Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1857-03-21

and TEMPLES. ifancied that they umined society by
the confiagration of its fabrics. That brand your
fathers snatched not to nus living
watch-towers. guiding light and not consuming
fire. [Cheers.] 49,.
Already, indeed during the latter half Of the last
century, Scotland had produced school OF ph''oso'
pliers who prepared the reason of her sons to resist
the plausible but perilous materialism by which d.
derot and the writer's of the French Encyclopedia
sought to bubble away the soul from man. and the
Maker from the universe. Already for more than
thirty years professor in this university, THOMAS
Reid had expanded into orig nal system the sug-
gestive lessons of Hucheson the founder OF Scotch
metaphysics. Reid died in 1885, but he left behind
him a brilliant pupil, Dugald Stewart, pecul'arly
adapted by the graces of requirement and pefS""'
sve elegance of STYLE to render popular ,''e w.
trines Of his teacher, and to influence ".oe 'ss
of minds that, whether in literature or act'on, ha'I
powerfully affected the character OF their age anu
country [Cheers.] ,.;
am not here to pronounce an unq"aheu e"'0s,
UNI upon that school of Scotch metaphysics; indeed
of late wears have hads, little leisure 10 re-eSam
inc those analytical inquiries INTO inc or's'n an" ~"
nation of ideas VIII 'ch delighted me in early youth,
that I could not venture to BE- critic on metaphys-
les before an audience of Scotch roileglans ut lie
would wholly fail to appreciate the immense ne"e
fits which Hutcheson, Reid, and Stewart rendered
to sound philosophy, md through philosophy 10 the
direction of popular thought and action. who should
overlook the influence wh those Scottish specula-
tive reasoncrs have exercised the great schools
of Germany-over all succeeding schools, whether
moral Or metaphysical that have served to paralyze
and dispense the ribald builders of the a,heistirai
Babel who startled the last century, and left behind
them the fragments Of their mpicus labors, futile
monument OF the confusion OF their own tongues,
and the farlorn mcmento OF a vanished deiugc-
EcheerSl Eut Scotland was not confn'ng her intel
seet only 70 these subtle specuations which act Ia
.esttv the springs of practical lifc Already IN
this university had been educated, and III TINS unit
ses>y taught and lectured the great author OF the
Wesr,n oil Nations Here was Il book destined to
s,,iIe the dawnng century, that took the machine
ry cf States out of the hands OF dream,rS like Con-
dcrcet and Sieycs laid down those laws for the reg.
ulation of commonwealth which Plato had obScur-
ed, and even Aristotle had left underlined; showed
to monarchs how treasures might be filled, and to
laboring populations how industry might be best
applied and rewarded; here, above all, at n time
when liberty was wronged, and multitudcs hewild-
cred by schemes for destroying the barriers around
life and property-here a book, written by no
serve uphoder of antique pre- udice. but by the
most nnovatng philosopher since the age of Bacon,
which proved that security to life is the inst neces-
sary to freedom and safety to property the rara-
mount interest of the masses. Here was book
that before the dawn OF this century had already en-
tered into the practical government of these king
dons; for here the book which, more tina" all
others of that day, skilled and disciplined the mind
of William Pitt. Loud cheers.
Not however, with this achievement did Scotland
halt in her march of light"-not to that memory
do you stint your observation in your AluStrious
Academy of Glasgow. [CheerSl In yon'ler street,
while Joseph Black was dcducing his vo!um'nonS
problems from chymica. sciencc-while Adam Sni b
was tracing the sources OF all national weah-a
young man. the listener and friend TO both, pom
dering upon the application of chymical science TO
the wealth OF nations the very vapour IN the lamp
OF philosophy became the most material agent in
~
men, and the prophecy of Roger Bacon was realized
in the inventive genius of james Watt. Immense
cheering
But it not science alor tina, instructs the world
and regulates the action Of mankind. Literature,
too, has nooer mission Of voad that Of SO ace
ard delight. See al the clcSe Of the last century
how tame and tawdry thing was the literature of
the Revolution Excep, only the oraticns of Mira
beau, and a few verses by Andre Chener, who per-
shed on the gulIo,ine, signing forth, he touched
his forehead, And yet there was something here
Except these, and wi hat feebleness and what fstia,
What vanished ignorance both Of books and of
human nature! The French authors who wrote
under the Empire certainly better but they
want orig nality and depth. Ia Italy Or two
fair but sickly plants struggled forth, hut ,he rot
was not such as to allow much spread to the bough>
In Germany, indeed, mighty era in literature had
commenced, but its influence had not Yet extended
over the rest Of Europe; where it had become
visible, II vas through wretched Transitions OF that
etfeninate kotzebue, ballads that cn!ivened
the nursery with skeletons and ho'yptIuS; and
even the gigantic Goethe wa chiefly know n % Eu-
rope as crack-bralned sentine ntali>t, who had in
vlted un>ympathisng readers rather to laugh than
weep over the !Sorrous Of Uerter The first great
literature produced by this century, which spread
over the civilized IationS, thrustine back into dusty
shelves the verse withou. soul and the prose with
out muscle, which had formed the circulating libra
ry OF Europe-the first great literature that st,ode
forth to clviliZe and to conquer restoring the
trail past to its due place in human reverence, recall
ing from exile truth and nature, binding man TO
man in the genial chain of cha. acter and humor,
frcshng this work-day world with a joyous holiday
OF ronance-the first great literature which poured
its own young blood into the century. and, rushing
over Europe, found home on every hearth, rose in
these and>, and paramount in that literature,
influence not less beneficial than supreme. tow
ers your immortal countryman Walter Scott. lGreat
applause.
Measure not SCOTS greatness by his effects only
on the imagination. Heart BY the law of all mem
tai vibration, opinion is moved by the sounds that
first agitate feeling What wsy Scott prepar, ID
throughout Europe for the introduction Of our Ian
guage, and with our language our reaSoncrs as well
poets! Before this day how much the Ian
guage Of France had overweighted the balance Of
intellectual power in Europe! Scott threw into the
opposing scale the language of the Anglo Saxon and
the intellect Of these kingdoms became henceforth,
not the casual guest, but one of the ruling monarchs
of the continent. [Cheers.] Thus Scotland gather
ed together the broken and stormy rays of inteli-
gence that had before rather terrified than cheered
the dawn Of the 10Th century, and forming them
first through science into pure and tranquil light,
then dispersed them through literature to beautfy
the world with all the pomp and variety of color
[Appause] Meanwhile, religion rather encouraged
than opposed the philosophy which did not invade
its province.
might say, in passing, that the general charac-
ter of ecclesiastical eloquence in Scotland in that