Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1846-05-22

from mere speculative knowledge, should hope that
al this time, and in this place, one might safely ven.
lure a plea in behalf Of all that higher knowledge
which serves TO humanze, TO refine, to elevate, TO
make men more deeply wise, better less thoughtful
o. material interests, and more regardlul OF eter.
mai truths And let it not be said that our own
brIsi history proves that great libraries are su-
perflIous, because without them we have pro.
dlced statesmen, civilians, orators, and jurspru.
dents, no wise inferior to the ablcst of their
European contempories. Without dwelling IN
on the stimulus Of popular Institutions, and the
stirring excitement of our revolutionary and la.
ter history, which have tended to encourage the
development of this species Of talent, the objec.
ton is sufficiently answered by saving that, in
the case OF most of the American statesmen Of
the Revolution, as well as OF many of later date,
private wealth has supplied the place of public
provisions for the attainment of knowledge. In
the period of our colonial history, the sons of
wealthy families were often educated in the best
schools OF Europe, and the trainers of our Con-
sttuton were chiefly men of high education and
elegant atainments. Jefferson, whose writings
are canonca with the Democracy, had the best
private library in America, and was man Of
multiarlous, if not of profound learning. The
state papers of that remarkable era arc, with
few exceptions, obviously productions OF men
not merely OF inspired genius or oil patient tho',
but o Iahorious acquisition; aud they are full,
not Of that cheap learning W hich is proved by
pedanic quotation, but of that sound discipline
which is the uneouivocal result of extensive
reading and dilirent research. Who have been
the men, in all ages, that have exercised the
wisest and most permanent influence both on
the mora and physical well-beinr of man I The
spirit of the crusades was reused by the preach
ing of thoughtful solitary; Columbus was a
loar al III. I Il
Watt, the great improver of the steam engine.
was man Of curious and recondite learning
Bona arte was carefully educated at she school
of Brenne, and was through life liberal patron
of learning and the arts The glorious rebellion
Of l140 was the work of men the closet; and
Milton, who to our shame IS less known among
us by his prose than by his poetry, was It's apos
tie. Our own independence was declared and
maintained By scholars, and all men know that
the French revolution had its germ in .ha writ
ings of the Encyclopedias. All men, in fact,
who have acted upon opinion, who have contrib.
uted to establish principles that have left their
impress for ages, have spent some part Of their
lives in scholastic retirement. It is this verv
point-the maintenance OF principles discovered
and defended by men prepared for that service
bv severe disciplne and laborious s,udv-that
so strkInolv dislinruishes the Enulis h rahclIi,r
Of 1919 and our own Revolution from mos, oh.
err nsurrectonarv movements. and narlirnIarIv
from the French revelation. The ENGLISH and
American statesmen of those two ner,0Js xoro
conendlnr for truths, the French atheists and
philosophers for interests. tho fornnr sn,,,,,, -
learn their duties the latter concornnJ ,ba,n
selves ONLY about their rjob,s. Tho Auglo>S,x
Oh Was inspired BY principls the Gaul Vas inst.
rated by yrssion.
The prjncinlcs of Am,r;c,n lhor,y v.l;oh
education and habit have rcndnrad 90 fam 'I;,r
to us. that we fancy them in,ui,ivo or avon in
s,ip.tlvp. are IN ,rntb M mor, oh,on, mo-, H.,
Dhvsical theory If The u,ivorsa and ,ho ,,nJ,,
of the pb,losonhicaI and Nautical bis,ory If ,ho
last three centuries viii convince oyorv onon,,
er. that their d,valonnon, fro,, ,l,o;, -,
involved in the fundamental d,cir;nns,f ,hopa
forma,ior. has baen Tho ,r No, f,oo,"ni''
time, but has required tho Iabor of succoss;ve
generations of phllosonhers and statesman
look uoon great and vol soloc,od ,ihr,rr
composed Of Tho n,onumop,s If ali tno,.Io,I,,
in ali tonoues.as ,bc mos, e,sc,iva noans of -
LEASING lis from tho alovisb daror,ro, ,,Iiai, j.,
spite Of our loud and vanoring rrm.so,'nos ' ~ -,
hah;,raII, ~, 90 E",',;a,'
cedan,s and ,,tbnri,;a, j., RI! w nrs 's" pre-
ION. Our history and nn- pal;,,eal oSpu,i.
are so brief. that. in the multitude of nov c,ses
G'ipn
loss for domestic parallels, and find il cbcaoer
70 cite an English dctum than to investigate n
question upon more indepenLcut rrounls M,
only are our parliamentary law. OR LEGISLATIVE
action, our judicial proceedings. to a rTs,t tx.
tent fashioned after those Of the mother country,
but the fundamental principles Of our ooysr1-
ment, our theory OF the political rirhs Of man.
are often distorted, in order that they NAV BIO
accommodated to rules and definitions drawn
from English constitutional law. Even the most
sacred Of political rights, the rlrht of petition.
have heard both attacked and defended up,n
this flor, By very sufficient democrats, entirely
upon preccdenia drawn from the practice of the
British Parliament. Our community of oriJin,
language, and law, exposes the younrsr nation
to the constant danger Of being oversAaIowed
by the authority Of the elder. Ii isa evil
to.a young and growing people, az well as to a
youthful, and aspiring spiri', to have It's eueruies
is originality snohered, BY ser
vile spirit OF conformity to any one mode! how.
ever excellent; ard it is quite time for us to
learn, that there are other sources Of instruction
Than the ccunse!s and example of our ancient
mother.
Sir, make these remarks in no narrow feel.
ing of Jealous hostility to England still less at
this crsis, when some are seeking TO raise
"h'f!"'"u o' popular Indignation against that
coo"'''' upon WIZ" ''cy themselves may u'at
10 power "o",d JON N any vulgar dehrniIa.
lions OF d people IRON whoin we nave borrowed
SO huc'' we owe 10 E1gland thuch OF our