, 1876-10-28


which was the distinguished feature OF
his mind and talent. lie learned n
trade.' He was Constituti0nnlly, in the
very make of his intellectual frame, a me.
chanic, and Il practical mechanic, whose
Imagination made no excursions into the
regions of invention Before the hun.
dred handed power Of machinery ha,l
been applied to the common arts Of life,
to be a mechanic was different thing
| from what it is now Mechanic art then
was skilltul haudicrait--a dcXterity
with tools, under quick and true eye.
, That work now is almost exclusively
done by machinery, and it has naturally
had the effect TO reduce, not only the
amount, but the quality of handy skill
The practical mechanic Of to-day is the
man who either makes machine or han
dies a machine. What remains to be
| done after the machine has finished its
work belongs chiefly to that department
OF human industry which is called labor
But our citizen has skill and zeal in
manipulation which lent kind Of fenthu.
siasm even to prOsaic work. should
say that his passion for excellence in
woodwork amounted almost to n hobby
for good job" 1t is not easy to un.
derstand how be could have been very
successful, in u money-making way, in
the practice of his art. There is n Ger,
tam relation between excellence and util-
ity, between taste and use, that cannot
protitably be disturbed 1t will hardly
pay to make bureau-drawers with Joint
and dovetal so eXquisile as to hold wa
ter-a Touring mill "done,ofl'' IN sweet.
scented woods, cedar from Lebanon, and
laurel from California, will not catch the
steaIthy waste that runs away between
the chatf and the grain. *
have already pointed out how his in
teIectual nature was included in prac
tcal mechanics. His power of acquis-
tion developes another quality of his
constitution. He was believer in real
ity, and here appears the homogeniety Of
his nature and his character. The boun.
diaries of his nature were expressed in
mechanics /; the atfiuities of his character
were expressed in real estate. In
thought he did not transcend the fact;
in action he never stood on the verge of
enterprise. He fingered on the barren
shore till the tide came in. He waited
in simplicity OF manners and trugalty
of living until society made him rich.
AS he gradually descended into the vale
of years, and the evening shadows
heightened around him, his mind was
deeply and earnestly moved with contem-
plations upon whom he should bestow
his goods. Without extensive personal
VI oOSIul lSluJlOuo, UllCl bIoSliil SulS llC
appropriate obligations of human regard,
society seemed to him the proper and be-
niftiCent custodian of what society had
given There can be no doubt in read
ing the instruments by which his prop
rrty is conveyed to the different trusts
which he established, that he intended
to dedicate his estate TO the welfare of
men, with as unmingled motives as COM
monty entered into the decisions Of men
standing on the outer verge of life. To
dispose of a vast property wisely and
we'll, sometimes demands greater gifts Of
mind and heart than were ever required
to get it. These trusts committed to his
tellow-citizens, should betaken up and
carried forward in the spirit in which
they are established. 1t involves untir-
ing labor and firm responsibility, and
every man and woman and child has an
interest at stake in the honorable dis
charge OF the high duties OF these trusts.
BY these closing acts in career of sin.
gular material prosperity, you, gentle
men Of the Society Of Pioneers, are plac.
ed i'll position to be the keepers Of the
historical archives Of all this western
world, and to be in constant communica.
tion with the centres Of intelligence all
over the earth. The Academy OF Scien.
ces is 30 richly endowed that it may not
only ditfuse intelligence, but cultivate
these original researches, before which
the horizon Of mans knowledge ev er
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