The New York Herald Newspaper, February 23, 1853, Page 7

P| . ne ss en THE LECTURE SEASON. Mechantes’ Institute Lectures. ALBKANDER JONES ON FREE EDUCATION, AND INDUS- TRIAL FREE SCHOOLS, BTO. ‘That “knowledge is power,” ia as true as it ia trite. There is as much aristocracy in the exclusive- ness of knowledge, as there is in the exclusiveness of property, and like wealth, those who possess it may employ it in the oppression and debasement of those who are inferior to them in poverty or igno- rance. Like wealth, it may be directed to the ex- tinction of liberty among the masses, and to the binding of them in the chains of superstition and slavery. ‘The value of knowledge is inestimable. We have never seen a man who was willing to part with what he had acquired, however circumscribed. However limited may be an individual’s knowledge, he usually consoles himself with the belief that there are others who are hisinferiors in that respect. There ean be no permanent republican or free form of government, without the education of the people. “ Error must be left free to be combatted by reason,” orwe must stand by the ancient British mot! “Truth against the world.” The soil of ignorance is the tyrant’s garden, wherein he cultivates rods to seourge the people. Without the diffusion of know- ledge among the people they cannot be brought to understand and to appreciate their political yighta. All history proves that there is no safe depository of power, except in the hands of the people, and which they can only hold so long as they are educated and honest. Emperors, kings, and mebles have been trusted with the reins of govern- ment and have failed. Aristocracies, oligarchies, and political theocracies, have been again and again tried, and have again and again failed. If the people eannot confide in themselves, who are they to trust? The only security for the exercise of government in their own hands, and its administration in such form as to maintain liberty and progress, is to be found in their education. Hence, their first duty in discharg- ing the functions of free government is to provide free education; not only for primary instruction, but for useful education in all the higher branches of knowledge; not confined to the contracted and dead walls, and dead languages of feudal colleges; not Kimited to the precincts of West Point foundations for the fortunate few; not bound up in the rooms of free academies, nor confined to the undiffusive knowledge-spreading influence of the corridora and brary shelves of Smithsonian institutes; but we wish to see the gates of knowledge thrown wide open. We wish to sce its streams gushing pure and free from the mountain’s side, spreading, widening, and fertilizing the whole land as they flow forward, unresisted by locks, dams, or other obstructions, and at which all can slake their thirst, without money and without price. Time would fail us to contrast the progress of a free and caucated people with that of an ignorant and enslaved race. The slightest comparison of the United States with other less favored countries will show this. But, among ourselves, the work of edu- cation is only commenced. We have not performed one-half of what it is our duty to undertalee. We still have a great task before us—many errors to combat, and many prejudices to overcome. Had the maas of the people, or citizens, of the Roman Btate, prior to the fall of Julius Crsar, possessed only the advantages of our present primary free sehools, and a free press, the republic might have endured another seven hundred years. The surest signs of the existence of ignorance and corruption among a people are to be found in the election of ignorant and corrupt rulers. When the people are not educated, nor taught the importance of political honesty and integrity, they are water tothe dela- sions of demagogues, being incapable of voting cor- rectly, or, in other words, disqualified for self-go- vernment. The surest means of guarding against fraudulent legislation is to educate the people, and to en its of industry, temperance, econo- my, and probity. Children red to prowl pn er ere about the wharver and streets of a sity by day, and to md their nights in idle dissipation, make sovereigns and worse voters at ward elections. Next to the evils inflicted by rum, the influence produced by the dis- semination and reading of trashy novels, whether published in newspapers or in books, is the most per- nicious. And what is worse, for the want of an interna- rived, which, when developed and carried out, as in the steam engine, the spinning jenny, and cotton gin, affect the wealth and progress of empires, as well as the personal comfo1 and Pees of all succeeding generations. We would ask whether an individual would be most likely to acquire new and valuable ideas in a gambling room, rum shop, or low lace of amusement, or in the halls of free know- eave, listening to the enunciation of the laws of eter- nal truth, and amused with the surprising experi- ments in demonstration of their value and applica- tion to useful purposes. Far be it from us to under- | value religious teachings. These must be impressed, ifanywhere, to be of value, in the homes of youth and in their respective family churches. Far be it from us to undervalue the a claims of the present colleges, or of the United States Military Academy, &c. If what is in them be good—of which there is mich— for the few, it is equally good for the many. What we want is, knowledge for the million; which is like manure—to do good, it must be spread. Learn- ing, like the dews and rains of heaven, can only pro- duce general and abundant harvests when it fulls onall alike, the just and unjust, the ignorant and wise, poor and rich, great and small. A country cannot advance permanently in freedom and pros- perity by the exertions of the few. It must “go ahead,” if it goes at all, by the united and enlight- ened labors of the million. “The better the culture of the masses, the less selfish they become. With the spread of knowledge, benevolence increases. Every round gained in its ascent, just so far elevates man above savages. The oh Ss gathers nothing from the past as a guide for the future. As lived and died his ancestors for a thousand years before him, so he lives and dies. He knows no charity for individuals beyond his own tribe or race,and perishes amidst the chase or revengeful wars. Not so with the man of knowledge, for civilization is only another name for knowledge. The capacity for its acquisition differs widely wiih different nations. The good and great actions of a great people are not limited to the age or era in which they flourish. The examples of exalt- ed patriotism, national elevation in science, arts, and learning—of philosophical self-denial—of payielalitg probity and pees suffering for the sake of trut! and the good of mankind, which we find scattered through the pages of Grecian and Roman profane history—are felt in their influence over the minds of men to the present day, two thousand or three thou- sand years after their occurrence. The best test of superior intellect is the power of inven- tion. A people who make no discoveries or in- ventions, make no progress. The best mode of developing the faculties of a people is to make knowledge free. Republics should act like bees, se- tnd what is useful and good from all quarters, and rejecting that whichis bad. There are often things to be found under monarchies which are worth copy- ing, either wholly or partially. Among the most uable institutions on the continent of Europe are their polytechnic, or industrial sehools of instructlon, supported at the public expense. These were visited the past summer and autumn by Dr. Hype Playfair, of England, and dscribed in a recent lecture deli- vered by him in London. In Leena of the value of acientific knowledge in opposition to the labors of mere blind experience, he states that ‘‘a striking fact, illustrating the inefficiency of mere experience was shown by the trials in the great Exhibition; for, not withstanding the great antiquity of water pumps, and the experience which England has had in them, it was, on subjecting the most approved forms to trial, found that from fifty-five to eighty pon cent of their effective power is actually lost—a fact which experience did not suspect, but which science has proved, and, at the same time, indicated ite remedy.” It is to avoid such instances of waste of power and ingenuity as this, by teaching scientific rules, which would render them impossible, that the industrial system of education has been organized. The extent of that instruction is wide and diversified. In Prussia no less than twenty-six trade schools are established in different parts of the country, as a re- cognized branch of secondary instruction—all being subordinate to the centrgl Trade Institute at Berlin, which is devoted to the special education of the high er class of producers, mechanics and engineers, chemists, architects and builders. In Saxony there are three principal trade schools, besides the Poly- technic School of Dresden, which, like the Industri- al Institute of Berlin, is Beasibelly devoted to the special training of the highest class of producers. In Bavaria the number of trade schools is twenty, (or one for each town,) and no less than three poly- technic colleges, one at Munich, one at Augsburg, andone a Nuremberg. In order to convey a gene- ral idea of the nature of these institutions, we give the following extracts from Dr. Playfair’s description: “The system of industrial education in Bavaria dates form 1831, and so satisfied is the governmont with its effect, that they continue to support and toextend it with great liberality. It would be impossible to give | the details of each college in one brief lecture.” He states that it would require a union of the three col- leges to make really one poly eesiade institute, as each gives a Lats leaning to certain branches of the arte, That al era devotes itself to civil e eers and architects, Augsburg to machinists, and Nuremberg to chemists. . Playfair con- fines himself the industrial or polytechnic institution of Munich. He states that—“It is situ- ‘tional copyright treaty, the most deleterious and wide spread CE ye Pou | beoks. The American mindis ted by the works of | foreign writers—many of whom are rank tories, lovers __ of monarchy, and haters of republican institutions. | Even the works of authors who have indulged in the | grossest defamation of the United States have found Te-publishers, and met with a wider circulation than | American works of real merit. By an international | copyright treaty, we should shut out foreign trash, | fe American authorship, and supply the public with a better class of books, and with a | sounder literature. We consider that the main objects | of education for this life, consist in teaching a bo; those Shings by which he can best earn his bread, advance his own interest and happiness, and at the same time promote the interest and happiness of those around him, no less than aid in the elevation of his | country, ie honest discharge of his duties as a | citizen. Life istoo short and valuable to be wasted pees undue study of the dead languages, or on obsolete subjects, to the exclusion of those | sciences and arts which practically apply to the daily pursuits of life. We wish to see the time ar- rive when the State shall pay teachers in all the high- er branches of knowledge—as it now does in the pri- mary departments—-who shall deliver their instruc- tion free to the people. Let us have regular free lec- tures on natural philosophy, chemistry, and me- chanical philosophy, and mathematics, in all their branches, and demonstrated by the use of proper in- struments and experiments. We would have teach- ers of mechanical and civil engineering; of drafting, modeling, surveying, &c. We would also secure free lectures on all branches of medicine and of law. Suppose all these departments of useful knowledge were publicly taught in this city, free of expense, both by day and_ duri evenings, what would be the result? Thousands who now waste their time in idleness and dissipation at grog shops, or lounge in the boxes of theatres, to witness senseless scenes, from which no earthly advantage or anent happiness can be gained, would gather at These high free schools, where both rational amuse- ment and knowledge could be obtained. Peo- ple often frequent places of idleness and dissi- pation because they have no where else to . Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of France, cee the nephew,) threw wide open the doors of knowledge in Paris. Lectures on all branches of medicine, with many other sciences, were made free. The consequence was, that students abandoned the old exclusive feudal schools of Europe, (including the medical universities of Leyden and Edinburg,) and flocked to Paris. There were soon found 2,000 foreign stadents in that capital, chiefly in the medi- cal departments, brought together from every part of the civilized world, embracing a large number from the United States. Science, thus rendered free, not only drew students by thousands, but attracted a at number of learned men to this brilliant focus of light. The policy was a wise one, even in a pe- euniary point of view; because the great concourse of students drawn to France from other coun- tries spent large sums of money in their board, and for the purchase of books and instra- ments, exceeding, no doubt, in the aggre- gate, the salaries paid by the State to the hers ; and so would it be here were all the lead- ing sciences et free. Independent of the advan- tages which would be gained by ourlocal population, we should find thousands of students eer: hither, not only from all parts of the Union, but from va- rious other parts of the world, whose expenditures among us would far outstrip the cost of free instrac- tion to the State. The infinence of freedom in know- ledge would, by rescuing numbers from vice and folly, tend to lessen the prevalence of crime, and to diminish the cost of its punishment. Many a boy endowed by nature with the noblest intellect, is often lost to his friends and country, for the want of oppor- tunities, and whose mind, if it had been rightly de- veloped, might have added new discoveries and j aided in the progress of mankind. “Fall many a gem of purest ray serene, ‘The dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear; Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, And waste its sweetness on the desert sir.”’ ‘The mind of James Watt was first directed to the power of steam, by hearing Dr. Black, professor of chemistry, lecture on latent heat. Boyer, the great French anatomist and surgeon, who was ennobled by Bonaparte, was the poor son of a provincial peasant, and while serving as a barber's boy in Paris, was introduced to the dissecting-room by doing errands for students. Sir Humphrey Davy was a poor boy, of Welsh descent, born in Penzance, England, and commenced Jife as an apothecary’s lad. Oliver Evans, also of Welsh descent, of Pennsylvania, the inventor of the high pressure steam engine, was the won of a poor farmer, and had his mind first drawn to the subject by confining water ina gan- | barrel, and then heating it, to makea Christmas gun. Mr. Whe had the plan of forming a cotton gin suggested his mind by seeing a man turning a | hand organ in the street. Hundreds of similar {n- | stances probably have occurred. They prove from | What slight hints the most important ideas are de- tw | fourth year’s course. The scheme of instruction is as follows :— ated in a and commodious building, possesses admirable cre especially one of physical apparatus, and has a modelling and sculpture work- op in great activity. The number of its professors and teachers is 16, and of pons 307, of whom 83 are foreigners. Its course of general instruction ex- tends over three years, but engineers take a special o7 7 7 4 drawing. Oe a 4 Plan drawing. . 2 Analytical chemistry.... 6 Descriptive geometry.... 3 Applied architesture..... 6 Ornamental drawing..... 2 FOURTH (BNGINEERS’) COURSE. SECOND COURSE. Roads and bridges (in Analytical mechanics.... bdicti)) eneeeerege oe. 12 Machinery and machine Hydraul(s engineering (in drawing. ‘summer).. : Plan drawii Chemistry. Building material: . Electro’ magnetism and telegraphs............. 3 Certificates of proficiency are granted, the examina- tions being made before a Royal Commission, who has to report to the Board of Trade on the efficiency of the institution.” The high state of architecture, mechanics, and engineering in Bavaria, is attri- buted to the influence of these institutions. The | lendid astronomical instruments in the National beervatory at Washington were made in Munich. | Pupils from these schools are in great demand to fill | ole situations both at home and abroad, and | unless the United States establish similar schools, foreigners must fill honorable and lucrativesituations which should be occupied by our own citizens, While the ordinary professions of law, medicine, | theology, and politics, are crowded to repletion with us, the great field opened to enterprise through | poser schools is neglected, simply because | feudal colleges fit @ man for one of the so-called | learned professions, and for nothing elae. Hence, a | young man’s destiny, honor and respectability, seem to hang on success in these old-beaten and starving paths, or end in utter and hopeless failure in ever: thing else. The United States has greatly suffere at times for the want of well educated engineers. The grand canal of New York was retarded in its | construction, and its cost enhanced, for the want of | a sufficient number of educated men of this class. A | gentleman of this profession stated to us some years since, that, while Yoong, and inexperienced, he was | appointed by Mr. Clinton to an important section of the grand canal, and, after his estimates had been | fee out and partly completed, he discovered that he ad made a mistake of eighty thousand dollars. He | related frankly to Mr. Clinton his error, and ex- pected to be discharged. Mr. Clinton, in reply, | stated that the fact was, the State wanted engineers, and must have them, and if they could not obtain them all ready made, the State must edu- cate some, and told him to continue his work and make no more mistakes. At the present day the great number of new railroad companies find it diffi- cult to procure the necessary number of engineers of high professional education and talents. They are frequently annoyed by wrong estimates or injudicious locations, which it is difficult to remedy without | great pecuniary loss. Notwithstanding our vast and | increasing mining interest, embracing the produc- | tions of iron, ginc, copper, lead, and coal, from the | bowels of the earth, we have not a single school for | miners in America. The knowledge of mining and of | metallurgy, of chemistry applied to them, as well as | to arts, manufactures, and agriculture, can only | be Properly taught in industrial free schools or | Colleges. If an American student wishes to attend schools of mining and metallurgy, he must go abroad. “One of the most extensive polytechnic schools is at | Carlsruhe, in the Grand Dutchy of Baden Baden,” continues Dr. een “which possesse@ a faculty of | 61 professors, and numbers 331 students, of whom L12 are foreigners, In Austria, trade schools do not yet exist, but polytechnic colleges are numerous. ‘The attendance of students in the provincial colleges is stated at not less than 4,000, while in that of Vienna, which is the largest institution of the kind in many, the numbers frequenting the systematic, school were, last year, 1,697, the total nuwtber in all | the sections being 3,378.” ' Dr. Playfair estimates, that, taking all the Industrial schools of German. together, they include 13,000 pupils, who are receiving systematic education at the public expense. France has long had a few polytechnic schools of great note, but chiefly ‘devoted to the education of the sons of people, of title or rank, and mainly with a view of qualifying them for military life. “Still, she is in advance in this re- aspect of many other parts of Europe. ‘The “Reole ‘olytechnique,”’ the ‘Ecole des Ponts et Chausées,” and the “Ecole des Mines,” which are all supported by government, have been long celebrated. A more recent insiitution, called the “Ecole Centrale des Arts et Manufactures,” though supported by private capital, is said to be the most important fadustriat school in France. This school possesses forty pro- sessers and three hundred students, each of whom id about $170 annually. The number is limited iy the size of the building, and it was in contempla- tion to move to one of much larger size. ‘The courses embrace three years, and are compulsory on all. In the second year the studies are divided into two parts —the one general, and the other applieable to one of the four following specialities; A, mechanics; B, en- gineers; C, metallurgist; D, chemist. Students are not admitted until they are eighteen years of age, and must possess an elementary knowledge of the sciences. The courses of instruction are as follows: — Ist year—Descriptive geometry, analytical geome- try and?mechanics, transformation of motion, physics (general), chemistry (general), chemical manipula- | tion, hygiene and natural history, applied to the arts, drawing, &c. 2d year—Descriptive geometry, industrial physics, mechanics’ materials used in the construction of ma- chines, analytical chemistry, industrial mineral chemistry, public works, geology, manufacture of iron and steel, technology. _ 3d Year—Steam engines, railways, hydrosta- tics, construction of machines, chemical prepara- tions and organic analysis ; industrial organic che- mistry and agriculture; architecture, mining, fur- naces and foundries; technology, (mills, oil,) cor- dage, textile materials, cutting’ wood, stone, &c.; machine making, milling, spinning, plating, potte- ries, &c. Many of the leading branches are combin- ed in the second and third year’s courses. Much attention is paid to drawing and design. The stu- dents have to oab their progress by drawing plans, iving estimates, &c., upon any subject assigned them. Certificates of progress are granted after the most severe examinations, extending over many days. Such is the demand for students’ services, passin; pirmagh this institution, that “ its certificate,” ob- tained by a young man, was “ equivalent to success in life.” “Its pupils invariably pass into the most important industrial positions, not only in France, but in Spain, Belgium and England, their services being in demand by large manufacturing establish- ménts.” Allow me to give you the statistics of about five hundred of the certified students, whose occupa- tions are so important that their histories can be gee Of this number the following division may made: Agriculture, Chemical Arts. Architecture Civil Engineeri Railroads Machinery Professors Metallurgy Textile Manufactures ,, 36 Paper, Commeree, Public Works...... 006 orks, To prove the value of this school, Dr. Playfair states that more than 600 foreign youth had been educated atit. Atthe time of his visit he found pauls in its halls from North and South America. ‘urkey, the Antilles, the Mauritius, Madras, Ceylon, Gibraltar, &c., Spain, Belgium, and England were pee freely represented. The main object in indus- 1 schools, Dr. Playfair thinks, should be to teach a pupil how to become an intelligent industrial citizen, whether as an engineer, machinist, chemist, manu- facturer, agriculturist, or teacher, without assigning him exclusively to either, leaving his taste and the demand for his services to determine his choice. He says that it is not the intention or plan of the industrial institutions to impart elementary in- struction in science, but only to teach its ap- plication to industry. The continental schools, in Many cases, require pupils to an examination in integral calculus before they can be admitted into the upper technical class of mechanics, physics, and machinery. This condition for admission has a two-fold advantage—first, that it enables professors to devote all their time to the industrial applications of science, and then that the industrial institution instead of acting as antagonist to those for gene- ral education, actually give them the greatest impulse, and are their most porerfal supporters. Dr. Playfair remarks that “mathematics, chemistry, drawing, and sesening, are not taught as separa and distinct branches of knowledge, but, throughout the courses, in connection with and in elucidation of practical pursuits. Mathematics, asa sort of skele- ton for the demonstration of all other sciences, is taught in its applications to other subjects, in every course. Its use to (ea physics, in astronomy, and navigation, is indispensable. The comprehensive system pursued abroad is found to have a most happy effect on the future career of the student. The manufacturing chemist leaves the school with a sufficient knowledge of the principles of machinery to guide him in its management, or to aid him in the expression of his requirements. He can plan and sketch the buildings, Beet teed apparatus, which he may require, and he been taught enough of building and contract work to know whe- ther the plan of the architect is sufficient and the charges of the builder within moderation. The ar- chitect does not end his education with drawin; elevations and planning interiors, but chemistry ant hysics have shown him how to test the qualities of iis building materials, and have taught him the penser of ventilation, lighting, acoustics, and rainage, while mathematics enable him to calculate the stability of his structures.” An English re- j viewer, alluding to the work of Dr. Playfair, holds the following Fast language:—To our minds the introduction of this scheme, as a prominent feature in English education, will be fraught with yet another and not less important advantage. It will tend to restore to modern training the entirety and single- ness of aim which this country, since she emerged from feudal barbarism, has never get gained. The youth of Greece and Reme learned in the gymna- sium and the Paelestra the accomplishments and exercises which were to be every tay, employments of their manhood. They had noi ng to unlearn on entering into the world. The youth of feudal Bu- rope—those, at least, who were trained for arms— nt their early — in acquiring the strength and skill which were hereafter to fit them for the tourna; and the battle-field. But the public school and uni- versity Englishman (and, he might have added, the university American) of the present day finds that one of hi first steps, to fit It for the world, must be to forget as much as possible of what he has learned in the sch He has spent years in ac- quirthg knowledge he can never use, and skill which, instead of being an aid to him, is a positive incum- brance. This is all wrong and bad. It isa high testimony to the native excellences of the English character, (also of American,) that we have reared 80 Faget f great citizens in spite of a system so vicious. But, who doubts, if this vicious system was aban- doned, the general standard of the national charater would be improved? Oxford and Cam- bridge, Eton and Winchester, as at present consti- tuted, could not long survive the introduction of a real- ly enlightened method of education into the country.” In polytechnic institutions England is behind many arts of the continent. Jacob Perkins,an American, justly celebrated as the inventor of machinery for making cut nails, and of steel engraving and transfer bank note engraving machinery, as well as the in- yentor of the steam gun, was the first to originate in London a polytechnic institution, called the “ Adelaide Gallery,” in the Strand, which still ex- i-ts. This gave rise to the he Polytechnic Insti- tution, Regent street, of which Prince Albert became a patron and frequent visiter, and we have reason | to Lad ioed that it was from the curious and won- derful exhibition of practical mechanics, in connec- tion with the lectures and experiments in chemistry, natural philosophy, &c., in this institution, which directed his mind to the importance of the Great Pe lr Palace Exhibition, and which was, in effect, only a grand poly eeaaie exhibition, open to all nations. This has been followed by others in Eu- rope, and one here. We had the honor, some years ago, of a personal acquaintance with Jacob Per- kins (since deceased), whom we considered one of the greatest and most useful men (self made, too, at that) which this country ever produced. At the time we visited the Royal volytechnic Institution, in 1841, a subscription course of eight !ectures were being delivered by an eminent engineer, on “ The Steam Engine and Steam Navigation for Naval Officers and other Gentlemen.” These lectures embraced all the materials relating tosteam machinery, the construction of engines for marine purposes, the nature and application of fuel, the properties. of heat, the use of water for boilers, fresh and salt, boiler explosions and their causes, the pressure and force of steam, steam gauges, &c., with notices of all collateral ppints bearing on | the subject. In this institution there were exhibited steam engines at work in propelling various ma- chines. A large water reservoir, for all kinds of ves- sels and hydraulic apparatus, was also provided. There were lectures and experiments in various | branches of practical science. A good band of music was also in attendance; and thousands were drawn to the institution, while the managers of st) Lane and Covent Garden theatres bitterly complained of the falling off in their seoeie by the superior attrac- tions of the Royal Institution, Criere avy and Fa- raday had won imperishable fame,) and the more re- cent Royal Polytechnic School of Regent strect, the forerunner of all modern crystal palaces, | ‘The United States have produced vara very useful | and distinguished men who have been known as self- made or self-educated men, whose success has been mainly attributable, under free institutions, toa prac- tical education, which has been well applied to their active pursuits. Itis only necessary to name Pow- | ers, Clevenger, Clarke Mills, Fulton, Cass and Clay, with a host of others, as cases in point. Industrial schools should also embrace naval architecture, nayi- gation, the laws of trade and commerce, and practi- cal bookkeping. By establishing such schools in the United States, and making them as common and asfree as possible, we should greatly advance the interest of the country in all the elements of true greatness, Thestudy of nature and her laws, is the study of the laws of God. As man acquires conquest over physical laws, he rises just so much higher towards his Creator in intelligence, and approxi- mates the more closely, in his mental features, to the image of Omnipotence. God’s highest and best gift is reason, bestowed tor the noblest and Le hel pur- posee—not to be frittered away in unavailing misap- Peet Nt to be devoted to intellectual progress, the amelioration and advancement of our fellow- beings, by which our own happiness is secured—to the aa of those boundless fields of useful knowledge spread around us, and seeking their appli- cation to the improvement of man in all that can | enhance his happiness and ennoble his being. | Home Thoughts for Married and Single. The Rev. Dr. Kennedy, pastor of the Methodist Church, Washington street, Brooklyn, delivered a lecture upon this subject, on Monday evening, at the | Institute in that city. There was a pretty numerous and highly respectable audience present. Ata quar- ter before 8 o'clock the reyerend gentleman entered the room, and was received with applause. The lec- turer commenced by commenting upon the haste and | enthusiasm, if not impetuosity, with which the na- tional mind moves, if at all convinced of the impor- tance of any new mechanical, scientific, political, re- ligious, or commercial discovery or doctrine, leading | the people to a neglect of the more sedate duties of social life. In defiance of this principle, if not deemed presumptive, he would take a seat at the domestic fireside, and discourse upon a subject which was well | examined and understood before men’s minds were impelled with telegraph speed and one hundred horse Romer, The lecturer then reviewed the ditferent or- ders of pursuit in life, which man is destined to fol- lowfor subsistence, assigning the first place to the | eet and pointed out the different effegts | which habits and daily engagements have up- on connubial bliss. He then showed how the perfect of enjoyment of this earthly blessing could be obtained by the mutual toleration of faults and foibles between husband and wife, and a due observance of that courtesy and at- tention shown to each other prior to marriage, ac- companied by deference and respect. The conclud- ing portion of the lecture was taken up with some terse and very apposite remarks upon the training up and discipline of children, during which, the speaker said: When that great alarm shall be sounded with the tramp of an archangel, and the fire of the last day shall wrap the world in one wide scene of conflagration, may those anzel ones whose duty it shall be to save the pure “ amid the wreck of matter and the crash of worlds,” evince to you the holier friendship of @ higher state; and amid those man- sions where the gloom of midnight never falls— where alarms are neversounded, and where the terri- fic glare of upheaving ruin never breaks upon the ear of affrighted woman or shuddering childhood—where the brow of eternal brightness spans the path upon which the upright come to the house of God—there may you meet— Life’s ocean crossed, no wanderer lost— ‘A family in heaven. CELEBRATION OF WASHINGTON’S BIRTHDAY BY THE Militia and Civic Societies of the City, Brercises of the Order of United Americans, at Metropolitan Hall. Celebration by the Eighth Regiment, Wash- ington Grays, at the Tabernacle. ORATION OF N. B. BLUNT, ESQ. | ILLUMINATION OF THE CITY HALL, &., &e, ke. Appearance of the Park and City Hall. About ten o’clock in the forenoon, the different military companies passed through the Park, where they were reviewed by his Honor the Mayor. Among those which were reviewed, we noticed Eighth regi- ment, Washington Grays, Garde Lafayette, the Vete- rans of 1812, and the New York Volunteers. Before night had set in, the whole front of the City Hall was illuminated with candles. A large trans- parency of Washington was erected in front of the balcony of the Governor's Room, over which were the following transparencies, which were brilliant- ly illuminated during the entire evening :— goccecocococgccolCe © Washington, born Feb. 22, 1732. 0 ° ° ° 0) ° © TICONDEROGA, 0 BUNKER HILL. 0 SARATOGA. 0 LEXINGTON. 0 Soocceodcocosooecccco0|cDNS On the west side, facing Broadway, were the fol- lowing :— eooccooe coos 0D OO COCO OOOO DON o ° ° oO O WHITEPLAINS. 0 TRENTON. 0 CAMDEN. 0 Soecocccocsoccccesoococeo[s On the east side, facing French's Hotel, were also the three following transparencies, which were greatly admired by the people:— A ° ° ° © MONMOUTH. © BRANDYWINE. © YORKTOWN. 0 o ° ° ° o eoooecococo oo OcooC OC ODDDOD Exercises of the Order of United Americans at Metropolitan Hall, The birthday of Washington was celebrated in an appropriate manner, by this Order. About twelve o’clock the members of the Order passed infront of the City Hall in review before his Honor the Mayor, and from there up to Metropolitan Hall, where they were to celebrate the day, and hear the oration of J. W. Bryce. Long before they arrived there the two upper circles were filled to their utmost capacity with ladies and children. About one o'clock, the society enter- ed the hall, escorted by the Continentals, and seated themselves in the parquette, the band playing “ Yan- kee Doodle.” The proceedings opened with “ Washington's ani which was performed by Adams’ Cornet and. The Rey. A. D. Griuirte then offered up an clo- quent prayer. The “Star Spangled Banner” was then sung by the New York Quartette Association. The letters from the invited guests were then read. Among the number of Spolceies sent were letters from President Fillmore, Hon. Edward Everett, Com- modore Stockton, Hon. G. Briggs, and Hon. James Brooks, Esq. A quartette was then sung by the Quartette Asso- ciation. ‘The Band then played ‘Hail to the Chief,” which was loudly applauded. The New York Quartette Association then sung another quartette, which elicited thunders of ap- lange. LY J. W. Bryce, of Franklin Chapter No. 9, then delivered the oration. He began by saying they had assembled to celebrate the birthday of one whose deeds were his eulogy. He was not there to speak of his deeds; these deeds were embalmed forever, | even with those who doubted their principles. It was not his purpose to talk of Monmouth, Brandy- wine, or Yorktown. He would not tell them of the dark days of the Revolution, when the patriots were inspired by God, while their feet were racked with pain by walking with their bare feet on the ice on their way to Valley Forge. They should admire | Washington for the number of qualities that were | combined in that great man. Cesar achieved victo- ries which will remain emblazoned forever; but it | was ambition that inspired him to those deeds, Cromwell achieved victories; but his cruelty and fa- naticism disgusted his fellow countrymen. Napoleon was also a great conqueror; but ambition was his only aim. How different was Washington’s course. Born of no noble family, accepting the command of | and a select number of ladies and gentlemen. the Revolutionary army with diffidence, he was not only a soldier, but a statesman that never erred. Scarce three quarters of a century have passed since the Revolution, and this country hass been blessed be yond the most absurd exaggerations of the patriots 0° those days. It was his purpose, with the consent of the audiences to point out those principles which were most important to the American people. Washing- | ton, in his Farewell Address, warned and besought them to preserve the union of the States inviolate, as the only way the Union could be preserved. To sup- port the constitution is the duty of every American citizen,and to support it they should study it carefully. He wished them to see the importance of a union of the government. Every man who hasa spark of true spirit should revere the words of George Washington. (Applause.) This country, which is now Haat from Maine to California, will in a few years become s0 solid that no body can tear its bonds asunder. They were not a political party, but Americans, who were to preserve this country inviolate from all harm and danger. (Cheering, and great applause.) Washington pointed out, in language so deli- cate, the danger of severing the Union, that we should obey his instructions implicitly. He told them to heware of a love for military glory. One great object of their society was to prevent any danger which may threaten the Union. Another, which they took ‘from Washington’s Address, was obedience to the laws. The Order have sustained the laws for years past, and if it was necessary they would waste the last drop of their blood in the attempt. (Applause.) It has been said that in try- ing to carry out the principles of Washington, they had transgressed one of his first—that was; the forming of associations; but they were formed for the purpose of defending his principles. Nobody wel- comed political refugees to this country with warmer Tearts than the United Americans; but they were opposed to intervention, which that sturdy | beggar, Kossuth, advocated. (Great ee | Their Order was formed for the purpose of allevia- ting the evils of p politics. Washington told them that party spiritshould never be nurtured, and that this country should not meddle with other na- tions, for it would ruin the commerce and the proa- | perity of this free Jand. He then went on to say that | it. they should pay more attention to the principles of Washington, and more especially to that part of them which referred to non-intervention. To pro- mote the principles of this great man was the Order ofthe United Americansestablished. (A) pplause.) A quartette was then sung by the New York Quartette Association. “Hail Columbia” was then played by the Band. The exercises concluded with the Benediction, which was pronounced by the Rey. A. D. Gillitte. The audience then retired, the Band playing “Yankee Doodle.” : The Proceedings at the Tabernacle, At the Tabernacle it had been arranged that N+ Bowditch Blunt, Esq., was to deliver an oration at half- past one o'clock, to portions of the Eighth regiment The invitation was likewise extended to one hundred and fifty of the Veterans of 1812 and the Mexican Volun-e teers. Long before the appointed hour, the building began to be filled. In the centre was disposed Com- pany A of the Washington Grays, under the com- mand of Captain Lyons; Company B, under Captain Burger; Company C, under Captain Andrews; Com- pany D, under Captain Little; Company E, under Captain Chamberlain, and Company F, under Cap- tain Quin. On either side were a troop ot Washing. ton Grays, under Captain Bunyan, and the Blue troop, under Captain Patterson. To the extreme left were the Veterans, under Colonel Haight, and on the right were about twenty of the Volunteers, under Colonel Burnett. When this latter body came into the room, they were honored by all the company rising and cheering vehemently when their tattered flags were displayed. Adkins’ Brass Band occupied the seats immediately under the organ, and, before the proceedings commenced, played ‘All's Well,” “Kathleen Mavourneen,” ‘Washington's March,” and, amidst cheers, “Hail Columbia.” On the conclusion of this national air, Major Gene- ral Sandford, Generals Hall and Morris, Rey. Dr. Van Pelt, Mr. Blunt, and other gentlemen, entered from an inner room, and ascended the platform. General Sanprorp occupied the chair, and called upon Dr. Van Pelt to offer up prayer. The reverend- gentleman acceded to the request, and in most ap- propriate words called down the Divine blessing on the country in general and on the present proceed- ings in particular. General Sanprorp then introduced, N. Bowprtcn Bunt, Esq., who came forward and said:—The birthday of Washington! What throng- ing memories cluster around this hallowed day! How swells the heart with patriotic pride at men- tion of the immortal name of Washington! Ladies, Citizens, and Citizen Soldiers—I am here, in obe- dience to your welcome commands, to perform the honored duty which your partiality has assigned to me. Nearly seventy years have rolled into the abyss of time since that memorable era, when, forced by stern necessity, the parent country recognized the rights of herinfant progeny, and acknowledged her existence as a sovereign and independent nation. The two or three millions who survived that deadly ti le have swelled into a teeming population of Upwards of twenty millions—the sisterhood of the ola thirteen has increased to a united family of thirty-one; and the constrained limits of our ancient domain, orsrsaping the rcenied ridges of the rocky barriers of he West, and breasting success- fully the turbid waters of the Father of Rivers, now claim the mighty lakes and their outlets at the North, the Great River (Rio Grande) at the South, and the vast expanse of two mighty oceans East and West, as their present boundaries. The prophecies and taunts which, in greeting her birth, proclaimed for the infant republic a sickly existence and prema- ture death, have, like their authors, passed into obli- vion. ‘The great problem has been solyed. The capacity of man for self-government is no longer an experiment; and, in the pride of honest fame, the American republic stands before the world a vast and gplendid monument of civil and religious liberty. Well may we, year by year, accord our joyous greet- ing at the return of that day which gave birth to him, who, under Providence, above all and more than all, was the instrument of effecting this great and enduring good. Welcome, thrice welcome, then, be this glorious an- niversary; and again and again let the cheer go forth with which we hail the ead of our Wash- ington! It isnot on an occasion, nor before an audi- ence like this, that I am required to recount the his- tory of his career. From earliest infancy it has been impreseed upon every American heart. The tales of the nursery, the child’s first primer, the youth's reader, the class book, the history of the Revolution, and the “ Lifé and Writings of Washington,” by our own American biographer, the accomplished Sparks, have performed that task alike for the infant mind, the youthful understanding, and the matured intel- lect of manhood and age. I well remember, in my boyish days, with what avidity I scanned his portrait as portrayed in the graceful and elegant language of a cotemporary, the Marquis Chastellux. Having vi- sited him at his headquarters, he thus writes:—“ The continent of North America, from‘Boston to Charles- ton is a great volume, every page of which presents his eulogium. Brave, without temerity—laborious, without ambition—generous, without prodigality— noble, without pride—virtuous, without severity—he seems always to have confined himself within those limits where the virtues, in clothing themselves in more lively but more changeable and doubtful colors, may be mistaken for faults. His stature is noble and lofty—his physiognomy mild and agreeable. He has neither a grave nor a familiar air. His brow is sometimes marked with thonght, but never with inquietude. Inspiring respect, he inspires confidence, and his smile is always the smile of benevolence.” Such was the portrait of the living man, as drawn while yet in the command of the army, and in the seventh year of the war. When the war of the Revolution broke out Washington was in the prime of manhood. ‘Trained to arms from early youth, he united in his person all the moral and physical attributes which befit, as they should belong to, exalted station. His wisdom, patriotism and ex- perience, pointed him out above all others as the chosen man ordained by Heaven to work out our emancipation. When, therefore, in the Congress of 1775, atter the encounters of Lexington and Concord, it became evident that the struggle had commenced, that great champion of independence, John Adams, at once directed the attention of Congress to Col. Washington, then a member, ‘‘as a gentleman whose skill and experience as as an officer, whose indepen- dent fortune, great talents, and excellent universal character, would command the approbation of all America, and unite the cordial exertions of all the colonies, better than any other person in the Union.” On the next day, 15th June, 1775, Washington was unanimously elected General and Commander-in- Chief of the Army of the United Colonies. Two days after this memorable event, and on the very day on which his commission was signed by Congress, occurred that first great battle of the Revolution, which has rendered the name of Bunker Hill immor- tal, and inscribed on the roll of martyred patriots the imperishable name of Warren. The warof the reyo- lution was not a mere struggle about stamps, ora strife abouttea. It was a war of principle, a contest for supremacy of two great antagonistic forces—arbitra- ry power on the one side, and civil and religious | liberty on the other. Between these opposing pow- ers a war of ages had already ensued. Baffled oft— at times subdued—the etherial spirit, although slum- | bering through the dark night of the Middle Ages, awoke with the Reformation, and again renewed the | contest. From that time it has gone on triumphing and to triumph. “Human pgency cannot extinguish Like the earth’s central fire, it may be smothered fora time, the ocean may overwhelm it, mountains may press it down, but its inherent and Liptay ble force will heave both the ocean and the land, and, at some time or other, in some place or other, the volcano will break ont and flame up to heaven. Of the events of the Revolution I propose not to speak. The scaffyld, the dungeon, and the prison ship, alike performed their work of Nt bec and cruelty. The pattle fields of the Revolution have now become classic ground, and the names of Saratoga, White Plains, fonmouth, Trenton, Camden, and Yorktown, are familiar as household words. Through fire and blood the noble spirits of that day went on their course of political regeneration and national salvation. But a greater work still remained : the work of devising and framing a form of goyernment for themselves and posterity. The original colonization of the Northern portion of the American continent was con- trolled by different influences, and directed by dis- cordant and various interests. Thus, while on the bleak and barren rock of Plymouth, a band of exiles, prompted by high religious faith, and seeking an asylum wherein to worship God according to the dictates of their own consciences, planted a colony, the stern Puritan spirit of whose founders existed in much of its ancient force at the period of the revo- lution, other causes and other influences had controlled the colonization of the middle and Southern colonies and provinces. Personal _ad- yenture, and the spirit of commercial aggrandize- ment, had operated sees in the settlement of Vir- inia and New York, while the peaceful followers of Penn, and the Catholic companions of Baltimore, still maintained their fixed and variant religious creeds. To unite under one form of government the descendants of the Cavaliers and the Roundheads— of the followers of Luther and Calvin—the proscribed Huguenot—the ences Quaker, and the zealous disciple of Romish supremacy, was no eas; task; and with many fears and misgivings was the Convention held of which Washington was president, and to which we owe that sacred charter of constitutional lberty which forms the bond (may itinever be broken) of our glorious Union. The sages who framed the constitution, brought to the work a thorough know- ledge of the science of , rere, @ practical ex- perience, an ardent patriotism, and an earnest, un- selfish desire to promote the best welfare of the whole country. Sectional feelings, if they tempora- rily existed, were finally surrendered, personal pre- ferences were abandoned, and upon the altar of a common country, local interests, private feelings, and individual rights were freely offered up a sacrifice. Looking to the fate of the ancient republics of Carthage, Greece, and Rome, the Italian republics of the Middle Ages, and the more modern republics of continental Europe, they cautiously avoided their defects, and as skillfully applied all their virtues, “Unembarrassed by attachments to noble families, ditary lines and successions, or any considera- tions of royal blood, even the pious mystery of holy oil had no more influence than that other one of holy water. The experiment was made, and has com- plet ucceeded. It can no longer be called in ques- tion ier authority in magistrates and obedie of citizens can be grounded on reason, morality, and the Christian religion, without the mockery of priests or the knavery of politicians.” After the adoption of the constitution, Washington was unani: mously elected the first President, and on the 30th of April, 1789, the oath of office’ was administered by the Chancellor of the State of New York, in front of the old Federal Hall, in Wall street, on the site of the present custom house. Officers of the First di- vision! Soldiers of the Kighth regiment! The Second and Third regiments of the former organization of the present First division, were on duty at that time. Captain (afterwards General) Jacob Morton, was in command of one of the companies. The flags used by the Second regiment upon that occasion are now in the possession of the Common Council of this city. The Bible on which Washington was sworn is in the care of St. John’s Lodge No.1 of Free Ma- sons, and has been used at every inauguration from that time to the present. It ‘will undoubtedly be used at the inauguration of General Pierce. It is a precious relic, held sacred by the Lodge, and when required to be used is sent to Washington city in the charge of a committee of masons. The old Butcher troop, so called from the fact that all the original members were butchers, was raised about the 1505, and was subsequently commanded by Captaim Joseph O. Bogert, a well known and highly respected citizen. The second troop of the regiment, the Washington Greys, is of more recent origin, and was raised by Captain Edward Phillips, a patriotic and valuable man. During the war of 1812, the regiment was mustered into the service of the United Btates, under the command of Colonel O. Bogert, who was succeeded by Colonel William T. Hunter, who con- tinued as ifs head for several years. He was fol- lowed by Colonel James Lee, Colonel Nathan, T. Arnold, Colonel Charles W. Sandford, Colonet aearge P. Morris, Colonel William Hall, Colonel John W. Avery, Colonel John W. Styles, Colonel William Borden, and Colonel Thomas T. Devoe, its present. popular commandant. The regiment has been re- markable in many ways, but in none more so than in the number of eminent men who have been attached to its ranks. It was the military school of four, if not five, general officers. The first of these dis- tinguished himself in many battles, and was after- wards General-in-Chief of the United States Army— I refer to Major-General Alexander Macomb. Vete- rans of 1812, many of you now present can testify to his valor at Fort George, Niagara, and the fields of Plattsburg, which bespeak his courage, military skill, and devotion to the cause of his country General Macomb was always proud of his connectiog with the old Third regiment, and at a large bam quet, given some years ago by the corps, he alluded to it in the most gratifying language. My friend ox the right, the aaee efficient and deservedly Ase yu lar commanding officer of the division, Major General Charles W. Sandford, was promoted front this regiment. Iam looking for my friend Morris, the poet General—aye, there he is—he of whom Willis has truly said : “ Morris has hung the most beautiful thoughts in the world upon hingesof honey, and his songs are destined to roll over bright li enough to form a sunset.” He, too, sprung from the ranks of this popular corps; and of the many thousands who belonged to the division at the time he joined it, 1am informed, ¥e is the only one who now belongs to it. General William Hall, now com manding the third brigade, succeeded General Mor- ris in the command of the regiment. General Hall, in addition to his various milit commis- sions, has filled other important public trusts, in the Senate of the State and the munictpal councils of the city. It is believed, also, that Gene- ral Jacob Morton commenced his mili career in the Second regiment. There are many others whom I might honorably mention, but I forbear. Two, however, I may recall to your recollection : the for- mer Adjutant, Abraham vroort, now Lieutenant Colonel of the Marine Corps of the United States, and Colonel Richard M. Hoe, the inventor of the lightning printing press, a public benefactor whoce name will descend to ponterity with those of Frank- lin, Morse and Fulton. New York Volunteers! Gal- lant remnant of many a hard fought field, you whose names are imperishably connected with Cerro Gordo, Contreras, Cherubusco, and Chepultapec—you, too, many of you, owe your first rudiments of. in- struction ‘and martial aspirations to its time-honored ranks; honor to your valor, and may that justice, hitherto deferred, be rendered by a grateful country to your worth. Gentlemen, I have called your atten- tion to the circumstances under which your constitu- tion was formed, and of its practical workings. Ita effects ney be seen in your crowded marta, your wide-s) Ae ee per mer temples of arte and religion, your system of education, your prosper- ous mechanics, your growing city, the gael prosperity and happiness of the country, tle- men, that constitution is your inheritance. It be- longs to you to say whether it shall be squandered transmitted. ant wae co — it Lee be ae ‘ou received it, unimpaired, to your rs ie : irit of Washington, speaking in farewell ad- reas, invokes you to yourduty. Other and unholy influences may beset you; you may be to the deceit and wiles of reckless adventarers; the in- sidious appeals of naprinclneg demagpatie may af- fect your passions ; but, gentlemen, I conjure you, yield’not, raise not a sacrilegious hand against that sacred instrument of your liberties, and to the deep damnation of eternal infamy be consigned the tempter and the traitor. An American citizen has many duties to perform to his country. No pomp of birth, no pride of ancestry, no heraldic lineage, or armo- rial bearings, grace his name, or affect his any Himself a sovereign, as Louis XIV. exclaimed, “Tam the State,” the American citizen proudly re- plies, “The State isin me.’ Vor popeti vox est ei. “The voice of the people is the voice of Gh.” The chief magistrate of this great commercial mé- tropolis, he is one of the people. He who, but a few days since, passed through our city to fulfil the high duties imposed upon him by the of his fellow citizens, as the executive head of the na- tion, he is one of the people; and in what consists their power? Why is it that their simple request assumes all the importance of, and is obeyed as, a command. It is because through them the people speak; because in them they recognise the legal em- bodiment of their wishes, and the protector of their rights; because here, above all other lands, “Sovereign law, the States collected will, O’er globes and thrones elate Sits Empress—crowning good, repressing ill.’ Cherish, then, fellow citizens, above all other sessions—cherish those principles which Washing: ton has inculcated. Let his admonitions be always uppermost in your thoughts. Citizens of a common country, that country has a right to concentrate your affections. Avoid all combinations and asso: ciations under whatever plausible character, “ the real design of which is to direct, control, or awe, the regular deliberation and action of the constituted authorities.” uard against the banefal effect of mere party spiri “ Observe eed faith and justice towards all nations.” “ Against the insiduous wiles of foreign influence be constantly awake, and above all, preserve that unity of government wi ich consti- tutes you one people.” Remember, gentlemen, that governments are not formed ina day. Political in- stitutions, unlike the experiments of the laboratory, require ages to be tested. It is far easier to destro: than to build up. The mighty oak of the fores?, which has required centuries to rear its trunk, and strengthen its filres, and strike its roots, and spread its branches, may be felled in a single hour. All over continental urope revolutions have again and again convulsed the world. Dynasties have been overturned in a single day. The uprisen masses have at times succeeded, only to be plunged into a profounder gulf of human degradation ; superstition, absolutism, despotism and anarchy, have paralysed. oppressed, enchained, and destroyed the intellectual and the physical energies of the downtrodden people. The human mind, Prometheuslike, chained to the rock io ignorance ye Ps : fer al a Sines. reyed upon, never diminishing, thou; con- Uneally devoured by the human vultures born of Cai and tyranny. nn de: . and Uy ferocity, human penury and imp‘ luxury, squali ignoranee and profound knowledge, stand fn awful contrast. There is no medium. ‘The two ex- tremes of human misery and human splendor are in juxtaposition. What wonder, then, that at the promptings of fell a this mass of misery and wretchedness should at times seek relief from their worse than human tortare. Aye, so it is, and so it will be until the end is ac- complished. The proudest cities of Europe have recked with human blood. Again and again will the cry of oppression go A and will dynastioe crumble, bod kingdoms be aerined, until the doctrine of Christian charity and human equality shall finally prevail. Be , then, gen- tlemen, that you are free from these miseries, and hold fast to’ that Union which has so far preserved you from the civil discords of other Iands. My task is ian jane ms 6 peony -women, Whose presence here has shed a sunny radiance uy the soleianities of the day, whose Senitles and affections cheer and sustain us in. the ragged encounters life, through whom and from whom we derive those gentler and holier aspirations which serve to purge our grosser humanity—to you I appeal. In that sphere which is peculiarly your own, in the