The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1844-02-09

tined to live on earth after the pyramids shall have
tun,bed into ruins. To him alone given the ian
mortal conquest u ihe,bfgbt pIt Of the aurora 10
reals and the Numbering nin,ler Of the Storm king
From carly childhood 70 young manhood, We arr
told he loved the heavng swell Of the ocean-tbe
vivid sports of the playful ghlning-the gentle tale
Of the whispering winds, AID the soil tone OF the star
~ sserhssJ Companionless, these formed his sssoei
ates They were TO him ke the breath and the voice
Of bright-eyed one-a blessing unsposkabe. May II
not have been errac ray oi the future iluminiDg
his mind--a presentimen Of approaching fame, which
led him thus TO fonde Old Oceans name, and, with
the elements and the quick spirit OF the universe 70
hold his dialogues"
Th, subject Of nature and natures laws 70 med
study congenIa 10 he disposition and best adapt
ell 10 he great Intellect of FrankliI. Newton, that
arch philosopher, having laid bare the mechanism OF
the world had Just LEI the OF his splendid ieats
minge with The beings of higher cline. La vain
bad OF science attempted 10 follow up bis sublime
discoveries Each sphere was seen 10 move on, noise
lessly, through the inmeasurable fields OF space The
true motion and shape OF earth had been explained
but sui It's internal structure seemed heterogeneous
mess. IA sped together without system or harmony
Franklin touched il with his magic wand, and order
out Of chaos sprung. Other beauties than those OF
the far blossoms OF spring the rich fruits OF autumn
the flowing nsul.t, the winding dale and the hoary
mountain, disclosed themselves 10 mans enraptured
gaze. The penetrating stream of electric fire became
insiilled ALTO those sterile and unknown substances
which net the eye VIII revef II was turned, and arous-
ed their dormant energies. The soul Of the hard and
leess rock and dngy ore and the bright spirit Of the
diamond, were awake ned from their death-ke sleep
OF ages burst their sepuchral ceremenis and eaped
forth 10 IN the r~dian band OF aerial essences The
elements Of matter were purified OF lhtir dross and
the oh storehouses OF nature filed with silver and
gold uncounted,
hose precious d, ings for which men sell their souls
were opened All things wore different aspect, and
nations stood ave struck and dszzed hy his of
brilliant Jlsc From these Wa nhnren uf
the Atlantic, over the ocean, through England Ger
many, France aud Itay--ihat sunny land to the
black borders OF the Baltic his borne upon
the wings OF the wind, and echoed back in the voice
OF the loud speaking thunder Those proud lords,
who passed him by with scorn, when a boy in tho
streets OF ndon, together with the conceited prin
Of Europe, hocked to witness the wonders Of
his experiments, and knelt down and did image, as
TO a mighty conqueror.'
But, gentlemen, think not that Franklin won this
extensive without labor. The laurelled
wreath was even with him contested; nor did he
win IT except by the most arduous struggle. Victory
in science has yet been gratuitously bestowed
on any man Truth wears enchanting garb-she
generally comes 10 US SO roughly clad, that we
disposed to repe her, and embrace, in preference,
her smiling and gaily dressed antagonist, deception.
lie who binds his hear to truth, must 50 steel il"
against the world-those errors ard prejudces which
time and the passions of men have established and
sanctioned, yield to ordinary exertion. Your
opinions, before they uttered "must first be
stretched upon the rack Of experiment and passed
through The intense heats Of the laboratory'-and
even then you must practice patience under the
abuse, and hrmness under the opposition of those
woulI-be men OF letters and scientific critics who
apt to flock around unvei sites and seats of learning
like the in the fable, for the purpose of robIng
and dressing themselves up those gaudy feathers
the flimsy opinions of others--who content to
hobble in the old worn out paths Of alsehooJ, and
whose genius never attempts the difficult ascent of
know mt do -Iret he
performance, but because it made only to grovel
IN the dust and mre Of folly and passion. These
were the men who spurned Columbus-these were
they who carried the Father of Science the venera-
bic Calico, through the tortures Of the lnqusilion
these were the ignorant professors who scoded at the
immortal Newton, though they met and Toasted with
him at the same board-and these were the preten-
ders OF the Royal Society," hope the, 4re no lon
gr so-who laughed at the theories OF the great sage
Franklin. For unately Tor mankind he had seen
too much of the world, now, To be waver,d in hts
course 10y Idle difficulties. Steadi he pursued his
experiments slowly his Investigation, and finally his
brls h,est hopes were realized. His propositions
based upon the imIDuiable laws of nature and they
will stand when those sycophans in learning together
with their shadowy works, shall have been swept in
to The deep golf OF oblivion
When their very names shall be forgotten"
We have have now, gentlemen arrived at the fourth
and most interesting era 10 Fiankins life. As Hal
lam has remarked, III bis Middle Ages concerning
his history OF that dark and eventful period SO NAV
with regard to our review OF Fianklin's career
: We began in darkness and calamity, Yet as
We advanced the shadows grew fainter and
fainter hen the freshness Of morning breath
ed upon us, aud now, the din twilight has
redeemed into dpy' NE have seen him as a
boy, through the assistance Of untirng energy and
asng perseverance, throwing aside the etiers OF
gnorance and bursting through the bonds Of poverty.
We have viewed him as the true patriot attending to
the Interests of ms country and promoting the hsppi-
ness OF ms fellow citizens and we have beheld him as
the philosopher, making discoveries in science which
men had ntytr dreamed OF. We have now 10 regard
him as The statesman, the defender of our rights and
the wa cLiul sentinel of the Revolution. Already
has he been thrice vct,rious-hrsi over himf lG-se-
condly he subdued The passions and Of othois
and thirdly, the Mysterious agent Of the tempesi
yielded 10 him submssIyey. He is now 10 appear As
one ofthe ach e,,rs # lhe literes OF mankind for
The voice oiihe Declaration of our Independence one
OF The draughtsmen Of which glonsus instrument be
was Will be ct has b spoken prophetic language
Ia some sovner 10 others later, but finally To all
the signal Il srousng men to burst the chains under
whih monk sh ignOraice and supeis itiun persuaded
them 10 bind Themselves, and 10 assume the blessings
and security ofself government.
will not, though, weary your patience by dwell
ing too long upon this eyeptful portion Of his life
II viii answer my purpose TO refer you those acts
IN which he shone most conspicuous In l775 he was
selected ambassador TO Great Britain, by the Gene
raj Assembly Of Penn>ylysna for the purpose of
fuieting The dispute between that body and
the proprictors, which had now arisen TO such
an alarming height, as to threaten civil war
While at the Court Of st. James, he not only disa-
buscd the public mind of the malignant asper.iops
thrown out against his constituents, but urged with
irresistible reasoning the importance Of the conquest
OF Canada from the Fiench-and, finally by furnish
ing The ministry with statistical accounts of America
before unknown 10 the Europe ns, became instru.
mental IN the celebrated attack upon Quebec by the
brave General Wolfe, which freed us from the muir
derers of Schenectady
In 1854 the seeds of discomfort sovn, during the
ten years preceding between the mother country and
her trans Atlantic provinces began 10 spring up like
noxfous plants poisoning political atmosphere