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 S ALUMNI LIBRARY, f 
 
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 I THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, | 
 
 * ■*> 
 
 S* PRINCETON, N. J. * 
 
 V liooh. i) 
 
 
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 ^ 
 
 DISCOURSE, 
 
 DELivEntn 
 
 'oliii ]jrccl<inri( 
 
 r~ . 
 
 IN THE CHAPEL OP NASSAUHALL^ 
 
 r.EFonr. the 
 
 OF 
 
 MTEW-JERSSY, 
 
 AT ITS FIRST AAZYL^IL .MEETIJVG, SEPTEMBER 27, 1825. 
 
 y 
 
 BY SAMUEL MILLER, D. D. 
 
 Pvofessor of Ecclesiastical History and Church Government in the Theological 
 
 Seminary at Princeton, and Corresponding Secretary of 
 
 the said Sociefu, 
 
 MAXUS DESU.NT POSCE.NTIBLS ARVIS. 
 
 Princeton ^vtSB: / 
 
 PRINTED FOR THE SOCIE lY, BY D. A. BORREXSTEIN. '' 
 
 1825. 
 
 V 
 
iiltujrnn Ktii 
 
 •*. 
 
eXTRACT FROM THE MINUTES OF " (EiXt JLxUVtlV^ clUtK 
 
 l^ftnosoiJiifcal Societg of HeU) Srrsrg," at their 
 
 FIRST ANNUAL MEETING IN THE COLLEGE CHAPEL, AT 
 PRINCETON, SEPTEMBER 27, 1823. 
 
 "RESOLVED^ UJVAjXLMOUSLY, 
 
 " That the thanks of this So- 
 ciety be given to the Rev. Dr. Miller, /or his able and elo- 
 quent Address^ delivered tlm day, and that a copy be requested 
 far puhlication.^^ 
 
 -^RESOLVED, 
 
 " That the Recording Secretary communicate to 
 the Rev. Dr. Miller the above Resolution.^^ 
 
 LUTHER HALSEY, Rec. Sec. 
 
When this Discourse was delivered, it was 
 prefaced with the following statement. 
 
 "It is well known to all present, that the venerable and 
 honoured President of our Society was appointed, and ful- 
 ly expected to perform this service. They will all, no 
 doubt, regret, with me, that he found himself unable to 
 fulfil his appointment; and that we c^innot on the present 
 occasion be instructed by his learning, wisdom and experi- 
 ence. It was not until Tuesday last that the least hint was 
 given to me that I should be requested to appear as the sub- 
 stitute of that distinguished Individual. And, unfortunate- 
 ly, during the greater part of these five days, my time has 
 been laboriously occupied with other and indispensable en- 
 gagements of an official kind. In these circumstances, I 
 am aware that, in venturing to comply with the request of 
 the Executive Committee, I lay myself open to the charge 
 of indiscretion, if not of temerity. If such should be the 
 impression of my hearers, I trust they will find an apolo- 
 gy for me in my ardent zeal for the welfare of our Socie- 
 ty ; and my earnest wish to avoid the pain of a total dis- 
 appointment in the very first effort to introduce it to the 
 notice of the publick." 
 

 MR. PRESIDENT, AND 
 
 GENTLEMEN OF THE SOCIETY, 
 
 We are assembled, in this venerated Edifice, 
 and on this interesting eve of our Academick Ju- 
 bilee, to celebrate the first anniversary of " the lit- 
 erary AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY OF NEW-JERSEY." 
 
 Our commencement is, indeed, humble and 
 unpretending. We are conscious that it becomes 
 us not to vie with the large and mature Institutions 
 of a similar kind, which have been long and use- 
 fully established in several of our sister- States ; 
 to say nothing of the still older and more splendid 
 establishments beyond the Atlantick. But, however 
 deficient in magnitude and splendour in the outset, 
 we are taught, from the highest of all authority, 
 not to ''despise the day of small things." We 
 f 
 
[ 6 ] 
 
 trust we shall grow; and that our growth, if not 
 rapid, will be solid and useful in its character; 
 and that we may, long hence, be able to look back 
 upon this day with mutual gratulations, and with 
 unmingled satisfaction. 
 
 ■ The declared objects of our Society, as set 
 forth in its Constitution, are, "the promotion of 
 
 USEFUL KNOWLEDGE, AND THE FRIENDLY AND PROFIT- 
 ABLE INTERCOURSE OF THE LITERARY AND SCIENTIFICK 
 
 GENTLEMEN OF NEW-JERSEY." Wc are pcrsuadcd 
 that so far as we shall be enabled to promote the 
 interests of literature and science, we shall con- 
 tribute to the real honour and welfare of the State. 
 And we have no doubt that one of the most pro- 
 bable means of advancing the great cause of use- 
 ful knowledge, will be to promote mutual acquaint- 
 ance, union, and co-operation among those who 
 love that cause, and are qualified to be its bene- 
 factors. 
 
 The social principle pervades all the rational 
 enjoyments, and all the best interests of our species. 
 " It is not good," in any sense, "that man should 
 l)e alone." And, certainly, in the pursuits, the 
 pleasures, and the emoluments of literature and 
 science, he can as little afford to stand aloof from 
 his fellow-men, and to cherish the spirit of a soli- 
 tary being, as in any department of human activity. 
 
 .4* 
 

 [ 1 ] 
 
 In gathering and using the products of the soil, or 
 in seeking the means of sensual gratification in 
 any way, man may riot, if he will, as a mere 
 animal, in ignoble solitude. Yet even this, is 
 considered, by all whose opinion is valuable, as 
 degrading to himself. But in the empire of know- 
 ledge, men can neither inquire nor execute to the 
 highest advantage, except in union and concert. 
 Hence the old, and generally received remark, 
 that, in all ages and countries, great men have 
 commonly arisen in clusters. Not only because 
 great occasiojis have seldom failed, in the ordering 
 of Providence, to become the means of bringing for- 
 ward and forming distinguished agents for the im- 
 portant ^york which, at once, demanded and trained 
 them ; but also because, in coming forth, and in per- 
 forming their respective tasks, they mutually aided, 
 excited, and elevated each other. / 
 
 Hence it was, no doubt, that, in all ages, ante- 
 rior to the discovery of the art of Printing ; espe- 
 cially in the best periods of Grecian and Roman 
 literature, it was a constant practice of those who 
 had a thirst for knowledge, to travel as extensively 
 as possible into foreign countries, and to converse 
 and dispute with all the great men with whom they 
 could come in contact. This was regarded in those 
 early times, not merely as a luxury, annexed to 
 wealth, to be enjoyed after the body of the educa- 
 
r. « J 
 
 lion had been completed ; or as a matter of personal 
 vanity, or curiosity ; as is generally the prompting 
 motive of modern travel ; but as a primary and es- 
 sential part of education itself; as the best means of 
 enlarging and invigorating the mind, and of stor* 
 iiig it with various, profound and practical know- 
 ledge. In this way Lycurgus, and Solon, and He- 
 rodotus, and Plato, and Aristotle., and Polybius, 
 and Xenohpon, and Diodonis, and the long cata- 
 logue of ancient legislators, philosophers, and his- 
 torians, whose names we are accustomed to pro- 
 nounce with veneration, made a large part, and, 
 perhaps, the most precious part of their acquire- 
 ments. I say the most precious part; because 
 there is a vivida vis animi — an undeiinable sub- 
 stance, power, and adhesiveness in that which we 
 acquire from the lips of the living teacher, or com- 
 panion, or rival, not conunonly belonging to that 
 which is gathered from books only. Accordingly, 
 the learned retreats of the pagan priests, and the 
 Academick Groves, and Porches, in which some of 
 those distinguished men, and their disciples and 
 admirers were wont to assemble, to lecture, to con- 
 verse, and to hold their publick disputations, were 
 perhaps, the mightiest engines that ever existed 
 for exciting the human mind ; for raising it to its 
 highest eflforts ; and thereby enabling it to embody 
 ideas, to apply truth, and to multiply associations, 
 more powerfully, more rapidly, and more happily 
 
[ 9 ] 
 
 than we can expect to be attained by solitary 
 study. 
 
 We are sometimes ready to lament that those 
 great Master Spirits, from the circumstance of 
 their living only in manuscript times, had so few 
 books, and could have so few. But is there solid 
 reason for this lamentation ? Were not their intel- 
 lectual powers more thoroughly disciplined, and 
 their knowledge better digested and more practi- 
 cal, than we are wont to find among those who 
 study, even diligently, upon the modern plan; — 
 surrounded with ample Libraries, and furnished 
 with all the facilities which our literary wealth and 
 luxury have provided, for promoting the effemina- 
 cy, rather than the vigour, of the modern man ? 
 
 Dr. FranJdin once told a friend, that some of 
 his most original thoughts were suggested by the 
 collision of conversation ; and that, too^ very often 
 upon subjects foreign to those on which he was 
 conversing. And Mr. Fox, the far-famed parlia- 
 mentary orator, declared in the British House of 
 Commons, that he had learned more from Mr. 
 Burkeh conversation, than from all the books he 
 had ever read in his life.* 
 
 * Rush's Intro(]uctory Lecturcg, p. 349- 
 
[ 10 ] 
 
 And as the circumstances in which the ancient 
 votaries of knowledge were placed, had a peculiar- 
 ly powerful tendency to excite, to strengthen, and 
 to enrich their minds, and, of course, to mature 
 their works; so it is evident that the manner in 
 which they were compelled to publish these works, 
 when executed, had no small influence in impart- 
 ing that high finish which is calculated to insure 
 lasting popularity. It is universally known, that 
 they were publickly recited, at the Olympick 
 Games, at the most frequented Baths, and at other 
 places where crowds were assembled, and where 
 impartial criticism could not fail to bear a sover- 
 eign sway. In undergoing this ordeal, when, as 
 the Satyrist tells us — 
 
 " Frontonis platani, convulsaque marmora clamant 
 Semper, et assiduo ruptae lectoi-e columnae j" — Juv. 
 
 who does not see that the literary aspirant was 
 favoured, at once, with stimulants to intellectual 
 effort, and with means of correcting his works by 
 the publick taste, which writers of the present day 
 cannot enjoy ? 
 
 No wonder, then, that the plan of promoting 
 letters and science by means of permanent Associa- 
 tions was early formed. Aa;p«ii»glyi( when liter- 
 ' aturo had a small and temporary revival under 
 Charlcmasne, we read of a Society of learned 
 
[ 11 ] 
 
 men, who associated under the auspices of that ^ 
 celebrated Monarch, for the purpose of improving 
 each other, and of promoting useful knowledge. 
 This is, so far as I am informed, the first Society 
 of the kind on record. The plan, however, ap- 
 pears to have been rude and defective, and the 
 manner in which it was carried into execution, of 
 small practical utility. After this effort, we hear 
 of little more of the same nature until the six- 
 teenth century, when several literary and scienti- 
 fick Societies were formed in Italy. Still, how- 
 ever, they seem to have been, in their plan and 
 their influence, much inferiour to many which have 
 flourished since. The most enlarged ideas of 
 such associations appear to have originated with 
 Lord Chancellor Bacon, who, in his New Atalan- 
 tiSj delineated a plan of such an institution more 
 liberal, extensive and enlightened than had been 
 ever before proposed. His project, indeed, receiv- 
 ed little encouragement from his contemporaries ; 
 but it was destined to produce very important ef- 
 fects not long afterwards. 
 
 In the seventeenth century, the conviction of 
 the importance of such Societies, and a taste for 
 forming them, may be said to have commenced 
 their prevalence, and to have made a general im- 
 pression on the literary world. It was a little af- 
 ter the middle of that century that the two most con- 
 
[ 12 ] 
 
 / spicuous Associations of the kind in Europe^ name- 
 ly, the " Rojal Society," of England, and the 
 " Royal Academy of Sciences," of France, were 
 formed : the former by Mr. Boyle, Bishop WU- 
 kins, Mr. Hooke, and a number of others, who, 
 at that time, held a high station in the philosophi- 
 cal world ; — and the latter by Louis XIV, prompt- 
 ed by the suggestion, and assisted by the counsels 
 of his minister, M. Colbert, Those who have ex- 
 amined the numerous volumes which contain the 
 transactions of these celebrated Societies, cannot 
 hesitate for a moment to believe, that they have 
 contributed in a very im})ortant degree to the ad- 
 vancement of useful knowledge, not only in Great- 
 Britain, and France, but throughout the world. 
 
 But the eighteenth century is pre-eminently 
 remarkable for multiplying these Associations; for 
 a great increase in the number of their publica- 
 tions ; and for their unexampled activity and use- 
 fulness in the cause of science. And after the 
 most ample experience we are warranted in saying, 
 that they have exerted, and continue to exert, an 
 mfluence eminently beneficial to the interests of 
 liberal knowledge. They have made learned men 
 better acquainted with each other. They have 
 kindled a spirit of generous emulation among the 
 votaries of science. They have stimulated into 
 action many usefnl talents, by holding out suitable 
 
.[ 13 ] -^ 
 
 encouragements to exertioji. They have sujjgest- 
 ed objects of inquiry, and methods of experiment, 
 which might otherwise have escaped attention. 
 They have operated like happily adjusted lenses, to 
 converge the rays of light to one focus, there to 
 produce genial warmth, motion, and life, where all 
 was cold and dead before. They have also furnish- 
 ed useful repositories for the observations and dis- 
 coveries of the ingenious, and have thus presented 
 to the world many valuable procuctions, which 
 would probably other\vise have been lost, through 
 the modesty, the indolence, or the poverty of their 
 authors. These associations, moreover, by extend- 
 ing their literary invitations and honours to other 
 countries, bind more closely together the members 
 of the republick of letters in different quarters of 
 the globe, and teach them to feel as brethren em- 
 barked in the same great cause. It would not be 
 difficult, I ,am persuaded, to show, that such confe- 
 derations of learned men have had a very percept- 
 ible influence in promoting even national prosperity 
 and greatness, and in widely extending a spirit of 
 general improvement. 
 
 The number of Societies of this kind in the 
 United States, though compartively small, are well 
 worthy of notice and imitation. The first in or- 
 der, both with regard to time and importance, is 
 ''The American Philosophical Society, held at 
 
[ 14 ] 
 
 Philadelphia, for promoting Useful Knowledge." 
 It was formed, in the jcar 1769, by the union of 
 two smaller societies, which had for some time 
 existed in that city ; and has been ever since con- 
 tinued in useful and respectable operation. Of 
 this Society, Dr. Franklin was the most conspicu- 
 ous and active founder, assisted by Dr. Riiicnhouse, 
 then entering on his illustrious course, the Rever- 
 end Drs. Ewing and Smith, and a number of other 
 friends of liberal knowledge, whose names have 
 secured an imperishable record in the history of 
 American literature. The Volumes of Transactions 
 which this Society has published, are too well known 
 to require commendation here. Some of the As- 
 tronomical Papers contained in the first volume of 
 those Transactions, served, it is well ascertained, 
 at that early day, in connection with the experi- 
 ments on Electricity, by Franklin, to make a most 
 respectful impression throughout Europe, with re- 
 gard to the native genius and science of our 
 country. 
 
 " The American Academy of Arts and Sciences," 
 held at Boston, was established in 1780. It has 
 published several volumes of Communications, 
 which afford a very honourable specimen of the 
 talents, learning and diligence of its members, and 
 a pledge of still greater usefulness in future. 
 \j' The Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences," 
 
[ 15 ] 
 
 \ 
 
 formed dX New-Haven, in 1799; and " The Lit- 
 erary and Philosophical Society of New-York," 
 founded in 1814, have also entered on a career, 
 which bids fair to be, at once, reputable to them- 
 selves, and beneficial to our country. A few other 
 Associations of a similar kind, but on a smaller 
 scale, and of less celebrity, have arisen in differ- 
 ent parts of the United States; and ought to op- 
 rate as a stimulus to us, and as examples of how 
 much, even with smaller means than we possess, 
 an enlightened zeal can effect. /^ 
 
 In this generous and noble competition, the 
 State of New -Jersey has not yet advanced to take 
 her place, it is matter of some surprize, and of 
 no small regret, to those who have attended to 
 the history of our State, that we have not made 
 greater progress in literature and science. The 
 colonial annals of New-Jersey, furnish a con- 
 siderable list of men, who flourished eighty or 
 ninety years ago ; — men of powerful, cultivated, 
 and active minds ; — men who might have been ex- 
 pected, from their talents and acquirements to 
 have left more ample memorials of their own cha- 
 racters ; and to have diffused, by their example, 
 more of a spirit of literary enterprize on the suc- 
 ceeding generation. But for want of union, ex- 
 citement, and co-operation among themselves; — 
 that very union and co-operation which we now 
 
[ 16 ] 
 
 propose; — their efforts were detached, feeble, and, 
 in a great measure, useless ; their reputation was 
 much more circumscribed than it deserved to be ; 
 and names which ought still to live in the me- 
 mories of all who respect talent and worth, have 
 cither sunk into oblivion, or are clierished only in 
 the recollection of a few, who have had curiosity 
 enough to explore the neglected and mouldering 
 records of departed eminence. 
 
 Nor are our predecessors alone chargeable \^'ith 
 delinquency here. Even since we have become 
 an independent State, though the nundier of our 
 educated citizens has considerably increased ; — 
 yet no measures have been hitherto taken to make 
 them acquainted with each other, and to bind them 
 together in one common brotherhood ; and, of 
 course, this corps, respectable as it undoubtedly is, 
 on the score of number, has remained to this time 
 without any kind of organization, and consequent- 
 ly, without that efficiency which union alone can 
 give. And yet, it is but truth to say, that we stand 
 
 in PECULIAR NEED of SUch STEClAL MEASURES for 
 
 uniting and binding us together as those of which 
 I have been speaking. For we have, certainly, 
 fewer of what may be called the natuual means 
 of promoting this object than many of our sister 
 States. We have no great cities, which it seems 
 to be generally and justly agreed, furnish so.ne 
 
[ 17 ] 
 
 of the most indispensable and powerful means of 
 exciting, keeping in a state of tension, and putting 
 in requisition, all the powers of man; which more 
 constantly attract, employ and reward talents, than 
 the less dense forms of population can possibly do ; 
 and which have always been the great fokcing 
 BEDS, if I may so ex()ress it, not only of the foli- 
 age and flowers, but also of the solid and invalua- 
 ble fruits of genius. We have none of those splen- 
 did COLLECTIONS OF APPARATUS and of SPECIMENS, 
 
 for promoting the compendious acquisition of 
 knowledge, the formation of which pre-supposes 
 a considerable share both of enterprize and wealth ; 
 and which seldom exist, to any extent, out of 
 large and opulent cities. We have none of those 
 GREAT LIBRARIES, which, in Other countries, and 
 in some of our sister States, publick liberality has 
 opened for publick use. We have, indeed, some 
 Libraries of great value, and which promise much 
 as to future enlargement ; but their use is necessari- 
 ly confined to the members of those Institutions to 
 which they belong ; and cannot, without a breach 
 of trust, be made centres of general attraction to the 
 literary population of the State. And, to omit 
 other particulars, we have few instances of those 
 very large private estates, which are numer- 
 ous in other parts of our country, and which have 
 frequently furnished endowments of the most mag- 
 nificent character for the promotion of knowledge. 
 
 B 
 
[ 18 ] 
 
 Seeing, then, that we labour under a deficien- 
 cy as to the various resources which have been 
 mentioned, — w^e must, if we desire to excite in our 
 State a new spirit of improvement in literature 
 and science— we must, of necessity, resort to some 
 of those means which are certainly and always 
 within our reach, and which experience has shown 
 to have a powerful influence in stirring up the 
 minds, and enlarging the views of men. It has 
 pleased *' Him who sits as Governor among the 
 nations," to pour out upon almost every part of 
 our beloved Country, a spirit of "Internal Im- 
 provement," as extensive and powerful, as it is 
 gratifying to every patriotick mind. And even in 
 our own State, hitherto, undoubtedly, chargeable 
 with tardiness in the carreer of great enterprizes, 
 it is delightful to perceive the influence of this 
 spirit extending itself in every direction. While 
 we rejoice in this honourable impulse, and with 
 every voice and hand cheer it on ; let us remem- 
 ber that there is an " internal improvement" of 
 the INTELLECTUAL and MORAL kind, in which we 
 all, — whether Statesmen, Scholars, Patriots, or 
 Christians, have an infinitely deeper interest, than 
 in all the Canals, the Railways^ and the various 
 other monuments of physical power and expendi- 
 ture, which the ingenuity of man ever formed. 
 And, though we may not be able to vie with some 
 of our neighbours in tlieir other magnificent and 
 
[ 19 ] 
 
 splendid works ; yet here we may enter the lists 
 of honourable rivalship with the best of them. 
 We undoubtedly have, if you will allow me the 
 expression, an abundance of the raw materials for 
 truly respectable fabricks of mental and moral en- 
 terprize : and to erect them, with honour and pro- 
 fit to ourselves, and with rich advantage to our 
 State, we have, humanly speaking, only to will 
 IT. — Though we cannot be greatly distinguished, 
 as a State, for the extent of our Commerce ; and 
 though large districts of our territory are by no 
 means friendly to the highest success in Agricul- 
 lure; yet in Literature and Science, if our ener- 
 gies in this field of improvement were once fairly 
 roused, and happily applied, we might soon ven- 
 ture on competition with the most improved and 
 illustrious of our Sisters. And, perhaps, it may 
 even be alleged, that our local situation, between 
 two great States, and two large Cities; — while it 
 is certainly unfriendly to the accumulation of capi- 
 tal within our limits ; is yet, in some respects, fa- 
 vourable to that kind of improvement of which I 
 am speaking. For, although these local circum- 
 stances will, undoubtedly, be the means of draw- 
 ing away from us, from time to time, much of 
 our taste and talent, to supply the demand of other 
 and more tempting markets ; yet our position, at 
 the same time, brings us all within the reach of 
 that enlightening, warming, and vivifying influence, 
 
[ 20 ] 
 
 which the proximity of foreign and more power- 
 ful luminiaries is calculated to impart. Besides 
 the whole of our own advantages, we may share 
 largely in those arising from the great establish- 
 ments of New-York and Pennsylvania. 
 
 And let us not attempt to conceal from our- 
 selves, my honoured Colleagues, that New-Jersey 
 stands in need of such an impulse in literary and 
 scientifick improvement, as that which is now 
 urged, and which we hope she is about to receive. 
 We are, at present, far behind many of our sis- 
 ter States in the propohtion of our educated 
 INHABITANTS. Our population is a little greater 
 than that of Connecticut. That State is nearly on a 
 par with ours, too, in having no large cities, and few 
 cases of great wealth. Yet the number of the sons 
 of Connecticut who receive a liberal education, is 
 FOUi; if not six times greater than those of 
 NEW-JERSEY. This ought not to be so! And to 
 suppose that this humiliating fact is without reme- 
 dy, is unjustifiably to despair of the Republick. 
 A new sera — I will cherish the hope — is about to 
 arise — nay has arisen. When I see the ingenu- 
 ous Sons of Nassau-Hall engaging in a fraternal 
 competition for their mutual improvement, and for 
 elevating the character of their Alma Mater, and 
 calling upon a distinguished Citizen to appear, 
 this day, as the Organ of their laudable sentiments. 
 
[ 21 ] 
 
 1 cannot but hail such facts as tokens of good 
 things to come equally decisive and gratifying.* 
 
 Suffer me now, Gentlemen, most respectfully 
 to suggest a thought or two on some of the ob- 
 jects to which our attention, as the " Literary and 
 Philosophical Society of New-Jersey," ought to 
 be more particularly directed. This is, no doubt, 
 a department of inquiry in which there is much 
 room for diversity of opinion, and concerning which 
 the peculiar taste and habits of each member will 
 be apt, perhaps in an undue degree, to sway his 
 judgement. You will bear with me, however, I 
 am persuaded, while I offer a few remarks, which, 
 if they lead to no other result, will, at least, evince 
 my zeal for the honour of our Society, and for 
 the welfare and improvement of the State in which 
 it has pleased Providence to cast my lot. 
 
 ' There is a reference here to a plan of correspondence and col 
 •peration, lately formed between the " American Whig,'" and " Cli- 
 osophic" Societies, of JS/assau-Hall, one article of which is, that 
 " some distinguished honorary or graduate member of either Soci- 
 ety, shall be appointed to deliver an Address before the two Societies 
 in joint meeting, at three o'clock in the afternoon of the Tuesday 
 preceding the day of Commencement." The first Orator appointed 
 in consequence of the adoption of this plan, was the Honourable 
 Samuel L. Southard, Secretary of the Navy of the United 
 States, who, in the afternoon of the day on which this Dis- 
 course was delivered, delighted a large audience with an Address, bb 
 rich and excellent in sentiment, as eloquent in composition and de- 
 livery. ' 
 
/ 
 
 [ 22 ] 
 
 Allow me, then, first of all, to say, that the 
 great interests of fducation appear to me to be 
 among the most radical and important to which 
 our attention can be directed. Our State possesses 
 a large, and constantly accumulating common- 
 scHOOL-FUNo, which will soon be set in active 
 operation, and possess, we hope, much potency. 
 It is of the utmost importance that a wise system 
 be formed, by means of which this fund shall be 
 made to accomplish, under the Divine blessing, 
 
 the LARGEST POSSIBLE AMOUNT OF BENEFIT TO 
 THE KISIiNG GENERATION, AND ESPECIALLY TO THK 
 
 CHILDREN OF THE POOR. I And although the ul- 
 timate formation and adoption of such a system 
 must be the work of an enlightened Legislature ; 
 yet, in most instances, when such great plans are 
 well formed, by a Legislative body, they emanate 
 first of all from wise private individuals, and are 
 generally the result of the united counsels of many 
 such individuals. Who can tell but that the col- 
 lected wisdom of our Society may contribute some- 
 thing to the maturing of such a plan ? Sure I 
 am it is well worthy our profound attention. And 
 if but a single hint of real value to the completion 
 of an object so important, should be suggested by 
 us, we shall enjoy the delightful consciousness of 
 being benefactors to the State, and thousands will 
 have reason hereafter to rise up and cajl us bles- 
 sed, l^he intellectual, the moral, the political, 
 
 I' 
 
I 23 1 
 
 and the physical interests of New -Jersey, are all 
 wrapped up in this mighty subject. If there be 
 any temporal concern worthy of our attention as 
 politicians, as philanthropists, or as philosophers, 
 
 it is the GRAND CONCERxN OF ELEMENTARY PUB- 
 LICK INSTRUCTION. 
 
 To the same general subject belongs another 
 consideration, wiiich has been by far too much 
 neglected in our highly favoured and enterprizing 
 Country. I refer to some plan by which places 
 in our Colleges shall be made accessible to the 
 children of the poor as well as to those of the 
 rich. There ought to be in all ojir higher Insti- 
 tutions of learning, a number of scholarships, 
 for the supj)ort of such indigent young men of 
 promising talents, and good moral character, as 
 have an ardent thirst for knowledge, and wish to 
 proceed to the more advanced grades of education. 
 To this provision, which every enlightened com- 
 munity owes to itself, ought to be added another, 
 -^that of fellowships, — after the example of all 
 the best foreign Universities, on the basis of which 
 a select number of indigent students, who" have 
 gone through the regular Collegiate course, aud 
 have a taste and capacity for much higher attain- 
 ments, may remain several years longer engaged 
 in study, and thus become eminently fitted for ■ 
 the higiiest and most important trusts of Academi- 
 
[ 24 ] 
 
 cal office. Establishments of this kind, which 
 shall give the son of the poorest man in the com- 
 munity, — if he have talents and virtue, — the op- 
 portunity of rising to the most elevated honours of 
 any profession which he may select — and which 
 shall also furnish the means of providing ripe and 
 thorough scholars, to fill the chairs of Collegiate 
 government and instruction, ought to lie near the 
 heart of every friend to sound learning, as well as 
 of every enlightened Statesman} And let me add, 
 this matter has been so long neglected by almost 
 all the Colleges in the United States, that we can 
 scarcely hope to rouse the proper spirit in reference 
 to it, at once. It will require the best talents of 
 this community, firmly, patiently, and unitedly ap- 
 plied, to effect the requisite impulse. The friends 
 of literature and science must come together ; must 
 be made acquainted with each other ; must inspire 
 a spirit of mutual confidence ; and must learn with 
 unwearied perseverance to co-operate, before the 
 obstacles in the way of the desired attainment will 
 be likely to be removed.* It will be an honour to 
 
 * The late Dr. Elias Boudinot, of our own State, one of the 
 most illustrious exannples of American munificence, has bequeathed 
 to the Trustees of the College of JSTew Jersey, lands and mo- 
 ney, for the purpose of endowing Fellowships in that Institution, 
 which, it is hoped will, in a short time, go into operation ; and serve., 
 at once, as a stimulus to other Gentlemen of wealth and public spi- 
 rit lo g-o and do likewise, and as a lasting memorial of the liberality 
 of their founder. 
 
r 25 ] 
 
 New Jersey, to take the lead in supplying this 
 GREATEST DESIDERATUM — foF I veHly think it is 
 THE GUEATEST — in QUI* American Colleges. Ne- 
 ver can we hope for the frequent attainment of 
 that mature and profound scholarship, for which 
 the demand is every day becoming more urgent, 
 and more (iifficult to supply, but by gradually build- 
 ing up such a system as that of which I have spok- 
 en. We ought to feel this, and to go to work with- 
 out an hour's delay. And if our " Literary and 
 Philosophical Society," shall contribute to lay a 
 SINGLE STONE, or drive a single nail in such an 
 edifice, it will be a benefit worth all the labour of 
 our association. 
 
 The next object to which I would beg leave to 
 direct your attention, is, the Civil and Politi- 
 cal History of ouit State. This object is wor- 
 thy of engaging our early and particular regard. 
 The work of our respectable Historian, Smith* is 
 just mteresting and instructive enough to satify 
 every discerning reader that a work far more in- 
 structive and interesting might easily be formed 
 
 * The Author of " The History of the Colony of Nova Cesa- 
 ria, or New-Jersey," was Samuel Smith, Esquire, a respectable 
 gentleman, who resided in the city of Burlins;ton, in this State. Hie 
 work was pubhshed in that city, in the year 1765, in one large octavo 
 volume. It is now entirely out of print, being seldom to be met 
 with excepting in the librarie» of the curious. 
 
[ 26 ] 
 
 from many rich materials, now possessed, to which 
 there is no probability that the worthy Pioneer in 
 our story, just mentioned, had any access. Yet, 
 perhaps, there is no species of composition which 
 requires the more patient co-operation of many 
 hands, in collecting materials, and in striking out 
 new lights, than the Historical ; especially when 
 thf history intended, is not a mere compilation 
 from many narratives already published ; but an 
 original work, drawn from sources never before 
 opened to the publick eye. We ought, undoubt- 
 edly, to have a large shelf in our Depository for 
 every kind of materials pertaining, directly or re- 
 motely, to this subject. It is well ascertained that 
 many such materials, some of them truly curious, 
 and extremely valuable, are to be found in different 
 parts of our State. To search them out, and bring^ 
 them together, will be an important service. When 
 this is done, or even partially accomplished, we 
 shall probably not be long whhout a zealous and 
 able hand to prepare them for the publick eye, in a 
 form at once gratifying and honourable to the 
 State. 
 
 The Natural History of our State, in its va- 
 rious branches, will, of course, claim your early and 
 diligent attentioiv It is of great importance both 
 to Science and the Arts, that the Vegetable, and 
 more especially the Mineral riches of New-Jersey, 
 
[ -27 ] 
 
 which are said to be pre-eminently abundant, 
 should be explored, described, and brought into 
 use. The bearing of such investigations on our 
 Agriculture, our Commerce, and our most product- 
 ive Manufactures, is too direct and important to 
 be for a moment overlooked. This is really but 
 another name for developing and bringing into ope- 
 ration THE RESOURCES OF THE STATE. And it bc- 
 
 comes us to recollect that our Natural History is 
 yet in its infancy. A large number of subjects 
 pertaining to our Zoology, and especially to our 
 Ornithology, remain undescribed ; and with respect 
 to our Mineralogy, we have scarcely entered on 
 the task of exploring its ample domains. But how 
 are these interesting treasures to be examined ? 
 Not, certainly, by leaving the whole subject to take 
 care of itself by casual discovery, and mere indi- 
 vidual effort. All the eyes and hands in our State 
 ought, as far as possible, to be set to work. Some 
 efficient and organized Body, as a centre of com- 
 munication, and as furnishing a point of deposit, 
 is indis{)ensable. The contents of every hill, and 
 valley, and river, and forest, and field ought to be 
 carefully explored. Discerning individuals" ought 
 every where to examine; to collect specimens; 
 and to forward them, with appropriate descriptions, 
 to the proper place of accumulation. Sets of 
 Queries ought to be prepared, and transmitted 
 to every district in the State. And, fiually, subor- 
 
[ 23 ] 
 
 dinate Societies, or organized Committees, ought 
 to be formed, — especially in particular neighbour- 
 hoods, — for conducting inquiries to which an indi- 
 vidual may not be adequate : that thus every spe- 
 cies and scrap of information, however minute, 
 which can interest the man of science or the 
 statesman, may be collected and laid up for use. 
 
 Again ; the great interests of Agriculture and 
 HoKTicuLTUuE will also demand an appropriate 
 share of our attention. The connection of these 
 subjects with publick prosperity and improvement, 
 and with personal and domestick Comfort, is now 
 so well known, and so generally acknowledged, 
 that all attempts to array proof of the fact are en- 
 tirely unnecessary. He who can make two tons of 
 grass, or two bushels of wheat, grow on the same 
 ground that produced only one before, and at a 
 cheaper rate too ; or he who can tell us how to rear 
 double the quantity of much finer fruit, with less 
 trouble and expense than formerly, is surely a 
 public benefactor. Yet it is manifest that the im- 
 provement of these branches of science and art, 
 depends very much on social union and effort. In- 
 deed, without such union and effort, little progress 
 in this kind of improvement can be expected. Be- 
 fore the best methods of culture can be ascertained, 
 many experiments, in many different circumstances, 
 must be made, — on different kinds of manures ; on 
 
[ 29 ] 
 
 the rotation of crops; on the most effectual means 
 of propagating the best fruits ; of defending them 
 from the ravages of their various assailants ; and 
 of maturing and preserving them for use. We all 
 know, that in almost every part of the civilized 
 world distinct associations have been formed for 
 discovery and improvement on all these subjects ; 
 and that they have been uniformly patronized by 
 men most illustrious both for rank and science. 
 Indeed in our own State, if I am correctly in- 
 formed, more than one Agricultural Society al- 
 ready exist. But do we not still need an efficient 
 central body, which shall exert an influence over 
 the whole State ; which shall concentrate the new 
 lights which may be at any time shed on the sub- 
 jects in question; and ^^hich shall furnish the 
 means of conveying to the publick at large re- 
 sults of experiments now confined to members com- 
 posing the society of a small district ? 
 
 In all the departments of Astronomy, Natural 
 and Experimental Philosophy, and Chemistry, 
 a " Literary and Philosophical Society," will, of 
 course, feel itself called upon to inquire, and to 
 labour with unwearied assiduity. These have ever 
 been considered, in all countries, as among the most 
 appropriate objects of culture by such Associations 
 as that which is now assembled. But, may it not 
 be said, that, within the last fifty years, these 
 
[ 30 ]. 
 
 brandies of science have assumed an aspect of far 
 more practical importance than ever before ? Is 
 not the close connection which Experimental Phi- 
 losophy and Chemistry have established with Agri- 
 culture and Gardening; with many of the most 
 important of the mechanick arts; and more espe- 
 cially with Medicine — such as to present them in 
 a most interesting light to every friend of human 
 comfort and improvement? The representation of 
 Sir Humphrey Davy on this subject, particularly 
 with regard to Agriculture, is extremely impress- 
 ive : and with respect to the importance of the sci- 
 ence of Chemistry to the Healing Art, — " I do not 
 hesitate" — said the celebrated Foiircroy, a few years 
 ago — " I do not hesitate to pronounce, that modern 
 Chemistry has done more, in twenty years, for 
 Medicine, than the united labours of all preceding 
 ages." 
 
 Further; tlie culdvation of Legal and Poli- 
 tical SciENCi: forms another important object in 
 the arrangement of our plan. And by Legal and 
 Political Science i mean, not those petty principles 
 of litigation, which are adapted to the narrow views 
 of the mere special pleader; or those elements of 
 feud and conflict — those miserable compromises of 
 selfishness and ambition, which enter into the still 
 more sordid aims of the party politician. But I 
 Diean that noble field of inquiry, which opens the 
 
[ 31 ] 
 
 way to free and learned discussions on the great 
 principles of government; on the pure adminis- 
 tration of justice ; and on all the immensely im- 
 portant doctrines of Political Economy, in their 
 widest range. I mean, in short, a branch of that 
 great Science, of which the learned Author of the 
 " Ecclesiastical Polity" speaks with equal elo- 
 quence and justice, when he says, treating of it 
 in its largest sense — " Of Law there can be no 
 less acknowledged, than that her seat is the bosom 
 of Gody her voice the harmony of the world : all 
 things in heaven and earth do her homage ; the 
 very least, as feeling her care, and the greatest as 
 not exempted from her power : both angels and 
 men, and creatures of what condition soever, though 
 each in different sort and manner, yet all with uni- 
 form consent, admiring her as the mother of all 
 their peace and joy."* Much as has been given 
 to the world on these great subjects, no thinking 
 man can entertain the opinion that further and 
 deeper inquiry is not desirable. One part, indeed, 
 of the general science in question, — that of Poli- 
 tical Economy, — is supposed by many to be still 
 in its infancy. If so, and surely there is no ^mall 
 reason for entertaining such an opinion ; then there 
 is not a citizen of the United States^ in any walk 
 
 * EccUs. Polilij, BooJv I. Sect, 16. 
 
[ 32 j 
 
 q{ life, who has not an interest in all those in- 
 quiries which tend to promote its elucidation. 
 
 On the remaining departments of knowledge 
 embraced in our plan, I shall not now dwell ; not 
 because they are less worthy of culture than those 
 which have been mentioned ; but because their 
 importance is so obvious and unquestionable, that 
 all proof, or even illustration of it, is superfluous. 
 In Theological and Moral Science, every hu- 
 man being who regards either his own duty and 
 happiness, or those of others, has an interest which 
 no arithmetic can estimate. In Medicine, and 
 the auxiliary branches of knowledge, every one 
 who has a life to preserve, and health to cherish, 
 must recognize one of the most precious treasures 
 committed to man ; a treasure to the improvement 
 of which, selfishness and benevolence equally call 
 upon us to contribute. And, to mention but one 
 department more, the cultivation of Philology 
 and Belles Lettres, while it ministers to all 
 the refinements o* national literature, has a bear- 
 ing, more or less direct, on all the interests of 
 philosophy ; and is more closely connected with 
 precision and with every habit of thought, with 
 the whole system of publick instruction, and with 
 the general improvement of man, than is com- 
 monly imagined. The individual, or the society, 
 
£ 33 ] 
 
 tb«n, which shall contribute the smallest mite, 
 either to the culture or the dirfusion of any of 
 these branches of knowledge, is engaged in a work 
 of deep and universal interest. 
 
 I have repeatedly adverted, in the foregoing re- 
 marks, to the great advantages resulting to nations 
 from their progress in the arts and sciences. That 
 these advantages are not only real, but immense, is 
 matter of unquestionable fact, which the history of 
 all ages has established, but of which the history of 
 the last half century, has afforded an illustration 
 truly wonderful. Of these advantages, Great Bri- 
 tain has furnished the most signal example. And 
 the distinctness with which, amidst other causes, 
 they may be traced to her progress in Philosophy 
 .T,nd the liberal Arts, is too plain to be controverted. 
 Within a little more than the period to which I have 
 alluded, her improvements in Agriculture, and, con- 
 sequently, in the quantity and quality of the pro- 
 ducts of the soil, have been almost beyond estimate. 
 In consequence of this increase of the means of 
 subsistence, her population has nearly doubled. 
 Her inventions of machinery for saving labour, and 
 of new processes for expediting and improving ma- 
 nufactures, have been equivalent to the addition of 
 several millions more lo the number of her people. 
 The rents and profits of estates have had a corres- 
 ponding augmentation. New and astonishing sour- 
 
L 34 ] 
 
 CCS of wealth, both within and without the bowels 
 of the earth, have been opened. The comforts, 
 and even elegancies of life have been brought within 
 the reach of multitudes who could not enjoy them 
 before. The wealthy have been far more conve- 
 niently and comfortably acconmiodated, for *he 
 same expense, than formerly. The lower classes 
 have been better rewarded for their labour, and, of 
 course, better fed, better clothed, and in every re- 
 spect better situated than in any preceding times. 
 The national exports have increased in the aggre- 
 gate, within the period in question, at least four- 
 fold, many of them fifty-fold ; and the national in- 
 come has advanced to an extent once considered as 
 altogether incredible. In short, the progress of that 
 wonderful country, since the principles of science 
 and art have become popular in their culture and 
 application — her progress in wealth, in refinement, 
 in comfort of living, in power, and in all the means 
 of national elevation, has been the theme of wonder 
 and eulogium with all who have understood, from 
 authentick recort s, her situation sixty or seventy 
 years ago, and who have been permitted to witness 
 her present condition. 
 
 I need not say, that in the same career of im- 
 provement, we, her children, have made rapid 
 strides; and that, next to the culture of the Re- 
 ligion of Jesus Christ, — the surest source of haj)- 
 
[ 35 ] 
 
 piness to any people, — we cannot give a more cer- 
 tain pledge of our future happy progress in the 
 same course, than by entering heartily into the work 
 of endeavouring to render every species of liberal 
 and useful knowledge, as universal as possible. 
 
 Such, my respected Associates, is the wide and 
 fruitful field in which we have agreed to labour. 
 That there is more than enough here to occupy 
 all the talents, the industry, and the energy which 
 we can employ, is certain : and that such labours, 
 when wisely and successfully pursued, will be 
 found conducive to the best interests, not only of 
 our State, but also of our common country, and 
 of mankind, no one can doubt, who has been ac- 
 customed to take any other than the narrowest 
 view of human affairs. Whether we shall pur- 
 sue them with ardour, zeal, and great benefit, and 
 thus render our Society a publick blessing; — or 
 with feeble and interrupted steps, which can only 
 amuse and delude with abortive hopes ; — must 
 depend, under Providence, upo ) ourselves. If 
 we are prepared to pledge ourselves to one an- 
 other and to the publick, to unite heart and hand 
 in the noble labour of benefitting our State — bene- 
 fitting our species — and will faithfully redeem the 
 pledge ; then shall we have reason to think of 
 the transactions of this day with pleasure as long 
 as we live. 
 
[ 36 J 
 
 Many, I know, are ready to turn such Societies 
 as that which is now assembled into ridicule, be" 
 cause too much is sometimes proposed, and too 
 much expected. Dr. Johnson remarks, in one of 
 the papers of the " Idler," that when the " Royal 
 Society" of England was founded, " great expect- 
 ations were raised of the sudden progress of use- 
 ful arts. The time w*as supposed to be near when 
 engines would be turned by ar perpetual motion, 
 and health be secui'ed by the universal medicine ; 
 when learning should be facilitated by a real char- 
 acter, and commerce extended by ships- which could 
 reach their ports in defiance of the tempest. But 
 improvement, adds the great moralist^ is^ naturally 
 slow. The Society met and separated without any 
 visible diminution of the miseries of life. The 
 gout and stone were still painful ; the ground that 
 was not ploughed brought no harvest ; and neither 
 oranges nor grapes would grow upon the hawthorn. 
 At last, those who were disappointed began to be 
 angry ; those, likewise, who hated innovation, were 
 glad to gain an ('nportunity of ridiculing men who 
 had depreciated, perhaps with too much arrogance, 
 the knowledge of antiquity. And it appears, from 
 some of their earliest apologies, that the philoso- 
 phers felt with great sensibility, the unwelcome im- 
 portunities of those who were daily asking, " What 
 have ye done ?"* 
 
 * Idhry No. 88. 
 
[ 37 J 
 
 Those wlio enter with zeal into the labours o( 
 our Association, must expect such taunts as these. 
 But let us be prepared to meet, and willing to bear 
 them, and hold on our way with unwearied per- 
 severance. We ought not to make too much haste 
 to be scientifick, any more than too much " haste 
 to be rich." Here patient toil must be our 
 motto. No one ever passed a steep and craggy 
 mountain at a single leap. He only is fitted for 
 the arduous enterprize, who is willing to take the 
 time, and undergo the labour necessary for many 
 a difficult, slow, and cautious step, and who is not 
 impatient of the progress of things in their regu- 
 lar course. We are associated for the purpose of 
 attempting, in company, to scale a lofty mountain ; — 
 a mountain lofty enough, and craggy enough to put 
 in requisition all our energy and all our patience^ 
 For let it be remembered that in this fallen worlds 
 every endeavour to promote the real welfare of 
 man is up-hill work, from the smallest effort of 
 benevolence, to the most glorious and stupendous 
 atchievement of love that evei pngaged the coun- 
 sels of the Almighty. 
 
 Let none indulge the ignoble fear, that the 
 progress of science — I mean of real science — will 
 be dangerous ; that it will endanger any of the 
 true interests of man ; and least of all, that it will 
 endanger the interests of true Religion. That 
 
^- 
 
 i?: 38 ] 
 
 . " ignorance is the mother of devotion," is a " doc- 
 Mrine of devils," and as stupid as it is diabohcal 
 The time, we trust, is forever gone by, when such 
 fears are to be indulged, or such a doctrine tole- 
 rated. I have no doubt that the memorable sav- 
 ing of Lord Bacon is, emphatically, a truth — that 
 "Philosophy, when studied superficially, leads to 
 unbelief and atheism ; but when profoundly un- 
 derstood, is SURE TO PRODUCE VENERATION FOR 
 GOD, AND TO RENDER FAITH IN HIM THE RULING 
 
 PRINCIPLE OF OUR LIFE." It is truc, indeed, that .?..r*:< 
 some presumptuous claimants of the name of Phi- 
 losopher, in the eighteenth century, attempted to 
 extend the principles of that illustrious Father of 
 Experimental Philosopliy, to a length equally dan- 
 gerous and insane : — to a length which would have 
 accounted for all the phenomena of motion, life, 
 and mind, on the principles of the material system 
 alone ; and, of course, would have banished the 
 Creator from his own world. But this daring per- 
 version was infinitely remote from the spirit of 
 Bacon. Whateverl >iay be said of his personal 
 failings, HIS system had, surely, as much piety 
 AS genius ; and if his professed followers are not 
 at least speculative Christians, it is because they 
 have deserted their Master. 
 
 To a co-operation, then, in this sober, patient, 
 practical course, we respectfully invite our fellow- 
 
[ 39 J 
 
 citizens. To our friends, of every taste and pur- 
 suit, who love k.nowlod;5e, and who desire to pro- 
 mote their own rational enjoyment, and the benefit 
 of mankind, by extending and applying knowledge, 
 we would say — " Come with us ! Here you may 
 find ample employment, and rich remuneration. 
 Here every one may aid, and be aided in his turn. 
 Here the suggestion of a useful thought ; the con- 
 tribution of the humblest specimen of nature or 
 art, that you may find in your path ; the recording 
 and transmitting a single remarkable fact ; and even 
 a smile of encouragement in our labours, will be 
 acknowledged as a favour to the cause of human 
 improvement, and will meet, we doubt not, its ap- 
 propriate reward." 
 
■*^46At