Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1849-04-20

siFc collection u books in The world By nj
were Carefully preserved the most valuable il
, lehsctuai treasures which had been sna,che
rom Inc wreck OF The Byzantine Empire Ii
agents were 10 be tuuni everywhere in the b.
) Lidts u the iarhest East, in The mOnaslefi.s
! 'he iditheS West-purchasins or copying worn
edien p2rchmenls, Oh which were traced won
worthy oil immortality. Under his paronsa
were prepared accurate Latin versions OF ma i
precious remains Of Greek poets ana philos
phers. But no department OF literature owes !
mnch 10 nm as history. BY him we're nirotr
cea 10 the knowledge OF Western Europe Nv
great and unriyalled models OF historical conn,
slllon, The work OF Herodoius and The work ,
I.se ,iaae acqua inted 100, our ancestors @er
simplicity Of XenopSy.~., I'm the graceful nd In.
} sense OF Polybius goo
II was while he was occupied with cares iii,
hesc mat his attention was called to The in,ellec
iua wants OF This Icgon--a region now swarm
ing WIN population rich with culture, and re
sounding wl!h the clang Of machlnery-a iecio,
which now sends forth fleets laden with il. atmi
faoie taoIics Ia lands OF which, in his DAYS. n,
Seo@rapher had ever heard-then a wild, poor
half-barbarous tract, lying ir The utmos, vers,
OF the known world lie gave his sanction /,
Inc plan OF establishing a University Al Glasgow
and bestowed on the new seat oi learning al
me privileges which belonged 10 the UNIVERSITY
OF Bologna. l can conceive ha. PLYING
Siniie passed over his face as he named Bologna
anu GLASGOW together. Az Bologna he had long
STUDIED. No spot in The world has been more
favored by nature or by ar The surrounding
country was fruitful and sunny country. a
country oil coTn-fieds and vineyards. In the civ
the house Of BentivogIis bore ruIe-a housa
which Wed with The Ne'.ici in taste and maeni.
ncence-w which has le TO pos,erity noble palaces
and temples, and which gave a splendid patron
age to arts and sciences.
glasgow ne knew 10 be poor, small, rude
'o"h, anu, as ne would have thought, not likely
ever 10 be Otherwise, Tor The soil, compared with
The rich country at the foot OF the poennines.
was barren, and The climate was such thai an
Italian shuddered al the though, Of il. But i, j,
mol on The fertility OF The soil-il is nor on Inc
miidness OF the atmosphere ,hal he prosperity OF
nations Chiefly depends. Cheers Slavery
ana superstition can make Camponia land al
oesSafs, and can change the plains II Enna into
desert Nor IS |: hey, nd Tie power Il human
intelligence and energy, developed by civil and
spiritual freedom ~ urn the sterile rocks and
pestIenlal marshes into cities and gardens
Enlightened as your founder was, he lille knew
that he was himself chief agent in great re-
volutlon-physical and moral, political and re.
ligious-in revolution destined 10 make The
last hrst and The first asl-in revolution des-
lIned 10 invert The relative positions of Glasgow
and Bologna. We cannot, | think, better en-
ploy few minutes than in reviewing the Stages
OF this great change in human affairs. The re-
view shall be short. Indeed, canno, do better
man pass rapidly from century 10 century,
Look al The world Their, hundred years afef
The seal OF Nicholas had been affixed 10 The in
slrument which called your college into exist.
ence. We hnd Europe-we find Scotland espe.
ciaiy, IN the agonleS OF that great revolution
which we emphaicaly call The Reformation.
The liberal patronage which Nicholas, and
men like Nicholas, had given 10 Learning. and II
which The establishment OF this seat OF learning
IS not The leas: remarkable instance, had pro.
duced an effect which .hey had never con,empa-
ted. Ignorance was the talisman on HIGH their
power depended, and That !alisman they had them
selves ului.s..- 'n--~ ..Ii.i IL
as a handmade 70 decorate superstition, and their
error produced It's natural effect. need MOI tell
you what part the vo,aries OF classical learn
ing, and especially OF Greek learning The HUI
manisls, as they were then called bore 10 the
great movement. against Spiri uaI tyranny. In
Scotch University, ] need hardly mention the
names OF Knox. OF Buchanan, Of Melville, oil
Maan;, OF Lexington. [Appiause. They
formed in fact, The vanguard Of that movement.
Every one of the chief reiormels-l do not al This
Humanst Every eminent Humans, in The
North OF Europe was, according 10 The measure
OF his uprl9htneSS and courage, relormer. In
truth, minis daily nCnii>hed with the best liteTa-
tufe Ot Greece aud Rome necessarily grew 100
strong 10 be lramme!ied b. The "obwebs 81 the
scholastic divinity; and The itiuence 81 such
minds was now rapidly tel, by the whole com
munily; for The Invention OF printing HAD brought
books within the reach even Of yeomen and OF
aItizanS.
From the Mediterranean 10 the Frozen Sea,
therefore, the public mind was everywhere in
ermenl and nowhere was The fermenl create!
Than in Scotland. Ii was in the midst OF martyr
doms and prescriptions, in the midst OF war be-
tween power and truth, that the frs. century OF
the existence OF your University closed. Pass
another hundred years, and We are in the midst
# another revolution. The war between Pc.
perry and Professionalism had, in this island, been
terminated by the victory OF Prolesianlism. But
from that war another war had sprung -the war
between Pt.lacy and Purtanism. The hostile
religious secs were allied, ineTmineled con-
founded with hostile political parties. The mo.
Darchical element OF the constitution was an oh
lect OF almost exclusive devotion 10 the pGclallst
The popular element Of the constitution was es-
pecially dear 10 the puritan. Al length an az
peal was made 10 The sword Pur'Iani>m tf.
u,nphed; bur Puritanism was already diViGed
asains, ITSELF independently and republic nism
were on one side, presby;efianIsin ana Hnii'e'
monarchy on The other. II was IN ne Ve'y DARK.
est part Of that dark time, was 10 Inc nidsl OF
balles sieqes and execuuons-it was when The
whole world was still agnas al the awful spec
,acls M British king standing before Judg.
meni seal, and laying his neck on block-il
was when the manglei remains OF The Duke OF
Hamilton had Just been laid IN The Tomb Of his
house,. was when the head OF the Marquis oil
Monlrose had just been fixed % the Tulbooth OF
Edinburgh, that your University completed her
second century,
A hundred years more, and we have al length
reached the beginning Of happier period Our
civil ana religious liberties had, indeed, been
Dough, with fearful price. But they had been
bought The price had been paid. The last
battle had been Tough, on Brush ground. the
last black scaffold had been set up on Tower
Hill. The evil days were over. A bright and
TRANQUIL cenlury-a ceEtnfy OF religious tolefa-
lion, of domestic peace, Of temperate freedom
OF equal Justice was beginning That century
is now closing When we compare il with any
equally long period in The history OF any othei
| GREAT society. we Shall find abundant cause lo'
thanktulness 10 the Giyer 81 all sopl; nof IS the!.
any place In the whole kingdom better haei 10
excite this feeling than the place wnerc We al
| now assembled For in the whole Kingdom W.
shall find no district in which he progress o
trade, OF manufactures, OF wealth, ana OF INK
arts OF lite, has been more rapid than 10 Ciydes
dale. Your University has partakrn largely y
the prosperity OF TINS city and OF the surrounding
region.
The security, the tranquility, the liberty Vhicf
have been propitious 10 the industry oi the mel
chant and OF tine manufactured have oren alst
propi,ious 10 the industry OF the scholar. 10 IN
las, century belong most OF the names ot which
van Justly boas. The time would fai me il a.
Iemntcd 10 do Justice 10 The memory Of all the il
lusIfious men, who, during that period. taught
learned wisdom, within these ancient was-se
omerriciaus, analornist', jurists, pnioossts, me
taphysicians, poets-Simpson and Hunter, Mil
Ter and Young, Ried and Stewar; Campbell
l,beersl-whose coffin was laleiy borne 10
grave in tina, renowned uansept which contain
line dust Of Chaucer, OF Spencer, and OF Drytel
Black, whose discoveries form an era IN the his
tory Of chemical science; Adam Smith, n
greatest oil all The masters OF poll ical science
James Wau, who perhaps did more Than an
single man has done since The New A1an,,s
-l..h