THE LIBRARY OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 THE COLLECTION OF 
 NORTH CAROLINIANA 
 
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 This book must not 
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AN 
 
 ORATION, 
 
 DELIVERED AT 
 
 CHAPEL. HIL.L., 
 
 ON WEDNESDAY, THE 23d JUNE, 1830; 
 
 The day preceding Commencement, at the University of 
 NORTH CAROLINA; 
 
 ACCORDING TO 
 
 THE ANNUAL APPOINTMENT 
 
 THE TWO LITERARY SOCIETIES 
 
 BELONGING TO THE 
 
 wiri'^am^i®^^ 
 
 BY THE HON. JOHN H. BRYAN. 
 
 NEWBERN: 
 PRIxNTED BY JOHN I. PASTEUR. 
 
 1830. 
 
 %- 
 
IF'! 
 
 ,Mv Respected Audiexce: 
 
 In pursuance of the compact niado between the liicraiv 
 Societies of this Institution, I have been invited to address )'0U. 
 While I trust that I duly appreciate the honour of this invi- 
 tation, I am also impressed with a deep sense of its delicacy 
 and responsibility. To point the way to the goal of oui 
 being, to inculcate lessons of virtue and true wisdom, upon 
 the rising generation, the future legislators and statesmen of 
 the Republic, to excite into lasting flame tlie sparks of high 
 and honourable ambition, would more comport with the zeal, 
 than with the ability of your addresser. 
 
 Could he discharge, with usefulness, the humble task of a 
 just and faithful counsellor, to those who are annually emer- 
 ging from the walls of this their alma mater, to engage in 
 the pursuits, turmoils and occupations of human life ; could 
 he inspire them with that regard for the rights and feelings of 
 their fellow men, and that devotion to their country's weal, 
 which would make them upright as men, useful as citizens, 
 honest as statesmen, pure and disinterested as patriots; he 
 would feel that he had discharged that debt which every citi- 
 zen owes to his country, and would rejoice in being the ho- 
 noured instrument of public good. 
 
 It may seem an idle efiort to urge, in this place, and to this 
 assembly, any argument tending to shew the inestimable value 
 of knowledge: but many who admit this proposition, without 
 hesitation, are not governed in practice, by those principle? 
 
or rules of conduct, which follow necessarily from its admis- 
 sion. I trust, then, it may not seem a useless undertaking, 
 to contemplate its proper effects upon the mind and heart of 
 man, and upon the interests and happiness of society. 
 
 It has been remarked, that the infancy of man, the noblest 
 of all God's creatures, is more feeble and helpless than that 
 of any other animal. The early portion of our existence is 
 spent in a dream-like state, when all things appear to us 
 robed in the vestments of fancy, and reason is too imperfect 
 to assert her sway. This is the period, too, when the mindt 
 like yielding wax, is apt to receive those impressions, which 
 t^equently maintain their stubborn hold, in defiance of the 
 dictates of our riper judgment, and against experience itself. 
 How important, then, is it, that these early impressions should 
 bo stamped by the signet of truth and wisdom ; that ins'ead 
 of operating as natural barriers to the acquisition of know- 
 ledge, they should facilitate our progress, and guide us in our 
 way. 
 
 If it be asked, by whom are the tender heart and budding 
 intellect, thus to be inspired with proper feeling, and illu- 
 mined with the earliest rays of knowledge? I answer, by 
 her only, whose love is competent to the task ; by her, whose 
 endearing title of mother, embraces the holiest and purest 
 of human affections ; whose voice and smile speak to the in- 
 fant heart, and find there a ready and responsive echo. — 
 Some of the most illustrious patriots and statesmen of all 
 ages, have traced their greatness and glory to the judicious 
 care of a devoted mother, and have felt and acknowledged, 
 in their proudest moments, the vivid traces of her tender 
 hand.. The Theban patriat, who saved his country at Leuc- 
 tra, regarded as one of the most gratifying results of his glo- 
 rious achievement, that it would gladden the heart of his 
 aged mother: and Americans may point with exultation to 
 the Father of his country, whose virtues were nourished and 
 cultivated by maternal discipline. When, in the progress of 
 education, the family mansion, and the charms of home are 
 exchanged for the habits and pursuits of college life, the 
 youth fiads himself in a novel, interesting^ and to him, mosr 
 
iijipoitiint state. He nuist now rely more upon Iiirnsclf, I113 
 judgment is called into action, and his principles are often 
 put to the test. lie finds his young associates not disposed 
 to yield their esteem and regard to the adventitious circum- 
 stances of birth or fortune — ho must earn a reputation. No 
 where do \vc find a more truly republican community, than 
 within tlie walls of an American college. The peculiar ta- 
 lent of each member is readily developed, and duly appre- 
 ciated ; magnanimity and disinterestedness arc cheered and 
 encouraged, while meanness and duplicity are detected and 
 scorned. A generous emulation excites to an ardent pursuit 
 of knowledge, and success is rewarded by those distinctions 
 and honours, which the most ambitious have highly prized. 
 
 Let not those who have grown grey in what they deem 
 higher, and more exalted pursuits, affect to look with indiffe- 
 rence on the student's toils and honours. To the eye of en- 
 lightened judgment, the successful pursuit of science is far 
 more glorious, and productive of happiness, than the attain- 
 ment of laurels crimsoned with blood, or the most exalted 
 poliiical preferment. 
 
 The warrior views with delighted eye the glittering co- 
 Uimr>s prepared for battle, and his ear drinks with avidity the 
 martial sound of the trumpet, summoning to the conflict^the 
 statesman, pale with care and anxious thought, smiles with 
 secret satisfaction at the effects of his policy, and hugs to 
 his bosom the fond hope that his laboured schemes will even- 
 tuate in splendid success. But what is the issue»of a hun- 
 dred victories] Go to the lonely tomb of the exile of St. 
 Helena, and ask the shade of its one mighty tenant. The 
 spell is dissolved, the illusion has vanished ; and, as if touched 
 by the spear of Ithuriel, the sad reality is disclosed in all 
 its vanity and emptiness. He who created and dethroned 
 Kings at his mere will and pleasure, and whose ambition a 
 continent could not bound, was reft of his own sceptre, and 
 confined to a small island, deprived of all his acquisition?, 
 except those of the imperishable mind. 
 
 In this last scene, when the conqueror's robe was laid 
 aside, and the voice of the flatterer no longer told its siren 
 
6 
 
 tale, Ins early education, and the knowledge liien ncquired, 
 remained, and stood by liiiii as his firmest and most faitliful 
 wordly support and comfort. 
 
 If we trace the career of the statesman devoted to selt- 
 figgrandizement, are we conducted to a nobler, or more desi- 
 rable end? He has doomed himself to contend with the 
 prejudices of mankind ; to enlighten the ignorant, and to allay 
 their jealousies ; to fix the wavering, and to reanimate the des- 
 ponding. .His operations are continued for years; his heart 
 is often sickened by hope delayed ; and the alternate lights 
 and shadows of the popular countenance, are watched by iiin- 
 with intense anxiety. The shades of night in vain invite 
 him to repose : he pillows his head, but his busy mind scorns 
 to rest; new designs are formed for the ensuing day, and 
 fancy builds her tower to the skies. At length the crisis is 
 at hand, tlic day comes which decides his contest with for- 
 tune, and the sun sets upon prostrated hopes and viSiOns o! 
 greatness dispelled. But let us assume that his efforts and 
 toils have eventuated in success, that he has seized the gor- 
 geous prize with which ambition lured him. Has he found 
 what he sought ? Let those who have occupied posts most 
 eminent for honour and dignity, reply. They will say, that 
 elevated station has its peculiar cares and perplexities; that it 
 is incumbered with conflicting and irreconcilable claims pre- 
 ferred by friends, each of whom being the self-constituted 
 judge of his own merits, does not willingly yield to his rival ; 
 while enemies, rendered more imbittered by disappointment, 
 are watchful to mark and expose the slightest aberration from 
 duty, and to impute dishonourable and degrading motives to 
 actions prompted by an honest regard for the public weal. 
 They will confess that the charms of their station appeared 
 far more enchanting when viewed in the distance ; that pos- 
 session has robbed it of its glorious hues, and that disap- 
 pointment and satiety have supplanted the eagerness and no- 
 velty of enjoyment. 
 
 But, it may be asked, is the votary of science shielded from 
 the piercings of disappointment's thorn 1 It is not necessary 
 for our purpose to contend that he is exempted from the com- 
 
nion lot of humanity; but we do contend, liiaf his |)ursuiis arc 
 far more ennobling to tiic mind and lieart, and phicc his hap- 
 piness much more within his own control, than those which 
 we iiave reviewed, and which usually excite, in a much higher 
 degree, ihe admiration of the world. Though his car be not 
 greeted with the loud iiuzzas of an applauding people, yet 
 he has his joys which are not tiic less permanent, on account 
 of their being more placid and serene. The successful solu- 
 tion of a difficuit problem in mathematics, caused Archimedes 
 to exclaim with rapture, "Eureka! Eureka!" and his subsc- 
 riuent rcfleciions upon this Iriumpli of intellect, must have 
 been far more duliglilful, than the conqueror's recollections 
 of the battle-field, strewn wiiii the dead and dying, with all its 
 dismal train of weeping widows and bereaved orpiians. Bu' 
 is the fame of tiic warrior or statesman, more enduiing than 
 that of the poet or pliilosopher? Vv ill Horace or Virgil sink 
 into forgetfulness, sooner than their master, the imperial 
 Augustus? or rather, will not the Emperor be indebted for 
 an immortality of fame to the humbler toils of t!ie poet? — 
 Wiien Horace exclaimed with prophetic rapture — 
 
 " 'Me periius 
 
 Discct Iber, Rhoiiaiiique potor,'' 
 
 iiow would he have exulted, could he have foreseen that iiero, 
 in a world then unknown, lie would have been so universally 
 read and admired ; that in this spot, where the wild beast of 
 the forest had his lair, and creation slept undisturbed by the 
 voice of civilized man, a temple of science would have been 
 eared, in which he would have occupied so conspicuous a 
 niche. 
 
 If we compare, in relation to their usefulness to their fellow 
 men, the warrior and the philosopher, how much tnorc worthy 
 is the latter, of our love and veneration. The philosopher 
 looks upon creation with a desire to ascertain its author and 
 its end ; nouglit escapes his observation and reflection : in the 
 dew drop that sparkles on the spray, as well as in the im- 
 mense ocean that surrounds the globe, he perceives the de- 
 s-ign of an all-wise and omnipotent Being. His mighty mind 
 i-s not bounded by the world he inhabits; "he looks through 
 
siature, up to nutate's UoJ ;" in llic ardour of liis puiSuit, 'ue 
 visits other worlds, and communes with the heavenly intelli- 
 gence that moves them in their " circling orbs." lie sees 
 every where the manifested hand of Deity, and, lost in amaze- 
 ment at the stupendous power and infinite wisdom which even 
 the feeble light of human science reveals to him, he involun- 
 tarily exclaims with the royal psalmist, " Lord, what is man, 
 that thou art mindful of him, or the son of man that thou re- 
 gardest him." His reflections lead him to self contenipla- 
 lioi), to the study of man, as a being endowed with glorious 
 faculties, a living temple in which a spirit dwells — a spirit 
 whose desires extend far beyond the brief space of time allot- 
 ted to the existence of the body, and is ever busy in devising 
 plans for being remembered in future ages. He feels with- 
 in him a monitor which suggests, in "a still small voice," but 
 in a language not to be misunderstood, that he is accountable 
 for his conduct to some tribunal, which does not derive its 
 authority from man. The example of the Deity, to him so 
 sensibly displaying benevolence in all his works, the internal 
 joy which he derives from doing good, and the misery con- 
 sequent upon doing evil, all admonish him, that good will 
 towards his fellow-men is enjoined upon him by a law of his 
 nature. And has this law, he inquires, (unlike all others,) 
 no sanction? Is this high behest of Deity, which is written 
 upon the Heavens as it were with sun-beams, and inscribed 
 upon the heart of man by the finger of his Creator, to be vio- 
 lated with impunity] The proud oppressor of his fellow- 
 man, he who imbrues his hand in his brother's blood, and 
 consumes in luxury and prodigality, the bread of the wi- 
 dow and orphan, often mocks the imbecility of human 
 justice, or shoves by its arm with "gilded hand." Shall 
 he make no atonement hereafter? Appeal to the wretch 
 himself, and he must confess, that, oft at midnight's dreary 
 hour, he feels the power of the world to come. It is not ia 
 human sophistry always to delude, and even gold cannot bribe 
 his conscience to grant him repose. If these pursuits thus 
 lead us to a knowledge of the Deity and ourselves, how vastly 
 more important are they to mankind, than all those whicit 
 
9 
 
 terminate with mortal life, and are buried with us in the grave 
 of oblivion. 
 
 But, when we moreover consider, what essential aid the 
 cause of revealed Religion has received fronj learning, how 
 nobly it has sustained the cause of the Redeemer in every 
 age and in every clime; how its polished shafts have flown 
 to the succour of the Herald of the Cross, we find renewed 
 sources of admiration and delight. An attempt to do justice 
 to the S:ubject in this point of view, would more become one 
 who fills the hallowed office, and sustains the venerated cha- 
 racter of the head of this Institution, than the individual 
 who now addresses you. 
 
 Having thus essayed to exhibit, in some of its more pro- 
 minent features, the paramount utility of knowledge properly 
 applied, as regards man individually, I will, with the indul- 
 gence of my audience, direct their attention to ils impor- 
 tance to society, or to man in a social state. If ever there 
 was a time when nations were governed by mere force and 
 power, that time has long since gone by: men are now go- 
 verned by opinion, it is this that sustains equally the throne 
 and the curule chair. It is this persuasion of the mind that 
 pre-eminently sustains all free governments. The remark, 
 perhaps, may be justified, that of all the nations of the Earth, 
 these LTnited States are m()re indebted for their present en» 
 viable political condition, to that general diflusion of intelli- 
 gence, and that spirit of enquiry into the principles of go- 
 vernment, v/hicli, in their colonial state, prevailed among the 
 people. The operations of government were watched with 
 a jealous eye ; they had the learning requisite to know, and 
 the independence necessary to assert, their rights. The me- 
 morials, documents, and state papers of the revolution^ 
 evince vigorous and cultivated intellect, extensive research, 
 and deep conversation with the ablest jurists and political 
 writers. Though Hampden and Sidney were covered by the 
 clods of the valley, their mantles had fallen upon Adams and 
 Jefferson, and the fire of their zeal and energy had not waned 
 in brilliancy and fervour by its transmission across the broad 
 Atlantic. " 
 
 B 
 
10 
 
 The nttcntive reader of English liistory cannot avoid re- 
 marking the similarity, in many respects, between the revo- 
 lution of 168S, in England, and our own. In both, the 
 objects at j/?rsf avowed were the same, the redress of grie- 
 vances, committed under colour of law; and the vindication 
 and establisiiment of rights claimed as constitutional. The 
 same doctrines were declared by the eminent statesmen who 
 conducted these mighty operations, and the same authorities 
 appealed to for support. The whole controvers}', in England, 
 resolved itself into a question, involving the rights and powers 
 of the people to participate in remodelling their form of 
 government; and by the assembling of a convention, which was 
 supposed and intended to represent all the people of England, 
 and by the resolutions of that convention recognizing an 
 "original contract" between the ruler and the governed, the 
 advocates of free government had established a principle, 
 which was well calculated to preserve civil liberty in health 
 and vigour. 
 
 But the American revolution may be traced to a higher 
 source: it was a scion of a more robust and hardy tree: its 
 germ may be discovered in that uncompromising spirit that 
 prompted Hampden to resist the payment of a trifling impo- 
 sition, which he deemed arbitrary and illegal ; in that for- 
 titude and energy which conducted to these shores, men 
 who preferred a dreary wilderness, and all its horrois, with 
 civil and religious liberty, to all the comforts and joys of 
 civilized life, without them. 
 
 At this distant day, enjoying, as we do, the blessings of 
 plenleousness, and the security of peace and freedom, under 
 a mild government, in which we all participate, our ima- 
 gination can with difficulty be roused to a just view of the 
 sacrifices which our ancestors endured to attain them. 
 Famine and the tomahawk combined in carrying on the work 
 of desolation and misery; and often would llic happy wife 
 and mother, who had caressed her smiling babes when she 
 retired to rest, be wakened by the terrific war-whoop, and 
 find herself widowed, childless and captive. For many years, 
 the colonies, struggling on through a {€th\e and perilous 
 
11 
 
 int'ancy, round aiDple employment in defending tlieir homes 
 and firesides against the incursions of the savage foe ; and 
 when at length they attained a degree of strength sufficient 
 to enable them to stand alone, the Legislature of the mother 
 countr}' undertook to prescribe their path and guide their 
 steps. They were considered ns members of the Empire, for 
 the purpose of being governed, but not for the purpose of 
 participating in the powers of government : they were made 
 the subjects of laws, in the enactment of which their voice 
 was not heard ; and the victims of a policy, which sought, by 
 artificial means, to build up the prosperity of Britain, by a 
 selfish monopoly and direction of their trade and resources. 
 The issue of the controversy which arose, is known to the 
 world, and affords an instructive admonition to all rulers, who, 
 in the exercise of power, are prone to forget right. 
 
 As North Carolinians, we may indulge the honest and 
 commendable pride, that the citizens of our own state were 
 the first to abjure ai! political connexion with their oppres- 
 sors, and to proclaim independence, pledging for its support, 
 in language s/rtce become hallowed, their lives, their fortunes, 
 and their sacred honour. 
 
 On the territory of our state, unuor tlic auspices of Sir 
 Walter Raleigh, in 15S4, the standard of England was first 
 planted in American soil, and the first attempt made to 
 found her Empire; and on her territory, in 1775, was the 
 flag of American Independence first unfurled. 
 
 The termination of the war of the revolution, though it 
 left our country victorious in the field, yet placed her in an 
 attitude of great political delicacy and peril. 
 
 The articles of confederation only bound the states together 
 in their sovereign capacities ; and the acts or resolutions of 
 the old Congress only operated upon the states by requiring 
 tiiem to fulfil their engagements. These requisitions were 
 often inefiectual ; many of the states were tardy in complying 
 with their federal duties, and the delinquency of one frequently 
 afforded a pretext or excuse for del.iy and omission on the 
 part of anodier. The federal treasury was empty ; public 
 ■:redit was destroyed ; the soldiers who had achieved the 
 
12 
 
 i-evoluijon were beggared by success, and complained loudly 
 and bitterly of the ingratitude of their country. Some of the 
 states had adopted conflicting regulations of commerce, others 
 were disputing about their boundaries. Jealousies and ani- 
 mosities had arisen : the heart of the patriot had well nigh 
 sunk, within him, and the enemies of freedom were already 
 exulting at the prospect of disunion and its necessary horror?. 
 To avert the portending storm, a convention was assembled, 
 of the most tried and eminent sages and patriots of the land, 
 who, with the Father of his country at their head, framed, and 
 recommended for adoption, the present federal ccnstitutron. 
 This constitution was submitted to conventions, elected by 
 the people in each of the states, and was successively adopted 
 by all of them. 
 
 It has been sometimes remarked, that our state was among 
 tlie last to ddopt this constitution. By recurring to the debates 
 of her convention, it will be seen that her delay arose from 
 motives which originated in the jealousy of freemen, and 
 highly exalt her character for political sagacity and foresight ; 
 that in fact her delay did not arise from a want of attachment 
 to the union, or a deep sense of its necessity, but from a 
 desire to have the constitution so modified, as would, in her 
 opinion, secure a more lasting union. Her attachment to the 
 union was strikingly manifested by her final adoption of the 
 constitution, notwithstanding her honest objections, and before 
 the amendments which she deemed essential had been incor- 
 porated into that instrument — while the subsequent ratifi- 
 cation of several of the amendments which she proposed, fully 
 justified her scruples and delay. 
 
 It may be remarked, too, that they are not always the most 
 prompt and faithful in fulfilling obligations, who are most 
 ready to contract them, and although our state may have 
 been among the last to ratify the constitution as it was sub- 
 mitted to her, yet to preserve and protect and defend it, to 
 manifest good faith and loyalty in the fulfilment of federal 
 duties, she has always been among the first. 
 
 To us, upon whom has descended this rich inheritance, the 
 fruit of the blood and toils of our ancestors, is more especially 
 
13 
 
 i'mposeJ the sacred duty of transmitting it, unimpaired and 
 unincumbered, to our children. 
 
 If experience sludl discover defects in it, llie wisdom of its 
 franicrs has provided a mode of amendment by which liiey 
 can be supplied or removed: it contains within itself a prin- 
 ciple of renovation, by which new lite and energy may be 
 imparted to it. 
 
 If doubts arise as to its construction, a high tribunal, guard- 
 ed from all improper indncnce, as fir as human wisdom can 
 shield it, has been |)rovided to solve these doubts. It is the 
 just boast of the American system of polity, that the judicia- 
 ry is clevated'to the rank of a co-ordinate department of go- 
 vernment; its independence is thus firmly established, and all 
 temptation to deviate from the path of its exalted duty is 
 removed or prevented. While adverting to the federal ju- 
 diciary, I trust I may be pardoned lor directing your atten- 
 tion for a moment to that eminent man, who has now for 
 thirty years presided over its iiighest tribunal, and to whose 
 lot it has fdlen, more than to that of any other man, to inter- 
 pret authoritatively the provisions of the federal constitu- 
 tion. Questions, most momentous and most embarrassing, 
 have been solved by his gifted intellect, as by intuition; and 
 the arguments by which his decisions have been sustained, 
 while they are intelligible to -the meanest capacil}', are such 
 as to reflect honour on the Iiighest intellect. Though con- 
 tending politicians may not always acquiesce in his conclu- 
 sions, yet none can doubt the strength and depth and clear- 
 ness of his mind, or the uprightness, integrity, and purity of 
 the Judge. It happened to the author of these fugitive re- 
 marks, in company with a distinguished citizen of this state, 
 in the summer of 1825, to visit the late Ex-President, John 
 Adams, who, though bending under the weight of four score 
 and ten years, yet retained much of that dignity of demeanour, 
 eloquence cf expression, and vigour of intellect, which so emi- 
 nently characterized the great Orator of the old Congress. 
 The name of Chief-Justice Marshall was mentioned, and he 
 seemed " firt-d at the sound." "There is (says he) no act 
 ■' of my life, on which I reflect with more pleasure, than the 
 
14 
 
 "appointment of John Marshall as Chief-Justice of the 
 •' United States. I have given to my country, a Judge equal 
 " to a Hale, a Holt, or a Mansfield." 
 
 To resume my subject, we have, then, a constitution, form- 
 ed by the wisest heads, and purest hearts ; by those who had 
 been tried long and severely ; who knew well the mischief, 
 and have provided the remedy. It comes recommended to 
 us by every thing that can command veneration, and confi- 
 dence, and love. With reference to this great family com- 
 pact, we may all exclaim, in the language of an illustrious 
 patriot and statesman, " We are all federalists, we are all 
 republicans." 
 
 The main design of this instrument was to form a general 
 government which should be intrusted with the exercise of 
 those powers which the members of the confederacy could not 
 separately exercise, without disturbing the harmony, or inju- 
 riously affecting the interest of the others : the great powers 
 of making war, forming treaties, regulating commerce, and 
 conducting the foreign intercourse of the Union, are of this 
 class, and accordingly were confided to the federal govern- 
 ment. 
 
 The exercise of any power by this government, should be 
 deduced from the charter by which it was created ; but in this 
 deduction, the reasoning of politicians, whose integrity and 
 intelligence cannot be doubted, essentially varies, and their 
 conclusions, on many important subjects, are utterly irrecon- 
 cilable. These different versions of the same instrument, 
 involve considerations and consequences deeply interesting 
 to our country, and hostile to her peace. Even now it would 
 seem that our Union is menaced, and language is uttered which 
 must grieve the heart, not only of the American patriot, but 
 of the philanthropist and lover of freedom in every clime. 
 
 It is very far from the intention of your addresser, to im- 
 pute disloyalty to the constitution, to all who utter the lan- 
 guage of passion, much less to those who, sincerely believing 
 that its letter and spirit have both been violated, remonstrate 
 with boldness and feeling. It is well known, that some who 
 thus feel, and thus speak, are men. high minded men, who 
 
15 
 
 soar above the grovelling considerations of self, and who 
 have proved their devotion to their country's weal, by conducl 
 not to be mistaken. But admitting that a wrong construction 
 of the constitution has prevailed and been enforced, is there 
 no redress within its pale ? Cannot patriotism, and intelli-' 
 gence combiiied, devise a remedy] When, in 1798, the pas- 
 sage of the Alien and Sedition laws fearfully agitated our 
 country, the ])atriotic and enligiilened statesmen of those days 
 appealed to their sister states, and a revolution was cfTecled 
 in public opinion, by the arms of reason ; the obnoxious laws 
 were repealed, and harmony was restored to the Union. 
 The constitution empowers the Legislatures of two-thirds of 
 the states to require a convention to be called, for the purpose 
 of modifying it ; and surely no friend of his country can hesi- 
 tate between this appeal, and another, of a character too direful 
 to be thought of. If, then, all the departments of the federal 
 government should concur in sustaining a law, which h 
 deemed by the Legislature or people of a stale, to be a 
 palpable infraction of the constitution, even this would 
 not justify the adoption of the "last resource." There is 
 still an appeal to Caesar — the sovereign power, the con- 
 stituents of the federal government, or in the language of 
 Mr. Jefi'erson, to their " employers?" Who are the em- 
 ployers of the federal government — surely not any one 
 state, nor the people of any one state. This government, we 
 are told by one of the purest and most enlightened of 
 tlie sages who formed it, (the venerated Madison,) is national 
 in many of its features. In one of his essays recommending 
 its adoption, he says, "The House of Representatives will 
 "derive its power from the people of America, and the peo- 
 " pie will be represented in the same proportion, and on the 
 "same principle, as they are in a Legislature of a particular 
 "state. So far the government is national, not federal."* If 
 a majority of the people and of the slates of the Union, by 
 their representatives, concur in an exposition of the constitu- 
 tion which any one state may deem an infraction of the funda- 
 
 ' See the Federalist, No. xxxis. 
 
10 
 
 menial charter, I will not say that the consti;ulion can be 
 thus enlarged or diminished ; but surely, in every such case, 
 the protesting state might yield obedience, without compro- 
 mising her rights, until this construction could be reviewed 
 and settled, either by the judiciary, or the proper constituents 
 of the government; and it would seem that those constituents 
 who, by the provisions of the conslitution, could grant the 
 power, would also be competent to settle, definitively, any con- 
 troversy respecting the nature and extent of powers ahead v 
 granted, or whether any power claimed, has, or has not been 
 •franted. 
 
 The sages, founders of the republic, certainly could not 
 I'ontemplate that the " ultima ratio" should be resoried to, 
 to explain and vindicate the meaning of this charter of our 
 liberties. If this dire calaniiiy should befall us, we may well 
 fear that the wrath of offended heaven has fallen upon us, 
 and that wo are maddened for destruction.* While we con- 
 cede much to honest intentions, and to zeal, pure, though in- 
 temperate, it is not to be disguised, that this disease of the 
 body politic, has lured that bird of ill omen, the demagogue, to 
 make his baleful appearance. While the noble ship, obedient 
 to her helmsman, gallantly ploughs her way through the waves 
 to her destined port, the ravenous monsters of the deep are 
 feft unheeded behind ; but when overtaken by the tempest, she 
 becomes crippled, and unable to wing her flight ; or when 
 visited by pestilence, the " sullen wave" receives the " frequent 
 corse," then the ravenous shark is her constant attendant, 
 and fattens on her wretchedness. So does the demagogue 
 grow into bloated greatness upon his country's woe. 
 
 But there is a redeeming spirit in the intelligence of our 
 people; and there is a spirit which can bid the troubled waves 
 " be still." Let us hope, rather, for the interposition of both, 
 than despair of the Republic. With respect to our own state, 
 if the emergency should require it, she will boldly vindicate 
 her loyalty to the Union; she will call upon her sons to re- 
 member the glory of their sires, to shrink not in the day of 
 
 ''■•■Q.iipm dons viil! perilerP; priiis elemental.' 
 
17 
 
 peril from the defence of that flag, which has so long waved 
 over them, and secured to them every political blessing. 
 
 And our University, founded by our ancestors to difluso 
 through our country that knowledge which is the life of liber- 
 ty, and which they regarded as one of the main bulwarks 
 of freedom, will call upon her alumni to vindicate her mater- 
 nal care, and sliow themselves too wise to be deluded, and 
 too virtuous to be corrupted. But it cannot be that any por- 
 tion of this confederacy, when duly enlightened, will persis'. 
 in a continued career of Injustice lo another. We are in- 
 formed, by the highest authority, that the constitution is the 
 result of a spirit of mutual forbearance and concession ; let it 
 be but administered in that spirit, and discord will cease, and 
 the now-jarring chords will be attuned to s^'mphony. 
 
 It is then, at last, to the intelligence and virtue of the peo- 
 ple, that we must look for political salvation. I cannot con- 
 clude this part of my address, without directing the attention 
 of this assembly to the emphatic and admonitory language of 
 the Father of his country, in his Farewell Address to his fel- 
 low-citizens : 
 
 " Promote, then, (say he) as an object of primary impor- 
 " tance, institutions for the general diffusion of knowledge." 
 " In proportion as the structure of government gives force to 
 " public opinion, it is essential that public opinion should bo 
 •'enlightened." 
 
 As I am now speaking in the presence of those to whose 
 care is committed (he momentous task of rearing the youtli 
 of our country, [ trust I may be indulged in n)aking h few 
 suggestions on the subject, which I do with great deference. 
 Constituted as we arc, any system of education must be de- 
 fective, which does not embrace in its plan a discipline of the 
 body, which does not enjoin exercise and temperance — these 
 are what may be termed bodily viitues, which require their 
 share of culture and patronage. — Many of our noblest quali- 
 ties depend greatly for their perfection oti the health of the 
 body — the "mens sana in corporc sano," is greatly to be 
 desired. 
 
 r 
 
18 
 
 riie Persians are liiglily commended by Xcnoplion, foi 
 training their 3'outli in habils of bodily exercise and tempe- 
 rance, and inuring them to trials of fortitude. 
 
 The ancient Greeks and Romans devoted much time and 
 care to athletic exercises; and to the discipline and courage 
 thence acquired, may be ascribed, in no small degree, their 
 military success. 
 
 The modern systems of education seem to err on the other 
 extreme, and not duly to appreciate the intimate union and 
 sympathy between mind and bodj-. Too often do we see 
 the votary of science depressed by debility and disease, and 
 health and cheerfulness of temper unnecessarily sacrificed to 
 the attainment of learning. While the rays of science illu- 
 minate tho mind, the hectic glow of consumption's hidden 
 fire, oft inflames the cheek of her imprudent volar}'. 
 
 Another common error, which I would venture to remark, 
 is the frequent confounding of learning with education. Many 
 j)ersons store their minds with a varied mass of knowledge, 
 where it lies in chaos and disorder, useless to its possessor 
 and the world, and are deemed well educated : whereas, the 
 proper and most valued effect of education, is to discipline 
 the mind, and fit it by its habits for the acquisition of know- 
 ledge. 
 
 The mind itself is to be cultivated, and enlarged, and its 
 powers and capacities increased. The learning which we 
 acquire at the schools is not intended, nor supposed to be all 
 that is necessary for our useful action in life : here we merely 
 lay the basis, upon which we are hereafter to rear a super- 
 structure, whose design or model is often unknown. In a 
 country like ours, so vast in territory, so diversified in cli- 
 mate and resources, man pursues his happiness in various 
 wa3's, stimulated by that cncourEigement which a fr^e govern- 
 ment gives to talent and enterprise. Every walk of life is 
 open to the aspiring, and perseverance and honesty rarely fail 
 of eventual success. Here, more than in any other countr}', 
 man may be considered as " the architect of his own fortune." 
 Those who rely upon intellectual employments for advance- 
 ment, must not suppose that tliey have chosen a life of easr 
 and induleencc. 
 
19 
 
 Indolence is fatal to mental energy, and neglect will cause 
 the finest gold to become dim. 
 
 The hill of science must be climbed by persevering toil, 
 and labour itself must be pleasant* to the pilgrim who wends 
 his way to its sun-lit summit. 
 
 On this eminence, the citadel of Liberty is situate — from 
 iicnce, the distant approach of every foe may be descried, 
 and due preparation made for defence. 
 
 On this eminence, too, Religion has erected an altar, and 
 invoked from the skies, a yet more glorious liberty ; a liberty 
 
 Unsung 
 
 By poels, and by Senators unpraised, 
 
 Which moiiarclis cannot grant, nor all the powers 
 
 Of Earth and Hell confederate take away : 
 
 A liberty, which persecution, fraud, 
 
 Oppression, prisons have no power to bind, 
 
 Which whoso tastes can be enslaved no more, 
 
 Labor ipse voluptas