A philosophical education is peculiarly important.  By this I mean, a general knowledge of the mathematics, of mechanics, optics, hydrostatics, astronomy, chemistry, botany, and the like.  The teaching of these should be accompanied by experiments.  Experimental philosophy, as I observed before, is peculiarly interesting to youth.  Such knowledge teaches us the causes of things.  Mysteries, hitherto hidden both in the garden and in the field, and in the heaven and in the air, lie unfolded to our view.  Every walk we take, while the surface of the earth remains as it is, and the canopy of the firmament is spread over us, gives its the opportunity, in all the innumerable objects presented to our view, of almost endless investigation and delight.  And the deeper we go into the hidden things of nature, and the more we unfold them, have we not a better belief of the existence of the Creator, and grander notions of the symmetry, order, beauty, and wisdom of his works?  Such knowledge leads also, as it has always done, to discoveries, by which we may make ourselves useful to mankind.  And, besides the utility, of which it may make us capable, can discoveries of the principles of nature lessen oar love and admiration of the first great Cause?

To philosophical knowledge should be added general reading.  Such reading should be of the purest kind.  Of knowledge, acquired in this manner, it maybe said, that it opens new sources of right views and sentiments, and this even independently of Christianity, from which our most valuable information is derived.  Thus at a time, when as a nation we professed to be Christians, we shed the blood of the martyrs.  Thus when even such men as the great Sir Matthew Hale, one of the brightest Christian patterns in our country, were at the head of it, we condemned persons to death for witchcraft.  But knowledge superior to that of those times, has taught us better things.  By means of it we perceive, that persecution does not destroy, but that it propagates opinions, and that the belief of the existence of witchcraft is absurd.

These then appear to me to be the general advantages, or such as are inseparable from education when composed of the various branches of knowledge which have been described.  I shall now endeavour to shew the peculiar advantages, which the Quakers would derive from it.

It will appear then, if we look back into the character of the Quakers, as described in this volume, that the world charges them, I mean the more affluent part of them, with having less learning, than others in a similar rank of life.  But surely the education I propose would remove this intellectual defect.