a public place, wherein the languages, the arts, or sciences, are taught. Thus we say, a grammar school, a writing school, a school of natural philosophy, &c.—The word is formed from the Latin schola, which, according to Du Cange, signifies discipline and correction; he adds, that it was anciently used, in general, for all places where several persons met together, either to study, to converse, or do any other matter. Accordingly, there were scholae palatinae, being the several posts wherein the emperor's guards were placed; schola senatoriorum, schola gentilium, &c. At length the term passed also to civil magistrates; and accordingly in the code we meet with schola chartulariorum, schola agentionum, &c.; and even to ecclesiastics, as schola canorum, schola sacerdotum, &c.

The Hebrews were always very diligent to teach and study the laws that they had received from Moses. The father of the family studied and taught them in his own family. The Rabbins taught them in the temple, in the synagogues, and in the academies. They pretend, that even before the deluge there were schools for knowledge and piety, of which the patriarchs had the direction.—They place Adam at their head, then Enoch, and lastly Noah. Melchisedec, as they say, kept a school in the city of Kajrath-sepher, otherwise Hebron, in Palestine. Abraham, who had been instructed by Heber, taught in Chaldæa and in Egypt. From him the Egyptians learned astronomy and arithmetic. Jacob succeeded Abraham in the office of teaching. The scripture says, he was "a plain man dwelling in tents;" which, according to the Chaldee paraphraist, is, "that he was a perfect man, and a minister of the house of doctrine."

All this, indeed, must be very precarious and uncertain. It cannot be doubted but that Moses, Aaron, and the elders of Israel, instructed the people in the wilderness, and that many good Israelites were very industrious to instruct their families in the fear of God. But all this does not prove to us that there were any such schools as we are now inquiring after. Under Joshua we see a kind of academy of the prophets, where the children of the prophets, that is, their disciples, lived in the exercise of a retired and austere life, in study, in the meditation and reading of the law of God. There were schools of the prophets at Naioth in Ramah; 1 Sam. xix. 12, 20, &c. See the article PROPHET.

These schools, or societies of the prophets, were succeeded by the synagogues. See the article SYNAGOGUE.

Charity-SCHOOLS, are those schools which are set apart by public contributions or private donations for the instruction of poor children, who could not otherwise enjoy the benefits of education. In no country are there more numerous than in Great Britain, where charity and benevolence are characteristic of the nation at large. The following is a summary view of the number of charity-schools in Great Britain and Ireland, according to the best information at present, 1795.