He goes on after his usual manner saying, I inveigh against all human learning that has been made use of any ways in Theology; but where he finds this asserted I know not, whether the words he would declare it from, to wit: that man hath rendered the plain and naked truth obscure and mysterious by his wisdom, will bear such a consequence is left to the reader’s judgment. But he thinks he has found out our secret design of being against learning and schools of learning, which is neither our affirmation nor our principle, but his own false supposition. We would, saith he, have all those banished, that we might more easily prevail with our errors. But methinks the man should be more wary in venting his own false imaginations, unless he would bring some ground for them; for his assertion is so far untrue, that if he had been rightly informed, he might have known that we have set up schools of learning for teaching of the languages and other needful arts and sciences,[86] and that we never denied its usefulness; only we denied it be a qualification absolutely necessary for a minister, in which case alone we have opposed its necessity.[87] [Sidenote: Benezet’s early life and education] Another character of very great importance in this connection is Anthony Benezet. Born, 1713, at St. Quentin in France, of “an ancient and respectable family” he spent his early years in France and then in Holland, whither his father had fled for refuge.[88] A few months were spent in Rotterdam and the family then moved to London where the father entered into the mercantile business and retrieved to some extent his fallen fortunes. This enabled him to give Anthony sufficient education to qualify him for that business, for which, however, he seemed to evince but little taste. Being of a very religious nature, he became a member of Friends at about fourteen years of age, and in that society found the field of his whole life’s activity, which was chiefly educational.[89] Considerable space will be devoted to his work in respect to the education of Negroes, so that will be entirely omitted in this place.[90] He was a voluminous writer, producing chiefly tracts and letters, and a great majority of these have a definite educational bearing. Because of the great number of them it is impossible really to do them justice, but an attempt will be made to state a few brief theses for which he unchangingly stands. [Sidenote: Education a function of government, but often neglected as such; hence individual effort necessary]