Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1858-12-24


midst of a community willing to reward benefcent
and worthy exertions.
AT an early hour the haI-to whose brilliant at
fractions we shall give more particular notice here
after-was thrOnged with ladies and gentlemen At
seven and half O'Clock, the vast assemblage was
called to order by Hon, Ira NJ Barton, President of
the Association. In few brief and appropriate re-
marks, Judge Barton gave sketch of the origin and
progress of the Institution He spoke of its capacity
for usefulness, limited only by its want of means
from accomplishing much more in the future than
it had done in the past, and of the designs of the
Managers in arranging this splendid exhibition.
He said, that, as early as August last the Com
mittee designated the person who was to make the
opening address, not deeming at the time that the
individual designated would stand in the more init
mate relation to his fellow citizens that he did at
present; and he now had the pleasure of introducing
to the audience the orator of the evening" and the
Mayor elect, Hon. A. IL. Bullock. Upon taking the
platform, Mr.. Bullock was welcomed with the
hearticst applause.
Judge EuIIock's Opening Address.
Mr., President, Ladies' and Gentlemen:
rise not TO act the part of your orator, but sim
ply in behalf of the committee to speak the word
welcome and OF greeting. We are upon the verge of
the Christian holidays-neyer more merry in their
observance than august in their orgin-in which la
harmony-when it is proper that worthy enterprises
should have their COMMUNICATION and appeal to the
public heart 1t is therefore, on the return of this
prOpruous anniversary that have the honor to in
troduce to your favor and generosity the Lyceum
and Library Association OF Worcester.
With the exception of the Mechanics Association
whose catalogue is quite too limited, and upon
whose fortunes am sure all desire that better
ana brighter day may dawI-thiS is the only pOpu-
lar institution of the kind which our city can enum
crate among its attractions and advantages. Its his
tory recent, its growth has been modest and
noseless-wlthout pomp or herald-that it is almost
better known to the visiting and nQuisiVe stranger
than to many Of us. 1t possesses about four thou
sand volumes, distinctiYely its own of which MANY
are excellent books and it has the free use of about
seven thousand volumes more, superior collection,
granted by one to whom shall again alude, be-
cause he should never be forgotten The privileges
of the institution are purchased by the annual con-
trbutiOn of single dollar. Such, in word, is the
present condition of the library for whose perpetual
enlargement this central OF Christmas fes-
tiytes has been organizedthe hall of pride il
Illuminated and draped-the four quarters of the
globe brought under tribute for and ornament to
its tables-its ample thronged with the repre-
senaves ofthe citys manhood and lis galleries es-
TONED IN the highest style OF art, because in the
highest style of nature.
When l declare-and it is the substance of all /
have risen to say-that the want Of good public Ii
brary is our greatest deficiency, you may, if you
please, visit upon me that most appalling of crit-
eisms, that ] only uttering commonplace
which everybody knew perfectly well betore and,
In return, ] Will pay you the compliment of sup
posing that majority of those whom l have tie
honor to address have spent ten minutes, nor
thought half-dOzen times upon this deficiency
which spreads its far-reachng shadows over the
present generation, and over the prospects of the
next succeeding. should not appear here to say
that 1t comes within the range of expectations
to accumulate suclTa collection OF books attract
those who are in pursuit of some grand speciality in
science or in letters-an AgasSz, a Silliman, or
Prescotand yet even such as these, in all parts of
the land, have first started the of their i'm
mortal fame from hOmely tiresides and village
school-rooms where there were but few books to
pnla tiol ri Tho fbo
country-our townsman-would now find but little
to aid his researches in any such library we eX-
pect to establish; but from much more limited
and in eaner times than these, he first awakened
TO consciousness which is power and to ambi-
ton which is destiny. AS one who was afterwards
known eminent artist in the period of his un-
formed and undevelOped genius, standing before
true picture, at length terminated the struggle be-
i. tween admiration and consciousness with the eXca-
nation, TOO AN PAINTER, land became one as an
other, who was subsequently recognized throughout
New England an iustriOus divine in the days Ofhis
youth straying away from his fathers house Sab
bath morning to neighbOrlng village, listened to
great logician and preacher and, as he said, came
away for the first time in his life aware that
ne possessed a mind so we propose to gather
together such collection of choice spirits, from
all the generations and from all the departments
that our young men by the contact and communion
may come under those seemingly chance inspira-
tons which shall conduct some of them-we know
not whom-to these bright crowns. With the prop
er means of stimulus and cultivation New England
community is a nursery of actors in high achieve
ments. A youth from our number, whom / remem-
Der often to have seen in streets four years ago
as public school boy is at this moment earning the
highest hOnors of the military academy of his cOun-
Try at west Point; and why may we not expect to
see him some day rank among engineers Of Europe
an fame In the constitution and organization of
American society and business the honors of distD
gushed attachments in art, or in letters, in sci
ence are not shared exclusively by belted circle of
isolated scholars. They alight, Unfortunately
along the ranks of common life; they the study
and recreation of lawyers and physicians, of me-
chanics and farmers, of bankers and merchants-of
precisely those who constitute our own community
and who must derive their resources in a measure
from such library this, whose cause pleaded in
yOnder inscription.
An English writer says, in recording his travels in
TINS country, that, desiring to find of great
comic humor, of whose quaint and original papers
he had heard in Europe, he obliged dive into
store where they were selling assorted pickles. and
IN another instance (by no means surprising to any
OF us he found one of the nOblest poets OF the time
IN the back Office of bank in Boston, discounting
bills payable ninety days after date
But il is principally in the most popular sense, and
Tor objects Of the most popular nature, that this in
stltuiiOn appeals to our liberaity. The Young
Mems Library Association is the inpersonation OF
the grand household phrase, which more than two
centuries ago contained the corporate policy of the
colonists, which has kept pace with every wave of
our spreading population, and will at last cover the
earth as the waters cover the seattle diffusion of
kaouciedge. public library substantially free, fur
nshes the most certain promise of the uflment and
accomplishment of the sublime sentiment of the
most phosophc statesman of the world-that soci-
ETY. should become partnership in all science and
all art, IN all virtue and in all perfection. In our
busy life cannot all become Titled scholars, but
we can all become intelligent men and women We
cannot all expect to scale the empyrean nights but
we can all ascend high enough to get glimpse of
the general cOnhguTation and beauty of the divine
architecture displayed in the world and in man. IL
were well enough for poetic license and poetic
meaning to pronounce that-"A little learning Is
dangerous thing,n-a thought passabe enough
for monastic and exclusive times but obsolete for
American life and Republican liberty. Better a lit
tie pedantry than no learning at all. We learn from
the great Arctic dramatist-such call the lamented
hane-that he FELT an indispensable joy under the
tedium and terror Of Northern night, when he
could first discern the faint crepuscular signs of APP
whore everybody may learn something. In all the
fertility and invention which characterize the me
chanics of Worcester, the full power of which noi-
thcr desire TO OYcr-esmate nor to under-estimae in
the general intelligence which marks the profession
al men and merchants and clerks of the cty-therc
rs q field for broader and more liberal culture,
which cannot be realized without acommon centre OF
motive and attraction We want more of the gener-
al education and general reading which fits men for
private life We need therefore, as community,
TO summon around US goodly number of the best
writers of all ages
"Dead but scoptered monarchs, who still rule
Our spirits from their urnsin
and in their presence to cultivate higher sentiments
for the honor Of our manhood; In their study and
fellowship TO Undue our hearts with the spirit of
genial catholicty and human love, not alone TO be
found In our churches, which usually peryades the
atmosphere ofntellectual culture; and, In our inter-
yals from labor, throwing OF from our hearts and
roih our faces the membranes of excessive care
TO receive from their pages the accessOns of thought
ana rcffeshment which we can take with ug IN tha