JAM?-6VJ/.-: 
 
 
«|>V W d«ft> ^ 1^ lie* W d'1 
 
 7^' 
 
 PLEASURES AND ADVANTAGES OF KNOWLEDGE. 
 
 AND THE 
 
 NECESSITY OF MORAL, AS WELL AS MENTAL CULTIVATION 
 
 TO 
 
 INDIVIDUAL EXCELLENCE AND NATIONAL PROSPERITY; 
 
 BEFORE THE LITERARY SOCIE'TIES 
 
 GF THE 
 . AUGUST 3d, 18S7, 
 
 O F 
 
 SOUTH C A R L I N A , 
 
 A 
 
 .MEMBER OF 
 THE 
 
 PHI KAPPA SOCIETY. 
 
 F E I ^• T L D AT TKZ OTTICZ OV THE S O V X i" I Ti ^•■ W E I G , 
 
 1837. 
 
Phi-Kappa Hall, Aug. 3d, 1837. 
 
 On motion of William L. Mitchell, Esq. 
 
 Eesohed, That the cordial thanks of this Society, be expressed to the Hon. Henry L. Pinck- 
 ney, for the able, eloquent and interesting address just delivered ; and that a Committee be ap- 
 pointed to request a copy of that address for publication in Pamphlet form. 
 
 Resolved, That 2000 Copies of the address be published at the expense of the Society. 
 
 Phi-Kappa Hall, Aug. 3d, 1837. 
 Sir: 
 
 In pursuance of the former of the foregoing: resolutions, the undersigned Committee of 
 the Phi-Kappa Society, tender to you, the cordial thanks of that Body for your " able, eloquent, 
 and interesting address" so well suited to us and to the times, dehvered this day in the College 
 Chapel, before the Demoslhenian and Phi-Kappa Societies. The Society, in requesting the 
 same for publication testifies her sense at once, of the merit of the production and of the worth 
 of its author. The Committee in discharging their duty, cannot but echo back in the name of 
 the Society, those kindly feelings expressed in your Oration towards our Associations as res- 
 pects the temporal and immortal interests of their members. 
 Very respectfully yours, 
 
 B. M. PALMER, 
 
 Hon. Henry L. Pinckney. 
 
 M. E. BACON, \ Comwitiee. 
 
 W. R. GIGNILLIAT, 
 
 Athens, Geo. August 4th, 1837. 
 
 Gentlemen — 
 
 I have had the honor to receive your communication, inclosing a Resolution of 
 the Phi-Kappa Societjs by which lam requested to furnish a copy of the Oration, delivered be- 
 fore the Literary Societies of the Universiiy of Georgia yesterday, for pubhcation. In compli- 
 ance with the desire of the Society, the Oration is herewith sent, and p!aced at its disposal ; 
 and I beg you to make my grateful acknowledgements to that Body, for the kindness they have 
 shown me, and the honors they have been pleased to corfen upon me, and to ficcept for your- 
 selves my thanks for the verv flattering manner in which you have communicated the wish of 
 the Society, and the assurance of the respect, friendship, and esteem with which 
 I am. Gentlemen, yours truly, 
 
 H. L. PINCKNEY. 
 To Messrs. B. M. Palmek, 
 M. E. Bacon, 
 
 W. R. GiGNILLIANT. 
 
©mi^'S'ir©3¥. 
 
 Ge:?tlemex of the Demosthemian and Phi Kappa Societies : 
 
 The occasion, upon which we are assembled, is bv no 
 means one of idle curiosily or amusemei't. Il wasdesigned forafar more ration- 
 al and exalted object, than to please the eye, or gratify the ear, by a vain •xhibitioa 
 oftUt rhetoricrU skill. It was instituted to impart instruction to the youth attach, 
 ed to this vencrableseat ofleanii:ig, and paiticularly to impress upon those, who, 
 at each recurrence of this anniversary, exchange academic for actual life, such 
 sentiments and principles as may enable them to navigate successfully the un- 
 tried and perilous ocean that lies before them. To those of you, then, who 
 have arrived at this critical and important period, and to all connected with you 
 by consanguinity or friendship, this is a season of profound and affecting inter, 
 est. Standing as you do, upon a narrow isihmns, a mere point of time, you 
 will soon have left this peaceful and secluded vale, to assume the duties, and 
 mingle in the conflicts of the world. And what are the prospects that await 
 you (here? Will vour revered preceptors be compensated, for their faithful 
 and untiring eff)its, by the eiiviable eminence and well earned honours of your 
 future course, or will sad experience prove that their fruitless labours have 
 been bestowed on sterile ?nd ungrateful soil? Will your fond parents be re. 
 warded for their devoted solicitude and unceasing care, by your brilliant ful, 
 fiilment in manhood, of the flattering promises of youth, or are they destined to 
 mourn the disippoiatment of their most cherished hopes? These are problemsi 
 it is true which time alone can determine; but their solution notwithstanding, 
 and consequently the probable complexion of your whole career, may be af- 
 fected measurably, by the exercises and impressions of the' present hour. 
 This reflection has solemnized my mind. It has given me a deep sense of the 
 responsibility I have incurred, by consenting to occupy this stiTtion, not only to 
 you. but to all who are interested in your welfare. As your own characters and 
 fortunes will be necessarily identified with your conduct, so it is impossible to 
 estimate the extent to which your influence and example may operate, for good 
 or for evil, upon the best interests of society, and especially upon the great 
 cause of virtue and religion. It is all important therefore, that you enter upon 
 life, not only with correct conceptions of the theatre upon which you will be 
 called to act, but with all those principles, engraven on j'our hearts, of which, 
 as they lie at the foundation of individual excellence and social order, the ob. 
 servance is equa'ly and indispensably necessary to the enjoyment of happin^s, 
 or the acquisition of renown. Under ihesfl circumstances, a;id in view of the 
 grave consequences that may be connected with this ceremor.y, it is no aftec 
 tation of humility to say, tliutthe ofiicw, so kitidly assigned to me, would have 
 been better co.'ifided to one more competent than myself to ccmmunicate the 
 lights of knowledge, and the admouitions of experience. As you have Galled 
 
rj"ie,howfc'/er, I appear brforc you ; sol t« proclaim new theories in poluics «r 
 morals, but to Iny before you ths map of life, and to point out the paths, which 
 every obligation of duty will require you to pursue ; not to entertain you with 
 ingenious disquisitions, O" discursive flights of fancy, but to exhibit the dangers 
 and temptations, the honors and rewards that await you in society, and to assist 
 you ill forming the plans, and putting on the armour, which alone can qualify 
 you to overcome the one, and to attain ths other. In a word, I come before 
 you, not as a teacher to instruct, but as a friend to counsel ; and as I clainn no 
 merit but sincerity, and aim at no higher object than to manifest my gratitude 
 by a humble endcavorto be useful, so I ask no other favour than that you will 
 do me the justice to believe, that, however deficient in novelty or refincmgi^ of 
 thought or language, this discourse may prove, it is dictated by an earnest de- 
 sire to benefit those, in their dangerous paasjige through an untried world, to 
 whose unmerited partiality I am indebted for the honour of addressing them. 
 
 But, whilst we are thus looking to the future, and discussing the duties it ^ill 
 impoBC, and the pleasures it may bring, it must be a source of painful emotion 
 to every generous mind, that this celebration has occurred at a period of gene- 
 ral and peculiar gloom. It is true, no desolating pestilence has swept away 
 our people, nor are we involved in the privations and calamities of war : but in 
 the midst of uninterrupted heailh, ia a season of profound peace, and with all 
 ournational energies unimpaired, a funeral pall has overspread the land, and 
 the voice of lamentation is hoard within our borders. Yes! whilst you arc 
 treadmg upon fairy ground, and indulging dreams of fancied bliss, thousands of 
 your countrymen arc mourning their blighted proB|<ecta, and their ruined hopes. 
 Whilst you are enjoying in imagination the golden harvests that will spring 
 beneath your (eel, or the laurelled trophies that will deck your brows, your 
 country lies prostrjtted, as by the blast of a Simoom, which feas levelled at a 
 blov/ the er.terpriice of the ric!) and the labour of the poor, involving in one com- 
 mon fate ail classes and conditions of societj'. It is not my province, however, 
 to examine the causes of this sad reverse. That office pertains more properly 
 to the Legiafature of the Union, and, as it has been summoned for the purpose, 
 doubtless, as far as possible, the wound will bo probed, and an appropriate rem- 
 edy applied. But, whilst we hope that this dark portion of our history will 
 soon be succeeded by a brighter day, and that the recuperative power of this 
 great republic will enable it, like the sun emerging from a cloud, to overcome 
 the difFicullies that now surround it, and to move on again with energy and 
 beauty in its high career, there is an important moral connected with the prcs- 
 ent aspect ofaflfairs, which cannot be too deeply pondered, or too faithfully en- 
 forced, by every lover of his countiy. The very idea of a republic presupposes 
 purity of morals, and simi)!icity of manners. However luxury and its con- 
 comitant vice^ may comport with monarchy, history and experience teach that» 
 in a popular government, they are syuo.'iymous with popular degeneracy, which 
 invariably terminates in political enslavement. Now there can be no doubt, 
 unfortunately, that the disasters we have suffered are mainly attributable to a 
 general departure, by our people, ffon) those plain habits and simple virtues, 
 which coaatiluto the essence of regulated freedom, and without the observance 
 
*>f which, howsver we may retain ihelbrms, it will be unpcsaiblo to preserve 
 the spirit of cur republican institutions. I/, therefore, the severe monition 
 Tvhich this revulsion has afforded, shall be happily accompanied by a general 
 and permanent return to republican simplicity, who will say that it will not de- 
 serve to be regarded, much lesa as a national calamit}-, than as a benevolent 
 dispensation, wisely intended to arrest our downfall, and to whose harsh but 
 salutary discipline, we should gratefully acknowledge our indcbledness for tho 
 preservation of our liberties ! But whilst it reads this Avholesome lesson to the 
 great body of our people, it addresses itself with peculiar emphasis, to the ri- 
 sing generation. It speaks to you, my friends, and to all, who like yon, are 
 standing on the threshold of society, and will soon exercise an important influ- 
 ence over the destinies of your country. It tells you that the satne causes, 
 ■which produced the pecuniary distresses under which we labour, have also in- 
 flicted much deeper injury upon the great interests of religion and morality. 
 It tells you that true patriotism cannot exist, where Avealth has become the God 
 ofpopular idolatry. It tells you that the doclina of virtue necessarily /nvolves 
 the decline of freedom, and that, whilst thel<ss of property maybe repaired, 
 there is no Promethean heat that can reanimate the one, or relume the other. 
 It shows you the dreadful instability of human grandeur, and the sudden vicis- 
 situdes to which all sublunary things are subject. It sliows you that the clear- 
 est sky may in a moment be overcast with clouds, and the smoothest sea con- 
 vulsed by storms. It points out the rocks, on which so muny othsrs have been 
 wrecked, and eshibita a beacon by which you may be enabled to avoid them. 
 What, indeed, can you expect of vicionary schemes, but that they should van- 
 ish into air? or of wanton extravagance, but, that it should termmate in penu- 
 ry ! or of an ocean of ^idvcnture, in which thousands have embarked, but that 
 its shores should be strewed with the melancholy monumefitd of presumptuous 
 ambition, and overweening avarice ! Let me, then, earnestly entreat you, to 
 listen to its warning voice ! Let me urge you, as you love your country and 
 yourselves, to learn to moderate your desires, to abhor cupidity, to avoid ex- 
 travagance, to indulge no practice, however tempting, not strictly sanctioned 
 by the precepts of religion, and to rely entirely upon honest industry, as the on- 
 ly path of peace, and the surest source of affluence. Be assured that such a 
 course of conduct is not only important to the public weal, but will eminently 
 ndornyoarown characters as citizens : and that; whilst it will contribute, ma- 
 terially, to the production of an elevated tone of public virtue, and consequent, 
 ly to a corresponding diffusion of the true spirit of republican government, it al- 
 so constitutes the only basis upon which yoa can erect, individually, the solid 
 and enduring edifice of your own happiness and honour. 
 
 "Through the wild waves, as they roar. 
 
 With v/atchfuleye, and daundess mien, 
 
 Your steady course of honour keep. 
 
 Nor fear the rocks, nor seek the shore." 
 
 Although we meet undei circumstances of national depression, however, it 
 
 is still a source of gratification to me, to have been invited to an office of which 
 
 it is the natural and pleasing tendency to cement the ties that now so happily 
 
 subsist between our respective States. Georgia and South Carolina were 
 
originally one ;* and though they have long been seperated, in respect to ter- 
 ritory, they are still one, in ititerpsts and institutions, and in everything rela- 
 ting to their past history and future destinies, by which independent communi- 
 ties can be identifit-d with each other. It is not only proper, therefore, but it 
 really exhibits a kind of moral beauty, that, on occasions like the present, they 
 should eiiter familiarly, as if were, into each others houses, and, by a kindly 
 reciprocation of libc^rals^Mitiments and feelings, confirm and burnish this chain 
 by which they are bound, as I trust they ever will be, in fraternal amity and 
 peace 
 
 And, as very little more than a century has elapsed, since the erecfien of 
 Goorgia into a seperate territory, it might have been curious had our time 
 permiited, to have reeviewd some of the prominent events that have transpired, 
 within that period, upoii the broad arena of the civilize i world. I might have 
 traced the progress of our own country, from its colonial condition to the adop- 
 tion ofthe existing federal constitution, and sketched the history of thai admi- 
 rable instrument, through all those difficulties, foreign and domestic, which, by 
 trying, have confirmed its strength. I mi^ht have shown the prodigious in- 
 fluence w^hich the free principles of our republican institutions have exerted, in 
 diff*using a knowledge ofthe rights of man, and enkindling a becoming dispo- 
 sition to assert them in other portions of the globe. I might have adverted to 
 the appalling scenes of the French Revolution, which, born as it was of the 
 spirit of liberty, consumed liberty iiself — in its dreadful fires, and to those pro- 
 tracted and sanguinary wars, of which that memorable drama was the or- 
 igin. I might have depicted the career of that extraordinary man, who dis- 
 posed of crowns and kingdoms at his pleasure, but who, after having risen 
 from obscurity to the throne of almost universal empire, died an exile, upon a 
 solitary rock, the world of waters around which was strikingly emblematical of 
 his former oreatness and unbounded fame, whilst the pecular loneliness of his 
 prison-house, in the very midst of ocean, exemplified still more forcibly the 
 utter desolation of his fortunes. I might have adverted, also, to another Revo- 
 lution of a still more recent date, in France, by which the freedom ofthe Press 
 was nobly established on the ruins of despotism, and republican principles 
 engrafted on the monarchy of that beauteous, gallant, and regenerated land. 
 I might have alluded to the persevering efforts, and final victory of Ireland, in 
 the sacred cause of civil liberty and religious toleration, and to the remarka- 
 ble advances made by En^'laud herself, the great enemy of Irish freedom, not 
 only in the extension ofthe elective franchise, but in various other particulars 
 essentially connected with popular rights. I might have directed your atten- 
 tion to the great mother country of republics— classic, unhappy, at. d degraded 
 Greece— who rose, like a meteor, from the grave of ages, but who, after in- 
 numerable feats of unavailing valor, and the heroic endurance of unutterable 
 woes, sunk again, like a Pleiad from the skies, never nr.ore to shine amongst 
 
 ♦Georgia was originally included in a patent granted to South Carolina ; first as a proprietary 
 government; in 1719 it became a regal one; and in 1732 a charter was granted to General 
 O '•Icthorpe and others, for a t^epcrate anJ distinct province from Carolina, between the Savan- 
 nah and Alataniaha rivers, by the name of Georgia, which name was given it in honor of 
 (Gfeorge II from whom the charter was obtained.— M'Cau,'s History of Georgia. 
 
the nations of the earth, or to vindicate the glory of her ancient name. And I 
 might have chimed your sympathy, too, for the wrongs and suflerings of de- 
 voted Poland, whose evanescent splendor, bursting through clouds, only daz- 
 zled for a moment to be lost forever in still deeper gloom, and whose struggles 
 for freedom, like those of Greece, only riveted the galling chain she vainly 
 attempted to remove. Or, turning from scenes like these, I might have paus- 
 ed to pay a well-deserved tribute to the heroes of San Jatinto, lo contemplate 
 the future fortunes of the infant republic of Texas, and to examine the pros- 
 pect (never to bs relinquished by Southerners, whilst hope remains) of itseveti' 
 taal incorporation into the gr>^at family of American States. And, above all, 
 I might have dwelt upon the history of the Commonwealth of Georgia; show- 
 ing its steady progress in wealth and population ; the high intellect it has dis- 
 played, and the eminent men it has produced ; its generous encouragement of 
 learning, and particularly of the republican cause of popular education; its 
 -unswerving attichment to the principles of liberty, and the integrity of the Un- 
 ion; and the remarkable contrast it now exhibits, with all the resources and 
 refinement of a powerful a!id enlightened State, to the little dependent colony, 
 established by Oglethorpe, in the bosom of a wilderness, which, till then, had 
 been in the undisturbed possession of its primeval inhabitants, but in which 
 that illustrious individual planted those gems of liberty, literature and religion, 
 of which we now admire and enjoy the precious and abundant fruits. 
 
 But we have no time for retrospects of this description; and, therefore, as 
 the cultivation of letters is the most decisive test of refinement, I will only ob- 
 serve, that, were are all other evidences wanting, the establishment of this U- 
 niversity would be sufficient of itself to prove the devotion of Georgia to the 
 interests of learning, and to phice her high, as a p:\troiess of science, amongst 
 the members of the Union. And this venerable Institution is your Alma Ma- 
 ter! It is here that you have been conducted through the circle of the scien- 
 ces, and have received the benefits of a liberal education. Here you have been 
 instructed ia the mathematics, that exalted system of iitellect • and truth, by 
 whose important aid the Geographer is guided in his march on earth, the As- 
 tronomer in his exploration of the Heavens, the Navigator on the trackless 
 ocean, and the Miner in the bowels of the earlh, and which, as it comprehends 
 everything relating to number, magnitude and proportion, is not less indespen- 
 sable to the welfare of society, than it is preeminently distinguished by thesub- 
 limest efforts of the human mind. Here you hjve been taught the elements of 
 Chemistry, which includes all nature in its universal grasp, examines all sub- 
 stances of whatever kind or character, analyzes their principles, explains their 
 affinities, and the effects of their com.binations, and which, from its endless 
 variety and practical utility, not only furnishes constant and increasing sources 
 of attraction, but displays its power in every usefd art, and in all the occupa- 
 tions and pursuits of man. Here you have been made acquainted with (hose 
 airs or gases, that exist in the atmosphere, and of which it is the province of 
 Chemistry to unfold the properties, and thus to investigate the composition, 
 and explain the modifications, of the atmosphere itself. Here you have learnt 
 the nature aad properties of earths and alkalies, atid the composition and value 
 
ofminnrals and fc^sils. Ilorc, too, you l-ave .studied Jhe principles of Elcclri- 
 city, and are familiar, doubilcss, with tho astonishing discovery, and prodigi- 
 ous cflocis ofGalvanitinti, p.nd wilh the no less woadorful iufluence of tlint mag- 
 netic power, whos3 mysterious agency hns b^en applied wiih such immense 
 advantage to navigation, and to other useful and important purposes. And you 
 have been iastructod in tho knowledge of the Heavens and the Earth. As- 
 tronomy has enabled you to number the stars of the firmament, to fix the limits 
 of the constellations, to reduce to order tho erratic movementg of the planets, 
 to calculate their m:ignitudes and distancew, their velocity and density, and to 
 understand and admire that great law of nature, the principle of Gravitation, 
 whn.h preserves the harmony of the Solar system, and probably regulates and 
 controls ever)'' other system in the universe. Geography has taught you tho 
 formation of the earth, the theory of the tides, and the latitude and longitude of 
 places ; and whilst that useful science has carried you from countr)'- to country. 
 and from a'^o to age, explaining the ancient and modern names and forms, limits 
 and iieights, of kingdoms and republics, seas and rivers, deserts and moun- 
 faihs, history has accompanied you in those interesting researches, exhibiting 
 tho origin and progress, the wars and revolutions, the polity, literature and re- 
 ligion, of the difT^rent nations of the earth. Your attention has also beendircc 
 ted to the delightful study of natural history. You have examined all the vari- 
 ous connecting links, of which the great chain of animated nature is composed. 
 You have traced them from man, raised above all terrcslial beings by the god- 
 like faculty of reason, through all the gradations of inferior animals, until ynu 
 arrive at an order so simple in its structure, and so deficient m vitality, that the 
 animal becomes blended with the vegetable, or rather the former kind of exis- 
 tence disappears in the latter. But, whilst engaged in this curious investiga- 
 tion of the wonders of Zoology, you have not forgotten to explore the fields, 
 and cnioy the beauties, of tho vegetable kingdom, to classify the flowers that 
 you culled, to ascertain the species and properties of plants, and to discover, 
 in the decorated carpet of the earth, the same infinite wisdom and benevolence 
 that lights up the sun, and spreads out the gorgeous curtain of tho sky. Nor 
 have you been inattentive to the important departments of intellecLial and eth- 
 ical philosophy. You have been taught to turn your eyes inwards upon you*-. 
 Reives, to explore the arcana of the human understanding, to ascertain the or- 
 it^in of ideas, to develope the operations of the mental faculties; and to com- 
 prehend the principles, and practice the art of logic. You have been taught 
 the duties men ov^e to themselves, and the obligations they incur in relation to 
 society ; and moral, 1 presume, has been at least so far aided by tkeologiom, 
 instruction, as to have shown you the grounds upon which Christianity rests 
 Its claims to a divine original, and to have satisfied you, not of its intimate 
 connexion with civil liberty, as it exists in this happy land, but of its indispen- 
 t^able importance to your own present and f^tcrnal welfare. And you have 
 been instructed in the science of politics. You are not only well acquainted 
 with the principal governments of antiquity, and with the important differences 
 ny which those that now exist are distinguiihi^d from each otlipr, but. your 
 studies ill llws d;'par:mcnt have ir.spircdyou with a datcstatjon of despotism, 
 
in whatever ghape it may appear, and with a OGrrespondiiig devotion to the 
 popular principles, and regulated freedom, of the exceliont institutions under 
 ivhich we live. Nor have you nej^dected the rich treasures of the Classics. 
 You have drunk at the hallowed fountains of antiquity. Your tastes have been 
 formed upon the purest models. You have studied the principles of Criticism, 
 and the rules of Rhetoric, and, in a word, whilst it has been the main object 
 of your education, to enlarge your minds with valuable knowledge, no effort 
 has been spared so to commingle elegant literature with the severer sciences, 
 and so to tram you in the important art of eloquence, as to decorate your moro 
 solid acquisitions with all those attractive graces which are necessary to con- 
 stitute the characters of accomplished orators and scholars. 
 
 Such is an imperfect outline of your collegiate course — having presented 
 vrliich, I now solicit your indulgence for some of the reflections <^uggested by it. 
 
 IIow delightful is the pursuit of hiouiedge ! Who would not like to trace 
 the progress of science, from its earliest dawn in Egypt or Chaldaca, to the full 
 splendour of the present age, and the gradual advancement of society, froru 
 the origio of civil institutions, to the refinement and perfection that are now 
 displayed in the civilized portions of the globe I Who would not wish to ho 
 conversant with the prominent events of history, and with all <hosG occurren- 
 ces, at every epoch, that produced important elFecls upon the foitunes of man. 
 kind, and to bo so thoroughly iinbued with clasj:ic lore, as to be competent to 
 appreciate the beauties, and fdjudge the merits, of the ancients and the mod- 
 erns! Who would not desire to be well-skilled in politics, to comprehend the 
 advantages and defects ot every form of govenimcnt, and particularly the com- 
 plex structure, and peculiar operation, of our own Constitution ! Who would 
 not desire to be acquainted with every system, and with every sect — to liold 
 improving converse with the moralist, as he inculcates the lessons of wisdom, 
 and the dignity of virtue — to listen to philosophy, as it explains the motions of 
 the heavenly bodies, or the structure of the earth, and the various strata of 
 which it is composed — or to walk humbly with religion, as it unfolds the rela- 
 tions between man and his Creator, and points out the only path w hich can 
 lead through peace and pleasantness liere, to unending felicity in a f-Uure life ! 
 Who would not like to travel with the traveller, accumulating information as 
 he roams abroad, or to accomjrany the adventurous explorer, as he visits the re- 
 niotesl regions and the most inhospitable climes, cheerfully enduring hardships 
 and encountering hazards, for the exalted purpose of enlarging the boundaries 
 of science,;and enrolling his name amongst the honored benefactors of his race ! 
 W'ho would not like to be familiar with the eminent njen of every ago and na- 
 tion — to sympathize with patriots who have nobly suffered in their country's 
 cause — to dwell upon the achievetnenls of warriors, who have erected the 
 standard of independence upon the ruins of a throne — to hang upon the lips 
 of orators, rousing their countrymen to the assertion of their rights, and catch 
 the i.ispiratioa of liberty from their burning words — or to revel m tlie charms 
 of poetry, whether it moves with the mojesfy of the epic muse, or poura forth 
 the plaintive softness of elegiac verse ! Who would not desire, in short, that 
 new li-^ht should h\^ daily iafujcd iuio hid 'j:ider:Jlar.ding, nc%v accessions uiado 
 
10 
 
 to his iatollectual resources, and that he should grow in knowledge as ho grows 
 in years, constantly perfecting his nature and increasing his happiness, by mul- 
 tiplyinghis literary attainments, and expanding the capacities of his immor- 
 tal mind ! And how valuable is knowledge to the forlnate possessor! What a 
 sphere of usefulness does it offer ! What a fund of enjoyment, of which no- 
 thing can deprive him ! What a source of influence and power, particularly 
 in a country like ours, in which no distinctions are recognized but those that 
 urise from superior intellect and virtue ! Who then would be ignorant, rather 
 than take the trouble to become enlightened! Or contented with obscurity, 
 rather than strive for eminence ! Or willingly forego a treasure, which no 
 moth or rust can destroy, which will go with him wherever he goes, which 
 confers pleasure at home and fame abroad, dignifies prosperity, and affords 
 consolation in ^misfortune ? And how all im-portant is knowledge to the welfare 
 of society f Who can tell the mischievous errors it has corrected, the false 
 and dangerous theories it has exploded, the degrading superstitions it has ban- 
 ished, the ignorant fears it has dissipated, the cruelties it has repressed, the 
 sufferings and labors it has mitigated or abolished, the comforts and luxuries it 
 has introduced, the intelligence and happiness it has universally diffused I 
 Who can estinvite the advantages that have resulted, in reference to war and 
 commerce, from the invention of gun-powder and the discovery of the mariner's 
 compass, or the beneficicnt influence which the Reformation, aided by the art 
 ofPrinting, has exerted in disseminating the blessings of religion, liberty and 
 and learning throughout the world! What indeed, would society be, without 
 the light of knowledgt? ! What is it that teaches us the properties of matter, 
 and the laws of motion ; the nature of light, and the laws of vision ; the prop- 
 erties of air, and the nature and effects of heat and cold ; the causes of earth- 
 quakes and volcanoes, of winds and clouds ; and, in a word, that elucidates the 
 phenomena, and enables us to control the elements of nature ! What is it that 
 gives to Geography its correctness, to navigation its security, to commerce its 
 extension, to agriculture its productiveness, to architecture its strength and el- 
 egance, to machinery its diversified application, and unbounded power ! What 
 is it that has made us acquainted with the inhabitants of the air, the ocean, 
 and the earth — with the nature and properties of eveiy animal or vegetable 
 that is fit for fqod, or that supplies an article of commerce — of every plant that 
 contributes to our clothing, or alleviates disease — of every mineral or metal 
 tiiat is indispensable to comfort, or that enters essentially into the rt'ealth of 
 nations — of every insect, that is either useful in medicine, or that produces a 
 delicacy forth® taste, or a luxurious material for manufacture, or a beautiful 
 color to adorn it ! What is it that unfalds the structure of the human frame, 
 showing indeed, how fearfully and wonderfully it is made — or has invested 
 Surgery with the admirable precision and dexterity which it now exhibits — 
 or that enables Medicine to conquer all the maladies to which mankind is sub- 
 ject, those plagues and pestilences alone excepted, which beemed destined by 
 Providence to perform the office ofsj)ecial judgements, and to remain incura- 
 ble scourges of the human race ? What is it that disarms the lightning of its 
 ■jjowcr — clovMtcs valleys and represses hills — cleaves the ocean, and asccntis 
 
the sky ! What is it that we behold in every elegant and useful art — in the dj. 
 versified hues that attract the eye — in the dresses and decorations of our per- 
 sons and our houses — in every in)plement of husbandry or war — in the subter- 
 raneous aqueduct, or the heaven kissing monument — in the animated canvass, 
 or speaking marble ! What arc all these, but the varied triumphs of the human 
 mind! And who can estimate their value I To say nothing of that absolute 
 state of barbarism, "When wild in woods, the noble savage ran," who can 
 measure the difference between the splendid illumination ©f the nineteenth cen- 
 tury, and that glimmering condition of society, when astrology assumed to reg- 
 ulate events, and alchemy to transmute all other metals into gold — when igno- 
 ranee was afirighted by an ignis fatuus, and comets and meteors were regard- 
 ed as the immediate precarsors of the dissolution of the world — when science 
 was considered synonymous with magic, and punished as the evidence of atro- 
 cious crime — when superstition occupied the seat of justice, and guilt or in- 
 nocence was established by the righteous decisions of fire or water, or the in- 
 fallible ordeal of military prowess ! Science is, indeed, to the moral, what 
 the great orb of day is to the natural world — and as the extinction of the latter 
 would necessarily be followed by universal darkness and deca}^, so, were art 
 and science lost, society would inevitably relapse into the savagism from which 
 it is their proud boast to have elevated and redeemed it. But, advanced as 
 knowledge is, it has by no means attained the ultimate height to which it may 
 be carried ! In medicine, lor instance, the mastery still remains to be obtained 
 over various diseases that deride its power, and the gratitude of mankind is 
 yet reserved for him, who shall achieve the victory. Indeed, every depart- 
 ment of knowledge, still affords room for improvement, and rewards for genius. 
 The sun of science knows no meridian. In fact, scarcely is one improvement 
 in the full tide of successful experiment, before it is superseded by another. 
 Even now, whilst steam is riding, like a sea-god, in his ocean car, it is in con- 
 templation to dethrone it, by the substitution, in its stead, of the novel power of 
 electro magnetism. Such is the limitless nature, and aspiring tendency of 
 genius. Every year will develope new principles, or the ai)pIications of known 
 ones to purposes to which as yet they have never been directed; and thus, 
 new inventions and new improvements, like newly discovered stars, will be 
 constantly increasing the light of science, and adding to individual comfort and 
 national wealth, by furnishing new instruments of power, and disclosing new 
 sources of prosperity ! 
 
 Seeing, then, that such is the inestimable value of knowledge, both to indi- 
 viduals and nations, it cannot be improper to inquire, do you take plea«ure in 
 pursuing it? Do you realize its importance to yourselves and to society ? And 
 do you really long to attain that laudable distinction amongst men which can 
 only be derived Irom superior merit? If to these questions the responses are 
 afi'irmative, your path is plain, your progress easy, and your victory sure. In 
 relation to learning, it is only necessary to determine to obtain it. Elevated 
 as it is above all oilier wealth, it is also the only kind of which the desire so 
 surely produces the possession, that they may almost be regarded as corvcrli-. 
 ble terms. 
 
12 
 
 But though I can readily conceive that all of you are panting fur the race, 
 and eager for the prize (for indeed an American, destitute ol anr)bition, is un^ 
 •worthy of the glorious lieritage of freedom) there are still certain plain, whole* 
 Home, practical truths, that cannot be too deeply infixed in the youthful mind, 
 and to which, therefure, a conviction of propriety constrains me to solicit your 
 attention. I would j2;uard you against errors on the one hand, and incite you 
 to the performance of duty on the other — point out the rocks on which you 
 may be wrecked, and delineate the course which alone can cotiduct you to 
 the haven of usefulness and honor. 
 
 There are faults of diffidence, and also of presumption. Some refuse exer- 
 tion, despairing of succes^s — others neglect it, relying entirely on their genius. 
 
 Both of these are fatal errors, which cannot be too carefully avoided or 
 corrected. 
 
 Self-distrust is not modesty. An amialle virtue must not be confounded 
 with a reprehensible weakness-. The only ground upon which this weakness 
 has ever been attempted to be justified, is, that there is a radical and incurable 
 cifferonce in the intellects of men. Admitting the truth of this assertion, and 
 that some men are inferior to others in point of natural understanding, still there 
 are none so dull whose minds may not be stored with knowledge, disciplined 
 by study, and improved by practice. The greatest orator of antiquity is said 
 to have been an unpromising youth, yet every scholar is fiimiliar with his emi- 
 nence, and knows the methods by which it was acquired. Thousands of sim- 
 ilar illustrations might easily bo given. No one, then, who has the means of 
 education, should despair of knowledge. Perseverence will overcome all ob- 
 HtaclcG, and, though the ascent may be difficult, will place its votary on the 
 hill of fame, whilst he, whatever mav be his talent, who neglects the improve- 
 ment of his inind, will be found grovelling in the ignoble obscurity of the vale 
 below. 
 
 Mental precocity, in fact, may often be regarded as a dangerous gift. It 
 begets overweening confidence, and an undue reliance on capacity, in contra- 
 ■distinction to acquirement. A genius is too apt to imagine that he can master 
 subjects, of the very elements of which, perhaps, he is profoundly ignorant. 
 Hence the most promising youths arc often overtaken, and left far behind, by / 
 their industrious inferiors, in the race of life. Many, who have Oi i WWrn in Col- -^ ^' '*'' 
 lege, with little or no effi^rt, have been indebted to that very circumstance for 
 their subsequent failure on the great theatre of the world. Eminence cannot 
 J)e attained without learning, nor learning without unwearied application, and 
 systematic discipline. Tiie advice, therefore, that has been ofTdred to the dif- 
 fident, is equally applicable to the confident. The consciousness of talent, no 
 more tlaan its imaginary want, can dispense with the necessity of persevering 
 afuc/y. Fame is the reward of toil ; and he is indeed deceived, who expects *o 
 command resources without the trouble of acquiring them, or to rise to emi- 
 nence upon abed of roses, or to win tliat laurel-Avreath, without an effijrt, 
 wJaich crowns none but those who earn it by their diligence, 
 "liove, fame, psfeem, 'tis labor must acquire, 
 ^'Tlic emilins ofT^pnng of a rigid aire." 
 
13 
 
 But, wliilst some err through hun)ility, and others :tl:in!ragh presmiption ; 
 there are others again, who wasfe their lives in ignorance aiycS indolence, either 
 from an inherent aversion to stud}", or from a contempt of knowledge as un. 
 worthy the notice of a gentleman, or from an unfounded impression that many 
 branches of education are of little or no value in the affairs of life. Hence the 
 fashionable doctrines, that the ancient languages are dead and ought to be a. 
 bandoned ; that the mathematics are only serviceable to orofessional men ; that 
 metaphysics is an idle jargon, leading to no practical results, and fit only to a- 
 muse the ingenuity of schoolmen ; and that he, whose fortune places him above 
 ihc necessity of learning, needs no farther education than a general and super- 
 ^cial acquaintance with tlie current literature •f the day. Against errsrs such 
 us these it is vain to argue. A gentleman, surely, is not the less entitled to 
 that appellation, who possesses a cultivated taste, and a well stored mind ; nor 
 -does it derogate from the dignify of a planter to be conversant with the priuci- 
 f)les of a^ricciture and rural economy, or with the science of chemistry as ap- 
 plicable to them, or with all those mechanic arts which are indispensably con- 
 nected with the pursuits of hissbandry. Hut he who hates or despises knowl- 
 edge, can never be taught to love or revere it, nor can ambition be implanted in 
 ■a heart that is naturally destitute of that ennobling principle. As 1 trust, how- 
 ever, there are iwne before me to whom this remark applies, I proceed with 
 -confidence, in the firm conviction ttiat I q^eak to those, who wish to do some- 
 thing whilst they live, for which they may deserve to be remembered when 
 they die. 
 
 The present pei-iod is distinguished, above all that have jtrcceded it. by what 
 has been emphatically denominated t-he march of mind. This is abundantly 
 isianifest, not only in the extraordin.iry advancement of the sciences, but in all 
 those revolutions and improvements, civil, political, and religious, of which the 
 great objects are to enlighten, elevate, and reform mankind. He, therefore, 
 •who would attain to eminence, must keep pace fully with the progress of soci- 
 ety. As the age moves onward, he must move on with it. or be left behind. 
 But whilst ign<5rance, in a period of such general illumination, would indeed be 
 a reproach to any man, let it alsa be remembered that unusual efforts are re- 
 quired of those who aspire to rise above mediocrity, or to shine with superior 
 lustre in the literary firmament. They, and they only, can hope to be stars, 
 in an age like thiR, of whom it may be truly said, as regards their preparatory 
 course, 
 
 •"See how ihe matchlesa youth their hours improve, 
 
 And in the g^lorious way to knowledge mors ; 
 
 Eager for fame, prevent the rising sun, 
 
 Aud watch the^midniglit labors of the raoon." 
 But, whilst one poet thus stimulates your ambition to excel in learning, as the 
 only sure groundwork ofpowxr and distinction, another urges impressively the 
 important truth, that 
 
 "Not in mental, but in'moral worth, 
 
 God excellence placed, and only to the good, 
 
 The virtuous, grants happiness b«low." 
 
14 
 
 However desirable, thcreforo, it may be, to be distifiguislied, it is infiaitely 
 more important to be virtiious. As knou'ledge is power, so it is an instru- 
 ment of great good or evil, as it may be applied to elevated or ignoble purpo- 
 ses. Learning, adorned b)' virtue, forms the perfection of the human charac- 
 ter; but when employed to poison the minds, pervert the principles, and de- 
 stroy the happiness of a community, it is a moral fiend, seeking whom it may 
 devour, and justly deserves the abhorrence of every friend of man. Unprin- 
 cipled talent, however, injurious as it is to society, is still more pernicious to 
 its unforiunate possessor. Of what use, mdeed, is it to him, but to render his 
 debasement the more conspicuous and deplorable ! Of what use to him, but 
 to show that those M'ho fall from the greatest height, generally fall to the low- 
 est depth, and that he, of all others, is most justly execrated and contemned, 
 •who, with intellectual strength and elegance, condeecends to the commission 
 of an act of turpitude ? The practice of virtue is recommended, then, not only 
 by its intrinsic beauty, but by every motive of private interest, and public ap- 
 probation. Do you desire to be happy? Be assured that felicity can only be 
 found in a rigid adherence to the principles of rectitude ! Do you covet the es- 
 teem and confidence of the community around you ? Be assured they can on- 
 ly be obtained by the exhibition and maintenance of a high and unimpeachable 
 character for honor and integrity ! Do you wish to be beloved whilst living, 
 and that garlands shall be strewn upon your graves when dead? You must 
 learn the "luxury of doing good." He only lives in public gratitude and hon- 
 our, who does those things that are of good report, and devotes his influence to' 
 the promotion of all those objects, literary, rtjligious, and b^aievolent, whteh are 
 laudably intended to diffuse the benefits of useful knowledge, to repress crime 
 and alleviate misfortune, to dry up the sources of morn! evil, and enlarge the 
 fountains of happiness and virtue. 
 
 But, whilst I urge the necessity of u strict adherence to moral principles and 
 duties, as alike important to your own welfare and that of society, it would be 
 unpardonable to omit the imperative claims of Patriotism. At the head of 
 these, is the great cardinal principle oi' obedience to the laws. This is not on- 
 ly a republican duty, but a most exalted and comprehensive virtue. We live 
 under a government, bottomed upon the doctrine of popular sovereignty, and of 
 which it is a fundamental principle, that the will of the majority, constitution- 
 ally expressed, is the law of the land. It is incumbent upon you, therefore, 
 not only to obey the laws yourselves, but to resist every doctrine, however 
 plausible, every movement, however specious, which tends to engender the per- 
 nicious spirit of mobocracy. It is immaterial whether this spirit be displayed 
 in the infliction of popular vengeance upon obnoxious individuals, or in forcible 
 resistance, by illegal combinations, to the regular execution of the laws. In 
 cither case it is the very principle ofanarchy ; substituting tumultuary violence 
 for public justice, and trampling in the dust the rightful authority of govern- 
 ment. Allow this spirit to prevail, and it is evident there can be no security 
 for private rights, nor for the stability of our republican institutions. And, 
 ;ihatyour obedience to the laws maybe cheerful and intelligent — the result of 
 enlightened prir.ciplp, not of abject fcai; — the voluntary homage of freemen 
 
13 
 
 to the govcrnraeat oflheir choice, not the reluctant sabnVussioa of subjects to tho 
 arbitrary edicts of a despot — patriotism calls upoii you to sustain the CoiistUu- 
 iion,from loMch iliey cmaiialc. Asa Christian obssrves the requisitions of tho 
 Gospel, le&s on account of the penalties it denounces, than from an elevated 
 sentiment of love to God, so every good citizen will cling to the great charter 
 of our liberties, not so much from a sense of duty, as from a just appreciation 
 of the inestimable blessings it confers. And he will cling to it, too, not only 
 because it has made the American people incomparably the freest and happiest 
 on earth, but because it is from the successful action of our political system, 
 that other nations have derived whatever they possess of actual freedom, or of 
 the disposition to obtain it. In every age, soms one nation has always exer- 
 cised a predominant influence over others. This position is now occupied, 
 and this influence exercised, by the United States, and mainly from the cir- 
 camstances that the ^ve.s principles of our government are in exact accordance 
 with the prevailing disposition of mankind. The American (Constitution is, in 
 fact, the political luminary of the world, and he who would extinguish its sa- 
 cred light, is not only a traitor to American liberty, but justly deserves to be 
 regarded as an enemy to the human race. Patriotism, therefore, requires you 
 io cultivate an ardent and abiding attachment to that Constitution as the bond of 
 ■our ■political Union. This is the Ark of our political salvation — the Citadel 
 from which the light of liberty shines, and its inspirmg banner waives — that 
 sacred light, at which monrniig humanity may relume its hopes — that banner 
 which proudly pVoclairas that there is still one republic in the world, one laud 
 where man w^alks erect in ali the dignity of his nature, and where the oppress- 
 ed of other nations may happily exchange the miseries of despotism for the 
 •inestimable fruition of the rights of man ! And who would overthrow it, if he 
 could? Who is he that would rise on the ruins of his country, or that desire^ 
 to see the American Capitol rocking on its base, and the proud emblem of free^- 
 dom torn from its walls, and this glorious confederacy broken into fragments,, 
 and the sun of liberty extinguished in fraternal blood, and the whole world en- 
 veloped in the dee}? and interminable darkness of political death ? If there be 
 an American, so utterly unworthy of the name, let me tell him for his consola- 
 tion that his parricidal aspiration never can be gratified. The American Con- 
 federacy can never be dissolved — never, whilst the people retain a recollection 
 of their common sufferings and glories — or are actuated by the principles of 
 the revolution — or desire the esteem and admiration of the world — or prefer 
 tranquility to incessant wars — or are permitted to think and act for themselves 
 ' — or are capable of distinguishing between good and evil — or whilst reason is 
 Jeft free to combat error, and popular education is promoted, and that great en- 
 gine the press, remains untrammelled, and men dare to tliiuk, and speak, and 
 act, like Ireemen. That you may do your duty to the Union, hov/ever, Patriot, 
 ism requires you, again, ZoZoue your coM?i/ry/ And who can do otherwise? 
 Is she notour commoii mothsr? Is it not to her wc, are indebted for all that 
 we are, and look for security in the enjoymant of our rights? Is noLhar glory 
 reflected upon us ? Is it not in her soil that the bones of our ancestors repose, 
 and on her care that we depend for the welfare of posterity ? 1 3 there on eartlt 
 
16 
 
 a prouder tide than tha.t of ;in American Citizen, or has that Utopimr regiom 
 yet been found, wF^ose inhabitants enjoy higller civil and political privileges^ 
 than those that constkiite the birthright of the humblest citizen of this great 
 republic? Who, then, would not love his country ? Who does not feel that 
 this is, indeed "ins ovvx, ins NATIVE LAND ?*' Or where is the American^ 
 "with soul so dead," who caanot say,, with the honest enthusiasm ol a patriot 
 heart, 
 
 "liove theprnext to heaven abovo. 
 
 Land &{ ray Ffithers — thea I love,. 
 
 And rail thy slanderers as th«y will, 
 
 Willi all thy faults, I love 5hee stilL" 
 But, that you rrroy lore her as you ought^ patriotism enjoins- it upoo you, te 
 discard all sectional prejudices,, and contracted vmcj. Ignorant, indeed,, is h.e- 
 who limits the domain of genius and virtue by a geographical li^e, or whose 
 narrow vision can diacern nothing good in this wide republic, save in the par- 
 ticular portion of it in which he happened to be born. Feeling.s of this kind 
 .are not only degrading in tbemselvca, but utterly at warwkh tbe genius of our 
 institutions, and the welfare of our country. This is not a laiid. o.f suspicion 
 ■and antipathy. There is no despotism here, by which aliens and enemies are 
 •held coercively in an unnatural conjunction, from which they are struggling 
 to be free. On the contrary, our tbderative system is a voluntary compact be- 
 tween the States that forroed it, and, as it originated in a sense of common 
 -.danger and dependence, and was expressly established for the great purposes 
 ■<jf common security and protection, so,, cmphati'cally, its spirit is peace, audits 
 '.'ital principle, fraternal love. Re, therefore, who would overturn this beauti. 
 fill "system of family institutions," by alienating its happy members from each 
 .other, is not less an eneniy to the State of whieh be is a citizen, than to the 
 Confederacy he would madly endeavor to dismember. Let n>e entreat you, 
 then, not only to indulge no hostility to your countrymen, but to cherish towards 
 them all those liberal sentiments which will teach you to respect their feeUngs 
 and opinions, to appreciate their characters and virtues, and to promote theii: 
 welfare- And are not all Americans your countrymen ? Are they not all 
 members of the same political household ; governed by the same law-s, living 
 under the same institutions, having the same manners, customs, and religion, 
 partaking one common lot, and looking foiwardto one common destiny ! Yes! 
 and that yon wjay cultivate this American feeling, patriotism requires you, again 
 to restrain the excesses of party sr)ir it. Doubtless, in a country like ours, the 
 existence of party is not only unavoidable, but, to a certain extent, proper and 
 commendable. Parties, however, should be real, founded upon principle — not 
 personal, or merely devoted to the i'lterests of men. Where parties are rea'> 
 their collisions are wholesome to the body politic. They elicit truth, and 
 propagate light. Thisy fan the flame of liberty, and prevent the occur, 
 rence of popular apathy, which is political death. They develop the true 
 structure of the government, and thus promote the progress of republican prin- 
 ciples — and in addition to all this, thu vigilance of the minority proiccts its 
 rights, by operating ao a salutary restraint o:) the po'.ver of the; n'ojori'y. But, 
 
It 
 
 \vhorc p.iTty spirit, ubandoiiing the hi^^Ii ground of priinciple, descends to a 
 sorvile contest aboul men, it degenerates into (action, the worst foe to fre<idon>, 
 and tho very stepping slonc to monarchy. It is all important, therefore, thai 
 you should act in political affaira upon your own convictions of public duty, 
 having nn enlarged relation, in ail your conduct, to tho true n-clfare of our 
 common country, find disdaining to surrender your judgemont, or to violate 
 your consciencos, either to subserve the purposes of party, or to promote tho 
 advancement of ambitious men. And, whilst you should bo conscientioua in 
 adopting your principles, and firm and independent in maintaining them, patri- 
 r.tism requires you, alao, not only to tolerate, but to Tcspcctthc opinions, of your 
 political opponents. As moderation ia essential to the discovery of truth, so 
 diversify ofaentirnent is the lot of man. The human intellect cannot be con- 
 trolled, nor would any but a tyrant uuderlake to force conviction or make the 
 absurd and vain attempt 
 
 "To bind 
 With iron chain?, the free born nmid." 
 "V^'hilsf It becomes you, iheretore, not to be blind follow era of party leaders, it is 
 also incumbent upon yoa, freely to concede toothers the same right of iudc. 
 pendent judgement, which you claim for yourselves. And, that you may never 
 hesitate to exercise this tolerance, it is only necessary to reflect time your op- 
 ponents not only unquestionably possess the same right to think and act for 
 themselves, that you do to regulate your own conduct in political affairs; but 
 that in all probabili'y they may be fully as honest and conscientious in the for- 
 iratiotis of their opinion!>asyou arc in the. formation ofyours, and that it ib by 
 no mems impossible thac their judgemont may actually be correct as regards 
 the subject — matter of dispute. And, in the last place, patriotism requires yoii 
 tosiistain the great cause of popular education. This is tho very key-stone of 
 the sacred edifice of freedom. It is true, that learning has often been Ciirried 
 to a considerable extent, in other countries, without producing freedom, or el- 
 evating the tone of public morals, or imparting happine'?g to the great body of 
 (he people. But every mstince of this description will be found to have arisen 
 principally from the deplorable want of moral culture. i^Ien aro mora?, as wel! 
 as intellectual beings, and their moral qualities, on account of (heir auperior 
 importance, should be even more assiduously cultivated than thoir mental. — 
 Knowledge may indeed enlighten him, in the ordinary eignification of thip 
 phrase, but, as no soil without "parental sun, and genial shov/ers," caa yield 
 "the harvest promised in the spring," so no scheme of education, not essenti- 
 ally bottomed on the great principles of Christian morality, and looUrog direct- 
 ly to the moral improvement of tho people, cd'n. ever make them lovers of virtue 
 or votaries of freedom. Another reasom m.iy ba fqimyiJ^JJ the wants of those 
 peculiar political institutions, which leaniing alone can never wrest fiom tv- 
 ranny, and without which a literary nation may grope on forever in all tho 
 darkness of political bondage. Fortunately for us, however, our form of gov. 
 ernmcnt is admirably adapted to inspire all those virtuous and elevated eenli* 
 njcnts and tc'.'hngs that dignify and adorn humanify, and therefore it it our 
 
IS 
 
 boundca duly tn (like care that asit owes its existence to the spiiit of liberty, 
 its i.ifluonce bhall always be exerted to prt.rferve that spirit. But tliis can never 
 be done without general iiiteiligencc, and popuhir cducatio.i. Ktiowjedge, 
 like every other kind of power, is daDgerous to liberty, when possessed only by 
 it few, ajd of all monopolies, this id perhaps the most abhorrent to the genius of 
 democracy. Confine it to a few, and it becomes the engine of de«potism. thy 
 parent of superstition, and the handmaid of oppression. Of ihia important 
 truth, abundant evidence might easily be cited from the history of every coun- 
 t.'-y, ia which learning has boon restricted to a particular class, and kept, aa u 
 sealed bock, beyond the pryirifj curiosity, and audacious aspirations, of the 
 people. But, as knowledge tfives unlimited powei.when confined to a few, 
 so it scatters the b!essin<!;s of freedom, when difiused amongst the many. Lib- 
 erty and letters are the mutual guardians of each other. As there can be no lib- 
 erly without public virtue, find no public virtue without pOf^uiare.'iightenment, 
 so general education may justly be termed the life blood of a republic. No 
 matter what may be the physical advantages of a nation, they cannot confer 
 moral elevation, which can only be produced by moral causes. Do the Gla- 
 ciers impart magjanimity to the mercenary inhabitants of Switzerland? Do 
 the degra led descoidaiUs of Milliades a:id Pausanias ki.idle at the recollection 
 of Marat hnn and Ph (a:a ? Or does the dejected Tiber roll his stream, amongst 
 the degenerate Italians of the" present day, with the stmio conscious pride, as 
 when Rome was the city of the Scipios, or the mistress of the world? But, to 
 say nothing of Greece and Rome, which exhibit the same natural features 
 now, in the depth of their political degradation, by which they weie charac- 
 terized in the height of their renown, no one can turn to South America, witii- 
 out being satisfied of the truth of this important doctriac. Wiiare can we find 
 a region, of whicl*'it may so truly be alleged, that '"Every prospect pleases, and 
 only man is vile?"' Look at your own country, witii its fraternal union, its 
 free and happy institutions, its prodigious increase in all the elcmonts of na- 
 tional prosperity, and the gigantic rapidity with which it diffuses far and widu 
 the peaceful conquests of reason and religion — and compare it with the gnnd- 
 ifig despotism, the incessant intestine commotions, the wretched anarchy and 
 misrule, of the South Americans, poor amidst mines o\' wealth, ignorant in an 
 age of light, debased and servile amidst the most gorgeous magnificence of 
 nature — and who can doubt, that, astho degraded condition of the latter arises 
 entirely from the want of mental and particularly of mokal culture, so the im- 
 mense superiority of the former, in every thing that enters into the composition 
 of national happiness and grandeur, ia entirely attributable to the genius and 
 virtue of our ancestors, who stamped their spirit and principles on the original 
 iiistitutionsof our country, which, in their turn, have exerted the happiest mflM- 
 cncesupon the people, training and directing them in the way they should go, 
 and have thus maintained, in all their pristine vigor, the purs and {levated 
 principles in which they had their origin. Such is the inestimable value of 
 ?,icnfa/, aided bv the power of 7jiora2, cultivation : and, as it must excite your 
 thirst for kuowlf^d^r, to think '.>f the iinmeisurabio dsff-i-c.-cc b^t-vvccn a well 
 
19 
 
 educated mm, armed '.vitji all the powers and r.^snurces of extensi'.'o learaing, 
 iuid tlie poor ignorant Indian who "sees God in cloads, or hears him in the 
 wind," solet your ardour bo excited, in the great causa ot popular onlighten- 
 inent, by reflecting that it is emphatically the source to which we sue indebted 
 ior the moral grandeur of our country, and to which alone we can look for itii 
 continuance. Ominous, indeed, will be the day, when it shall be neglected or 
 abandoned — for, in that event, there would be nothing to prevent public virtuo 
 from being swallowed up ia corruption, or the scene of the Lnpercal tVom be- 
 ing repeated in the Capitol, or the establishment of an Empire, perhaps upon 
 the actual overthrow oftlie Constitution, or, at all events, with the mere nom- 
 inal retention of useless forms, from which the spiiitof freedom 'vill have flo<J 
 fo rover. 
 
 Thus have I skefchsd tho course \rh!ch appear? most conducive to your 
 temporal welfare. I have pointed out the pleasures and advantages of knos\l- 
 edg(^ ami the iisdi^^pensable necessity, to its attainmerit, of regular and systcs- 
 matic applicatiivn. 1 have adverted to some of those errors that are most per- 
 nicious to litcrarv gi-owth, and endeavored to excite that geneixnis emulation 
 which is thegreat wellspring of virtuous sentiment and elevated conduct. I 
 havn shown you th'it industry, at all times necessary to distinction, is |>eculiar- 
 lyso in reference to the prcvatliag illumination of the present age. I have aU 
 fio exhibited the importance of mora/, as well as mental cultivation, to individu? 
 nl excellence and national prosp^^rity, and have enforced the claims of your 
 country to your allegiance and fidelity. In short, I have attempted to deliae- 
 ate the most essential duties and (ihligations, private and public, that will de- 
 volve upon you, ?i.'^d of which a faithtul observance can scarcly fail to render 
 you beloved "in th:^ tnild majesty of private life," or fnnlnently distinguished, as 
 members of society, iisaiy depirtraynt in which eloqnence and learning are 
 required.' 
 
 But what is all this jc.7,irtii(t it^Zig-Zo/T? Of wijfit avail will it be, that you 
 make the voyage of life with fivouri )g curri^nts and propitious gales, if it only 
 bring you at last to an undone eternity ? Of whit avail will ba ail the honors 
 and eiijoynjents of this trtuisitory sce;;e, if thi-y are destined to terminate h\ 
 that unending misery, which n-) eloquanc,' can soothe, no laarni ig alleviate, 
 no applause divert! What then! Are you fund of roaming in the fair fields 
 of literaiuie, and can ycju isot beporsuaded to cultivate the sacred, as well as 
 Iheprotane! is there hw fi.twerv height but Helicon, no go! Jen stream but 
 Meruuis! Is thyre no virtu?, but i;i ib-j dreanr? of Piato — .10 immortality, but 
 in the hopes of Socrates — nu lla.iven, but Elyyjum ! Hive you no desire to 
 explore the cxq'.iisite bjiiuuea ofL-'banoi or Carme!, or to driiik of th-.? pury 
 water of -Silvas' brook, that fiov/s last by the oracles ofGodl!" Is lh':re 
 nothing i.i the Bible that can enlarge yuu.- understandings, elevate your imag. 
 {nations, or refine your tastes ! His it i;o sublimity of coiceptio:;, no ricii- 
 ness of imag'.TV. no power of discriptio.i ! Has it nothing useful in eihics, or 
 valu:-bis in pliiiosophy — .'iothi;jg instructive as a history, or i:jteri^^sting as fi 
 system of r:!igfnn— ::'>thJ:?g tl.vjteJ in ;:s p}o-ry. n :\fr:z>.r:^ in its incidents 
 
so 
 
 orimpoitant in its moral ! Have you determined tu know no God, except he 
 be found in the ancioni mytholog)' — no religion, unless it has been poveii fab- 
 ulot's — no morality, unless it be notoriously defective as to the true springs of 
 virtue, and the true principles of duty ! Are you only solicitoua for the ea* 
 tfi*na of men, and utterly regardless of the opinion of your Maker — anxious to 
 obtoio earthly fame and wisdom, but caring nothing for '"that honor which 
 cometh from on high," or for that knowledge which alone can "make you wise 
 uuto salvation !** Can this be so, my friends ? Was it for this, llmt you were 
 educated here, and that you intend to prosecute th« improvements of your minds! 
 Is it, indeed, the only objects ofyour future lives, so to acquire every thing 
 useful and beautiful, except religion, that you may be decorated, like victim.-» 
 for the sacritice, and sink forever, like a richly freighted barque, to the fathoTi. 
 lesa abyss of eternal woe ! Bear with me for a moment ! Are you revelling 
 iu youthful vigor, and know you not that Ihe domain of death is peopled with 
 the young ! D» you anticipate a long career of activity and usefulness, and 
 know you not that there is nothing more uncertain than the frail tenure of hu- 
 man eiistence ! Are you proud of your talesits, glowing with the ardour of 
 ambition, and longing lor distinction in the race of life, and know you not that 
 the most buoyant heart may soon be chilled by the icy touch of the destroyer, 
 and the most eloquent tongue be hushed forever in the silent tomb! Whilst it 
 is certainly proper, therefore, in relation to your temporal interests, that your 
 mental powers should bo cultivated to the higheat possible extent, suffer me al- 
 so to recommend an immodiate and earnest attention to the momentous subject 
 of religion. Be assured, that, however bright your characters may be, they 
 will fltil! bo defective without that precious gen», and that ea the title of Chris. 
 tian is tha very highest style of mao, so personal piety is the only Bourc© of 
 true happiness here, and of everlasfing felicity in the world to come. Procras- 
 tination, unwise and hazardous as to any matter of importance, is peculiarly 
 dangerous in reference to the unspeakable value of tlie undying soul, and the 
 consequent necessity ofensuring salvation, whilst it may yet be in your power 
 to effect if. The Gospel makes no provision for delay. All its pronjises are 
 restricted to an instant compliance with its offers. •♦Now," and now only, 
 "is the accepted time;" and, as the present is the only period that you can call 
 your own, it may bs also the only opportunity that will ever be afforded you of 
 obtainiag an interest la the Great Aiojiement. 
 
 "Begin, be bold, aad venture to be wise, 
 He who defers thU r^wk from day to day, 
 jy>CB on a rivers' bank, expectjng stay. 
 Tilt the whole stream that Btoppad hjrn, shall begone, 
 Whi-zh runs, aud, as it runs, Ibrover challrun on." 
 And, in cop.nection with this subject, and as only inferior in interest to tha vital 
 topic of personal religion, permit metu commend to your most cordial support, 
 that, noble system of moral machinery which has bsen so happily organised 
 by the friends of the Rodermor wiih a view to the moral improvement and a- 
 melioration of mankind. Without alluding to other branches of this system, 
 there ure two which I fjcl co:'!Str ;i;-.cd to jif^ss upo:) y^-ur nolicc. The Tein- 
 
21 
 
 porauco Reformation 13 cmphatlcalty the cause of American patriotism and 
 Christian morals. It is not intended merely to arrest the progress of a hide- 
 ous vice, which strikes at the root of rcguhited freedom, and even undermines 
 the sacred institutions of the Gospel, but it is a great scheme of Christian mo. 
 ralily, eminently calculated to kad men from vice to virtue, and from virtue to 
 religion. Nor is the dissemination of the Bir>le, both at home and abroad, 
 less entitled loyour affection and esteem. As it is to the elevating influence 
 of Christianity thai our own country is indebtded for all those elements of moral 
 grandeur which have made her pre-eminently "a city on a hill," and a light 
 amongst the nations, so it is from the want of those influences that a very 
 large portion of the human family, still lies Duried in all the darkness and deg- 
 redation of pagan idolatry and Mohammedan superstition. He, who knows 
 nothing of the actual condition of the Heathen, should be ashamed of his igno- 
 rance upon a subject which more than any other engages the attention of the 
 Christian world ; and he, who comprehending their character and condition, 
 refuses to co-operate in diffusing amcngst them the enlightening and purifying 
 spirit of the Gospel, is unworthy of the high privileges it has conferred upon 
 himself, and uogratefid to that Being who giaciously kindled its light, and dif- 
 fused its warmth, in our own chosen and distinguished land. 
 
 And now. Gentlemen, having discharged the office you assigned me, I has- 
 ten to bring these observations to a close. You are now preparing to put off" 
 youth, and to assunte the dignity and responsibility of manhood. In a few 
 hours more you will have left ihese pleasing solitudes and green retreats, to 
 enter upon the cares and occupations of actual life. It was but natural there- 
 fore — nay it was higly proper and commendable — that, for occasions like tho 
 present, the ceremony should have been instituted of an annua! address. You 
 are about to leave those excell«nt men, from whom you imbibed the lessons of 
 instruction, and to try your unfledged wings, in the wide expanse of an untried 
 world. You are also about toseperate, and perhaps forever, from those youth- 
 ful companions with whom you have long njoyed the sweet commaniou of 
 friendship, and generously contended in the race of knowledge. It is but nat- 
 ural therefore, that you should desire to commingle, for the last time, that 
 you may pour out your feelings with each others bosoms — that you may bid 
 a respectful adieu to your kind instructors — that, you may meditate upon the 
 change you are to undergo, and the course of conduct, it will become you ta 
 pursue — so that when you leave this sacred seat, you may go, not with fancies 
 filled with visions, nor with hearts elated with delusive hopes, but with minds 
 soberly impressed with practical truths, that thus you may be armed for the 
 conflicts that await you. and be prepared to endure toil, to resist temptation* 
 and to discharge every duty that may devolve upon you, with honor to your- 
 selves, and advantage to society. In view of this important change, I trust, 
 that it is needless to say that you carry with you my most cordial wishes for 
 your welfare and prosperity. The youth of our country is her best, I had aU 
 most said her only hope. The present generation is fast passing away, and 
 you and your contemporaries must soon occupy its place. Rct«ember it is to youj 
 
nnd such as you, the patriot looks to sustain the rights and interests, the char, 
 acter and iiisiitulious, of our belovtd couiiiry. It is to you, and such as you, 
 that the philai.tliropist looks to support the cuusii of enlarged benevolence, and 
 the Christian, not only tho sacred temples ot re'igion, but the reforming iuflu- 
 euce of every scheinc that conduces to the moral elovatioa of the human race. 
 And you will not disappoiiit thoir expectations. You will not dishonor the ed- 
 ucation you have here received, by becoming recreant to knwiedge er to virtue. 
 You will not exchange the hope of usefulness for the paths of vice, norlhe an- 
 imating prospect of virtuous distinction for the poor and pitiful drugs of idle- 
 ness and dissipation. D.-mgers and diiBcuItias, i t is true, may beset you in vowr 
 journey, but there is no danger that may not be averted by prudence, no temp- 
 tation that may not b.^ resisted by piety, no difficnUy that may not be surmou:;- 
 ted by assiduity and discipline. Ljt iheye, tlie.i, be your ruling principles 
 through life. Remember that ilLibjr haa ito trials, it has also its rewards 
 and that as an ancient philos ipher says, ''whit is gained with iai)or is al- 
 ways retained the Io;igc'st, every hard gained acquisition of science 
 being, as it were, a kind of annealing on the mind. " Preserve, at 
 nil times, and under ail circumstaiices, a sacred regard tor truth. 
 Without a high character for veracity, talents and accotnplishinents will avail 
 but little. Be assured, that, as no Deity is absent from the prudent man, so^ 
 where truth is wan'.iug,iio other virtue can be found. It is the great founda- 
 tion of every moral quality ; nor can any one expect public confidence or trust, 
 of whom it cannot be said that ho is incapable of falsehood, and thatliis inte- 
 grity can neither b^i alTected by the iiifiuence of interest, the wiles of corrup- 
 tion, or the hope of power. Cultivate, as " the immediate jewel of your souls," 
 that principle of honor, which has been justly termed *• the noble mind's dis- 
 tinguishing perfection." Disdain to do any thing mean or little. Abhor even 
 the conception of an act < f baseness, and cherish thai Siinsibility of virtue, 
 that nice chastity of sentiment, which will teach you to avoid dishonor as ;i 
 moral plague, and to feel even the siigiitest stain as an intolerable wound. 
 Cherish an arde:.t love of liberty, always remembering that whilst its vestal 
 flame burns purely and brightly in the hearts of fneraerj, every thinj; is safe — > 
 but thai *• if lib;irty be lost, then every thing is lost." And permit me to guard 
 you, particularly, against the per, jcioas influence of infidel dogtrint'S and o- 
 pinions. R.^ject that vih- philosophy, (equally insulting to reason and Revela- 
 tion) which would t ach you that there is no wisdom in creation, i;o Cod in 
 iiature, no soul in man, no truth in salvation, tio hope of existence in a future 
 world ; and be assured, that of all enemies of the human race, he is most ac- 
 cursed of (Jod, who, by denying His word and rejecting ijis authority, lakes 
 away all rgstraint froin vice, and all hope I'roni virtue, degrades man to u level 
 with the brutes, and leaves no principles of conduct but human laws and doc- 
 trines, and no hope, after the termination of this chequered life, but the mcdan- 
 choly prospect oi the shroud, the mattock, and the grave. And now, Farewell, 
 [fappy would I be, cou! i I think I had succeeded in kindling one gci-eroui; im- 
 pu'.s'!, or laudable emoiio), in your bjsorns. ilappy, indeed, couH I think ji 
 
23 
 
 liaci said nny thing to conlirm you in the !ovoof knowledge, or to inspire you 
 M-ilh the love of virtue — to excite the? glow of elevated sentiment, or start tbo 
 tear of generous etmiiatioii — to revive the ardor of the diftideut, or direct thi> 
 energies of the bold — or to cause you so to •' look through nature, up to Nature's 
 God'' as to determine you to dedicate to the service of your JMaker the talents 
 and treasures! you have received from Ilim' Go then. Gentlemen, into the 
 vatt arena of the w^rld. The evil and the good, the bane ar.d the antidote, are 
 both betbre you. If the sea that no\\ looks so calmly, should be tossed by 
 tempests, your voyage may still be successful, with prudence to direct, and vir- 
 tue at the holm. If your prospects, now so brilliant and cheering, should be- 
 come dark and overcast, there are no clouds which the Sun ot Righteousness 
 cannot dissipate, nc gloom that may t^-ot be brightened by unswerving rectitude. 
 Go then, Gentlemen — and may each of you fulfil the expectatior.s of his war- 
 mest friends! In each "b;-igbl youth,' may we indeed realize the promise of 
 a " shining man !" May you learn, and practice, 
 
 "What noblest minds approve, 
 
 The thoughts they cherish, and the arts they love. 
 
 Let <A«V examples your young bopoms fire, 
 
 And bid your souls to boundless height aspire." 
 May you imitate the conduct of the wise and good — placing b°forc you a stan- 
 <-'ard of perfection, and resolving to attain it. And may each, and all of you, bo 
 8o guided and governed, in the acquisition of knowle Ige, the practice of virtue, 
 and the cultivation of religion, that when you shall have finished a career of 
 eminence and usefulness ou earth, you may finally be admitted to dwell 
 Ibrcver, 
 
 " in thoee bright realms 
 V/here Seraphs gather immortality 
 From life's fair tree/'