AN
INAUGURAL ADDRESS,
DELIVERED IN THE COLLEGE HALL,
BEFORE THE JEFFERSON COLLEGE AND
WASHINGTON LYCEUM:
> ■; '
ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 9, 1836.
BY CHARLES L. DUBUISSON, A. M.
PRESIDENT OF JEFFERSON COLLEGE, WASHINGTON, MISS.
[published bv request or the Lyceum.]
NATCHEZ:
PRINTED AT THE CHRISTIAN HERALD OFFICE.
1836,
ADDRESS.
Gentlemen of the Jefferson College and Washington
Lyceum,—The distinguished honor you have conferred upon me,
by electing me your first President, brings me under obligations,
which cannot be cancelled by many protestations of thankfulness.
My gratitude must operate by other means than words, therefore
" I waive this breathing courtesy."
Ladies and Gentlemen,—An occasion like the present can¬
not fail to awaken the liveliest interest in all who are acquainted
with the purposes of our meeting. When a number of persons,
of various tastes and habits, associate themselves into a body
for the furtherance of any object, an importance is at once
attached to it, that individual effort, how great soever it may
be, cannot give. The reason is obvious. A subject that can
call from the retirement of professional life, and engage the
energies of men, whose intelligence and sound judgment place
them above the imputation of enthusiasm, must be worthy the
attention, and strongly enlist the feelings of all capable of ap¬
preciating it.
It is not the intention of the present address to solicit the
favorable regard of this audience for our undertaking. Subse¬
quent meetings, as they will be monthly and all public, will be
more suitable for that purpose. The simple subject, unadorned
by any tinsel or parade, shall be presented. When truth is
sought, the affected blandishments of manner and the ornaments
of style, are as mushroom! that spring up in the shade and
yvither in the sun.
A plain statement, then, of the cause of our association : the
object of our society: the agreeableness, utility and important
influence of such institutions, shall form the subject of a few
remarks.
In a private conversation, a casual remark " that an asso¬
ciation of:gentlemen of different pursuits, and professions, and
acquirements into a society, would be an efficient means of col¬
lecting much valuable information on subjects which neither
time nor facilities permitted each fully to investigate," led to a
discussion of the practicability, and finally to maturing the plan
of the Jefferson College and Washington Lyceum. The object
is eloquently expressed in the preamble to the constitution :■
" We, the citizens of Washington and vicinity, in order to
promote the diffusion of knowledge in general science, strength¬
en our minds, correct and improve the style of our composition,
bring to "light hidden stores of knowledge and secure to ourselves
fluency of speech "and elegance of language, much to be valued
and sought after in public life, and considering the many ad¬
vantages accruing from an association of individuals, for that
purpose, do ordain and adopt this constitution of such society."
These are the circumstances which first brought us together,
and these the objects of our association. The ends sought are
such as must insure the approbation, if not the a-rdent support
of all acquainted with them.
Social by nature, our desire for company increases in propor¬
tion to the amount of our knowledge. To acquire scientific
lore solely for the purpose of hoarding it in the mind, is a species
of mental avarice, no less criminal and indicative of meannes
than a sordid love of gold. Fortunately, when civilization has
made any considerable progress it seldom occurs and indeed
cannot exist. Ignorance may love the cell and the desert,
but a learned anchoret is a phenomenon of the rarest kind.
One of the chief operating eauses in the decline of Egyptian
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learning, was that system which confined it exclusively to the
priests. And during the middle ages in Europe, the confine¬
ment of knowledge to the clergy, kept the world in darkness
produced by other causes. It is true that we owe most of the
valuable remains of Grecian and Roman literature to the monas¬
teries ; but it is equally true that these remains continued buried
in the cells of the monks, much longer than their safety demand¬
ed concealment. A belief that ignorance of the laity fosters
piety, was the ostensible motive for this monopoly of knowledge,
though perhaps the true reason was, that it increased the power
of the priests, and enabled the Roman Pontiff to bind the chains
more strongly on his willing slaves. The monstrous doctrine,
that virtue and intelligence are incompatible, is long since ex¬
ploded. And that sordidness and cruelty which would wield
the sceptre over brutalized humanity, are seldom to be found at
the present day.
Next to the pleasure of acquiring new ideas, Is that of com¬
municating them to others. This does not hold with regard to
any particular portion of men r it applies equally to all. The
philosopher, who spends his life in the' investigation of Ethics'
or Physics, writes for the benefit of man, well knowing that
he will receive his just reward of celebrity.. The Antiquary,
the Mathematician, the Statesman, convey their ideas to others,
because the communication gives them pleasure. The dul¬
lest clown, the slight gleaming of whose intellect scarcely
entitles him to the name of a reasoning being, exhibits this
propensity in wishing to give his own crude notions. All
men are teachers as well as learners. Indeed pedantry is much
more prevalent than docility. It is a wise provision of our
Creator that this disposition to circulate ideas should give us
pleasure ; for it is this that keeps up the intellectual current
which refines and fertilizes the human mind.
Resides the pleasure of intercommunication with men of in¬
telligence, on scientific and practical subjects, there is another
by no means insignificant—the promotion of friendly feelings.
Acquaintance with the opinions of others and their, reasons for
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them, is, perhaps, one of the most efficient modes of removing'
prejudice and bigotry. That self-importance and pride which
always accompany ignorance and inexperience, must yield to
superior knowledge, and must sink (o its proper level. The
boisterous reiteration of frequently exploded errors, the arro¬
gant assertion of opinions, instead of arguments, and the im¬
portunate ignorance which so often annoy in private conversation
can have no place here. Pertinacity, the sin of .imbecile minds,
will ever find an antidote in open and manly discussion.
It is presumable that the utility of such associations as this
will be disputed by none, though the field of their operation
may not be apparent to all- A few remarks on this subject,
therefore, will not be deemed irrelevant.
Unassisted individual effort, with ,no other facilities than
those derived from the present advanced state of science, may
achieve great things; but the combination of many energies,
will accomplish more. One man, by patient study,'may per¬
fectly master any subject; but the united industry of many,
0
can perform the same with at least as much ability, and cer¬
tainly with less labor to each. Thus, an essay may be written
with taste and talent, yet when tried in the ordeal of criticism,
faults of both style and thought may be discovered, which
have entirely escaped the writer's notice. So, likewise, a lec¬
ture or other paper may be composed with profound erudition
and reach of mind, yet from the misapprehension of a princi¬
ple, errors of magnitude may have been made, which free
discussion will point out and correct. Few persons view a
subject in the same light, and various presentations of the
same idea may be, and generally are, of great importance to
ensure accuracy and precision of thought. The same train
of thoughts, on the same subject, perhaps never passes through
different minds; or the same idea in different persons does
not give rise to the same association of ideas. To increase
the number of ideas in an association of ideas, on any given)
subject, is not only to increase the amount of knowledge on
that subject, but to enlarge the powers of apprehension and'
"t
perception. Besides, truth is more certainly obtained by a
comparison of diverse opinions and various processes of reas¬
oning. It is when mind comes in collision with mind, that
the most brilliant sparks of genius are struck out.
Perhaps many of the most mischievous errors committed by
system-makers in philosophy ^nd theology, have arisen, not so
much from bias and prejudice, as from partial views of their
subject, examining in but one aspect the principles on which
truth is founded. Nay, could the theological gladiators, whose
contests have been so injurious to mankind, fully understand
each other, one half the ground of disagreement would be
yielded. It is a proposition, true beyond the shadow of a
doubt, that misapprehension is a most prolific source of dis¬
putation among persons who really hold the same doctrines.
Again, by collecting together minds of various capacities,
g,nd by the association of different tastes, each individual is
enabled to discover the characteristic peculiarities of «his own
mind, and ascertain the proper exercise for their perfect de-
velopement. Geniuses of the highest order, have perished
unknown to the world, for the want of opportunities to call
forth their energies. Many, too, who might have immortalized
themselves and-ennobled their country, have lived and died
ignorant of that celestial fire which lay smouldering in their
bosoms, because there was no blast to fan it into a flame.
But when many branches of learning are cultivated and dis¬
cussed, each person may easily perceive the adaptation of his
talents for any one. A force is thus applied, and a direction
thus given, that, may eventuate in consequences valuable, ex¬
alted and illustrious.
We must not, however, expect to have in our little society
those towering geniuses, that
— ■ through learning and through fancy take
Their flight sublime: and on the loftiest top
Of Fame's dread mountain sit.
Our imaginations must not lead us to anticipate more than
■can be performed by common minds. It is the genius that
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invents and discovers, but it is the man of common, every¬
day sense, who matures, and reduces to practice the sugges*
tions of the former, which were perhaps accidental and but
half understood. Common men constitute the mass of man»
kind ; geniuses appear but once in an age, and like the comet
may attraot all eyes by its eccentric flight, and, perchance, show,
through its luminous emanations, some little star before un¬
seen. Union of effort in ordinary men, will generally effect
more beneficial results than any solitary genius. The light¬
ning, that springs from the bosom of the storm, carrying havoc
and devastation in its course, and making the solid earth
tremble, slumbers unseen and unfelt in the subtile vapour that
floats in the atmosphere: so in a community there fliay not
be one person whose capacity distinguishes him above others,
yet, when all the energies of this community are concentrated
to a common focus, talent may appear tremendous in the in¬
tellectual, as lightning in the natural world.
In another light are associations of this kind useful to the
members. The taste of the present age has been much de¬
teriorated by torrents of light, trifling matter, called literature.
" The press teems with books and other productions that
bear this imposing title." Perhaps a better definition of fash¬
ionable literature could not be given, than this: words of
learned length, and beautiful phrases so collocated and arranged
as to produce harmonious sound, with little regard to sense.
The racy English of the eighteenth century has given place to
the pompous and windy style of modern tales and novels. It
is true that some of the ablest works, both scientific and
literary, have recently appeared; I speak merely of the gen¬
eral tendency to the light and frivolous, and that fondness for
point which always indicates a decline of taste. As soon as
book-making becomes a trade, literature must degenerate.—
The hand of the craftsman is visible in every period. The
cause is apparent: Persons of limited capacity or ordinary
intelligence, form the most profitable class of consumers of this
production, and the mercenary writer must cater for a vicious
i-aste. Time was, when men spoke, and wrote, and preached,
to convince and instruct. Now, too many strive to captivate
the fancy, and by musical cadence win the ear, but " leave
'the head and heart untouched/' Now the best mode of cor¬
recting or preventing these evils, is to subject each production
to rigid criticism; to prune redundancies ; in shorty to apply
language to its legitimate use—the communication of ideas.
But it is not to the narrow limits of our association alone,
that these beneficial influences are to be circumscribed. They
will be diffused throughout the community, to an indefinite-
extent. We are virtually engaging the attention, and elicit¬
ing the united energies of society;, we are drawing on the
fund of thought accumulated in the minds Of all thinking men.
As the fall of a body into still 'water produces circular pulsa¬
tions which continually widen until they are lost in the dis-
tance, so the intellectual impulses given here, may arouse and
quicken 'the public mind in a manner that can be confined by
no boundaries. These anticipations are not to be esteemed
visionary or.even extravagant; Facts and experience support
them. The learning of Platofwas. mot limited to those only
who daily visaed the groves of the Academy ; nor did the
doctrines of Zeno influence those only who assembled with him
at the Porch. Their wisdom flowed by a thousand channels,
through all the ramifications of society in Greece and Italy.
And even where the names of Plato and Socrates, of Zeno
and Polemon were never heard, their philosophy wielded a sal¬
utary sway. Nay, even now, the remains of these eminent
men still command respect and admiration. The schools of
Greece and Italy were essentially of the same character as
,such associations as this. Then, men of learning assembled
to receive instruction from some sage : now, we, aggregating
our stock of knowledge, form a" fund which, without'deserving
the imputation of arrogance, we may think equal to theirs.
Then, Philosophers collected materials, and having formed a
system, taught to their disciples their dogmas: now, we col¬
lect, arrange and teach them to each other. Then, ideas were
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to be originated by the instructor: now, we have but to reach
forth and appropriate what the wisdom, observation and labor
of ages have accumulated for us. True we cannot hope to
read on our lists, the names of such men as Aristotle, Zen-
ophon or Pythagoras, but, in addition to their systems, we
have the works of Bacon and Locke, of Newton, Laplace, La-
voiser, Davy and others ; compared with whose scientific re¬
searches, the philosophy of Greece is as the wild dream of the
truant school-boy. Destitute of the same individual talent r
our success may not be so brilliant, but it will be the same
in kind, if not in degree.
The wonderfhl power of companies in commercial undertak¬
ings, has long been known. But never before the last twenty
years, has the application of this principle been so general and
so successful. Political reforms are hastened, benevolent ob¬
jects are promoted, moral reformation is wrought, science is
cherished and improved, knowledge is diffused; in short the
whole world is being revolutionized by societies—by the united
capacity, Wealth and influence of many.
The general utility of Such associations, is inducement enough
to urge their formation. But at the present tim£ their claims
are of a peculiar nature. This has been called the age of im¬
provement : It may with as much propriety be termed the age
of free enquiry. The human mind seems to have received a new
impulse. Advancement in physical and moral science, has
.produced corresponding changes in " modes of thinking." In¬
stitutions which have for ages been honored and revered as
sacred, are now unceremoniously called in question; their
claims investigated, and their merits and demerits strictly
compared. Prescription, whether in politics or morals, is no
longer admitted a legal right. Changes of various kinds are
continually being made, and it must depend on general intel¬
ligence, whether they are judicious or injurious: whether
innovation be not mistaken for improvement, and institutions
truly valuable be not mistaken for crude and undigested sub¬
stitutes, which lead to consequences more deleterious than
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those intended to be avoided. Especially is it necessary under
such a government as ours, that premature action be guarded
against. All acquainted with the legal history of the different
states, will assent to the proposition,, that innovation is not
always improvement. Hatred to the mother country produced
a spirit of ruthless persecution, that strove to level with the dust
the whole of that venerable fabric of antiquity, the common law.
Legislators who but imperfectly understood that system, and
perhaps never studied any other, by virtue of invention alone,
gravely attempted to make a code entirely new, or amend the
old in such a way as to remove every objectionable feature..
Numerous changes were accordingly made, but few improve-'
ments. And it is a fact well known to every lawyer, that most
departures from the principles of the common law have been
real and grievous injuries. The acts of amendment or substi¬
tution, have been corrected improved and altered ; and it has
been admitted, that the nearer the spirit and even the anti¬
quated phraseology of the old law has been approached, the
nearer has justice and the end proposed been approximated.
Oftentimes, after various attempts to remodel and simplify,
even its grotesque, though venerable features have been revived,
and occupy their former post. Where ail power resides in the
people, if that people be ignorant, power will be abused. An¬
archy and confusion will triumph over government and order,
and freedom will degenerate into licentiousness.
The only safeguard against improvident change, is an exten¬
sive diffusion of useful knowledge. Knowledge and virtue are
not necessarily concomitant, but they mutually assist each
other. The moral worth of every- nation is found in the mid¬
dle class of society, and it should be a desiderated point to
extend intelligence to them also. -A king of Pefsia once
enquired of a Greek in his court, if it were not wiser, in order
to defeat the Grecian armies, to bribe the officers. No, said
the proud Greek, you cannot do it; for every private soldier
is a general and can lead an army better tban your majesty.
Let it be said with equal truth, that every American mecliauic
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ar farmer is a man of intelligence, and America will be more
invincible than was Greece.
That reign of terror, which fettered the mind at the same
time with the body—which forbade men to think—is past.
That system of religion which binds the conscience and makes
the judgement subservient to the dictation of a crafty priest,
is fast yielding to the "benign influence of the Gospel. Men
will think and examine, destroy and build up, as they please.
Their decisions will be right, in the direct proportion of their
information. Hence there can be no way in which a man
can better promote the interests of his country than by advanc¬
ing the cause. of education. The soldier who bravely repels
from his native soil the foes that invade it, follows the im¬
pulse of a generous nature : The statesman, who by his wisdom
averts dangers that open force cannot resist, receives his due
meed of praise. Both may do much to honor their country :
But it is the steady, silent efforts of the unobtrusive citizen,
that form, strengthen and dignify the national character.
Never since the creation of the world, has there been such
a universal thirst fof knowledge. "-From the rivers to the
ends of the earth," from the mountains to the sQa, the desire
seems insatiable. Among people, over whose benighted minds
scarcely a ray of intellect has ever beamed ; over whom su¬
perstition, with her iron sceptre, has long ruled, enthroned
in bloody rites and surrounded by revolting ceremonies, the
way is open for the introduction of science and religion. The
cry for truth comes floating on every breeze. All are alive
to the glorious hope of moral and mental revolution. This
m:iy be the direct agency of "an all-bountiful providence, or it
may be the legitimate results of the benevolent efforts now
making by American and European Christians. Be the cause
what it may, the effect is astounding.. The whole mass of
human mind is in motion, and, like the ocean tossed by storms,
it cannot be restrained. Mighty swell after mighty swell
breaks in resistless thunder over kingdoms and empires ;—
thrones, and principalities, and powers, that seem .founded in.
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adamant and brass, quiver under the deafening shock ; and
their sandy foundations are laid bare. Despots are making
their last desperate efforts to arrest the rapid advances of
mind. They might «as well attempt to " gather the beams
of the noon-day sun and weave them into a mantle of dark¬
ness they might as well go- stand upon the beach, and
tracing a line in the- sand with their sceptres, say to the ocean,
" thus far shalt thou go and no farther they might as well
go- to the giant cataract of the North, and say, Niagara, stand
still! Nay, the cataract may be silenced, the stormy sea
may be calmed, the " sun may be turned to darkness," but
the intellect, once awakened, cannot be restrained. Raise
obstacles high as heaven, it will surmount them ; sink barriers
deep as the centre of the world, it will uproot them.
A spirit of. free institutions accompanies this universal
awakening of mind from the slumber of ages. Our country's
example has not been lost on the world. Its influence has
extended far and wide. It passed through France, and it was
felt in every vein of that great empire. It passed through
England, and as unwilling as »Englishmen may be to acknow¬
ledge the fact, to our revolution and the spirit it engendered,
must be traced all the recent reforms of value. Spain felt it,
and feels it still. Her chivalry, that has long laid torpid and
cold under the chilling hand of bigotry and superstition, shakes
itself from its lethargy and prepares for the strife. The
struggle ■yvill be awful—the day will be wrathful; The sound
of the vesper bell may be drowned in the din of arms, and
the roar of artillery arouse the trembling recluse to matins :
the groans of the dying warrior, the wild shriek of the dis¬
tracted mother, and the faint cries of the expiring infant, may
ascend to.'heaven on the smoke of the sacrifice : tlie flames
may glitter from the- spires of another Numantia : the blood
of patriots may flow through the streets of another Astuto:
Rut the storm will pass, the symbol of peace will hang on
the retiring cloud, and Spain, long the devoted victim of civil
and ecclesiastical tyranny, shall stand forth redeemed and dis-
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enthralled. But this influence will not stop here ; it will pass
throughout Europe, Asia and Africa, and move on until every
nation and tribe under heaven, shall feel the renovating spirit
of our free institutions, breathe the pure atmosphere, and
Freedom find a home among every people.
But it is not our political institutions alone that are held
up to the gaze of the world. Americans are too much dis¬
posed to think, because their country is esteemed the polar star
by which all steer to the sure haven of political liberty, that
all is done that need be done.« They are grievously mistaken
who think so. We cannot remain stationary a single moment.
If we improve our advantages, we shall advance with the
same rapidity that has characterized our rise heretofore. If
we neglect them, our fall will be covered with double shame
It argues want- of magnanimity to rest content,
"To he known because our fathers were."
The founders of our republic began a glorious work, which we,
their descendants, must finish or destroy.- They achieved by
the sword our independence ; it remains for us to earn a rep¬
utation for learning and intelligence.. Our claims in this
respect must not be too arrogant: Honor must be clearly de¬
served, before it is received. Military fame alone cannot
render a. nation illustrious ; nor can the excellence of political
institutions alone^ Athens could not boast as many free men
as some of our. smallest cities, though, in inhabitants, she far
out-numbered the largest; yet Athens ruled Greece,, and formed
the taste, and softened the manners of her fierce conquerors -
and victorious Rome yielded a willing obedience to the supe¬
rior genius of conquered Greece.. If our country obtains a
reputation for intelligence, commensurate with our political,
moral and religious institutions, it will occupy a higher grade
in the scale of nations, than any other on earth.
The character of a nation is ever estimated by its insti¬
tutions-of learning. The number and standing of universities,
and colleges, and schools being given, it is easy to pronounce
with mathematical certainty, what is the statffe of society.
But societies for the promotion of science, and the arts, and
literature, are stronger evidences of a thinking people. They
are the nurseries of bold and independent thought: they ex¬
cite a stirring spirit: they keep the intellectual current from
stagnating.
I have endeavored to point out the immediate, and some
of the remote bearings of such associations as this. The
extent of its influence will be proportionate to the talent and
industry of its members. And if we can by our united efforts
advance the standard of intelligence within our vicinity, and
engage the attention of talented men, we .shall do our
country an essential service. Lyceums, on the same or simi¬
lar principles to ours, have in many instances wrought impor¬
tant improvements, as if by magic. We need not particularize.
And may we not, without fear bf disappointment, hope that
our success will not be inferior to theirs 1
Let us, gentlemen, commence our duties with alacrity,, and
our labors will be amply recompenced by the consideration,
that we are aggregating a valuable fund of knowledge,.
Permit me, gentlemen, in conclusion, to add, that I sincerely
hope and confidently expect, our meetings here will form a
source of gratification now, and a,pleasing rememhrance when
we shall have been separated by the vicissitudes of life; and
that our success may be so brilliant, that we shall be proud
to have our names enrolled among the founders of the Jef¬
ferson College and Washington Lyceum.
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