The Political Education is the last, which we have undertaken to notice, of the agents employed in forming the character of man. The importance of this subject has not escaped observation. Some writers have treated of it in a comprehensive and systematical manner. And a still greater number have illustrated it by occasional and striking remarks, It is, nevertheless, true, that the full and perfect ex position of it yet remains to be made.
The Political Education is like the key-stone of the arch ; the strength of the whole depends upon it. We have seen that the strength of the Domestic and the Technical Education, depends almost entirely up on the Social. Now it is certain; that the nature of the social depends almost entirely upon the Political; and the moat important part of the Physical (that which operates with greatest force upon the greatest number, the state of aliment and labour of the lower classes), is, in the long-run, determined by the action of the political machine. The play, therefore, of the political machine acts immediately upon the mind, and with extraordinary power; but this is not all ; it also acts upon almost every thing else by which the character of the mind is apt to be formed.
It is a common observation, that such as is the di rection given to the desires and passions of men, such is the character of the men. The direction is given to the desires and passions of men by one thing, and one alone; the means by which the grand objects of desire may be attained. Now this is cer tain, that the means by which the grand objects of desire may be attained, depend almost wholly upon the political machine. When the political machine
is such, that the grand objects of desire are seen to be the natural prizes of great and virtuous conduct— of high services to mankind, and of the generous and amiable sentiments from which great endeavours in the service of mankind naturally proceed—it is natu ral to see diffused among mankind a generous ardour in the acquisition of all those admirable qualities which prepare a man for admirable actions; great in telligence, perfect self-command, and overruling be nevolence. When the political machine is such that the grand objects of desire are seen to be the reward, not of virtue, not of talent, but of subservience to the will, and command over the affections of the rul ing few; that interest with the man above is the only sure means to the next step in wealth, or power, or consideration, and so on; the means of pleasing the man above become, in that case, the great object of pursuit. And as the favours of the man above are necessarily limited—as some, therefore, of the candi dates for his favour can only obtain the objects of their desire by disappointing others--the arts of sup planting rise mto importance; and that whole tribe of faculties which is expressed by the words intrigue, flattery, back-bi6ng, treachery, &c., are the fruitful offspring of that political education, which a govern ment, in which the many interests of the subject are but a secondary object, cannot fail to produce. (v. v.) See the article EDUCATION, in the Encycmdia for the discussion of various questions conmecta. with that subject, and UNIVERSITIES, in this Supplement.