The native American. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1840, 1839-03-09

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The basis Of all our institutions i, laid 10 the dtel
ligence of the people and as the people become
more or less enlightened, the security and perpe.
tuity OF those institutions become more or less
sured. This; therefore, us considerations, which
involves. the well-being' Of our entire frame Of
GoyernTenti and lit cannot without manifest
lack OF patriotism and disregard of public virtue;
oe overlooked by any public man. -: VI.
. In that section Of the country, where the Chair
man OF this meeting resides is well known, that
there y strong feeling Of deyotedness 10 this
great interesting diffusion OF intelligence. That
feeling has latterly risen; 10 what may be termed
excitement: The. schools, which for more. than
two hundred years have. been shedding blessings
upon these Eastern CONFERENCE.-The, are regarded
as deficient in the existing State and prospects Of
the. world; and the attempt. is now strenuously
making to elevate their character and enlarge Their
usefulness. Z. :, '' ,- ,.'..
The interpostion Of this Society for the. Diff
sion of Knowledge. is, in this regard peculiarly.
[opPortne:. The youth. whose education, on 1eav.
ing the schools to enter uponthe business Of the
world is but begun, will be furnished by this So.
eiety with the means Of carrying forward that edu-
cation; and the intellect may thus be cherished
and the heart be improved by. "a process Of educa-
ton, that shall be going on through life, and reach
into eternity. The purposes of the Society, in
this view, are .unspeakably bene6eent and. in
every light; in which this can be regarded are pre-
eniuendy. entitled to the Recommendation which
the resolution sets FORTH '-t". =.
| DocToR SEwALL rose and Said, Mr., Chairman,
there is distinguished stranger now on a visit to
our City, and present with US at this meeting,
whose name is familiar TO us ALL, as scholar and
philanthropist, and whose -labors have long been
identified with the great objects ofeducation and
although it is late hour Of the evening. I doubt
not the audience would listen. with pleasure to
any remarks he maybe induced to make. upon this.
most interesting OCCASION Therefore, introduce
to you Mr.: GEoRGE ComBE, Of Edinburg. : e
Mr.: GEORGE Connie Of Edinburg, rose and said,
II feel great embarrassment in being thus unex-
PectedIy:caled on. by DocToR SEwALL. !. came
here to listen and to receive Instructions and have
been greatly delighted, but do not presume that
any IDEAS which can communicate can prove in
teresting or new to this: very intelligent audience
SHALL however to show my hearty approval Of
the cause, throw out such. remarks as have pres
ented themselves to my mind + rejoice exceed. ,
ingy In being present atthis meeting for promoting
the Diffusion Of Useful knowledge. / have: re-
Gently, travelled over part Of the Continent of.
Europe, and know something of the state of the
public mind in Britain !, and every where there is
call for education loud and urgent, in proportion
to the degree of Liberty: enjoyed by. The people
The eyes Of all the civilized world are bent on free
America: If you proceed in the path Of pros
pery morality, religion and reason, the cause of
freedom is won in every. cline. IF you make
sbipwreck Of social order. despair of the desnes
Of mankind. But America will not fail in her duty
to herself and TO the other nations Of the EARTH
Every where, since entered this country, i have
heard the opinion Of men Of all sects, and all parties
lxy &c II,
only basis Of your future greatness and prosperity
We are just merging from the obscurities Of the
dark ages we are in state Of transition we have
discovered the vast extent Of popular ignorance
and only now, for the first time since the world
began, has it been resolved to remove it. =:
have listened with great interest to the statisti-
cal details that have been presented to this meet
ing and to the analysis Of the productions Of the
press in this country. / beg to: remark, however
illustrative of the importance Of education, that
the perodicalpress does not lead 50 much as it FOL-
1ows public opinion. In: Edinburg, / was inti.
Inately acquainted with some Of the gentlemen :,
who conducted the most powerful journals issued :
by the press OF Scotland, and they assured me that
the atainments and dispositions Of the public mind
prescribed boundaries to their exertions, which
they could not venture Tashly to overstep IF thew
desredto advocate principle, moral Or polit-.
ical, they could succeed in making an impression
only by the most cautious enuncations and fire. =
qqent reeration. !, The Messrs Chambers had:
found it necessary when they commenced their
!" Edinburg. Journal for the people, Ia journal
published weekly, in 4 pages Of large quafto and
sold at cents,) to introduce into its columns a
large infusion of the marvel lous, the fictitious and
even spice Of the horrible to induce the people''
TO purchase and to- read it. These articles were
the ''wings" which waited along portion Of IN
structve knowledgein every.number. After having >
snpped full of the = imaginative the readers :
turned at last to the solid and the true and bya
beautiful! arrangement Of Providence in consttu-.
ting the human mind, these remained long after the
wild and the fanefnl had faded from the memory.
They found that ip proportion as they led on their
readers by insensi5le and unobtrusve steps to the
perusaI of truth they were safe in substituting
biography and history in the place Of fiction, and
that the space dedicated to natural science might
be greatly enlarged. Their journal now, at the
end of -four or FIVE years, enjoys a circulation of "
$4,000 copies weekly and is one of the most In
cfiv md YT,>ifo r.