"I was induced to establish several orders of merit, from conviction that emulation, well directed, becomes a useful servant; and, that the latent genius of some youth is more easily brought into action this way, than by the more sordid gratification of self-interest"
About this Quote
Lancaster is pitching an early, deceptively modern piece of social technology: turn competition into a classroom engine, but make it look virtuous. His phrase "induced to establish" reads like modesty, yet it’s also a strategic defense. In an era suspicious of both raw ambition and bribery, he frames his system of "orders of merit" not as manipulation but as moral engineering.
The key word is "emulation" - not envy, not greed, but a respectable cousin of rivalry. Lancaster isn’t denying that students want status; he’s insisting that status can be arranged to serve the institution. "Well directed" signals the adult hand on the wheel: the competition is acceptable only when designed from above, disciplined into productivity. That’s the subtext of the monitorial school movement he helped popularize, where large groups of children were managed efficiently through routines, rankings, and peer supervision. Merit becomes a scalable currency.
His contrast with "the more sordid gratification of self-interest" is doing heavy ideological work. Lancaster wants to separate his incentives from money, prizes, or overt personal gain - partly because of Quaker-inflected moral sensibilities, partly because schooling the poor required cheap motivational tools. He’s arguing that symbolic rewards are cleaner, and in practice, cheaper and more controllable.
Then comes the seductive promise: "latent genius". The line flatters reformers with the idea that talent is hiding in the masses, waiting for the right nudge. The merit system becomes not just discipline, but discovery - a way to claim humanitarian uplift while building an orderly, competitive workforce-in-training.
The key word is "emulation" - not envy, not greed, but a respectable cousin of rivalry. Lancaster isn’t denying that students want status; he’s insisting that status can be arranged to serve the institution. "Well directed" signals the adult hand on the wheel: the competition is acceptable only when designed from above, disciplined into productivity. That’s the subtext of the monitorial school movement he helped popularize, where large groups of children were managed efficiently through routines, rankings, and peer supervision. Merit becomes a scalable currency.
His contrast with "the more sordid gratification of self-interest" is doing heavy ideological work. Lancaster wants to separate his incentives from money, prizes, or overt personal gain - partly because of Quaker-inflected moral sensibilities, partly because schooling the poor required cheap motivational tools. He’s arguing that symbolic rewards are cleaner, and in practice, cheaper and more controllable.
Then comes the seductive promise: "latent genius". The line flatters reformers with the idea that talent is hiding in the masses, waiting for the right nudge. The merit system becomes not just discipline, but discovery - a way to claim humanitarian uplift while building an orderly, competitive workforce-in-training.
Quote Details
| Topic | Teaching |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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