the same effect.

In like manner the Protestant religion of England was permeated with learning, which the Episcopal church there have zealously promoted ever since they took possession of the Catholic schools and universities. Indeed, the leading protestants throughout Europe had been highly educated in the Roman Catholic schools, and were thus disposed to imitate and surpass them in the establishment of such institutions.

Accordingly, in protestant regions, schools of learning soon shone forth on the earth, thick-set as the stars in the sky above. Voetius, a learned protestant, boasted that while in the ten catholic provinces of Belgium there were only two universities, in the ten protestant provinces there were seven.

It is true that what is now understood by popular education was not then thought of as practicable. The Reformers seem not to have supposed it possible that the delights and advantages of learning could be brought down to the lowest stratum of the population. But they adopted principles and measures that are now operating in Germany in the education of the masses, and which justify the clergy here in promoting popular education by direct and efficient means. My third argument is derived from the nature of Puritanism. Besides the general principles of christianity and of protestantism. the puritans adopted the opinion that the people are capable of selfgovernment, both in their civil and in their ecclesiastical polity. This opinion implied that the people should be qualified, by education, to perform the duties involved in self-government. Accordingly, as soon as their circumstances would allow, like the catholics, like the protestants, they adopted measures, both in England and in this country, to establish schools and colleges, under the direction of their learned divines. These had generally been educated in the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. In eleven years after the settlement of Massachusetts, they laid the foundation of Harvard College, to the support of which Connecticut annually contributed. In seventeen years, they established a system of common schools. The clergy, as is

well known, were active in establishing and sustaining these institutions in Massachusetts. As advisors, as patrons, as teachers and visitors, they exerted a controlling and salutary influence.

Without going into an induction of particulars, it is sufficient for my purpose here to say, that the whole history of the puritans shows abundantly, that they have been staunch believers in the value of local law. They have believed that a Church can govern itself better than any outside person or body can govern it; that a Town can govern itself better than a colony or a State can govern it; that the Colony can govern itself better than parliament can govern it; that a State can govern itself better than congress can govern it. But in order to this successful self-government, in these several circles of power, they have also believed that the people must be educated in the school of Christ, and at least, in common schools. On this same belief, the clergy have acted earnestly and efficiently.

Listen to the prayer made by Eliot, the Apostle John, in a synod of ministers in Boston; "Lord, for schools everywhere among us! That our schools may flourish! That every member of this assembly may go home and procure a good school to be encouraged in the town where he lives! That before we die we may be so happy as to see a good school encouraged in every plantation of the country." This was the spirit of the early ministers, and their conduct was in accordance with their spirit.

My fourth Argument is derived from the nature of the profession into which ministers have entered.

The object of that profession is to raise the souls of men from their earthly condition into union with the divine nature, that they may thus become the intelligent, and holy, and happy inhabitants of earth and of heaven; to raise them from the power of appetite and passion into the dominion of reason and conscience. This the minister endeavors to accomplish by commending to them the truths of God's holy word illustrated by the teachings of his providence.

In like manner it is the object of popular education to raise men in the scale of knowledge, virtue and happiness, that they become good citizens; to elevate the tastes of the young from sensuality, from the bar and the brandy saloon, from the haunts of loafers and gamblers, into the love and the pursuit of the true, the good and the beautiful. Thus the minister and the educator are largely aiming at the same thing; though the motives employed by the former are always supposed to be chiefly drawn from a higher world, and the motives employed by the latter may be chiefly drawn from

this. The christian minister has, then, every encouragement to act strenuously for the promotion of popular education, with the full belief that while he is promoting that, he is at the same time promoting the object of his own profession.

The minister and the school master are fellow laborers in the same field. The field is the world. When "the school master is abroad," let the minister go forth to meet him and join himself to him as a fellow laborer. Let them encourage each other and bear each other's burdens, both looking forward to "the harvest home," when they shall bring their sheaves with them.

My fifth Argument is derived from the position occupied by the Clergy of Connecticut during more than two hundred years.

From the early legislation of the Colonies it appears, that a reason given why schools should be supported, was, namely: that the young could in them be so taught that they would be able to "read the bible" and the "capital laws," and thus be "fitted for service in the church and commonwealth." In the order to establish a free school in 1641, in New Haven, "Our pastor, Mr. Davenport," is mentioned with the magistrates, as a committee "to consider what yearly allowance is meet to be given out of the common stock of the town," for the support of the school; and also, "what rules and orders are meet to be observed in and about the same." And, in 1644, the General Court ordered that a grammar school be set up and appointed, and that the "Magistrates and the Teaching Elders" be a committee to attend to that, for the same purposes as in the case of the first mentioned or common school. It appears that Governor Eaton and Mr. Davenport were the active men in thus establishing a system of free schools in the Colony.

And after the Colonies were united, the General Court, in 1690, ordered as follows: "This Court considering the necessary and great advantage of good literature, do order and appoint, that there shall be two good free schools kept in this Colony, for the schooling of all such children as shall come there after they can distinctly read the psalter, to be taught reading, writing, arithmetic, the Latin and the English languages, the one at Hartford, the other at New Haven, the masters whereof shall be chosen by the magistrates and the ministers of the said counties, and shall be inspected and displaced by them, if they see cause." These were grammar schools, after the model of the free, or endowed grammar schools of England, in which the Latin and the English languages were to be taught grammatically.

While I thus notice the prominence that was given to the clergy in the establishment of free schools, it should be mentioned that by the original Constitution of Connecticut the " of the supreme power Commonwealth," was lodged in the General Court, which for a long time afterwards gave prominence to the clergy in all matters connected with education.

It should be added that the SCHOOL MASTERS were treated with great consideration from the first. They were among the few at the first, who received the title of "Mr.," and not that of "brother," or "good man." The school master stood next to the minister in the minds of the people; just as he does in Goldsmith's inimitable description in "The Deserted Village":

"And still they gazed, and still the wonder grew,
That one small head could carry all he knew."

He was on familiar terms with the minister, and often derived important aid from him in the government and instruction of his school, aud kept him informed as to the proficiency of individual pupils. It is a tradition, that a school master in Guilford from time to time informed the minister, the Rev. Joseph Elliott, that his son, afterwards the celebrated Jared Elliott, was not making much proficiency in his studies. On one occasion, when carrying his book to school, Jared let it fall into the water, and when standing by the fire to dry it, he let it fall into the fire. Upon being reprimanded by the master, he replied, "I believe my book is a lunatic, it is oft in the fire and oft in the water." The school master, as soon as the school was dismissed, hastened to the minister to say to him, "Jared will make a man after all."

Many of the school masters in the principal towns, one at least in each town, made teaching their principal employment through the year, namely, such as Cheever, and Tisdale, and Jones. Other intelligent men taught school in winter, and managed their farms in the summer; one of these, who was born in 1727, told me that, in this way, he taught school thirty years. Others, chiefly young men, often the flower of the town, well educated for the times, and from good families, taught school for a few winters, until they were mar ried. Females, called school mistresses, and school dames, taught the small schools in the summer. Clergymen often taught select schools in the winter, for the older youth in their congregations.

Among these teachers there were indeed those who were but poorly qualified for their employment. Some such are described by John Trumbull, in his "Progress of Dullness:"