ADDRESS TO THB ALUMNI AND GRADUATES s^« ^(Dm"^^^ (Q(Si^iiim(Qmi AND TO THIS FKIENSS OF EDUCATION IN MARYLAND. HECTOR HUMPHREYS, D. D. PRESIDGNT AND PROFESSOR OF MORAL SCIENCE, DELIVERED AFTER THE AWI^UAIi CO]»IlIEW€E]TIEWT IN FEBRUjiRY, 1835. ANNAPOLIS ; Printed at the request of the Visitors and Ooveruor« of the College, JEREMIAH HUGHES, Printer. ^^t-1 ^,v ADDRESS, &c. It is easy, for a few moments of misapplied force, to overthrow the labours of centuries. No monument of genius or pvoduction of industry, is so permanent or glorious, that a very little effort, in an evil hour, will not sap its foundations and lay it in the dust. Ta- citus says, 'hit corpora lentc augescunt, cito exstin- ^mmtur sic ingenia studiaque, facilius oppresseris quam rcvocaveris.^^ In the violent deaths of the most illustrious men of the empire, he was painfully con- trasting the power to destroy, with the capacity to produce. They were stricken, like stars from their spheres of light; and no creative power of genius could ever present the same combination again. No similar series of devoted years, can replace the indi- vidual, hero, or statesman, or philanthropist, who is lost. The times and occasions which called him forth, went with the exalted being, whom they produced; and they never can return. Instances of this fatality occur in every age, in one form or in another, to make man mourn over the wrecks of his best hopes. Over the grave of such a man as Hamilton, for example, in the promise that other sons may arise, our country finds no solace for the blow that struck from her em- brace, one of the noblest forms of humanity. "Soles occidcrc ac redirc possuivt. Nobis, cum semel occidit lux brevis, Nox est perpetua una dormienda." But it is not my purpose to speak of any individual however illustrious, who may have f^iUen by an un- timely fate. The event, with which we are concern- ed, aimed at no single victim, but struck the princi- ple and system of their whole life and being. Fifty years have now elapsed since an assembly of illustrious men deliberated and acted upon this spot with a view, as they themselves state, "/o train up ant} perpetuate a succession of able ana honest men ^ for discharging the various offices of life, both civil an4 religious, with usefulness an(J reputation^^ ■—z.n object which has always been ^'^ promoter} an(} encourage^ by the wisest ancf best regulated States.^^^ They knew that the power and permanence of a Republic, depended more on the moral and intellectual, than the physical energies; and they saw that the position of their State was favourable for the highest rank in the scale of political distinction. They were, also, aware of the influence to be exerted upon the world at large, by the experiment of our republican institutions. — They had some glimpse of the fearful rapidity with which the tide of population would fill a land ot free- dom. And ordinary prudence, suggested the need of prospective arrangements for the mental moral cul- ture of a people, who should spring into being while everything was to be prepared for their reception. They lost no time, in providing the most direct means for its accomplishment. Upwards of half a century has passed away; we stand upon the ground which they then occupied. It is ours to ask, to what extent their expectations have been realized; and it is obvi- ous to reply, that every anticipation of advancement in wealth and population, has been more than fulfilled. The growth of the Union has exceeded alike the alarms of tyrants, and the hopes of patriots; but the meansof education have NOT been multiplied in the same proportion. The increasing demand contem> plated by their provident purposes, has not been sup- plied; the institution which they planted, has not grown with the growth of the Republic — it has not strengthened with its strength. What that growth would have been if the axe had not been laid to its root, we cannot determine. One thing is certain; it can never be restored — the vigor and permanence of the monarch of the forest are due to the series of years in which he grew to the station he was to oc^- cupy on the everlasting hills. That distinction might ■*Charler of St. John's. Irave been attained by St. John's, can no more be questioned, than that it has been attained by other institutions, planted in the same auspicious period, but not touched by the same suicidal power. Its des- tiny was amply fulfilled in its primitive period, dur- ing which a succession of ripe scholars went from its halls, who have not been surpassed, in our country, for respectability and usefulness. The names of those who have distinguished this period of its history, need not be repeated. They have not all been gathered to their fathers. They have survived to witness, in tiie fate of their alma mater, an exemplification of the relative facility, with which men build and destroy the towers of their own strength. The College might have become, ere this, all that its founders designed, or that their successors could have desired. The causes of the failure need not now be scrutinized. It is of little consequence from what quarter the de- stroyer came; whether he was from without, or "whether he sprang up from the very household. In either event, we should be reminded of the fatal power with which man is invested; and it would be equally our duty, to do justice to the dead, while we discharge our obligations to the living. It would be gratifying to discover a different ex- planation of some acknowledged facts in regard to Ed- ucation in Maryland, which are not very flattering to the pride of the State. But it is not to be supposed that a dependence upon the institutions of other States, would have been suffered, if a general seminary of the highest rank had been matured within her own bounds. The records of St. John's show that no such dispos- ition existed before she fell under the blast of adver- sity. In that period she educated considerable numbers from adjoining States, But the conse- quences of thef^Ual error,have unfolded and extended themselves down to the present times. For a series of years after that period, no account can be render- ed of this seminary, other than that which applies to the schools with which she was surrounded. They be- came productive nurseries for the Colleges of other 6 States; the power of conferring degrees was not indeed taken away; but it was made of no effect, by the imme- diate reduction of the standard of its scholarship, which followed the confiscation of its funds^ The worthless- ness of this power, unaccompanied by adequate means for its support, is almost annually exemplified in the College charters, which are granted to all such as ask them, provided they petition for nothing but the parchment on which the acts are written. And this process may go on till every acre of our territory shall be covered over with them; and it will only be made so much the more certain, that the testimonials of literary distinction will be sought elsewhere. Nor have the Colleges of other States been slow to avail themselves of the advantages thus afforded^ — they wisely extended their courses of education by collect- ing all that was necessary, at whatever cost. When legislative aid failed, private munificence supplied the deficiency. Every year increased the disparity be- tween the domestic and the foreign Institutions; and that, partly, at our own cost. Not content with the privilege of educating the youth of a destitute state, it was made the ground of a claim for the more direct aid of money, as well as of men. Thousands have thus gone out of Maryland, to fill up, as it were, the measure of her bounty. Distance has been no barrier to her diffusive liberality towards others. It has gone beyond the AUeghanies, to aid in making her depen- dance more permanent and extensive. In short, it has radiated from her, to gild the temples of science in all lands but her own; and that, when the cry, ^'come over and help us,'' has been more loudly rais- ed in behalf of her own territory, than for those where her bounty has been lavished. Most of the old States made ample provision in early times, and ceas- ed not, to add whatever became necessary, by the advance of the population, and the extension of sci- ence. In all of the new States the most abundant provision has been secured from the avails of the pub- lic lands. In the mean time, the cause in Maryland has been kept alive by hope. Future generations are to realize something, when the claims against the General Government shall ultimately be settled. Thus has Maryland allowed others to do, in her behalf, what she could have done much better for herself. Jealous as she is, of every other right, this part of her sovereignty has lost its value. Though no office of imperial power is of a higher style, than that which wreathes the laurels of science around the brows of the deserving, she concedes it to others. And yet she retains the forms and the names. How does this contrast with her usual sensibility? Every inch of her domain she would guard with a monarch's power; the ten-thousandth fraction of her population she would "grapple, as with hooks of steel j" but, content with knowing that they are hers, she allows them to owe what allegiance they list, in the more elevated empire of letters. It is well worth all our attention to mark by what means this allegiance has been perpetuated. The majority of Teachers in Maryland, both private and public,are graduates of Colleges in other States. They exercise an imperceptible, and perhaps involuntary influence in favour of their own institutions. This is a natural and unavoidable result — and thus a College is rich, in the attachments of her alumni. In every clime, their hearts turn to her walls with aspirations for her prosperity; and as opportunities offer, they dc light in offices for her good. It is proper it should be so. But would it not, at the same tune, be pro- per that Mary land should avail herself of the benefits of these salutary ties? If the demand for teachers were supplied from our own ranks, this pow^erful moral influence would operate for her good. And what is of the utmost consequence to the cause of education, the people at large would be conciliated, as their private interests would be promoted. If the classes of our own population were made to furnish the men of this honorable and responsible employment, it would alone, go far to concentrate the now dispersed energies of the State. And if nothing shall be done for an object so desirable, where is the present sys- 8 tern to end? Is it one of those cases that will provide for itself? That experiment has been tried, and the result has been what it ever must be, where men are bound to rely upon their own resources; the opu- lent and powerful reap the advantage. There is but one mode by which success may be rendered certain. It is to adopt the very measures, by which others have profited; to collect from private sources what is needful to give effect to the public appropriations. — The endowment made by the Government is not sufii- cient to support a College; and the deficiency must be made up by those who feel interest enough, to induce their co-operation. It is impossible to retrace a single step that has been lost, by any other means than the opening of an institution of the highest order. Men of wealth will neither place their sons at a Col- lege, for education, nor will they empltvy its graduates as teachers, unless it sustains an elevated standard of scholarship. Our citizens love their State much; but they love their sons more; and they cannot be expect- ed to take an education at home, if a superior one can be obtained abroad. When I speak of an aUegiance paid to others, there- fore^ I mean nothing but what is obvious to every re- flecting mind. And every assemblage of the sons of Maryland, graduates of colleges in other States, will bear me witness on all occasions, when they meet at commencement festivals to revive the literary associ- ations of their early days, that exultation, in this re- spect, for their native State, is not one of the elements of the entertainment. Indeed no exercise of the su- preme power of the State, can be more suitable or glorious than this, which bids her sons to be grateful 10 Aer, for the opportunities of distinction. Mary- land has not effectually exercised this branch of her prerogative. Nor does she manifest any pre^ew^ de- termination to do so, but it is precisely for this reason that I place my reliance upon private enterprize, Maryland did once exercise the power, in the crea- tion of the old University; but the dead letters of the statute book long stood as the ^^nomines umbra^^ oi the wisdom of a departed generation. The new Uni- versity has been as little successful, for the purposes in view. Indeed the latter is a pure usurpation of the name of the former. But the literary sceptre is still a mevQ^''brutum fulmeiiy^^ in the royal hand. It is idle to contend about a name. It is enough that the system framed by our forefathers is preserved. The charter of St. John's, has received new vitality and vigour from the legitimate source of power. Not a syllable or letter of the wisdom it contained in '84 has been lost. The voice of authority has only spoken to bid its provisions, again/to take effect; and she has appointed her own ministers, to see that her will shall be obeyed. In short, the legislation of the last two years has conferred upon St. John's, more of the character of a Stale InstitntiDn, than was posses- sed by the old University. The way then is proper- ly opened for the concentration of private munificence. The College has been re-udopted by the State, on terms which engage her highest officers to watch over its interests and extend its influence. The importance of this measure is evident, from the superior character of those Colleges in other States, which are placed under the inspection and patronage of their respective Governments. It so happens that the four principal Seminaries of the U- Tiion are thus organized, Harvard College, e. g. is the State College of Massachusetts. Its number of alum- ni is nearly six thousand. Yale stands in the same relation to Connecticut. The Governor, Lieutenant Governor and six of the State Senators, are of the Board of Trustees: and annual reports are made of its con- dition to the Legislature. She numbers about five thousand alumni; a body of men who have recently added Si 10,000 to her funds. Union College, and Nassau Hall are in the same relation to New York and New Jersey. In point of numbers, these two Colleges stand next to Yale and Harvard. That the eminence of those institutions is due to their State character, alone, is a position which I do not assume. 2 10 Yet there are obvious reasons for believing that much has been owing to this feature; since other Colleges, in the same States, with faculties of equal ability and learning, do not attract the same numbers of students. It is natural to suppose that a State College is not so liable as others, to become sectarian. They are regarded more as common ground for all denomina- tions. Local Institutions, whi^h are under the par- ticular patronage of a sect, cannot be expected to de- rive much support from other sources. And yet, it is a perfect right of any denomination of christians, to endow, and place under the exclusive care of pro- fessors of their own faith, Institutions for their own benefit. It is perhaps wise to do so; for such semi- naries are now^ supported by most denominations as their nurseries for the ministry. Still, such institu- tions are not adapted to the general wants of the com- munity, unless the principle be adopted to make them as numerous as the names of christians; which would be to abandon all the advantages of concentrated ef- fort. The successful operation of sectarian institu- tions in a State,so far then, from superceding, would rather require the establishment of at least one State College, not governed by private interests. It is rea- sonable to expect, that such a College, only, can at- tract general patronage. In this respect, the organi- zation of St. John's leaves nothing to be desired. It was founded by men of the various christian creeds, who gave it a charter, decidedly christian, but Catho- lic. No individual can sit in her Board of Trustees who does not express his unqualified belief in the christian religion. And the principle is carried to its proper extent in the government of the College. It is equally removed from both extremes. And the presence in the Board of Trustees, of so large a por- tion of public and political men together with its respon- sibility to the Legislature, secures the college from the influence of sectarianism. I reiterate, then, that the system of our forefathers is preserved. And a better system could not be devised for a college, of the most extensive scale. It is only 11 required then ^ to ^ive this STjstem the necessary en- largement. If we were to begin, de novo, iQ frame the best system which the wit of man can furnish, we should end precisely upon this scheme. It has never needed any thing but funds^ additional funds, to give it successful action. Not only has a good foundation been laid, but it has been rightly laid. The failure has resulted from withholding the supplies required for the superstructure. That these necessary supplies can he obtained from the liberality of our citizens, is the next point which comes under our consideration. And on this branch of the subject, I am happy to quote the strong lan- guage of a most respectable committee appointed last year, to visit the college, on the part of the Legisla- ture. In adverting to this mode of obtaining funds, the committee remark, "/? is an expedient resorted to by many flourishing Seminaries of learning in distant States^ to which our oivn citizens have liber- ally contrihuted,whilst the unpretending character of this Institution has shrunk from resorting to so fa* miliar and legitimate a mode of obtaining assistance — and seems to have laboured under the belief that the repeal or revocation of legislative endowments, at the same time annulled the right to collect individual subscriptions. The authority and policy of such a measure, are urged on the consideration of the Fisi- tors and Gove)^no?'s, and earnestly commended to the public.^^* Under this impulse, we have commenced our appeal. We have believed that the existing state of education in Maryland cannot be allowed to remain unchanged. The people will be just and true to their vital interests, as they have been generous and liberal to those of others. The natural results of leaving pow- erful and active neighbours, to make the most of their opportunities have been sufficiently developed. The College, therefore, confidently appeals to the patrons of learning, and hopes for some portion of the bounty to which none can present a stronger claim. *Repoitby the Hon. John B. Monis, 12 Our expectations thus far have not been disappoint- ed. Should uniform success attend our efforts, in every part of our State, the end in view will be fully and finally accomplished — and have we not reasonable grounds to look for such co operation? It is univer- sally conceded, that something must be done. And our reply is, either propose something better, or cast in 5our influence with ours. It is thought reasonable that the effort should be made here, because, so much has already been done to our hands. And it can raise no doubt, in the mind of a reflecting, well informed man, that the institution has laboured so long, without effecting more. It should rather excite admiration that she has done so much. The causes that have op- erated to prevent greater success, are not unfrequent- ly manifested in human affairs; and they work with un- controidable power, even where we seem to be the masters of our fate. There is a condition of the mind, under sudden calamity, in which it is as hopelessly indisposed to act, as the physical energies are, under the stroke of paralysis. The depression of the public mind, and the inactivity of the public will, in regard to education, was the consequence of the overthrow of the old University. In the long repose which fol- lowed, there was a perfect consciousness of the incubus which pressed on the bosom of the State. And occa- sional efforts were made to throw it off. Inadequate efforts however, always increase, rather than alleviate the burden. They invariably add to the fears of the weak and the faintness of the timid. But there is nothing impracticable in the present scheme. It is indeed impossible now to restore what has been irre- trievably lost. The strong feeling and support of those who should have been alumni of St. John's, have been transferred elsewhere. The blank of the barren years never can be filled. It is a moral waste of those as- sociations that cling around the walls of time honour- ed and well cherished institutions, which no vain re- grets, or pious offices can repair. But the impossi- bility of recovering these, should stimulate us the more to prevent further loss. Every year adds immeasura- 13 bly to the sacrifice. And it is in our power, proper- ly supported by the public favour, to bring these sa- crifices to a perpetual end. Surely then every por- tion of Maryland will lend its aid in a design, which so nearly concerns all, and where there is so much reason to hope for success. It is half of the enterprise to have made a just beginning. But we have done more. The elements of a respectable College, for a limited number of pupils, are now assembled. The most pressing need is that of the proper buildings to receive the much larger numbers who in the event of their being opened would resort to her Halls. It is assumed that no College can flourish here, or elsewhere, unless the pupils reside with the- officers and Professors, whose duty and interest it is, to save them from evil, as well as to open the fountains of knowledge. I am confident therefore, when this mat- ter is understood, that the people of Maryland will afford us this indispensable requisite for our prosperity and their own safety. I am unwilling to suppose that such an appeal can suffer a cold repulse. It is im- possible for me to doubt, that the work of solicitation which I have so far prosecuted, with pleasure and suc- cess, will find a cordial welcome from every intelli- gent mind, and every generous heart. The proposed method of obtaining funds, is not only the most certain, but the most equitable^ or at \G,diSt^the\nos,t expedient. Not that injustice would be committed, if, as has been done in .-jome other States, the whole necessary amount were to be appro- priated from the public Treasury. It would be as reasonable to affirm an inequality in the degrees of protection extended by the Government to the various classes in society. The influence of education, is diffusive as the light. It may be more concentrated in some places than in others, but no one is more deeply interested, than another, in its universal circu- lation. Still, there is a belief, that seminaries of learning do not operate equally, in favour of all class- es. And it would be well to remove even this appar- ent ground of hostility to the cause of Education — and nothing would do this more effectually than cori" tributions made by the wealthy portion of the com- munity, for the purpose of placing a College within the reach of others, as well as their own. Such con- tributors, themselves, would be no losers; while the less opulent, would participate in advantages from which they are now excluded. In other words, an institution would be opened for their accommodation, which is now too remote, or too expensive, for their means. Thus both w^ould be benefitted. The preju- dices and errors, moreover, which prevail on this subject, would be dispelled. The people would not be slow to perceive the equity of this kind of endow- ments, however unwilling they may now be, to admit the justice of the public bounty. All interests would then, be combined. There would be no deficiency of means to carry out the provident designs of our an- cestors. Their noble system would be completed, and its blessings would extend to thousands and tens of thousands of the generations yet to come. It is proper I should embrace this occasion, to do justice to the valuable schools, of a high order, which are supported by public appropriations; The policy thjiit established these, was undoubtedly good; yet it was hut partially good, so long as it stopped short of endowing, at least one general institution, of the high- est rank, to perform for them all, the office that has been so long enjoyed by the Colleges of other States, and to render them among other benefits in return, an adequate supply of teachers, taken from the meri- torious sons of the State. Within their appropriate sphere, these schools are instruments of incalculable good. They give a substantial education to vast num- bers of invaluable men. Yet the fact is un(}ispute(}^ stilly that they are the nurseries, from which the Colleges in other States are liberally suppliecj. Nor is it of any avail, to say that distinction is often obtain- ed by such as seek no higher opportunities than they can afford. How many distinguished individuals have sprung from the emergencies in which they were placed; and from the exciting causes which in every 15 age and countuy, call forth the highborn energies of genius! Yet all this does not prove that a superior seminary of the arts and sciences, would not add im- measurably to the mora! and intellectual standing of the State; and by consequence, to her power and in- fluence, in every point, that enhances the respecta- bility, the refinement, and the happiness of a people. An aspiring youth, should seek every opportunity for mental culture, that is afforded to tliose, with whom he may be called to cope, in the arena of civil and political strife. If his State does not judiciously make this provision for him at home, he owes it to himself, to seek it abroad. That he will so seek it, is as cer- tain as that he possesses sufficient pecuniary means. And is this a conclusion, that will satisfy the great body of the people of a powerful State! Will they think it enough, that the privilege falls to the lot of the few, by the mere accident of fortune! Or, when rightly understood, will they require it to be open to the entire population, for the freest developement of native talent! Great men do, sometimes, rise by ac- cident. Yet the country that thinks it useless, to foster native talent, may chance to find them, rare as good men were, in the times of the s?itirist — "Rail quippe boni; numerus vix est lotiJem quot, Tliebarum porlae, vel divilis ostiaNili." In times of civil commotion, when a State enters the lists, by her Representatives, what shall sustain her honor, or defend her interest, but the intellectual might of her chosen men! Jealousies, dissentions, disputes and collisions, are ever liable to arise among the several members of this Union, in which the une- qual contest, may place power in the room of justice. Maryland has known, what it was to-bave a Pinkney in the councils of the nation. She may need an un- divided phalanx of such sons, in future struggles, when her rights shall be at stake. Occasions often arise, when the whole moral energies of the people are absorbed, in the one point in debate. It is then the State feels a conscious pride in the efforts of her champions, who grapple with the giant minds, engag- 16 ed to repel her claims, or thwart her purposes. It is then, in one short hour of triumph, that a favourite son repays a thousand fold, the costliest nurture that nerved his arm for the conflict. And can a State ra- tionally expect the highest devotion of her sons, if she makes not such provision, as will kindle their pride for the land of their birth! If she sends them to other nurses, m the years of their tenderest sus- ceptibility, what can she expect, other than a weak- ening of their native, characteristic enthusiasm. No people on earth are more strongly incited to the highest cultivation of the intellect. As a whole people, the union of these States has relations to sus- tain towards other portions of the world; which task the powers of the mind to the utmost of its exertion. And what shall we say of them as individual sovereign- ties bound, indeed, by a solemn confederacy, but gov- erned by peculiar interests; powerful as the kingdoms of the old world, and like them, liable to be summon- ed to trials of their strength? Do we not perceive that all of these powerful Republics have everything to promise themselves, froYn the encouragement they may extend to education; and everything to fear from a relative neglect? And are we not aware that Mary- land has reasons, eminently urgent, to draw from art and science whatever aids she may for the protection of her territory, or the increase of her power? The em- ulation which she ought to feel, to open wide, for the access of her citizens, all those resources of wealth, which her powerful rivals are striving to unlock, can- not, for a moment, lose sight of the advantages which a nation derives from the diffusion of knowledge. It is her fortune, and it may be her fate, to embrace in her territory an extensive sea» The largest avenue to the very heart of the Union is in her keeping? She cannot he insensible to the benefits, or to the dangers of this charge. Whether this last golden prize of freedom, our Union is to be preserved, or to be shivered into the fragments which our enemies would delight to see scattered among the wrecks of past ageS; Maryland must not ignobly rest: Nor has 17 she thus slumbered, over her fortune or her fate! — The magnificent public works, now in progress, which are alike promotive of the arts of peace, and prepara . atory for the exigencies of war, evince a commond- able degree of that wakeful foresight, to which na- tions, as well as individuals, owe their honour and their power. She has but to go on in these grand high ways, which nature has marked as with lines of light, to and from her commercial Emporium, as a common centre; she has but to complete what she has so ju- diciously begun, and her high destiny will be fulfilled. And tvill she sleep over the all important machine- ry of education, to which, ,^above all other means, she must look to bear her onward to this goal of her highest hopes? On this point, is there nothing to be desired? If she relies on such practical and scien- tific skill, as some few of her sons may bring from dis- tant States, or from foreign kingdoms, will she ac- complish all that her destiny evidently invites! Is she not aware, that education is the life and soul of all these improvements, in the moral and physical condi- tions of men! Science must devise the plans; and sci- ence must carry them into execution. Look at the kingdoms, which have made themselves powerful by a proper use of their natural advantages, and the les- son is everywhere the same. Science is the source of all human power, over the secret agencies of na- ture. She ascends into the skies; and she penetrates into the earth. She makes her paths through the trackless ocean, as well as over the rugged continent. Whatever can add to the comfort and safety, or ex- pand the intelligence and happiness of men, comes directly or indirectly, from that sleepless spirit, in which she is ever engaged, '^asking questions ofna- turtP And, from the days of Bacon, to the present, it would seem that mere magnitude of dangers, or of difficulties, has only added to her activity. Take any single instance of English enterprise, that you may choose, and the lesson will be uniformly the same, namely, that a State which aims at the pre-eminence in commerce, in agriculture, or in arts, must, first of 3 18 all, pour her encouragements into the lap of science. On the coast of that classical country, there is a spot, which had proved the grave ot thousands of enterpri- sing men, drawn to her shores by the magic of her arts, but snatched away by unseen dangers, more aw- ful than the Scylla and Charybdis of the ancients, be- cause no saving light was held out, to warn the un- conscious mariner of his inevitable fate. Every effort to maintain the necessary beacon, on this perilous spot, had signally failed. Precious lives had been sacrificed in vain, for this humane purpose. The whole science of England, a century ago, was brought into requisition; and, it was, at last, accomplished.— In the midst of the wild waste and war of the waters, far from the reach of land, it rises,* over the fatal gulphs, the star of the tempestuous ocean; and its light is fed by a human hand, where it would seem none would presume to venture but the Fiat of Om- nipotence! Years and years have rolled away since it was first kindled by the torch of science; but it shines on, in the darkest night of the ocean whirlwinds, and the heart of the exhausted sailor leaps for joy, as he catches its flickering ray, and blesses his God that man is gifted with next to creative power! I have purposely taken a case, which seems to have presented a problem, a century since, to show that life, as well as property, depends upon the ordinary skill of the engineer. The mere amount of property, thus saved by a single eftort, would more than suflice to endow the schools of an entire country. But what is this, compared with the lives of men? We might mention instances of a character more purely scien- tific, in which the lives of thousands and tens of thou- sands have been spared, in the compass of a few yeare, by the encouragements held out by this same intelli- gent country. But take the most recent, mere business enterprise, and the conclusion is the same. Take, e. g, the Tunnel, that is now constructing under the Thames. 'Eddyslone Liglil. 19 Run your eye over the map of that greatest commer- cial emporium of the world, and you see at a glance the cause which required the adoption of a method so extraordinary. Up to the middle of the 1 8th;- centu- ry, only the London Bridge was open for the passage of the multitudes, which must daily cross that vital river of the resources of England. But the first suc- cessful step was immediately followed hy others of equal magnitude; and six of those costly structures are now open in the proper limits of London. An o- pinion of their importance may he formed from the returns of the two principal. Upwards of 5000 ve- hicles of various descriptions, and about 70,000 foot passengers, besides horses, are said to cross the Loh- don Bridge in a single day. At the Black Friars Bridge, there cross daily about 4O00 vehicles, and upwards of 60,000 foot passengers. Millions and mil- lions of pounds sterling were expended to open these avenues, so indispensable to the action of the great heart of the British Empire. But this brings us to the problem of the further contemplated facility required by the business of this untiring people. The har- bour of the city, ends at the London Bridge. All the other Bridges are above this point; and below it the surface of the Thames is covered by the commerce of the world. Yet, here the necessity is the most pres- sing, for a broad and open avenue, between the twO shores. To know that it was all important to the busincisof tbe people, was to decide that z7 must he done. It is not needful to detail hoilj it must be done; or to name the able Engineers who were successively baffled, and gave it up in despair. It is enough that it is virtually achieved, and that science has won the victory over the obstacles of nature. Instances like these^ ought not to De lost upon the intelligence of any enterprising State; since, in proportion as facilities are given to the healthful growth of the commercial metropolis of a country, which is^ as it were, the very heart of its being, they add vigour and activity to the remotest members of the whole body, in which, its life blood circulates. How impolitic then, for a povv- 20 erful State, to forego the advantages which arise from the cultivation of the highest branches of knowledge? a cultivation, without which, her own people cannot be brought, adequately to understand, and universally to appreciate the eminent propriety of pursuing those vast internal improvements, upon which the full development of her resources depends: a cultivation moreover, without which, it is impossible for any one people, perfectly to avail themselves of the scientific discoveries and improvements of every other people under heaven. We must cultivate science largely at home, to enable ourselves to import, and transplant, and make productive, the science of other climes. It requires veterans even to follow up, and render available, the very victories which fame has proclaim- ed to the scientific world. And in this aspect of the subject, it is cheering to remember, that Maryland has taken measures to bring into her bosom, the dis- coveries and avails of that science, which, {gratia Terrse Mairis) ought to have been earliest, but is actu- ally reaching perfection latest of all, I mean Geology, It is not needful now, to detail the advantages of this undertaking, I may be allowed to remark, however^ in passing, that no similar expenditure promises re- nown or benefit to Maryland, proportioned to that of the geological and topographical survey, in whichy this State has given the lead to some of her sister States, that had anticipated her in the general cause of education, but which will not, I am confident, be slow to imitate this j udicious exercise of her power. Yet obvious as these facts and principles are, there are men who wage a relentless war against the only JYaiional Institution, from which the Union has de- rived signal advantage! If that fails, the States must rely entirely on themselves. And upon whom should a sovereign State depend, but upon her own sons, reared by her own care, and devoted to her own ser- vice?* A strong voice comes down from our fore- *J. H. Alexanckr Esq, Engineer of the State Survey, is a graduate of St, John's. 21 fathers, and urges us onward. It tells us that respect for their memories, if regard for our interests, be not enough, should impel us to repair the desolations of former generations. It tells us that to leave their wort unjQnished, is the foreboding omen that patriot- ism is degenerating; and that the temple of liberty,- as well as that of science, is crumbling into dust! Moved by considerations like these, our nearest neighbour, the powerful State of Virginia, within a few years past, has provided largely for domestic ed- ucation; and her success is decisive. When we turn our eyes from our southern border and look toward the eastern, we find no general institution nearer than Princeton, that draws support from any considerable portion of our citizens. Between these two State In- stitutions lies a territory, abundantly competent to the support of a College of the highest class. The students who leave these bounds would of themselves fill such an Institution. The wisdom and foresight of the founders of St, JoJuv's, cannot be more stink- ingly exhibited^ than by this statement. Had their plans been carried out, the wants of the present peri- od would have been supplied. Provision must now be made for the increasing demand of the rising gene- rations. There is no time to be lost. Examples everywhere urge us to advance. Encouragements will accumulate as we proceed. Such is the invari- able reward of enterprise. How often do we hear of the noble bequests of entire fortunes to such Institu- tions, which, however ample their means may be, for the present times, require a rapid extension to meet the claims of the future! Many an individual is pos- sessed of wealth, who has no particular disposition to make of it, after his death. And what disposition could so naturally occur to a noble mind, as that which would make it useful, in perpetuity, after it had ceas- ed to be so in possession. By means like these the most flourishing seminaries of the Union have been perpetuated. And thus, all things fall into the hands of those who strive nobly to perform the part allotted them by Providence. It is the emphatic assurance 22 that/o/«m who hath f more shall be given^and he shall have abundance. And I am constrained to say that were a rich estate in Maryland to be tha<^ disposed of, at the present period, it would be quite as liable to fall to some wealthy institution abroad, as to minister to the wants of a needy one at home. All these ad- vantages will continue to be dispersed, until some system of more concentrated action, shall be effectu- ally adopted. Neither the rich nor the poor, are con- tent with the existini; state of education. The inte- rests of both, will be promoted by such an enlargement of St. John's, as shall make her walls accessible to the one, and acceptable to the other. And, is there not some more heart-stirring view of the subject, in reserve, which will rouse my hearers, to action! We have examined the case of those who leave the Academies and resort to foreign Colleges, to complete their education. Let me ask then, in one word, what is the gsfteral situation of those, who re- main inactive at home, after their course in the Aca- demies, is terminated? Generally speaking, it is ap- prehended that mere neglect of talent, is not the worst of the evil. If employment be not afforded, they are liable to sink into dissipation and vice. '1 he dangers of a youth of talents, are multiplied. His path is beset by tempters, who make him their leader in iniquity. He is not compelled to resort to busi- ness; he is not inclined to shut himself up alone, td pursue the pleasures of learning. Ruin is almost the inevitable consequence. How many a youth, thus situated, could be saved, if, instead of being left at large, at this period, he were subjected for an addi- tional four years, to the restraints of College discipline, and engaged in the invigorating exercises and pur- suits of science? The mind would acquire more strength and capacity; the habits would become fixed. The youth would be better prepared to act on his own responsibility. He would not enter life too soon. The prevailing inclination for quitting study, at too early an age, would no longer be entertained. Indeed, this very evil, has directly resulted from the want of a 23 general institution of the highest rank, to receive this class of young men, and to occupy them usefully, between the ages of 16 and 20, in consequence of which, they have either been left to themselves, or have, prematurely, swarmed into the so called ^'learn- ed professions. '^ And, what earthly purpose can be secured by committing an unfledged sciolist under the sound of a professional name, to the patronage of the public! The most natural result will be, to leave him, ordinarily, an easy victim to mortification, inac- tivity and ruin. It is to no purpose to quote exam- ples of professional distinction, in men who have raised themselves without the advantages of a regular education. Such professional characters are always known to lament the limited extent of their opportu- nities; and, however distinguished they may have be- come, they are conscious that a better education would have enhanced their own satisfaction and success. In short, they are proverbial illustrations of the lines of the Roman Censor: "Sumtnos posse viros el magna exempla daluros, Vervecum in patria^ crassoque sub acre nasci." It has become fashionable for the young to enter the professions, while they ought to be entering College; and it is not surprising that the common sense of the people, shocked at the results, regards all education as futile and perhaps pernicious. I will not trespass further on the attention of the audience. It has been my wish to unfold some of the more important bearings of the subject, by a plain matter of fact statement, for those vitally interested. I appeal to the judgment of every individual, whether the statement does not contain the truth; I ask, is there not ample and urgent cause for the aid of every friend of the best interests of the State? The central position of St. John's, favours the proposed concen- tration of effort. That its founders placed the Col- lege here, evinces their sense, moreover, of the value and necessity of the supervision of the Government, The amount of iiberality solicited from any individu- al, does not exceed what is ordinarily extended by 24 the opulent, almost every year, to mere local charities. Yet, the present is a State object, and the good to be derived is universal and incalculable. It will be the saving of immense sums of money to our citizens. It will confer upon thousands^ to whom it must otherwise be denied, tht» benefit of a public education. It will reclaim from miseraployment and corruption, untold numbers of those whose hands will hold the future destinies of the Republic. It will preserve the ele- vated standing of the liberal professions, by prevent- ing the introduction of a multitude of half-educated men. It will conduce, every way, to the honour and welfare of the State, by an augmentation of her moral power and political influence. It will operate on the whole mass of the people, by the more ample and more appropriate provision of teachers for their chil- dren. It will create an independence of feeling and of action, that can spring from nothing short of the supply of our intellectual wants, from our domestic resources The people will become more enlightened and united, more enterprising and prosperous; and, it is not too much to add, the happier and the more free. I appeal, therefore, to your judgments, to your interests, to your patriotism and to every good and generous feeling, that may move you to take de- light in promoting the welfare of the present and fu- ture generations, for such portion of patronage and support, as may seem required by this ancient and deserving seminary of the State. Young Gentlemen, Graduates op St. John's: the remarks which I have made, afford an occasion for a parting word to you. It is your fortune to go out from our College, at a period of no common inter- est. All the noble incentives and enthusiastic sen- timents that enter into the origin of a great institution, and distinguish its early history, from all succeeding periods, must now operate on you. We are engaged in an enterprize which is worthy of the best exertions of every friend of education, and every lover of his country. When once accomplished, it will be re- 2i5 ihembered and celebrated in after times, as a new era irt the history of the College, propitious to the glory of the Republic. You are more deeply con- scious than those who may come after you, of the difficulties to be surmounted, the necessities to be supplied, the prejudices to be overcome, the discou- ragements to be endured, and the opposition, of whatever kind, to be encountered, to conduct this enterprize to a successful termination. You partici- pate in all the motives and feelings that urge the friends of your Alma Mater, to press on with the good work. You cannot fail to cherish these feelings and obey these impulses, when you leave these walls and enter those busy scenes, that will remind you at every step^ of the nurture you have received at her hands. To incentives like these, the early Graduates of St. John's owed much of their distinction. It was their fortune to feel the original impulse, communicated by th6 moral energies that brought the institution into being. You cannot stand, on the same elevation that inspir- ed them, with lofty purposes. But the only difference between you is, that you occupy a position a little lower down in the valley of time. You have every motive that could stimulate them, to stamp on the primitive days of its history, the undying traits of their own character. It will be your part, and that of the pu- pils now in the keeping of j^our Alma Mater, to make this second epoch conspicuous, for the virtues and talents with which it may be emblazoned. Let this thought arouse every power of your souls, to sleepless, tireless action. It matttrs not, in what capacity you may be called to act, for the benefit bf men. In every honourable employment, your success will promote her interests, no less than your own. She has watched over you with parental solicitude, in the critical years of her guardianship; and she will now follow you with fervent aspirations, for your useful- ness, and distinction. In every great and good action you may perform, she will feel herself elevated; and she will exult in the approbation of your fellow-men. 26 It is not possible for the parents whose prayers have gone up to God for you, while you were absent froai their firesides, to feel for you, a livelier thrill of in- terest. Your elevation will become her chief joy; your degradation (if disappointment must come,) will be her keenest sorrow! ^ Weigh well, then, the responsibility of your rela- tions. When some fifty years shall have rolled away, it may happen that one of your number, more fated than the rest, shall look around. him to read the record of your deeds, in the remembrance of an impartial people. Human foresight cannot penetrate the veil which conceals the changes that must pass over these shores before such a survey shall be made. The pre- sent States may be obliterated, and other kingdoms come into being, before the last of your number shall he laid in the dust. But, come what changes may, the seats of learning, it may be hoped, will stand un- changed, but in the more frequent and full affections of their sons, with which they will have been hallow- ed! The cause of Letters, is the cause of Humanity and of God. Its consecrated temples, together with those of religion, are saved, when the political fabric of a country is shaken into ruins! Would that we might feel some prophetic promise, that the individu- al of you, who shall thus visit, for the last time, these academic shades,shall find your names written on those pages of her records, where your Alma Mater delights to read the history of the eminent individuals who have gone before you in the race of honour. This is not the time to urge the higher sanctions of God and of Eternity. If the occasion allowed, I would show that you are urged, not only by every- thing that can engage you all'ections as sons, as citizens and as philanthropists, but as probationers for a state of unending happiness, to sustain a seminary, destined to advance the spiritual as well as the temporal inte- rests of men. The faith we profess and the hopes that we cherish, (3ome from that same divine volume, that invites and invokes the lights of learning and philoso- 27 phy, no less than the spirit of meekness and submis' sion, to shed upon its pages additional proofs that the way of holiness must be sought by the oracles of its wisdom. Here we discover what is needfull to re- move the fears of superstition, to quiet the alarms of ignorance, and to disarm the terrors of death. What- ever is required to purify the heart, to guide the un- derstanding, to govern the moral feelings, in short to prepare the spirit for the society of angels, is unfolded in the sound morality and quickening faith of this re- vealed word: and from it, we derive the only well grounded assurance, that this world is destined to be- come the undisturbed residence of happiness and peace! These are the sentiments and principles that placed you in our care; and with these you should re- join the expecting friends, whose hearts are thrilling with the liveliest emotions to receive you. Think then of the parents who are entitled to the warmest gratitude of your whole lives for the opportunities you have received. Think of your country, whose hon- nour is handed down from succession to succession of her sons. Think of the world and of the political and moral regeneration it must undergo before the angels of peace, of humanity, and of religion, shall enjoy an uninterrupted flight over earth's utmost bounds* Think not that you are too insignificant to be taken into the account on this grand scale of benevolence. A single seed planted in season by a patriot or a christian hand, may overspread the earth. In one word, think of the good and great men who have gone before you from these venerable walls. Catch the voice that comes down to you, in the strong tones, of their wisdom and philanthropy, summon them indeed to your imaginations, and question them of the labours that they have finished in piety and peace: and they will cheer you on by the charms of virtue and the promises ot Religion. Spirits of Smith and Han- son, of Claggett^ and Carroll^ if in Paradise you can yet behold the child of your early prayers and patriot hopes, now strengthening into manhood, may 28 the thought fire the bosoms of these youth with the fervour of your tried virtues, in the cause of intelli- gence and freedom: and prepare them too for shrines in the hearts of their countrymen, and for stations with the spirits of just men made perfect^ in the mansions of the blessed! Note. The Rev. Dr. Smith, mentioned in the closing paragraph, was made the first President of St. John's, for the purpose of installing its first officers, on which occasion, he preached an Inaugural sermon. He afterwards went through the State, with the first subscription to its funds. Dr. Clagget, was one of the first Bishops of the Episcopal Church; and Chancellor Hanson, and the venerable Car- Roj,L, were among the earliest and most efficient members o\ t^e Board of Trustees. BOARD OF VISITORS AND GOVERNORS ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE, His Excellency JAMES THOMAS, ex-officio President. Hon. JOHN BUCHANAN. " WILLIAM B. MARTIN. " STEVENSON ARCHER. " THOMAS B. PORS^. " JOHN STEPHEN. " EZEKIEL F, CHAMBERS " THEODORIC BLAND. " JOHN G. CHAPMAN. «' WILLIAM J. BLAKISTONE. « JOSEPH KENT. •' ROBERT W. BOWIE. ALEXANDER C. MAGRUDER, Esq, SAMUEL RIDOUT, Esq. RICHARD HARWOOD,ofThos. Esq. JAMES BOYLE, Esq. NICHOLAS BREWER, Esq. HENRV MAYNADIER, Esq. WILLIAM H. MARRIOTT, Esq. THOMAS H. CARROLL, Esq. THOMAS S. ALEXANDER, Esq. JOHN N. WATKINS, Esq. THOMAS FRANKLIN, Esq. RAMSAY WATERS, Esq. DR. DENNIS CLAUDE, Esq. NICHOLA.S BREWER, JR. Esq. JEREMIAH HUGHES, Esq. GIDEON WHITE, Esq. ALEXANDER RANDALL, Esq. JOSEPH H. NICHOLSON, Esq. JOHN JOHNSON, Esq. Treasurer, GEORGE MACKUBIN, Esq. Secretary, GEORGE WELLS, Esq. FACULTY. Rev. HECTciRiHUMPHREYS, D. D. PRESIDENT AND PROFESSOR OF MORAL SCIENCE. JULIUS T. DUCATEL, M. D. PROFCSSOR OF CHEMISTRY, MINERALOGY, AND GEOLOGY. EDWARD SPARKS, M. D. PROFESSOR OF ANCIENT LANGUAGES. THOMAS E. SUDLER, A. M: PROFESSOR OF MATHEMATICS AND CIVIL ENGINEERING. WILLIAM B. LEARY, A. M. PROFESSOR OF GRAMMAR. CHARLES T. FLUSSER, Esq. PROFESSOR OF MODERN LANGUAGES. 31 CLASS GRADUATED, February 21st, 1835. NAMES. RESIDENCE. Thomas Holme Hagner, A. B. Abram Claude, A. B. P^DWiN Boyle, A. B. Richard Smith Culbreth, A. B. Washington City* Annapolis. JInnapolis. Caroline County. Richard Creagh Mackubin, A. B. Annapolis. SENIOR CLASS. RESIDENCE. Thomas Granger, George Grundy, Richard Hayward, Joshua D. Johnson, George F. Johnson, George Edward Muse, "William J, Recder, John H. Reeder, Henry W. Thomas, Franklin Weems, Nicholas B. Worthlngton, Queen */9nne^s County. Baltimore City. Cambridge. Fiedeiick. */9nnapoUs. Cambridge. Baltimore City. Do St. JMary's County, Elkrid