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To The Editor Of The Freemasons' Magazine.
To the EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE .
SIR , 1 AM frequently in company with a friend of mine , who is in some degree hard of hearing , and these people are not slow of speech , unless they are of a melancholy cast , which is not my friend's turn of mind . In one of our conversations , speaking about travelling as a part of the education of gentlemen of fortune , he told me that he had lived some years in Switzerlandand had had opportunities of
, seeing that a great deal of money had been , in some instances , thrown away by persons of fortune in that course , for want of properly conductim > the travels of young gentlemen . I asked him where the fault lay : he said , in some cases with the travelling tutors , scarce proper for such a business ; in others , with the young gentlemen themselves : that it had often vexed him , ancl though he wished well to
all nations , yet he grudged that so much English money was so often mis-spent , in foreign countries , where the traveller got so little benefit or improvement , and where the character of an Englishman was not honoured by the behaviour of the English youth . 1 asked him whether he did not think travelling mig ht be rendered a means of real improvement : he saidit not onlmiht be sobut that there
, y g , were some instances where it had actually been so , and-that it was scarce possible it could fail of being useful if common sense or prudence was at all made use of . Pie said , the main thing required is , that the young gentleman
himself should be desirous of improvement , and sometimes ask himself , why am I here ? what does my country , and what does my family expect from this tour ? what ought they to expect ? shall I be my own enemy and neglect my own improvement ? shall I use my common sense ' like a man , or act like a giddy puppy ? If some such reflections as these are made and attended to , the iirst point is gained and without thatthe efforts and talents of the best qualified
bear-, driver ( so the travelling tutors are sometimes injuriously called ) cannot avail . A resolution on the side of the young gentleman therefore , a proper purpose in himself , is first to be established , and frequently renewed , " and fresh resolves of that kind to be made and constantly kept in view . A sensible tutor , a faithful , calm , steady behaviour in him , can incline the pupil to make and keep up to such
resolutions . His confidence he ought to deserve , and to be certain in his own mind that it is his principal view to answer the worthy ends of those that employ him . But , said I , what improvement can he meet with abroad that lie may not as well meet with at home ? He said , they are various and of many kinds ; the sensible mind may be enlarged ' by travel , the scandalous part of national pride , the contempt for other people , an ignorant base preferring even the faults of Englishmen to the possible virtues of other nations , a self-sufficient arrogance , a narrow , circumscribed , partial mind , may be
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
To The Editor Of The Freemasons' Magazine.
To the EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE .
SIR , 1 AM frequently in company with a friend of mine , who is in some degree hard of hearing , and these people are not slow of speech , unless they are of a melancholy cast , which is not my friend's turn of mind . In one of our conversations , speaking about travelling as a part of the education of gentlemen of fortune , he told me that he had lived some years in Switzerlandand had had opportunities of
, seeing that a great deal of money had been , in some instances , thrown away by persons of fortune in that course , for want of properly conductim > the travels of young gentlemen . I asked him where the fault lay : he said , in some cases with the travelling tutors , scarce proper for such a business ; in others , with the young gentlemen themselves : that it had often vexed him , ancl though he wished well to
all nations , yet he grudged that so much English money was so often mis-spent , in foreign countries , where the traveller got so little benefit or improvement , and where the character of an Englishman was not honoured by the behaviour of the English youth . 1 asked him whether he did not think travelling mig ht be rendered a means of real improvement : he saidit not onlmiht be sobut that there
, y g , were some instances where it had actually been so , and-that it was scarce possible it could fail of being useful if common sense or prudence was at all made use of . Pie said , the main thing required is , that the young gentleman
himself should be desirous of improvement , and sometimes ask himself , why am I here ? what does my country , and what does my family expect from this tour ? what ought they to expect ? shall I be my own enemy and neglect my own improvement ? shall I use my common sense ' like a man , or act like a giddy puppy ? If some such reflections as these are made and attended to , the iirst point is gained and without thatthe efforts and talents of the best qualified
bear-, driver ( so the travelling tutors are sometimes injuriously called ) cannot avail . A resolution on the side of the young gentleman therefore , a proper purpose in himself , is first to be established , and frequently renewed , " and fresh resolves of that kind to be made and constantly kept in view . A sensible tutor , a faithful , calm , steady behaviour in him , can incline the pupil to make and keep up to such
resolutions . His confidence he ought to deserve , and to be certain in his own mind that it is his principal view to answer the worthy ends of those that employ him . But , said I , what improvement can he meet with abroad that lie may not as well meet with at home ? He said , they are various and of many kinds ; the sensible mind may be enlarged ' by travel , the scandalous part of national pride , the contempt for other people , an ignorant base preferring even the faults of Englishmen to the possible virtues of other nations , a self-sufficient arrogance , a narrow , circumscribed , partial mind , may be