The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-10-13

nam EnSland, on the 27th ult. Mr.. Charles
Dickens. as president of the institute, de-
0ivered the following opening address. Mr..
Dickens said =,
nth tBrdgewater Treatise, that mere
r ,noken word-a mere syllable thrown into the
air-mav 90 on reverberating through illimit-
able space for ever and forever, seeing that
shere is no rim against which it can strike
no boundary at which it eau possibly arrive.
Similarly il may be said-not as an ingenious
speculation, but rs steadfast and absolute
fact-that human calculation cannot limit the
influence of one atom of wholesome know
ledge patiently acquired, modestly possessed,
and faithfully used. (Cheers.) AS the as
tronomers tell us that it is probable there are
in the universe innumerable solar systems
besides ours to each of which myriads of
ptterly unknown and unseen stars belong, so
IL is certain that every man, however obscure,
however far removed from the general recog-
nition is one of the group of men impossible
for good and impressible for evil, and that 1t is
in the external nature of things that he can
not really improve himself without IN some
degree improving other men. And observe,
this is especially the case when he has i'm
proved himself in the teeth of adverse cir
cumstances as in a maturity succeeding to
neglected or an il-taught youth, in the few
daily hours remaining to him after ten or
twelve hours labor in the few pauses and in
tervals of life of toll; for then his fellows
and companions have assurance that he can
have known no favoring conditions, and that
they can do what he has done, in wrestling
some enlightenment and self-respect from
what Lord Iytton finely calls "those twin
iailors of the daring heart, low birth and
iron fortune Mr.. Dickens proceeded
'oYur institution, sixteen years old, and in
which masters and workmen study together,
has outgrown the ample editce in which 1t
receives its 2500 OF 2600 members and
students 1t is most cheering sign of its
vigorous vitality that of its industrial stu
dents almost half gre artisans in the receipt
of weekly wages. / think l am correct in
saving that four hundred others are clerks
apprentices tradesmen, OF tradesmens sons
notice with particular pleasure the adherence
of a goodly namber Of the gentler sex, with
out whom no institRtlOn whatever can truly
claim to be either civihzing or civilized
one. The increased attendance at your edu-'
cational classes is always greatest on the part
the artisans-the class within my experience
the least reached in any similar institutions,
and whose name is oftenest and the most
constantly taken in vain. But it is specially
reached here, not improbably because it is,
as it should be, specially addressed in the
foundation of the industrial department
in the allotment of The direction
of the society's affairs and in the establish
ment of what are called its penny classes-a
bold, and, l am happy to say, 4 triumphantly
successful experiment, which enables the
artisan to obtain sound evening instruction in
subjects directly bearing upon his daily use
fulness or on his daily happiness, as arithme-
tic elementary and adYanCed), chemistry,
physical geography, and singing, on payment
of the astounding low fee of a single penny
every time he attends the class, l beg en-
phatically to say ] look upon this as one of
the most remarkable schemes ever devised for
the educational behoof of the artisan (cheers),
and if your institution had done nothing else
in all its life, would take my stand by it on
its having done this. (Oheers. Apart, how
ever, from its industrial department, it has
its general department, Offering all the adj
vantages of a first-class literary institution.
1t has its reading-rooms, its library,
it's chemical laboratory, its museum,
its art department, its lecture
hall, and its long list of lectures
on subjects OF comprehensive interest, de-
hvered by lecturers of the highest qualihca-
tions. Very we'll But it may be asked,
what are the practical results Of these appli-
ances9 Now, let us suppose few. Suppose
that your institution should have educated
those who are now it's teachers. That would
be very remarkable fact Supposing be-
sides, it should, 50 to speak, have educated
education all around it, by sending forth
numerous and efficient teachers into many
ana divers SCHOOLS. suppose Uhe young SUI
dent, reared exclusively i'll its laboratory,
should be presently snapped up for the labo-
ratt0Try Of the great famous hospitals Sup
pose that in nine years its industrial students
should have carried of a round dozen Of
much-competed-for prizes awarded by the So
eiety of Arts and Government departments,
besides two local prizes originating in the
generosity of a Birmingham man. Suppose
that the Town Council, having it in trust to
find an artisan well fit to receive the Whit
worth prizes, should find him here. Sup
pose that one of the industrial students
should turn his chemical studies to the prac-
tical account of extracting gold from
waste color water and of taking it
into custody in the very act of running away
with hundreds of pounds down the town
drains. Suppose another should perceive in
his books, in his studious evening what was
amiss with his masters until then inscrutably
defective furnace, and should go straight-to
the great annual saving of that master-and
put it all right. Supposing another should
puzzle out the means-untll then quite up-
known-of making a certain description of
colored glass. Supposing another should
qualify himself to vanquish one by one. as
they daily arise, all the little difficulties Incl
dental to his calling as an elecuo-plater. and
should be applied to by his companions in the
shop in all emergencies under the name of
the Encyclopedia" daughter and ap
plause.) Suppose long procession Of suct
cases and then consider that these are no
suppositious at all, but are plain, unvar
nished facts (hear, hear) eliminating in the
one special and significant fact that
with a single solitary exception, ever,
e i,.,'g .r,Irg o.,