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 had read, and having decided that it was an improper thing for the child to have in his possession, one of them had taken it from the owner, and destroyed it.  The aggrieved party had complained to some of the other children, who said that it was thieving for one child to take any thing from another child, without his consent.  The boy, nettled at being called a thief, defended himself, by saying that he, as a monitor, had a right to take away from any of his class any thing that was calculated to do them harm; and was, it seems, backed in this opinion by many others.  On the other hand, it was contended that no such right existed; and it was doubtful to me for a considerable time, on which side the strength of the argument lay.  At last one of the children observed to the following effect:—­“You