TflE INAUGURATION REV. JOHN MACLEAX, I). I)., TENTH ri{ES[I)Ex\'T OF THE COLLEGE OE NEW JERSEY, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28, 1854. Princeton, JT. i., PRINTED BV JOUN T. ROBINSON. 1854. TMK INAUGUIUTION REV. JOHN MACLllAN, I). \\, TENTH TKESIDEAT COLLEGE or NEW JERSEY, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28, 1854, JJnmcton, N. i., PRINTED BV JOHN T. ROBINSON. 1854. TNAUCtDIIATION. The inauguration of the Eev. Dr. Maclrax, as President of the College of New Jersey, occurred on the afternoon of Wednesday, the 28th of June, 1854, the day of the Annual Commencement. The cere- monies on this occasion took place, in the presence of the Trustees and Faculty, and of a large assembly of the graduates and other friends of the College. Rev. Dr. John McDowell, senior Trustee of the Col- lege, began the exercises with the following re- marks : " We are convened to inaugurate a Presdent of this venerable and important College. The Trustees have made it my duty to introduce the services, on this occasion, with a brief narrative of the events which have issued in the interesting exercises, in which we are now to be engaged. After the Commencement, a year since, was finished, and the Board of Trustees had returned to their place of meeting, in the College Library, the Rev. Dr. James Carnahan, unexpected- ly, presented to the Trustees, a written communica- tion, resigning his office of President of the College ; and giving as his reasons, his advanced age, and in- creasing infirmities. The session of the Trustees was then about closing, and they had not time to deliberate on the elioice of a successor. They felt reluctantly constrained to accept the resignation ; which they did, passing resolutions highly approving of the administration of Dr. Carnahan ; and at the same time requested liim to continue to hold the office, and perform its duties, until a successor was chosen. To this request Dr. Carnahan kindly con- sented. '^ At the stated semi-annual meeting of the Board in December last, they proceeded to the election of a President, when the Rev. Dr. John Maclean, who had, almost from the time of his graduation, been a valuable officer of the Institution, in several depart- ments of instruction, and for many years its Vice President, was chosen. Dr. Carnahan was then re- quested to continue to hold the office of President, and perform its duties, until the close of the com- mencement, which has taken place this day. To this he consented. " Dr. Carnahan has occupied the presidential chair of this College, longer than any of his distinguished predecessors, from the foundation of the College. He has now been President thlrty-onG years, and his administration has not only been the longest, but also very successful. The College has grown, and prospered under it. The number of students, when he commenced his administration, was about one hiindrtil and twtnlf/. Hie whole number for the year now closiii;^ is tirt, Junnlnil and JiOl/-xir. At the meeting of tliu Trustees iii December last, a committee was appointed to make arrangements for the inauguration of Dr. Maclean. Agreeably to the report of tliat committee, approved bj the Board, we are now met for this purpose. The usual oaths required to be taken by the President, will now be administered by the Honourable Henry W. Green, Chief Justice of the SUite of New Jersey." The following oaths, required by the charter were subscribed by the President elect : and then admin- istered to him by the Chief Justice. 1. " I do swear, that I will support tho Constitution of the United vStatcs : BO help me God." 2. " I do sincerely profess and swear, that I do and will }>ear true faith and allegiance to the government esta]>li8h<'d in this Stiite, under the authority of the people : so help me God." 3. " I do solemnly promise and swear, that i will faithfully, impar- tially and justly, perform all the duties of the President of the College of New Jersey, according to the l»est of my ahilities and understanding: so help me Goj)." A true copy, E. F. Coolev, Clerk. The oaths having been taken, the Chief Justice handed to Dr. Maclean the keys of the College ; and thus addressed him : " In the name and by the authority of the Board of Trustees, I deliver to you the keys of the College of New Jersey, hereby declaring that you are duly in- vested with all the powers, privileges and preroga- tives, and charged with all the duties of the office of President of that institution. ^^ We commit Nassau Hall, its interests and its rep- utation to your guardian care, with the earnest in- junction, and in the confident hope, that those pow- ers will be exercised and those duties performed by you in such manner, as shall most eminently conduce to the difi*usion of knowlege, the promotion of virtue, the honour of our country and the glory of God." Dr. Maclean replied : — Having just given the most solemn pledge which it is in my power to give; that I will faithfully discharge the duties of my office : I shall only thank you, for the very kind terms, in which you have been pleased to announce the confi- dence reposed in me, by yourself and the other Trus- tees of the College. As he left the chair of the President, the Rev. Dr. Carnahan, thus addressed his successor : Mr. President : — When the interests of an im- portant public institution are concerned, private con- siderations and personal feelings ought to be laid aside. For this reason I do not rise to congratulate you, as perhaps some may think I ought, on being placed in a station which your long, faithful and effi- cient services have merited. My object is rather to express my wishes for the prosperity of the College and the success of your administration. Sir, the in- terests of a sacred institution, which originated in the piety and patriotism of great and good men long since gone to their rest and reward, are now in a great measure pLaced in your hands. Your own experience and observation have taught you, that to train the minds and to form the intellectual and moral habits of youth, wdio are to be the future min- isters of the Gospel, the Physicians, the Legislators, the Judges, the Executive Officers of our State and national governments, is no small and insignificant undertaking. When I call to mind how much the happiness or misery of parents and friends, how much the success or failure of the free institutions of our country, how much, the purity or corruption of our holy religion, in a word how much the tem- poral and eternal well-being of thousands yet un- born depends on the bias given to the minds of young men during their training in College ; I am constrained to believe that your office is one of im- mense responsibility — an office which no man who looks to his own peace and comfort only, ought to covet. Its duties are numerous and difficult — its cares and anxieties unceasing. And permit me to say that in your case, the responsibility is increased by the consideration, that this College has existed more than one hundred years — that it has maintain- ed a high and honourable place among similar insti- tutions in our land — that the sons of Nassau Hall in public and in private life, have not been inferior to those of any other College in our country. In 8 view of these facts, the thought that this time hon- oured and 1 may say, God favoured institution may now possibly fail, is |xiinful and oppressive. But it cannot, must not fail. Founded in faith, with a view to promote the glory of God and the best interests of men, God has, in a remarkable manner, sustained and prospered this College in circumstances the most trying. And our prayer and hope is that he will continue his favour. And if in these feeble hands supported by yourself and other able and honoured coadjutors, the usual previous number of students in the College, has been more than doubled, and the graduates of the last thirty-one years, have equalled in number, those who have received the first degree in the Arts, under all my predecessors from the ori- gin of the College to the time I came into office, have we not cause to hope and believe that the College of New Jersey shall live and be a blessing to our coun- try and to the Church of God for ages yet to come ? Be assured sir, you have my hearty wishes and my most fervent prayers for the prosperity of the College, and for the success of your administration. To this address Dr. Maclean said in reply : That I had your best w^ishes ; and that I should have your fervent prayers for my successful admin- istration of the affairs of the College, I was well aware. For this public expression of your feelings I thank you most sincerely. DR. MACLEAN'S INAUGURAL ADDRESS. INAUGURAL AWmESS. Honoured Guardians and otiiku fhikxds ok thk College of New Jersey. For more than thirty jeai-s, have I been associa- ted with the venerable man, who this day retires from the Prevsidency of our College. You can there- fore readily conceive, that it must be truly gratifying to me to know, and to have others know, that my election as his successor has his hearty approvaL The assurance that this is so encourages me to hope, that to some extent at least, I shall be able to meet the reasonable demands of the friends of the College ; and that I shall not sully the fair fame, that has hitherto pertained to the office of its President. For more 1 dare not hope ; nor can I even promise as much as this : for this itself is no easy task. Of my predecessors in office this is not the occasion for me to speak particularly. They were all men of note, and they all did good service to the cause of piety 2 and leiirning : but if sincere piety, sound learning, genuine modesty, treedoni from personal ambition, devotion to the interests of the College, faithfulness and success in conducting its affairs for a long series of years, can entitle its President to the lasting grati- tude of all interested in its welfare ; then will the name of James Carnahan ever be held in veneration by all the true sons and the true friends of our be- loved College. Happy may I regard myself; if when myjabours here are done, I shall be able to retire from the duties and responsibilities of this station, with something of the respect and honour, which we all feel are justly his due. Permit me now to call your attention to the more immediate object of this address, viz : to give you, first, a brief sketch of the origin and design of this in- stitution ; and secondly, an exposition of the mode in which the instruction and government of the College will be conducted, by my colleagues and myself! Our college is the offspring of piety, pure evangelical piety. Its founders were men of piety and friends of learning. They regarded the proper cultivation of learning; as favourable to the advancement of religion. Hence they sought to rear an institution, in which should be taught at one and the same time the les- sons of revealed truth ; and the elements of human knowledge. They were Presbyterians too : all of them, still they were liberal minded men. They knew tliat as guardian> of a College they owed rer- tain duties to the State as well as tu tlie Church ; and also duties to their fellow christians of other de- nominations as well as to those of their own. Hence while they aimed to make the best possible arrange- ments, to secure, for the youth of their own church, an education that would fit them for the several stations, which they might Ije called to (ill in that church ; they sought so to order the course of instruction as to be of essential service to the youth of other denomina- tions, without interfering with the rights of conscience. Their aim was not to make Presbyterians of others, nor to interfere with their church relations ; but to teach all, that they placed true piety, or the fear and love of God, above all church forms : and that Pres- byterianism, as held by them at least, was no narrow- minded and bigoted attachment to sect but an en- larged and liberal scheme of doctrine and order ; which, wdiile it claimed to be in accordance with the divine mind and will, led them to salute as brethren in Christ all who held the essential doctrines of grace; however much they might difter from them- selves in outward form, and in minor points of doc- trine. This course they pursued, not from constraint, nor under the inHuence of unworthy motives, but from conviction and choice. '1 hey had indeed the wisdom to perceive, that not only was it their duty to act thus; but that they .-(Misultcd best the in- terests of their own branch nftlii Cliuivh of Christ, hy conciliating the respect and the esteem of m11 th(« 14 other brandies of the one Cliurch of our Lord and Saviour. At this they aimed, and to a good degree they were successful : for among the most devoted friends of the College, there have been not a few who were members of churches other than Presbyte- rian. But let it be remembered, that this liberal and christian policy was attended with no sacrifice of truth or principle : it made no concessions to reli- gious bigotry on the one hand ; or to indifference and rationalism on the other. In connexion with it the doctrines of grace were plainly and faithfully taught : and the simple forms of our church order were strict- ly adhered to, in all the religious services of the Col- lege : and while none were seduced from tlieir at- tachment to the forms in which they had been edu- cated at home ; all were led to see, that the doctrines and discipline of our church were not only consistent with vital piety ; but eminently fiivourable to its growth. What more than this can Presbyterian youth need to make them honour and prefer the cliurch of their fathers; the church in which from infancy they had been nurtured: and the church with which their earliest and best feelings were as- sociated. On the other hand, could such a training as this fail to make a favourable impression upon the minds of the youth from other churches, in regard to the truly catholic spirit of Presbyterianism rightly un- derstood and properly exhibited ? From actual ex- 15 perieiu'u tliey would know, Mint tlicv were subjected to no annoyance on account of tlirir icligiou^ Ix.*- lief: and to no temptation to forsake the cJiurches in wlu(;li they had hrcu hi'ouiiht u[) : and thu> a spirit of mutual eonfKh'ncc uould he fostered in th(* minds of all, U) the ui-eat henefit of the whole hod v of Christ. But while the advancement of reli^i(jn was the chief aim of the venerable ibundeis of our College; they sought to effect their object in (connexion with the intellectual training of the youth, who from time to time should resort to this seat of learning. And although the great incentive to action, on the part of those who founded it, was to furnish the Church with a ministry thoroughly trained for their high and holy calling : yet they never lost sight of the fact, that the highest interests of both church and civil society demanded of them, that they should ex- ert themselves to provide for all classes, within the sphere of their intiuence, a course of instruction, at once liberal, enlightened, and religious. In doing this they wisely judged, that those who were to be the guides of society, whether in seculai* or religious affairs, all needed the same preparatory training, to enter with advantage upon the study of their several professions. The proper developement and strength- ening of the intellectual and moral powers : the right cultivation of the social and religious feelings ; and the storing of the mind with the elements of varied IG and useful learning, being alike important for all classes of professional men. Piety alone, however pure and ardent, could not fit a man for the minis- try ; nor could the highest intellectual culture qualify one to be a statesman, should he be wanting in mo- ral principle. But where piety and intelligence are combined in a high degree, we have just those qual- ities, that are requisite for professional eminence in the several walks in life : and those institutions of learning, in which these things are properly cared for, are the very ones which best meet the wants of the whole community. To rear such an institu- tion was the constant aim of the early friends of our College : and to show that I have full authority for the view here presented, permit me to call your at- tention to certain declarations made by those, who in faith and prayer laid its foundation. I do this, that all present may see their aim, and that all may honour them for their enlarged, liberal and truly christian views. The present charter of the college was granted on the 14th of September, 1748, and at the first meeting of the Trustees, held October 13th, of the same year, they voted an address to Governor Belcher, to whose friendly offices they were indebted for the charter : and in this address they say, " Your long known and well approved friendship for religimi and learning left us no room to doubt your doing all that lay in your power to promote so valuable a cause in these parts : and upon this head our most 17 raised expectations have been abundantly answered. We do therefore cheerfully embrace this opportunity of paying our most sincere and grateful acknowl- edgements to your Excellency, for granting so am- ple and well contrived a charter, for erecting a seminary of learning in this province, which has been so much wanted and so long desired. And as it has pleased your Excellency to intrust us with so important a charge, it shall be our study and care to approve ourselves worthy of the great confidence you have placed in us, by doing our utmost to pro- mote so noble a design. And since we have your Excellency to direct and assist us in this important and difficult undertaking ; we shall engage in it with the more freedom and cheerfulness : not doubting, but ])y the smiles of heaven under your protection, it may prove a flourishing seminary o^ piety and good literature, and continue not only a perpetual monu- ment of honour to your name, above the victories and triumphs of renowned conquerors, l)ut a lasting foun- dation for the future prosperity oi church and state.'* In this address, penned by President Burr, we have explicitly avowed the aim of the first Trustees of our College : viz., the welfare of the whole community, civil and religious, by means of an institution devot- ed to the interests of i)iety and learning. Let us hear the response of the pious and excellent Governor. "Gentlemen,! have this day received, by one of your number, the Rev. Mr. Cowell, your 3 18 kind and handsome address : for which I heartily return you thanks ; and shall esteem my being placed at the head of this government a still greater favour from God and the king, if it may at any time fall in my power, as it is my inclination, to promote the kingdom of the great Redeemer, by taking the Col- lege of New Jersey under my countenance and pro- tection, as a seminary of true religion and good litera- ture^ In his reply to another address from the Trustees, in which reply he declined the honour of having the first and still the largest building called by his name, he says, ... ^^ it seemed to me that a seminary for religion and learning should be promoted in this pro- vince : for the better enlightening the minds, and polishing the manners of this and the neighbouring colonies. . . . This important affair, I have been during my administration, honestly and heartily prosecu- ting, in all such laudable ways and measures as I have judged most likely to efiect w^hat we all aim at : which I hope and believe is the advancing the kingdom and the interests of the blessed Jesus and the general good of mankind." These extracts furnish abundant proof that Gov- ernor Belcher, who was not only the first and most efficient patron of the College, but also the President of the ]5oard of Trustees, entered heartily into their views : and that the advancement of religion and learning was the aim of all concerned in founding 10 this institution. That, in seeiving to advance the in- terests of their own brancli of the Church, by the erection of a seminary of learning, they were not un- mindful of the interests of other deiioiiiinations, ap- pears from the words of the Charter; wherein it is assigned as one of the reasons for granting that in- strument : " that the petitioners have also expressed their earnest desire, that those of every religious de- nomination may have free and equal liberty and ad- vantage of education in said college, any diflerent sentiments of religion notwithstanding." And this declaration was a declaration not of the trustees merely, but of all who petitioned for the charter, and no doubt expressed the sentiments of the synod of New York, which comprised the Pres- byterian churches not only in New York, but also most of those in New Jersey, and some in other states. Of the twenty-two trustees named in the charter, twelve were ministers of the gospel : and of these, eleven were prominent members of the synod of New York, and the twelfth was a member of the synod of Philadelphia. No one therefore can be surprised at hearing, that the first named synod regarded this in- stitution with peculiar favour : it being in fact the con- tinuation of the one over which the pious and learn- ed Jonathan Dickinson presided, and which was no doubt established under the auspices of that synod. That the members of the sjaiod heartily approved of the views and aims of the Trustees of the College, 20 there is the most ample evidence. At the request of the Trustees, they appointed, by a unanimous vote, two of the most distinguished members of their body, to take a voyage to Europe to solicit funds for the College : and also made provision for supplying the pulpits of these ministers during their absence. By hands of these reverend gentlemen, Messrs. Gilbert Tennent and Samuel Davies, the synod sent an ad- dress to the General Assembly of the Church of Scot- land, containing an earnest appeal in behalf of the college. After reciting their utter inability to meet the demands for ministers, to supply the Presbyterian churches in connexion with the synod, in the states of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and Carolina, they say, '' Now it is from the College of New Jersey only, that we can expect a remedy for these inconveniences, it is to that (col- lege) your petitioners look for the increase of their numbers ; it is on that the Presbyterian churches through the six colonies above mentioned principally depend for accomplished ministers ; from that has been obtained considerable relief already : notwith- standing the many disadvantages that unavoidably attend its present infant state.'' In the conclusion of their address they add. ^' Now as the College a}> pears to be the most promising expedient to redress these grievances, and to ])romote learnltig and reli- gion in these provinces, your petitioners do most heartily concur with the trustees, and humbly pray 21 that an act may be passed by this venerable and honourable Assembly for anational eollection in favour of said college." Funds more than sufhcient to de- fray the expense of erecting our largest college build- ing was the result of this action of the synod. Their letter to the General Assembly of the church of Scotland discloses fully, why the members of the synod laboured so assiduously, to establish and to sus- tain with vigour the College of New Jersey. They regarded it as the most effective means of supplying their churches with an able ministry. The authorities above cited are amply sufficient to establish the several positions I assumed in regard to the views and aims of those who founded our College ; including the synod of New York, the petitioners for the charter, the trustees named in the charter, and the Governor, who granted it, in the name of the king. Pi'ompted by a strong desire to further the interests of religion, and more espe- cially to furnish their own branch of the Church with an able and learned ministry ; they sought to lay the foundation of an institution of learning, which should be commensurate with the wants of the whole community : and so to conduct its affairs, as to pro- mote at one and the same time the welfxre of the Church and of the State. Having ol)tained a charter, to use their own ex- pression, " so ample and well contrived," the trustees were not only content, but perfectly satisfied with no its provisions. It gave them all they wanted. They were left untrammelled by the State ; and yet under its protection. They enjoyed the confidence and the patronage of the Church, and yet were perfectly free to adopt such measures as they deemed best adapted to secure the success of the institution, and through it to advance the civil and religious inter- ests of the country : and being wise, active, and pi- ous men, their labours were not in vain. Of the cor- rectness of this statement, the history of the College furnishes full evidence. Did time permit, it would give me pleasure to recite this testimony at large ; but on this occasion I must content myself with a very brief mention of the more important facts bearing upon this point. 1, A large number of the most useful and distin- guished ministers of the gospel in our own and in other churches have been educated here. The whole number of clerical graduates is more than 600. 2. From this institution have gone forth numerous ar- dent friends of sound and thorough learning. Un- der God, several of the most valuable seminaries of learning in our land owe their existence, in a great measure, to the enlightened views, and active efforts of men educated here ; and who sought to establish, in diflerent sections of the country, institutions upon the model of their Alma Mater. 3. Here too have been trained in great numbers, men who have adorned tho bar, the bench, the forum, the Senate chamber, and the Executive chair, in sev- eral of the states of the Unic^n : and others who have done honour to the highest seats pertaining to the national government. The number of grachiates who have held important oflicial stations is not less than 200. 4. In the department of medical science, some of the brisrhtest names in our countrv, are names of graduates of Nassau Hall. 5. The Presbyterian church in this country, through her synods and through the General Assembly, has repeatedly expressed her confidence in the College ; and these church courts have at different times re- commended collections to be made in its behalf. This peculiar interest in our college continued, until hap- pily other colleges arose to aid in the very work, for which ours w^as established : and which have divided, with us the constantly increasing patronage of the whole Presbyterian body, to their greater usefulness, and without any serious detriment to us. 6. From other christian churches too we have had a liberal patronage ; and the warm and sincere friend- ship towards this institution, on the part of our friends in sister churches, shows, that the confidence reposed in us, has not been abused ; and that a collat- eral object in founding our College has also been at>- tained. 7. The State too has manifested its confidence in the management of our affairs, not only by not at- 24 tempting to interfere an itli iis, in any respect; but by passing special laws for our protection ; and by a public declaration in regard to the usefulness of the College, in promoting both piety and learning. In making this remark, I have reference to the language employed in a pi^amble to an act passed on the 13th of March, 17S0, by the Legislature of New Jersey, for amending and establishing the char- ter of our College. . . . . " And whereas all wise Legislators have deemed the education of youth to be of the utmost importance to the prosperity of the State ; and have taken institutions of learning under their patronage and protection : and whereas the said College of New Jersey hath been found greatly useful in diffusing as well the principles of political liherti/ as of religion and literature : and many have thereby been fitted to fill distinguished places both in the civil and ec- clesiastical departments of this and of the other United States, with advantage to the community, and honour and reputation to themselves, therefore for granting the passage of the petition of the said Trustees, be it enacted, &c." 8. The pure doctrines of the gospel, and the true principles of civil and religious liberty have always formed a part of the instruction given here. 9. The last and most important fact of all. At dif- ferent times, God has most graciously manifested his favour, by awakening the minds of the youth here as- 25 sembled to a serious conviction of tlie unspeakable im- portance of divine tliin^is; and bv ^ivin^^ lar<^e num- bers of tbeni grace to become true and devoted ser- vants of our Lord Ji^sus Clirist. The very first year tbat the coiiene Avas establisiied in this place, under President Burr, there was a signal nuuiifestation of the divine favour in t\w respect just mentioned. An- other instance occurred in 17()'2, dui-ing the presi- dency of Dr. Finley, and anotiier eipuilly remarka- ble in J 81 5, while Dr. Green was President, and an- other quite recently in 1848. Besides those just named, there have been others of less note. These should (ner be ke])t in gratei\d I'cmembrance by the friends of the College, and be an encouragement to pruy earnestly and perse veringly for a renew^al of like scenes. In the year 1757, the Rev. Samuel Davies writing to a friend in England says, '' The best new^s that perhaps I ever heard in my life, I received from my favourite friend Mr. Samuel Finley, minister of Nottingham, in Pennsylvania, tutor of a large academy, and one of the Trustees of the Col- lege of New Jersey. 1 had sent him some extracts from my British letters, giving an account of the revival of religion in sundry parts of England, jiar- ticularly among the clergy." In answer he writes, "I greatly rejoice that our Lord .lesus has put it in my power to make you a large compensation for the good news you sent me. God has done great things for us. Our glorious Redeemer poured out his Holy 4 20 Spirit upon the students of our college ; not one of all present neglected, and they were in number six- ty." At the close of his letter Mr. Davies remarks, " Though this college was well founded and well conducted, yet I must own, I was often afraid it was degenerating into a college of mere learning. But now my fears are removed, by the prospect that sin- cere piety, that grand ministerial qualification, will make equal advance." Mr. Davies, became Presi- dent of the College in 1759, about two years after this letter; and Mr. Finley in 1761. May their successors in this office ever resemble them, in being ardent friends of genuine revivals of religion. And beypnd all question, the frequent outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the youth of our College will be the best guarantee, that it Avill never become a Col- lege of more learning. But let it be remembered, that the promotion of learning, thorough, sound and varied, is one of the great objects sought to be attain- ed by the erection of this institution ; and by learn- ing, I do not mean merely literature, but all such useful knowledge as has been found of j^ervice in the culture of the youthful intellect. It would be an easy task to show that the two objects chiefly aimed at by the founders of our College are perfectly con- sistent : and that they should ah\ ays be sought for in connexion, whether we have respect chielly to our religious or to our intellectual improvement. Tlic more thorough and extensive knowledge we acquire of the lessons taught us ill the word and worka ut* God, the ♦greater advances we shall be capable of making in piety : and to the full attainment of such knowledge, the proper discipline of the intellectual faculties is absolutely essential. On the other hand, nothing can be more favourable to the vigorous ap- plication of the mind to our intellectual pursuits, than to have our minds at peace with God, and prompted and controlled, in all their acts, by supreme love to Plim. The celebrated Francke says of him- self, that ^vhilc a youth he observed, that whenever he became remiss in his devotions, he was in a measure unfitted for close and earnest study. That it is the duty of those, to whom, in the providence of God, the management of this institution is now confided, to keep in view the design of its founders, and to further that design to the extent of their ability, I shall assume as evident upon the bare stating of the proposition. No right minded man can question its trutli. 1 shall therefore proceed to unfold, as at first proposed, the mode in which my colleagues and myself intend to conduct the govern- ment and the instruction of the Gollege, with the view to attain the end which it will be our pleasure, as it is our duty, to seek. We shall not aim at innovations. We have no fault to find with those who have ])receded us. They are deserving of all honour lor what they accomplished : but with the increased facilities which 28 in the kind providence of (lod are placed within our reach, we shall seek to extend and other- wise to improve the conrse of study and the sys- tem of instruction, which they have marked out : with such changes only as time and experience sug- gest to be expedient. 1 shall therefore call your at- tention first to the plan hitherto pursued, as it will thus be the more readily seen, that our aim is sim- ply to give, if possible, greater efficiency to this plan, and not introduce changes for the sake of change. I am glad to have it in my power to say, that no chimerical experiments in education have ever had the least countenance here. The methods which have been employed to se :ure the proper cultivation of both head and heart are the methods, which long experience has taught to be the most efficient. So far as it concerns the head, mental discipline has been aimed at rather than the storing of the memory with isolated truths; the greater the number of which, the greater often is the confusion ; yet the proper exercise of memory has never been neglected. Nor has any countenance ever been given to the whim, that the regular and systematic teaching of religious truth is unfavourable to the growth of pious feeling, in the youthful breast, and that all attend- ance upon religious services should be entirely vol- untary, and never re([uired ; and 1 trust such no- tions as these will never find a lodgment here. Had we no experience to confirm us in our views, 29 the precepts of revealed trulli on this jjoint woulil be sulFicieiit to «liow, that the true mode of trahi- ing youth to fear (lod and to keep liis command- ments, is to do as God himsell' r(M|iiii('(l his covenant people to do. '^ And these words which 1 command thee this day shall be in thine heart, and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and thou shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up." Surely He who formed the soul of man, must know what is the best method of fostering in that soul the spirit of piety. Nor has it ever been the aim of the Trustees and Faculty of this College to make the College a collec- tion of separate schools ; and to permit the students here congregated to determine for themselves to what branches they will devote their time and attention, and which ones they will neglect. Whatever advantages may flow from such a sys- tem, they are not the precise results sought to be reached by the establishment of colleges. That even for certain classes of under-graduates, they may answer a good purpose we do not question, but it is chietiy for that class, whose pecuniary re- sources, and advanced age will not admit of their pur- suing the full college course : one designed to em- brace an outline of all the liberal arts and sciences ; and to impart that variety of mental discipline, and 30 those expanded views of the fields of literature and science, which can be derived in no other way, than by the actual application of the mind, to the dif- ferent branches of study included in what is gen- erally known as a plan of liberal education. We do not hold to the maxim ascribed to Chrysippus, at least without some qualification, " that the wise man is the best artist in every kind of work/' but we do hold with the Roman Orator, " that there is a common bond between all the liberal arts," and in accordance with this view, we maintain that the careful study and thorough mastery of the various branches of knowledge, so far at least as to give us precise ideas of their nature and their extent, afford the best foundation upon wdiich we can erect a superstructure of ^professional eminence. This range of study calls into exercise all the powers of the mind, in the oi»der and to the extent, that experi- ence has shown to be highly favourable to the unfold- ing of those powers, and to giving them that vigour, and that unity of action, which it should be the aim of all education to impart. In adopting a system of instruction ibr colleges, we should have respect to the mass of those Avhom we seek to benefit, and we vshould so order the course of study as to enable them all, with proper eflbrt, to attain in some good degree the end sought in a liberal education. This end 1 apprehend to be full prepa- ration, to outer with advantage upon the study of one of the liberal prolessiuiis, or upon an extended and thorough inquiry into the more recondite por- tions of those branches of knowledge, the elements of which had sup[>lio(l a part of their preparatory training. Not, that ])ersoJis who may be designed for other vocations than those just mentioned, may not with profit submit to the same mental discipline, but that the plan itself should be arranged with spe- cial reference to the wants of those who are to be devoted to the culi ivation of the arts and sciences ; or to the study and practice of the learned professions. It has been asserted by a distinguished writer on edu- cation,* and in a limited sense his remark may be true, that in a school or college for the pursuit of liberal or general knowledge, the student may be considered as an end unto himself; his perfection as a man simply being the aim of his education. This 1 say in a limited sense may be true. For wdth habits of study which render mental eflbrt his delight, and with a taste acquired for the perception of the beau- tiful and the true in nature and in art; and of the useful too in the different departments of knowledge, the liberally educated youth has attained a degree of perfection, which places him greatly above his equals in age, who have made no such attainments. And he is in possession of sources of pure pleasure, from which he may draw as often and as largely as he pleases, provided he does not relax hisefibrtto increase * Sir William Hamilton. 32 his knowledge and to improve lii.s mind. Though all this be conceded to those who maintain that the benefits of a liberal or general education terminate upon the individual himself, and have their end in making him a wiser, better, and happier man, yet we know of no institutions professedly established with this as their ultimate design ; but on the con- trary, they all have, as in our judgment they should have, a more comprehensive object, and one bearing more directly and fully upon the welfare of the whole commonwealth ; and that is, as we have already said in other vvords, the liberal education of youth, with a view to the advancement of learning in all the various departments of liberal knowledge and professional life. That such a training as this, considered as a means to an end, or as a preparation for a higher education, is superior to the plan of having a variety of independent schools, in which the attention is wholly confined to matters bearing upon a single department of knowledge, may I think be safely maintained. And although our limits will not permit me to argue this question at large, and my object being to point out what we propose to do rather than the reasons for so doing ; yet 1 ought perhaps to say a few words in support of the opinion just avowed. Not to insist upon the fact that this method, whether the best or not, has Ikhmi (eminent- ly successful, and that as a general trutli it is unde- niable, that those men who have been most eminent 38 ill the' .several iilieral ])ri)lr.ssioii."^, or iiio.'^t distinguisli- od (IS scholars or philosophers have liad a liberal preparatory training, prior to their devoting them- selves to those branches, from the study of which they have derived their reputation. I may mention as one reason in lavour of this course, that where the diflerent studies are judiciously arranged and proper- ly proportioned, they serve to call into harmonious action all the intellectual powers, and thus give a more healthful expansion to the mind than it can derive from any other source. A second reason in favour of this course is, that it serves to enlarge the views of the liberally educated, as to the unbounded field for research that lies before them, in the worlds of matter and of mind ; and thus restrains them from despising the attain- ments of others, from the full conviction that their own nmst necessarily be limitecl in extent. Thus modesty is engendered, and also a sympathy with others in their efforts to enlarge the boundaries of knowledge and learning. Thus too the efforts of all in behalf of learning are encouraged, by the more gene- ral appreciation in which their labours are held by the intelligent portion ol" society, whatever be the subjects in regard to which that intelligence is em- ployed. And if it In' maintained, thai the advantages here enumerated would result from freedom of intercourse and friendly ('()rrespoii(l<'n('e. lietweeii those who have 34 been trained in separate and independent schools ; the ready answer is, that it cannot be so well or so readily done in this way as in the one w^e advocate. For those in these separate and independent schools having really no knowledge of, or taste for, other pursuits than those in which they themselves are engaged, cannot estimate so justly as they should the value of other studies. They may admit the superiority of individual men in other walks of life, and the value of their labours to society, yet they cannot appreciate them as they would, did they know something personally of the intense mental effort requisite to the production of those results, which claim and receive their admiration. A third advantage, which a system of liberal or general instruction in a college has over the volun- tary method pertaining to a collection of independent schools, consists in this, that better provision can be made for occupying the whole time of the student, a matter of prime moment in the early discipline of the mind. If the course of instruction in each de- partment be so arranged as to occupy to advantage the whole time of the pupil, then it is evident, that for the great body of students it would be highly injurious to their scholarship and mental discipline, should they divide their time between the different schools, the studies in each requiring the time and effort Avhich are distributed among several. Again, if {])<' Instruction given in the several schools should 35 not rurnish iiiiipK' (niiployiiit'iit ior tlic pu[)il, and it it be 80 ordered as to enable him to attend with pro- fit upon two, three or more schools at the same time, and it be still left at the option of the student to pursue one or more branches as he pleases, it is evi- dent that it will furnish, to a large proportion ol* the youth, a strong temptation to neglect any and every branch of learning that calls for vigorous men- tal effort, and to content themselves with solving in their individual cases, the proljlem, in what way they can finish their college course with the least amount of labour, and therefore with the least amount of knowledge. A temptation strong enough where the attendance upon the whole course of instruction is required of each individual. It is admitted, indeed, that this would not operate unfavourably upon youth possessed of uncommon quickness of parts and of an ardent thirst for knowledge ; who sometimes are disposed to apply themselves too closely to their studies. But this is not characteristic of youth in general, and it is necessary, by a system of regular daily instruction and examination, to accustom them to mental effort, until by constant practice the habit be formed, and mental effort itself becomes pleasant ; and this can more readily be done upon a plan which prescribes a common course for all, and ex- acts a regular attendance upon that course, than it can by leaving it to the option of the student to study what he pleases. 31) Jt may be urged tliat joutli will ^tady with great- er diligence things in which they take an interest, than those for which they have no taste; and though this is doubtless true, yet it may be the case, and often is, that the course of reading or study in which they take most delight is not the one most necessary for their improvement, and the complete developement of their minds. For often the very source of this pleasure is, that it can be had with little or no exertion ; and when it is otherwise, their interest in these particular studies which prompt them to constant effort, not unfrequently indisposes them for other studies of equal moment in them- selves, and of equal importance to the student. And it is assuming rather too much for youth, of the age of those who enter our institutions for undergradu- ates, that they are fully prepared to judge for them- selves, not only as to what is the most agreeable to them, but also as to what is most useful. For these and other reasons, we arc disposed to adhere to the plan hitherto pursued in this institu- tion ; in having one course of study for all the stu- dents, who are candidates for academic honours : and in requiring attendance upon all tlie college exercises. In this one course, we shall not undertake to teach everything included under the heads of literature and science. But to those matters, which have been found from experience to ])e the most useful, in the proper cultivation of the moral and intellectual pow- 37 ers, special attention will ])v y;[\'vn : and in this list wc include Religion, Natural and Revealed -^Philoso- phy, Intellectual and Physical ; Logic and Rhetoric ; Mathematics, pure and mixed ; tlic CJrcek and Latin languages; and History, Ancient and Modern, hi this list, as you perceive, we liave placed first the study of religion, and we have no hesitation in say- ing, that we would make every other part of educa- tion suhordinate to this, and that it will ])e our first aim to imbue the minds of our youth with the prin- ciples of piety and virtue. Considered simply as a means of intellectual improvement, the study of re- ligious truth is of the highest importance. Nothing can contribute more to the expansion of the mind : and to the perfect culture of all its j^owers. The grandest thought that has ever entered the mind of man is the idea of God, one, eternal, unchangeable, infinite in beiiig and perfection, the Almighty. It is the highest of all possible generalizations, im- measurably transcending in grandeur the idea of the material universe, vast as is that. This alone would be a sufficient reason for assigning to the study of religious truth, the prominence here given U) it. But the claims of this, and of all the other l^ranches of knowledge above named, to be regarded of prime importance in every system of education, I need not stop to argue. If experience can establish anything in the matter of education, it has shown fully the value of these studies in the discipline of the mind, 38 and wo will leave it to others to Lletermiiie their re- lative vajuo : and to try the experiment of conduct- ing the education of the young, with the entire neg- lect of any one of them. To sundry other branches sufficient attention will be given, to impart a definite idea of the matters of which they treat, and of the pro- per method of investigating them. Under this head I might mention Ethnology, Political Economy, Geol- ogy, Physical Geography, Zoology, Botany, Miner- alogy, Architecture, Sculpture, &c. In giving in- struction in the various departments named, we shall endeavour to bear in mind, that art should precede science : and that by constant practice and frequent repetition, the youthful mind should first be trained to expertness in performing the required tasks : and afterwards be taught the reasons for the operations themselves. To reverse this order would be to do an irreparable injury, to those upon whom this exper- iment should be tried. The first part of this mental training ought to be the chief object of attention in the preparatory schools ; the second part is the one which more appropriately pertains to the College. In the school, a youth engaged in the study of language should acquire a thorough and exact knowledge of the import of words, and of the rules of grammar : and he should accustom himself to apply these rules carefully in translating from one language into an- other, and in learning to compose in his own and in other tongues. At College, while this practice should :J0 be continued, the student should enter upon the higher study of the philosophy of language ; and upon a critical examination of the style and sentiments of the various classical authors, whose works are subjects of study : and he should also carefully observe the illustrations they afford of each other's thoughts and forms of expression. In History, an accurate know- ledge of facts should be the first aim of the student, and after that, the study of the general principles, as far as History has assumed a philosophical form. So also in Mathematics, the solution of problems ac- cording to prescribed rules or formulas should first claim attention ; and then with far greater ease will the youthful student be made to understand the ra- tionale of the formulas themselves. With respect to Natural Philosophy and other sci- entific subjects. After the student has learned the general principles ; and the use to be made of them in the deduction of particular facts ; he should be taught the proper method of philosophical investiga- tion, and the steps by which the higher generaliza- tions have been reached. A distinguished and learned friend, to whom I am indebted for some of the above hints, remarks : " As one great object in life is the acquisition of truth and its relations ; the logical powers ought to be fully developed : and this is eftected by exercising the stu- dent in deducing particular facts from general laws. In all cases, as far as possible, he should be shown 40 how the deductions from tlicse laws agree with the actual facts of nature. This will give him full con- fidence in the truth and importance of generaliza- tions, and serve to render him a safe man, one who, after having deliberately investigated a subject, will settle down on some general principles^, and will not be liable to be moved by every new^ wind of doctrine." " Of whatever is attempted to be taught clear ideas should be given, and those branches of knowledge should especially be cultivated in the last years of a college course, which have been reduced to the most definite rules." Of the truth of these remarks, no experienced teacher, 1 think, can have any doubt. Lectures accompanied with experiments, or other illustrations, where the subject calls for them ; text books, with comments by the teacher, and frequent examinations, both oral and written, will continue to be parts of our system of instruction. These different methods have their several advantages, and by com- bining them, we hope to accomplish everything de- sirable as to the imparting of knowledge. To secure strict attention and greater diligence, upon the part of the student, we shall continue the i^lan of subdi- viding the different classes ; that as far as possible each student may ])e called upon every day to under- go an examination, upon the subject of study for the day. And although this method adds mateiMully to the burden of the Professors, the} will submit to it in 41 view of its givat iuiportaiico to the student. In no other way can regular daily preparation on the part of the student to recite tlie prescribed lesson be had. Class honours and rewards of various kinds may be given as a stimulus tj diligent and laithiul attention to study ; and to a certain extent they answer a most valuable purpose ; still they will not be sufTi- cient, except in rare cases, to elfect iuUy the end aimed at in bestowing them, if there be not also fre- quent examination of the individual members of the class. For daily mental (iffort of the highest order they need the stimulus furnished by daily examin- ation. Nothing can supply the want of it. And to have it, the number of teachers must correspond to the number of students. It is simplj- absurd to im- agine that a single professor can instruct well any number of pupils, however large that number may be. And one of the reasons why, in seeking a i)ar- tial endowment for our college, we prefer to have the greater portion of that endowment in form of scholarships rather than of professorships, is that we can the more readily retain the present charges for tuition, and thus enable the college to maintain a corps of professors and tutors in just [)r()[)()rti()n to the students. If the students increase in number, so will their teachers; and we shall keep u[) in full vigour our ])lan of frequent examinations. If the instruction be confined to the delivery ol' lectures, it matters not in(leed liow many may be present, pro- 42 vided the lecturer has the power to interest them in the subject, and to awaken a feeling kindred to his own in regard to the importance of his discussions. But in order that the best lectures may be of real service in the education of the young, it is important that there should be previously had from some source clear and distinct ideas of the matters handled; and it is essential that the student should have been taught the habit of giving close and fixed attention to what is said, and of discriminating be- tween the thought itself, and the form in which the thought is presented ; so as the more readily to seize upon the prominent points, and their relations to each other. In what w^ay can all this be done so effectually as by daily examination upon text-books caroluUy explained by the teacher, and diligently studied by the student ; and yet this cannot be done, unless the provision for imparting instruction be in full proportion to the numbers taught. Of all the methods of giving instruction, this for the great body of the students is beyond question the most important ; and although without it a small number of ripe scholars may ])c formed, it will be at the sac- rifice of the highest interests of their companions in study. The value of daily examinations upon both text-books and lectures cannot well be over esti- mated ; yet their value as an incentive to diligent study will !)(' greatly increased, if they be viewed as preparatory to the more extended and formal exam- iiiiitions, whicli iire to )x* the rliiel' element in deter- mining the rohitive position of the students in their several classes, and the rewards to be awarded to the superior vscholars. " No academical exercise," says Melancthon, as cited by Sir William Hamilton, " can be more useful than that of examination. It whets the desire of learning, it enhances the solicitude of study, while it animates the attention to w^hatever is taught. Every student ivS alarmed, lest aught should escape him which it behooves him to observe. This anxiety incites him also to canvass everything with accuracy, knowing that he must fully and perspicuously ex- plain his understanding of each several doctrine. Examination, likewise, fosters facility of expression, counteracts perturbation and confusion, inures to coolness and promptitude of thought. Not less use- ful is examination in restraining the course of juve- nile study within legitimate boundaries. Nothing is more hurtful, as nothing is more common, than vain and tumultuary reading, which inflates with the persuasion, Avithout conferring the reality, of eru- dition. Wherefore, if examinatiou brought no other advantage than that it counteracts the two greatest pests of education found indeed usually combined, sloth, to wit, and arrogance ; for this reason alone should examination be cherished in our universities. Against sloth there is no goad sharper or more effi- cacious than examination : and as to arrogance, ex- 44 amination is the very school of hiimilitv and im- provement. By no other discipline is a soaring con- ceit so effectually taken down : and this is the rea- son, why self satisfied pretenders ever fly examina- tion : while others who think less of the little they know, than of the much that they know not, resort to it as the most efficacious means of improvement.'* These remarks of a famous scholar and divine, are all true, and of great weight : and they set in a clear and strong light the importance of frequent exami- nation, in the education of youth. But still they speak only of its direct effects upon the student him- self. To the no less important influence exerted by- it, in awakening the energies of the teacher, and thus by a reflex action upon the mind of the scholar giv- ing to that mind increased activity, they do not refer. Yet in estimating the value of examinations as a part of a college course of instruction, the effect upon the mind of the teacher : and its reflex influence upon the pupil ought to be kept distinctly in view. Un- less we do, their full value, in educating the youth- ful mind to think with vigour, and to express its thoughts with ease, ran never be appreciated as it should. In our examinations we shall continue to use both methods, the oral and the written, being satisfied from an ample trial, that in this way the student will derive advantages which he cannot have from either alone. 4r, Declamation and wiiltcn e(jmpo.\e what its pious founders desired and prayed it should ])e — an institution for the promotion of sound IcnriiiuLi and true piety. Havnig linished his address. Dr. Maclean said it was truly gratifying to him and would do doubt give 52 pleasure to all present ; that his first otiieiai act as President of the College, was to announce to the au- dience thatj by a unanimou^^ vote, the Trustees had conferred the degree of Doctor of Laws, upon the late venerable President of the College, Dr. James Carnahan. The exercises were then concluded with prayer and the benediction, l)y the Rev. Dr. W. W. Phillips, of New York.