The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1838-11-28

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the most eminent men, living or dead, to a
highly useful and respectable Literary Society
in Baltimore, will be read with no ordinary
interest, not only by the student. but by all
classes Of peopie.-Bah. Pat.
Messrs. LEWIS AUDoUN, H. d. McCULLocH,
and &. L. L. LEARY, Committee of the
Franklin Association of Baltimore.
WASHINGTON, 22d June, 1888.
Gentlemen IL have no words to express
my gratitude fer the kind feelings and more
than friendly estimate Of my character con-
tanned in your letter of the 9th inst, and am
not less at loss for language to utter the hu-
initiation of deep conviction how little your
panegyrc has been deserved.
Were it even so far deserved that could
feel myself qualified to give you the advice
which you desire, it would afford me the most
heartfelt pleasure to give it, but situated in life
as you represent yourselves to be, could
scarcely name any list of books, or of authors
which could recommend as equally worthy
of attention to you all. The first and almost
the only book deserving such universal recon-
mendation, Is THE BIBLE-and in recon-
mending that, l fear that some Of you will
think am performing superfluous, and
others very unnecessary office-yet such is
my deliberate opinion. The Bible is the book
Of all othersto be read at all ages and in all
conditions Of human life--not to be read once
or twice or thrice through, and then TO be laid
aside; but to be read in small portions of one
or two chapters, every day, and never 10 be
intermitted, unless by some overruIing neces-
sity.
This attentive and repeated reading of the
Bible, in small portions every day, leads the
mind to habitual meditation upon subjects of
the highest interest to the welfare of the indi-
:yidual in this world, as well as to prepare him
tor that hereafter, to which we are all destined.
1t furnishes rules of conduct for our conduct
towards others in our social relations. In the
commandments delivered from Sinai, in the
.inlmitable sublimity of the Psalms and Of the
prophets, in the profound and concentrated OBJ
servations upon human life and manners en-
bodied in the Proverbs of Solomon, in the
philosophical allegory SO beautifully set forth
in the narrative of facts, whether real or ina
ginary, Of the book of Job, an active mind
cannot peruse single chapter and lay the
book aside to think, and take it up again to-
morrow, without finding in it advice for our
own conduct, which we may turn to useful
account in the progress Of our daily pilgrimage
upon Earth-and when we pass from the old
Testament to the new, we meet at once a sys-
TEN Of universal morality founded upon one
precept Of universal application, pointing us
to peace and good will towards the whole race
of man for this life, and to peace with God,
and an ever blessed existence hereafter.
My friends, il all or any of you have spiri-
tual pastors to guide you in the paths of sal
walton, do not imagine that | am encroaching
upon the field of their appropriate services-l
speak as man of the world to men of the
world, and | say to you Search the Scrip
lures! If ever you tire of them in seek
ing for a rule of faith and standard Of
morals, search them as records of HIS
tory. General and compendious history is
one of the fountains of human knowledge to
which you should all resort with steady and
persevering pursuit. The Bible contains the
only authentic introduction to the history of
the world; and in storing your minds with the
facts Of this history, you will Immediately per-
ceive the need Of assistance from Geography
and Chronology. These assstances you may
find in many of the Bibles published with
commentaries, and you can have no difficulty
in procuring them. Acquain: yourselves with
the Chronology and Geography Of the Bible
that will lead you to a general knowledge of
Chronology and of Geography, ancient and
modern, and these will open to you an mex
haustible fountain of knowledge, respecting
the globe which you inhabt, and respecting
the race of man, its inhabitant, to which you
yourselves belong. You may pursue these
inquiries just so far as your time and inclina-
ton will permit. Give one hour of mental
application-for you must not read without
thinking, or you will read to little purpose
give an hour of joint reading and thought to
the chronology, and one to the geography of
the Bible, and if it introduces you to too hard
study, stop there Even for those two
hours,you will ever after read the Bible, land any
other history with more iruit-more ntelli-
gence-more satisfaction. But, if those two
hours excite your curiosity, and tempt you to
devote part Of an hour every day for year or
years, to study thoroughly the chronology and
geography of the Bible, it will not only lead
you far deeper than you will otherwise ever
penetrate into the knowledge of the book, but
1t will spread floods Of light upon every step
you shall ever afterwards take in acquiring the
knowledge of proiane history, and upon the
local habltatIon of every tribe Of man, and upon
the name OF every nation into which the chill
dren of Adam have been divided.
There are many other subsidiary studies,
to which you may devote more or less of time,
for the express purpose of making your Bible
reading more Ineligible to yourselves. 1t is
book which neither the most ignorant and
weakest, nor the most learned and intelligent
mind can read without Improvement
There are other books of great worth and