Pu. .-n P 'h I e. t­A: • .;~~ -~3

Conh·lbuUons of Sclcucc to tho Utes of Man.

--, _,_.... .... ______ ~---·~-----~--

ANNIVERSARY ORATION, OF

BURWELL BOYKIN, A. M., BEFORE

<irl)t (!irosopl)ic an(r tPlJilotnatl)ic Societies

OF THE

UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA,

JULY 14tb, 1861'.

TOGETHER WITH A EULOGY

ON THE LIFE AND CHARACTER OF THE AUTHOR, Pi\OUOUNCED1 AT THE REQUEST OF THE TWO SOCIET!iS,

BY

JOHN G. BARR.

<n:uscaloosa : PRINTED AT THE 1' OBSERVER" OFFICE.

1857.

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CORRESPONDENCE,&~

At a meeting of the Literary Societies of the University of Alabama.,

held at the Rotundo, on Monday, the 29th of J une, 1857, the fvllowing

resolutions were unanimously adopted :-

R esolved, T hat we, the members of the Literary Societirs of the University, have learned, with the most painful emotions, the ~<ad intclli~ence of the sud­den death of Burwell Boykin-thc Orator elected by us, to deliver the Anni­versary Address, during the approaching Commencement week.

R esolved, T hat we sympathize with his family and friends in the beteavc. ment, which they have sustained,-assuring them that our grief is mutual, and tha t our tears are mingled with their!', over the grave of departed worth.

R esolved, T hat a committee be appointed by the chairman of this meeting, to llOlicit from t he family of the deceased, a copy of the Oration, which, it is understood, he had prepared for our Anniversary Celebration, with a view to its being read on that occasion, and subsequently pulJiishcd.

R esolved, T hat J ol:n G . Barr, of Tusca loosa, be requested to read the Oration of the deceased , on the occasion referred to in the last resolution, and accoro· puny the same with such an address on the life and character of Burwell lloykin, as the short intervening time may enable him to prepa re.

Whereupon. the Chairman appointed the following committee. 'l"iz :-i\1. T . Sandert:, W. C . Ward , J.D. Weeden, S. J . ~Iiller, X. N. Clements, and W. n Walker.

The .~ceting then ndjourned. ~-- J . PARK E.!_{, Cltairman.

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UNIVERSITY OF ALA13A)f.'\, h=>E 29th, 1857.

CoL. Jou:s G. B ARR,

Dear Sir: By consenting to comply wi'h tho rPque11t

conlllined in the accon:p:tnying re!'olulious of tho two Liternry Societies of tho Unifcrsity, you will greatly oblige them.

Ycry truly,

GnTLUfl!.~:

Your o b't. Serv'ls., 1\L T. SANDERS, · 'N.C. WARD, J. D. WEEDEN, ::;. J. MILLER, N. N. CLE)lENTS, W . R. W .'\.LKER.

TUSKALOOS.'\ , At.ADA~IA, lt;:st: 30th, 185i.

Your favor, enclo!>ing the rP.sol ulions of tho Liter:tn· Societies of the University, was receired to-dny. •

With pleasure, I shall endeavor to comply with the request. Respectfully,

To l\Iessrs. Jl\0. G. BARR.

WEEDEN, MILLER, Com. SANDERS, \V .ARD, ~

CLEIII .ENTS, wALKER.

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UNTVF.RfWl'Y OF :\ L :\ B. \:'If.\ . .Tt:xr. ~!lth. 18.Ji.

MR. RonERT J. BoYKrN: Porll:md, Dallas Co., ;\la. ,

Dem· Sir:

·\Ve, the undersigned, ha\·e been :lppointed n com­mittee to transmit to yo.nr deCN\!Wl father's f<tmily, the proceeding~ of tt meeting of the Literary So.:ieties of the University, held to-day, and to solicit a manuscript copy of the Oration, which, it is under>~tood, your father, in compliance with the wishe~ of thr Societies, had prepared for our 11ext Anniversary Celebration, with the Yicw to its being read on that occasion and subsequently published.

· T o the earnest request of the ::)ocif'tief', the committee beg to add their own, respectful, personal solicitations. vVe regard the rending and publication of the Oration, only, as a feeble evidence of thE' high esteem in which we cherish the memory of BuRWELL BOYKIN; and confidently believe that its presentment to the public, will lend fresh ~ustre to his literary reputation, as well as reflect credit npon our noble ALMA MATER, from whose bosom his youthful genlu~ drew nourishment.

Col. J ohn G. Ban, responding to our invitation, has kindly consent­ed to read the Oration, and to pronounce in the samt:: connexion, n. eulogy on the life and character of yotH' father,- such as the limited time at his comm:)nd, will allow him to prepare.

Hoping that you and the family may acquiesce in our earnest solicitat ions,

Vve remain, denr Sir, Yery rc!'peC'tfnl!y, Your friends and obd't. serv'ts.,

l\f. '1'. S .\.NDERS, ) \ Y . C. WARD. I J. D. WEEDE.'i, } Committu. s. J. }.IILLER , I

N. N. CLE.\IEKTS, I vY. R. WALKER. )

PORTLAXD, DALL,As Co., ALA., J uLY 5th, 1857.

GENTLEMEN :

Your favor of the 29th ult., was received, day before yes­terday, and I ha,·e hastened, in compliance with your request, to transmit, with as little delay as possible, a manuscript copy of my father's Address.

The test.iruonial of regard, which the Societies of the Univeraity have evinced to the memory of my deceased parent, is most kindly ap­preciated by his family and friends. And it is gratifying to us, to learn, that a gentleman of 1\Ir. Barr's high qualifications, should have been selected to read the Oration.

To :Messrs.

Assuring you, gentlemen, of my warm personal regard, I remain, most respectfully,

R. J . BOYKIN.

SANDERS, vV ARD, ~ WEEDEN, 'M!Ll.ER, Com. f'r.E~l El"TS. 'V AT.Kf:R .

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1':\I\"ERSITY OF AT.!\BA11A. Jt;ty l·llh, 18!J1.

CoL. ho. G. BARR,

Dear Sir:

Tho undersigned havl' been appointed n com­milh·<'. on the part of th<> two Societies of the University, to expres~ the gr:~tifirntion of the~e bodic!it, in listening to your remark'! to-dny, writte•t nod unwritten, on the life nod character of Burwell Boy kin, nnd re!<pect· fully to ~olicit a copy of the s..·une for publication along with the Anni­\'Cr$/lf\' Oration.

lVe trust that the wi<>.hec; of the SocietiP.~. strengthened by the unh·er.,nl l-<entiment of the large auditory present on the occasion, may insure a compliance.

Rcspertfully, DL T. SANDERS, l W. C. WARD, J. D. WEEDEN, I C S . .T. MILLER, r om. N. N. CLE)IE~TS,J W. R. WALKER.

TUSKALOOSA, ALABAlltA, JuLY 15th, 1857.

GENTLEJIIEN:

Feeling that no apology is due for a well-meant effort, howe-rer defective, to respond to the wishes of the Societies of the Uni­Yersity. on yl!sterday's melancholy occasion, I place at your disposal n manuscript, containing, as I believe, the remarks which I was honored in being requested to submit, on the life and character of your deceased Orato'r.

Accept my acknowlcdg::nents for your kindness and courtesy, and be)je\'e me,

Sincerely, Your friend and obd't. serv't.,

JXO. G . .BARR. 'l'o Me~sns.

SANDERS, \V ARD, ~ \VEEl'EJ(, Mn.LER, Com. CJ.ENEl'>TS, \V AJ.Itf.R,

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GENTLEMEN,

S TUDENTS OF TilE u~nv'ERSITY :

By your kindness, I am called upon to­day to perform a two-fold duty,- to offer an humble tribute to the memory of one, who, but for the visit of the Angel of Death, would be standing on this consecrated spot,-and to attempt the reading of the Address, prepared at your solicitation, which dropped from his fevered hand almost in the moment of completion, and which breathes, in mournful cadence, that dear, sad w ord, " F AREWELL," to his venerable Alma Mater and the loved, younger brothers of her generous bosom.

I cannot conceive of a more becoming discharge af the first branch of my m elancholy du ty, on this occasion, tlian to present a brief biographical sketch o f the deceased, un ­formal and unadorned,- and leave the heart to speak, after the heart's fashion, the eulogiurn already inscribed on tho leaflets of memory.

BuRWELL B oYKIN was born at Camden, in the State of South Carolina, in the May month of the year 1813. H is father removed to Alabama some four or five years after his birth, and settled in the County of Connecuh. H P-rc the son enjoyed such school advantages as the time and country afforded. H aving completed his thirteenth year, B uRWELL was placed in the family of his relative, Governor Pierce, of New Hampshire,-the father of the late distinguished Chief Executive of the United States,- an inmate of whose refined and hospitable mansion at H illsborough, New Hampshire, he remained for three years, enjoying the best facilities for the acquisition of knowledge and enlargement of his understanding, as well as such advantages of socie­ty and example, as left their courtly impress upon his man­ners through life. R eturning to tha paternal roof about the time of the opening of the Univcr::;ity of Alubama, in the.:

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~ rar 18:31, he rntc'rcd upon his college <·arccr, and wa:-:1 amon~ that :youthful liUtUbcr, "ho ~pruug, with joyous a laerity, to obey the Jir:.t :smnmon:; that ever pealed from yonder belfry.

At this point i n lti:; career, I must permit another to :;peak,- one who knew him long and loved him well,-one whose gi fted pen illumes wherever it touches, and w hose warm hea rt, responding sympathetically to thousands i n all parts of our State, has pre:;entcd an olrering to his memory, through the columns of the J.l!obilc Register, as just a nd deserved, as it i:; worthy of the generous impulse that gave i t birth: I allude to tbe eloquent and accomplished M EEK.

"I have known Burwell Boykin for more than n. quarter of a century. lio came to the University of A ln.bnma a t tho Qlltsot of that institution, a youth of seventeen year.c;, with a strong thil·st fot· lcn.rning and distinc­tion. His physiognomy, Cn!n then, gave token of t ho fulness of his in­tellect, and the force of his character. His high, bron.J brow and larg2 dark hcavily-o,·crsha.doweu eyes, were unmistakeablc marks of genios 1\nd energy. He at once toolc an equal &tand among the most gifted circle of student~ I h.wo CYN known assembled in any American college. Tho occasion will cxcu~c tho mention of a few, whose subsequent ca­reers btwo >erified their early promise. Thoro were Clav and Clemens, hoth subsequently United ~tates Senators; William R. Smith and S. \V. l nge, Rrpre~cntntircs in Cong;ress; G. D. ShortridgC', T . A. Walker l~nd John 1~. Moor!', ('ircuit Judges; J\1. A . Baldwin, Attor­m•y-G enera l of Ahbama, nnd vVilliam A . Elmore, holding tho same office in Louisiana.; \Villiam "\V. Kin~. also ~~ distin9uished lawyer in the latter Sta.tc; 11.11d l !obcrt B. 1\I~.:~Inllcn, now a len.r ned Pro~ fcssor, and J ohn .A. Nooe, au eloquent ad,·ocll.tc, both in Tennessee.

[And in this connection any one but the w riter w ould have added ALEXAXDF.R B . l\h:t:K, who, at an u nprecedented youthful age, was Attorney-General o f Alabama, and sub· scquently Dist rict Attorr.ey of the United States, besides attaining legislative and lt igh j udicial station ;-whose pop­ular eloquence has placed him in the front rank of Southern orators,-w hose poet'1;-lyre has g h·cu him elevated position among America's sons of song,-wbo.sc researches i nto the history oi the South ha,·e elicited meri ted commendation from the learned BA~CROFT-an<.l whose valua ble contribu ­tions in e very ucpartmeut of Southern literature are me• rnorials to his fame tha t will endure

"------ 'gaiuot the tooth of time ] J\ ud rnzuro c.·f oOHYion !"

Among thcso and others equally gifted, younf? Boykin first learned to <>xerlliso his powor11, a.nd forged the chains of friendship ,vhich nn.ught hut death could srvcr. By these and their co-mate~. he was chosen one uf the orators for the ·1th of July, l833, hig la~t F:tl' in college, and olo·

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quontly did Le acquit himself on that occasion, gi,in0 as.ur!lnce o( fu ture eminence as a speaker and writer. Aft~r leaving the Uni•ersity. he read law ami married, unl mainly uc\o­

ted hunsclf to his patrimonial estate in Dallas county. Y rry !l<oon tho peo.Pic placed him in the Legislaturr, where, for his only session, he hcltl a h 1gh position. A taste for commercial pursuitc;, hrou~ht him, about 1837, to Mobile, where with tho exception of summer inten·ab upon his plan tation in DnJlas, he has since resided. As a commis~ion merchant, no one in our community ever poRsesscd or dcsen·ed morc> fully the cQn· fidence of all classes. H e was thoroughly im hued with all thnt pl'cuiiar knowledge of tho laws of trade and of linance, which conc;titutcs thn true, enlightened merchant; and in his busines'l trnnsnction'l, hi.' wn'l a.lways_ distinguished by liberality, generosity and intl.'grity. Hi'~ furc­S l~ht, JUdgment and prudoncr, wore severely tel'.tcd in the disn~trou'l c r1sis which attended his entra.nce into commercial life; and tlwurrh hA suffered in the general revulsions of the timr, his faculti(•'! wr~o PO strengthened as to fit him for futme strug~les hy which he triumphant­ly overcame all reverses. During tbn.t period he wn.s Prrl'. iurnt of tho B ranch Bank of A labama and bra vel v contended with the ern bnrrns~­ments by which it was su rrounded . I Iowevor the policy purRued ma.v have been doubted, the fidelity and integrity of the agent were ne•er q uestioned.

Col. Boykin was also well known as n. politician and ;mhlic Qpcn:.cr. Fervently and loyall.v attached to tho Southern School of politic". hn took a decided part with the Democratic party in its struggll''l for a ~<tritt construction of the federal compact, and with pen awl tougur> nc,bly -.indicated his Yiews. Some of his speeches deli,·crecl in this rity ''~'T•l of a very high order of popular eloquence. Attcndin~ the Xa~hrillo Convention at the t ime of the compromise difficultie~<, he .i•>in<'ll, among tho loaders, in the deliberations, n.nrl dcJi,·erod a spce\:h, a ftPrward'l published, of g reat power, earnestness. and impressivenc>Rs. 'l'hr>~l.', ant! other performn.nces, evinced that. if Col. Boy kin hnd followc l his ori;r:­nal profession of the law, n.nd gi,·en himself to public aff:\ir~. lu• woulcl have been classed among tho di~tinguished statesmen and orator:. of the country.

A liberal lo>c of letters, and a cuJti,·ntcd appreciation of the fine nrlq. were also among h is chnracteristi<·~. Thc>y were the s,·,Jace nnd con~­pn.n ions of his leisure hours. On one occaqion, in New York, nt n. gr:mcl exhibition of the Mechanical and Industrial Arts, whc•re )lr. W cb'-t•·r spoke, he :tlso dcli>crod a speech, which wa~ pronounced not unworthy of the distinguished comparison which it necessarily recci,·cd. In the st,Yle of h is addresses, Col. Boykin was ornate, imal!;innti,·eand <'opiou•, W1th perhaps too strong n tendency to hyperbole, but he was n.t the ~anw time accur:ttc, lucid and dignified.

Such were some of the leading intcllectu~ l nnd r~ofc<:!'ional trnil<: nf our departed friend. I n his moral qun.lities he was all that i~ no hit> nn•i. C?rumenda.ble. Generous, gentlemanly anri cou:trouc;; '~n.rm-hrnrted, SlDCere, and affectionate ; gallant. chiralrous, phdnnthrop1c and i.H•ne,·­olent; h is friends were " grappled to him with hooks of steel," and ever took a fond pride in his success in lifo.

The demise of no other man could h:t•e produced a. strongl'r srn11c of loss in this community. For many years he has heen idriltiflN~ "ith theinterests and prospects of our city. As a mcrch:mt l'n,~:~:;N! Jn tho most extensive business; ns a public spirit<'d noel patriotic citiz~-'n hear­ing n. prominent part in CYcry mo\·cment for tho ~!.'nora! wrlf:no ; ·:~s nn acti,·e nnd libera l supporter of all our iMtitution" of philan thropy and learning; as one who contributed largely, by his ~tdrice 1\nrl e.x­~mple, f() all enterpriee of social and moral ad•anccmcnt, Burwell

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T o this just estimate of the career and character of BuR­W ELL BovKrN, little remains to be added. Thus nobly gifted,-thus worthy,- thus honored and distinguished, he was snatched away, in the full vigor of manhood and me­ridian of usefulness and maturity, from the companionship of men, from the greetings of friendship, from the endear­ments of love. After four days illness, he breathed his last, surrounded by family and friends, at Portland, in Dallas County, on the 21st day of June, 1857-thus sinking to repose, mid\Vay, on his filial and devoted pilgrimage from i\1Iobile to this cherished shrine,-the cradle of his youthful genius ;-where, responsive to your call, he was to have delivered, on th is day, those effusions of his matured under­standing and. ripe experiences of his intellectual manhood, which breathe in the cold manuscript before me. T o the careful, elaborate and sturlied preparation of which, and to his anxiety, deeply-felt and oft-expressed, to fulfil public ex­pectation a nd meet the wishes of the two Societies, is main­ly to be attribuled,- as I am informed by one who was near and dear to him,- the condition of mind and nervt::s in which, it is believed, germinated the disease that ended his existence :-another and a mournful exemplification of the sublime simile of the poet :-

So the struck ea~le, stretched upon the plain No more thro' roUing clouds to soar again, Yie"ed his own feather on the fatal dart And winged the shaft that quivered in his hear t.

And this circumstance,-that his last life-drops were ex­tracted by and fell upon these pages--will, if possible, throw around this occasion, a more touching and solemn interest, and add a tenderer sentiment and deeper pattios to the bright conceptions, the high teachings and impressive admonitions of the Address,-on the threshold of which I will no longer detain you.

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( ~f r. Dnrr tb cn rrau rroro the mnnuecript ur ('ol. Doykin, tloe fullowing Orotion:]

G EXTLE:li:EN OF THE PmLOMATHIC

AND EnosoPmc SociETIEs :

. In obedience to your invitation I appear before you. The honor which your partiality has conferred, is kindly appreciated, and the only regret is, that the duty incident to this evidence of regard, lies beyond the pow-er of the speaker.

As appropriate to the occasion, I have selected as the basis of the observations I purpose submitting,­T HE CoNT.RIBUTIONS oF Sc iENCE To TEE UsEs oF M L 'f.

The careful observer of the progress of events, can­not fail to trace upon each succeeding age and genera­tion, features of a peculiar character. One is distin­guished by the invention of gun-powder,-another by the art of printing. One is signalized by the revivn.l ·of letters,-another by the reformation of religion. Newton rendered illustrious a particular epoch by his discoveries ;- another and perhaps more brilliant era stands out in bold relief, marked by the vast designs and sweeping .conquests of Napoleon,. whose policy, mapped out in red lines, left a deep indentation upon the political institutions and physical geography of modern Europe.

If other days have had their types, so has the age in which we live; and should the question be asked, what are its cYutlines, and how it will be marked in the record of time, we answer : by the wonderful achieve­ments which have been wrought in the improvement and in the elevation of the condition of man; by the !ubjugation of matter to mind.

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1n this rc~pcct, so f:tr n:3 moral grandeur, intellec­tual triumphs, uud utilitarian consummations are in­\ohed. it may be fairly assumed tha-t it stands with­out a parallel in the history of the world. Its geni­us levies contributions upon the la-ws of ma-tter, sways its energies and makes it subscnient to purposes of utility and enjoyment; and the~e conquests have been so " ·ide aml well defined, as to give to it, its pe­culiar impress. The written scrolls, the surviving momentoes of the wisdom and poetry of antiquity, the old quarries of Sicily, tbe broken arches of the Homan Campagna, the beacon towers on the hills of Spain, tell not of the mecha-nical contrivance, which these later days have introduced into the realm of sci­ence, chaining its yery elements to the service of man.

~or do they carry with them into the domain of science and of art an elucidation of those forces of matter and motions of the universe, such as attended the explorations of Humbolt, as he trod the steppes of Tartary, the forests of the Orinoco, and central Asia, and the plateaus of Mexico.

Progress is one great feature that distiguishes mod­ern civilization, and especially that of America. Our place in the series of ages which bound the history of man, and even our geographical position are favora­ble t0 the presumption that we arc to constitute the van-guard of nations in that triumphal march of hu­manity, which shall illustrate fully the acme of pro­gressive philosophy, weaving in harmonious union the practical and useful with the abstract and beautiful.

The labors of the scientific blended with the prac-­tical, appropriating the accumulated knowledge of the past, and eliminating principles and aptitudes from every department, are surrendering to the demands of_ this very progressiye and, perhaps in some respects,

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-aggreasi ve age. D nder the guidance of science, the principles of the lever, wheel, inclinecl plane, Hcrew, rope and other mechanical forces, combinecl with a knowledge of hydraulics, meteorology an<l electro­magnetism, have been made to administer, in a YU­

riety of forms, to the u~es of man. Mind, with its calculating energy, impelled by some

great idea, or stimulated by some pressing necessity, toils in pursuit of new inventions and struggles to successful issues. Thus it was ·with Arkwright, the in­ventor of the spinning-jenny ; thus it was with Whit­ney, the contriver of a machine for remoYing the seeds of the cotton-plant ; and of "\ 1 !1itmore, tlie in­ventor of the card-machine, one of the most ingeni­ous and intricate of inventions. The naval architec­ture of Eckford,-the Eddystone light-house, that monument of Sweaton's scientific temerity,-the bridges of Edwards and Remington,-the kitchen apparatus of Count Rumford,-and the momentous discoveries of Faust, Jenner, and Daguerre,-are not mere triumphs of ingenuity, but the results of patient study, numerous e:s.perimeuts, intellectual labor and scientific research. The same ma.y be affirmed ofthe mills of Evans, the water-machiney of Slater, the clocks and g~obes of Furguson, the steam-guns of Per· kins, the safety-lamp of Davy ;-and is equally true in reference to every successful application of natural laws to mechanical apti tudes, whether the creation of self-educated or professedly scientific men.

In this connection may be introduced the important applicatibn of the pow-er of steam, controllecl ~nd di­rected by the hand of science. The expansive force of this agent -seems to have been known to a limitecl extent, at an early age, and, by some writers, is sup­posed to have been used in the construction of the great Pyramids,-in the erection of which, according

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to Herodotus, the labor of one hundred thousand men was required for twenty yca.rs. ·w·hether this hy­pothesis be well founded or not, if the calculations of Dr. Dionysius Lardner be correct, these pyramids could ha.Yc been raised, from the ground to their pres­ent height, by the combustion of about four hundred and eighty tons of coal. The interesting facts, how­ever, that mainly concern us, arc incorporated into the wonderful results this agent has worked out by the aid of science in this, the nineteenth century.

Since Fulton first made the trial trip of the Cler­mont, on the Hudson river, the effects of his inven­tion upon the destinies of the world, baffle the power of the imagination, as well as t he solidity of the reason. Under the dominion of steam, vast changes in the course of empires and in the welfare of society, have been effected. Social and pecuniary benefits, co-extensive with the range of civilization and the spread of commerce, have followed in the wake of the Clermont;-. its triumphs lord it over the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and convey its trophies, not in the gorgeous barges of a Cleopatra, but in the magnifi­cent :floating palaces of modern naval architecture, enterprise and skill. Nor are its achievements con­.finecl to oceans, lakes, inland seas or rivers ;- at its bidding, the most valuable minerals, that pave slum­bered for ages undisturbed in the bowels of the earth, come forth to administer to the wants and luxuries of man. By its agency, coal is made to subserve, in a variety of forms, the uses of society. Subservient to its elastic and plastic touch, it is taught to spin, weave, dye, print and dress silks, cottons, woolens and every other description of cloth,-to make pa­per,-to print books,- to convert corn into flour,-to press oil from the olive and extract wine from the gra.pe. The hardest metal fuses before the heat of its

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breath, and is made to assume every shu pe that fash:.. ion or caprice can devise. If on the deep, it lends wings to the ship and haughtily bids defiance to op­posing winds and tides ;-on the land, it harnesses the iron-horse and impels him forward, to outstrip the flight of the bird and the fury of the storm. It speeds intelligence from pole to pole, and in its iron grasp holds continents in close and fraternal embrace.

It would seem that a wise Providence raised up the energetic, mechanical genius of Fulton at the very moment that more rapid and frequent communication became essential, not only to the prosperity, but to the nationality of a country, destined to form a new., grand and enlarged arena for the development of the highest capacities of humanity. By an intercourse,

· at once easy, eheap, rapid and uniform, it has render­ed available the ·variety of climate, soil and natural resource, and brought the inhabitants of the remotest regions into sympathetic relations and natural amity. The steam-engine and the electric-telegraph, by crea­ting leisur~, in economizing human labor, in the rapid transmission of intelligence, in the multiplication of the means of security, defence, progress and develop­men.t, may be said to have emancipated man from the tyranny of nature and to have established the su­premacy of the intellectual over the material world. Science is the presiding genius of all,-such as you are taught within these walls .

. If science, in her practical Oferations, can boast of her achievements in steam,. she may with equal, if not higher pride, assert her mastery over another and mo.re subtle elenient. 'Vith a bold hand she has snatched the lightning from heaven and chained it to the earth. Dr. Franklin, whose mind was eminently practical and bent uf.>on the "C1-ti bono," opened a new era in American science. 'Vith a resolute and Samford University Library

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hopeful spirit he set himself to work to evolve from the electric phenomena a principle that would be of practical benefit to mankind, and succeeded, as is well known to every school-boy, in establishing his

. theory by the celebrated experiment of the kite, by means of which, he literally enchanted a cloud of its lightning. This led at once to the construction of lightning-rods or conductors, now so generally used. Eripuit caelo fulmen, sceptrumque tyrannis !

The scientific r~scnrches of .M. Daguerre, on the properties of solar light, arc particularly interest­ing. Among other things, he has established the fact, that certain metallic preparations arc affected in a peculiar manner by being exposed to various de­grees of shade and light. This is certainly one of the many \Cry beautiful, as well as useful contribu­tions of science to art. Daguerre, profiting by the discoYcries of others, thought, that as engraving con­sisted of nothing hut the reprcscnt:-.tion of objects, by means of incisions on a metallic plate, correspond­ing to the lights and shades of the object represent­cd,- and as the same lights and shades were shown hy the discoYerics of science to produce on metals f'pecific effects in the exn.ct proportion of their inten­f'ities,-there could be no reason why the objects to be represented should not be made to cngraYc them­solve~, on plates properly prepared. Hence the ap­plication of this principle, and hence has arisen that ornamental art, called after its ilwcntor, daguerreotype. A picture taken by the r.ction of light and shade, with the proper adjustment of the lenses of the camera obscuru, is perfect. The original defect, the want of life-like freshnc~s nncl animation, has been supplied by a. coloring process; arid to such n. degree of perfec­tion has the art been brought by recent improve­ment:-, that jt ha~, jn a gn>at measure', superseded oil

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painting. A mirror <loes not send. hack its rcfiection more true to nature than a <laguerreotypc. The artist, with the sun for his easel, paints in colors not less faithful than just.

But there is another electric agent, transcending in importance and. in originality, the discoveries of Franklin and Dagucrre. I refer to that vital princi­ple of the present age, the Electric Telegraph. It is the wonder and admiration of modern times. If any sanguine and sagacious devotee of science had ven­tured, even in the memory of some before me, to pre­dict the events that arc now transpiring hourly among us, he would. have been pronounced a fit subject for a lunatic asylum. .The idea of transmitting intelli­gence thousands of miles by means of a wire would. have•struck the mind untutored in science, to be about as absurd as the invention of perpetual motion; yet it is now a well sustained fact, that if there were a wire surrounding the globe, the time of transmitting ·news by this medium, would be only the eighth part of a second. A dispatch would fly around the earth between the two beats of a common clock, and be written in full at its destination, more rapidly than it could be repeated by word of mouth. In the face of such facts, we feel disposed to exclaim,-

"Are such things here as we do speak about? Or have we eaten of tho insane root 1'hat makes the reason prisoner ? "

Shakespeare, in the sweep of his fancy, did pxesume to rr.ake his "fairy,"

"Put a girdle .'round the earth In forty minutes ;"

but it never entered his imagination, that l'nch a gir­dle would ever speak a living language.

The telegraphic wire couyeys nwssagc;:; not only upon the fac.e of the earth, but tmder the bosom of

., u

I

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the mighty deep. There arc now in successful ope· ration a number of subaqueous communications .. There is onq from Dover to Cn.lnjs, a distance of twen­ty-one mile::; ; one from IIouth to Ilolyhead, a dis­tance of sixty-five miles; one between Ireland and Scotland, a distance of twenty miles ; one from England and Holland, a distance of one hundred and fifteen miles; one from Dover to Ostencl, a distance of sixty miles; one from Balacklava to Varna, on the Black Sea, a distance of three hundred ancl seventy­fou~· miles ; one from Sardinia, on the main land, to Corsica, a distance of sixty miles ; one between Cor­sica and the ! ::;land of Sardinia, six miles ; one across tho Gulf of St. Lawrence, from Cape Breton to New­foundland, seventy-six miles; one from the Straits of Northumberland, betwe~n Cnpe Tormentine and Prince Edward's Island, ten and a half" miles ; ma­king the total number of miles now bid, eight hund­red and five ancl a half.

But tho greatest of all these enterprises is tho one now under tho immediate superintendence of the Brit­ish and American Governments. The plan is well arranged for a submarine communication between America and England. Soundings have been made of the Atlantic Ocean, from St .. J ohns, Newfoundland, to Valentia Bay, on the south-western extremity of I reland, a distance of sixteen hundred and forty nau­tical miles, or nineteen hundred statute miles. Steam­ers are engaged, on the part of this Government and that of Great Britain, in dropping the great Atlantic Telegraph in tho bed of the ocean, and, though tem­porary delays and disasters may occur to impede the progress of this magnificent undertaking, we are jus­t ified in saying, many, if not all of us, will live to sec the day, when we can stand on the American shore and discourse with our friend on the English, as it

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were, face to face, our organ being the electric calJle that secretly communicates our thought.<:; along the deep, dark, unruilled bed of ocean.

It would· seem, from the wonderful manifestations of scientific knowledge as applicable to the uses of man, that no period in history has been so productive of momentous r<?sults as the century in which our destiny is cast. Science, during the last thirty or forty years, has opened up the richest veins of our intellectual wealth, and bas contributed vastly by her recent conquests to the wants and luxuries of man.

Among the modern sciences which partake most strongly of this characteristic, Chemistry holds an important rank. It constitutes an essential part in t he material civilization of this country, if I may be permitted to use the term. One of the special duties of this most engaging science is, to iliscover hidden and unknown · properties and uses of things,-to by bare the vast and multiplied resources of kingdom:-;,-

. to separate and decompose, to resolve the compound into the simple, and define the qualities of clements. It is particularly attractive, because it deals in prac­t ical results; and the public, while indifferent to the processes of investigations, are always alive to that which puts a commercial value upon the efforts of mind. Chemistry, therefore, is replete with interest, and is engaging no ordinary share of attention. I ts value is being appreciated in every vocation, since it holds its laboratory in every kingdom of nature, where it is continually conducting every variety of operation, and bringing forth from the crucible of analysis and experiment, results the most curious, .astonishing and useful ;-such, for example, as the manufacture of iron, of porcelain, of glass, of soda, soap, vinegar, white lead, the chloride of lime, t.he

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~ulpha.te of il'on nml of copper, the mineral acid::~ anll 11umcrous other compounds.

A visit, to the workshops of the great ma.nufact:ur­ing towns of Europe and thi~ country, discloses some magnificent spccimenf' of chemical Rcience ;-such as the extraction of metals from theu: orcs, the assaying of ores and metalf', the special extraction of gold and ::;ilYer, the art of enamelling on iron, of gi.lding and ::;ih-ering, of bleaching, dyeing and printing, of malt­ing and distilling, of prescrYing timber, of making mortars and cements, of obtaining gas from coal and other combustible materials, of preparing mixed met­als, &c. Such is the fruit of chemical research, of "\T"hich all taste.

It is difficult to determine to which branch of the different departments of chemistry to ascribe the largest amount of practical benefit. Each carries ·with it, its own peculiar and inestimable advantages. To the apothecary and physician, a knowledge of medical and pharmaceutical chemistry is indispensn.­ble. To the farmer, agricultural chemistry com­mends itself with strong claims. Being able by a. scientific analysis of soils to understand their nature and their properties, with their peculiar adaptations, he will know, when, how and what, to plant to ad· vantage ;-his fertilizers he will be able to introduce with a certain knowledge of results; and this fact may be affirmed of chemistry throughout the whole range of its operations.

To a large portion of men, however, the soil is re­garded as dw;t; but to the chemist who knows its origin, its history and its capabilities, it is a wonderful mixture of those beautiful clements, which, in their ever-Yarying forms, become the ambient air, the liquid ocean, the prismatic opal, the amethyst; the jasper

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ttnd the still more precious diamond,-or the delicate blue-bell and violet, the amaranth, the lily, and the rose-bud, the spire of blue grass and the cedar of I.ebanon,-or again, the ruby lip, the matchless orb of the love-lit eye, the nobly palpitating heart, and the yet more wonderful exudations of the brain !

These are some of the jewels that lie concealed in the earth, of which they constitute a component cle­ment, and out of which the husbandman toils to dig the food his hunger craves. It might be well for him, as he turns the furrows of his fields, that the sleep of his thoughts be broken by the reflection, that the earth thus stirred by his . plough-share is doubtless made up in part of the ashes of ancestral heroes, whose deeds arc the history of the past,_ and -whose mortal remains are the plastic matcri:tl, out of which we are building ihe abodes of the men of to-clay, and making them joint heirs and rcprqduccrs of their Mother Earth !

An encouraging feature, connected with this branch of science, is to be found in the ine1·eased and increas­ing estimation in which it is held. Some five and twenty years ago, it was scarcely taught as a branch of education, independently of the medical profession. More recently, however, it has assumed an entirely new and imposing position, and is being taught sys­tematically in all our colleges and uniYersities, as in­dispensable to a liberal education ; and, I trust, that I may not be considered as overstepping the limits of propriety, · in congratulating our State and our State University, on being able to profit by the senices of the able and learned professor, who now fills this chair in our University, and in uniting in the general regret at the great loss sustained iu the death of his co-laborer, Professor TumiEY ; as long as our rrrer~,

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valleys and mountains yield their treasures to the ministrations of science, his services will be apprecia­ted and his memory cherished ! The geological sur­veys of Professor Tuomey have done much to direct attention to the mineral resources of our State, the pr01)cr development of which, will place her on the advancing line of solid and State independence ;-after all, the best possible practical guarantees of State's Rights and State Sovereignty.

""'\Vhilst science has aisclosed many of the physical phenomena. and unlocked the properties of ea.rth,-it has also broken through the enclosures of the Heav­ens, and erected its throne upon the strata. of celestial space.

Ga.llileo, in his day, opened the eyes of the scien­tific world by his discoveries. Newton, rising in the splendor of his. native genius and culminating to a higher sphere, emblazoned a new era in the science of astronomy, by the invention of his reflecting telescope. Sir John Herschel, following in this blaze of light, pushed his investigations still farther into the sublim­.ities of space. The mighty grasp of Lord Rosse's gigantic reflector, and the great reflectors at Pulkooa and Cambridge, have brought to the eye, universes of unappreciable magnitude, and overwhelmed the mind in the survey of worlds on worlds revolving in end­less space. From this exalted conception of the dis­tinct families of universes, while we feel our in­significance as individuals, we recognise in the wis­dom of God our superiority over unthinking mat­ter. In the contemplation of these mighty glories, supreme over earth, the seas and the sky, studded and adorned with the attributes of Deity, our minds ascend to the fellowship of loftier and purer influ-

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ences, "a little lower than the angels." The voice of inspiration is heard to say,

"Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou mo,

IIast thou an arm like God? or ean'st thou t1mnder with a voice like him?

Can'st thou bind tho sweet influences of tho Pleiades, or loose t~ bands of Orion ?

Ca.n'st thou bring forth !lhzzaroth In his season? or can'st thou guide .Arcturus with his sons?"

Th~se questions imply that the runge of intellect is susceptible of an association with finer essences, and may take its course in proximate relation to the Seraph and Cherubim. The chariots of flume and the horses of fire that bore Elijah on the mountains o~ Syria, and, the wheels of umber and of fire, which were exhibited to the captive Prophet on the banks of Chebar, become, in the contemplated sweep of these exalted influences, vehicles of approach to De~

ity, from plu.net to planet, and from star to star, in which the Heavenly Host is spread out, in attestation of the wonders, the designs and the glories of God. These

''.Assert Et&rnal Providence, .And vindicate tho ways of God to man."

Awed into reverence before Him who made all, we can well exclaim, as did the Shepherd of Israel,­'' When I consider the Heavens, the work of thy hands, the moon and stars w4ich Thou hast ordained, what is man that Thou art mindful of him, or the son of man that Thou visitest him !" But to Ilnr, who notices the sparrow's fall, and whose providcn~ tial care extends over all his works, man is a crca~ ture of duties, obligations and responsibilities, corres­pondent to his status in the order of created beings.

There is no branch of science which, to the same extent as astronomy, taxes the highest powers of phi~ losophical research, and is better adapteu at the same

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time, to arrest the attention of m.ind::~ scarcely irr1bued with scientific culture. The chemist, in his investi­gations of material naturc,- the physiologist, in, his researches into the economy of animal life,- the. ge­ometer, clothed in his logic of quocl emt demonst?·an­dwm,-· fall short of an intimate approach to the com­mon· understanding; and why? Because, through these, arc not seen the imperial splendors of the firma­ment ;- from them, the mind does not travel with the glories of the rising and setting sun, or repose upon the serene majesty of the moon, as she walks in beau­ty, the full-orbed queen of night, through the star­paved courts of her empyrean ;-nor is it startled by the advent of a comet, with its ficry 'streaming ban­ncr threatening a hostile intent. These arc images painted upon the eye of the peasant, as well as the 1)hilosopher, and through which, both alike look

"Through nature, up to N' aturc's God!"

Descending from a higher to a lower and more utilitarian view of this subject, I will answer an im­aginary question,-why should we wish to obtain a knowledge of astronomy?

In answer to this question, you will thank me for permitting one of the most brilliant writers of the present day to respond.

" '\Ve derive from the observations of the heavenly bodies, which are made at an observatory, our only adequate measures of time, and our only means of comparing the time of one place with the time of another. Our artificial time-keepers- clocks, watch­es and chronometers-however ingeniously contrived and admirably fabricated, are but a .transcript, so to say, of the celestial motions, and would be of no value without the means of regulating them by ob­~cnTation. The artificial iustrument is of incalcula-

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ble utility, but must itself be regulated by tne .,_,,"' .. -

na.l clock-work of the skies. For all the kindreds and tribes and tongues of men-each upon their own meridian-from the Arctic pole to the Equator, from the Equator to the Antarctic pole, the eternal sun strikes twelve at no0n, a~d the glorious constellations, far up in the everlasting belfries of the skies, chime twelve at midnight,-twelve for the pale student over his flickering lamp; twelve amid the naming glories. of Orion's belt, if he crosses the meridian at that fated hour; twelve by the weary couch of languish­ing humanity ; twelve in the star-paved courts of the Empyrean; twelve for the heaving tides of the ocean ; twelve for the weary arm of labor; twelve for the toiling brain; twelve for the watching, waking, bro­ken heart; twel've for the meteor which bla.zes for a moment and expires; twelve for the comet whose pe­riod is measured by centuries; twelve for every sub­stantial, for every imaginary thing, which exists in the sense, the intellect, or the fancy, and which the speech or thought of man, at the giyen meridian, re­fers to the lapse of time."

Much of our knowledge of the size, density and po~ition of the earth, as a member of the solar sys­tem, is derived from this science, besides furnishing the means of performing the most important opera­tions of practical geography. Latitude and longitude arc· determined by observation. The por-;itions of all important places on maps, arc aP.tronomically deter­mined. In fact, important political arrangements, fixing boundaries, depend upon the aiel of this sci­ence. Our own government furni::;lws several promi­nent ilhistrations ; among which, is the treaty ·with Great Britain of lSJ~, kumn1 as the \V eb::-tcr nml Ash burton Treaty ;-also, the treat.v \\ ith Mexico, cnJlcd the treaty of Guachlupc IliLhl,::\) of lS..J.S, dc-

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fining the boundary line between this country and' that.

It is lmotrn that Yirg·inia: in a moment of magnan­imou:-l gencro:-;iiy. ceded to the United f;tates, im­mrn:-c bodies of land in the 're:--tcrn country. "Gndcr· the old sy:-;tem of special and local survey, much liti.:. gation grew out of contending claimant:-;, and many ca..;r:-; were taken to the Federal Court~, "hich had their origin in disputes about boundaries. 'l'hcse dif­Jicultic:-; haye been re11:10Yed by Hcicntific surycy:-;, and the whole public domain is now laitl oil" into ranges, town:-;hips and sections, with unerring accuracy, rest­ing on the 1oum1atiou of brtse and meridian lines;- . such is tllC utility of practical Astronomy.

ln nnothcr department, its sen·iccs arc equally manifest; I allude to its agency in commerce and nayigation. It has been the means of giYing to mod­ern commerce its present Yrt:·:t expansion, and of se­curing it again:-t those di;:;a::;tcr::; so common to the na:' igatiou of the ancient world. 'l'hc navigator, ,\·ith his rcqvisite tables, can steer his ship with prc­ci~ion to auy port. The highways of the ocean arc as clearly marked out as the eternal lights of the heaYens, and ihe ship's place at sea, of a starle~s night, can be determined " ·ith considerable accuracy. There is something snblim.e in riding out a storm in a mag­nificent :-;hip, amidst mountain billow:-;, the roar of ilnmder and the flash of ljghtning, tho hoarse moan of the wind and the splashing spray. 'l'here is, too, a feeling of security; for science mans the noble ship and holds her steadily on her course.

Another achievement of astronomical science is found in the great '"ork of our coast ::~urvey and in the triangulation of seyeral of the States ;-in the numerous scientific surycys of the interior of the con­tinent ;-in the department of the exploring cxpedi-

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· iion,-in the r-::cicntilic cxpcd(tion to Cltili,-:nHl in the brilliant hydm,jruplticnllabor::; of the Ob:-'crvatory a.t \Va~hington Cit,r, under the surcrinteJl(ll'llCC of Lieut . .i\Iaury,-a. :-':cntll'm:m, who~c eminent :-en-ices and di:-;tingni~hed talent, addrcl to the aclvanlagr of ::t thorough fo::cientific education, together \\ ith Profc:-:~or Bache, who conducts the United States Coa~t Survey, -ha,vc contributed so lllltch 1,,. tl1(!ir in!!enious re­search, moral results mu1 bold [rencralizati~m:::, to the brilliant discoveries fi1H.1 practical npplications of mod­ern SCience. And in thi:-; comwction of America's sons may be mcntionccl, \vith a feeling of national pride, the names of Henry, ~I01:~c, \Valker; Mitchell, L ocke anu Boncl. Thc~c gentlemen of :-:-eicncc haxc made for thcm..:clvc:" ::t \\·orld-\Yide reputation, and luwc been constituted honorary mcm~lcrs of the most U.istingui~hed scientific a!-":~ociations of Europe, and their n::tmcs h::tvc been enrolled among the 8Urrt 11-'i of all nations, honors cOJinHcnsurntc \Yith their merit~, and legacies in \vhich eYcry American may claim an estate. ·

\Vith no disposition to make im idions <li:-:tinctions, it must be admitted that Li~..,ut. l\hury ~tands at the head of hydrographic engineer:-:. ' Inclcecl, hr! may be said to h ave inaugurnted a, lleiY department ol' ~·ci­encc,-" The Physiwt (fcoumJ'lt.IJ r~r' the /·,>l(s;'-snp­plying a desideratum to nautical science, the want of which has buried many magnificent ve~:-:t>l-.; beneath the deep bosom of the occ·m. In the 'l'e1.1ple of Sci­ence, he has erected flo~lt~ng ob..:en·atorie,, \rho~c

lights guide with safety the mariner as he ploughs the great higln,·ays of nations. His philo,ophical in­vestigations of the wind:.; aml currents of the se::t ;­of the circulation of the atmosphere and ocean; of the t emperature and depth or ·the sea; of the won­ders that arc hidden in it~ caverns, and of the phe-

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nomcua. that di:>pby thcmsch·m; at it::~ surface, wiil.t their uses and a~la.pta.tions to commcrcin.l interests n.nd industrial pursuits,-are not only unlocking "the wonders of the great deep," but throwing around navigation a safety and protection, such as we feel wh~m ensconced, about our own hearths and firesides.

On this chart is mapped out e-very rock and shoal that lies in the way of vessels, and the track of the world of waters may be followed with as unerring distinctness as the road that leads from the Universi~

ty to Tuskaloosa. Nor is tlus all; navigators by rendering them­

selveR, under his teaching, familiar with the course of currents and winds, and the gcneralla;ws by which they arc snp})O~(;a to be governed, can take short cuts from port to port, f;CCure in the f'trong arm of scien­tific protection. Truly, it may be said of him, that he has laid his hand on the "ocean's mane and play- • eel familiar ''ith his hoary locks." Lieut. l\Iaury has also been making ad vanccs in meteorological science, as is known to all readers of newspapers and such as keep up with the spirit of the times. At his sugges­tion, I believe, the A1 1erican government has sup­plied its navy and mercantile ~ervice ·with instru­ments for meteorological and hydrometrical observa­tions, and other nations have followed this example, all arguing for the common good, that their registrar tions shall be public property. These may conduce to a consecutive chain of efforts, establishing certain laws in reference to the directions of winds, the pas­sage of storms and other atmosphmic mutations. A good deal, that is intcrestinp.', and much that is satis­factory, has been olJtn.ined through the self-registering anemon1cter in reference to the direction and duration, the force, times and seasons of atmospheric currents, still a great deal remains to be known connected. with

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the gasQous mcclium in which we liYe. Thi~ practi­cal knowlcuge, science, in her unwearied f'carch after truth, :r:t:J.ay sooner or later hrjng to us. ~rhc subject is now engagiug the highest intellect~ of this and other nations, and out of a multitude of oh~crvations and intellectual researches, new lights may da-wn up­on meteorology as a science.

The North "\V estern passage, solved under the aus­pices of Capt. 1\IcClure, points to the fact, confinued by the explorations of Dr. Kane, (now no more) and his gallant associates, that there was a limit to the ice-bound region, and beyond. w lrich wa;; a sea of opeu and flowing wa.ters. ·

The world has also been startled b): the uiscoveries of Dr. Livingston in Central Mrica. This country which has so long e:s:cited 'the cutiosity of travellers and terepted some adventurous spirits into its inte­rior, has at length been traver?ed from sea to sea, and lands, hitherto known as deserts, have been found to contain traces of civilization, as singular as unex­pected ; and a vast region, n.hounding in mineral and vegetable wealth, and inhabited by a varied popula­tion, has been suduenly brought into notice, n.nd may, in the course of events, exert an influence for good, as the school-master, the missionary, the trader and the Yankee-pedlar, that ubiquitous personage, spread over its vast area. Two expeditions have also been sent to explore the country whence the Nile is sup­posed to draw its sourccs,--one through Egypt and the other from the cast coast of M rica. These, prof­iting by the labors of predecessors, can hardly return without bringing back some valuable contributions to geographical discoveries.·

Another distinguishing feature of the present age is, the advancement and elevation of the standard of education. The :;ystcms now generally adopted,

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t>xhibit mnrkc(l improycment, whether considered in rrfcrt'ncc to m:mner or matter. This is to he observ­ed, from the primer-~dlOol~ up to our highest univer­:-;itiel'. Ednc.tl ion in our day has become a necessity, and hnppil,,-, the portals of l"Cience nrc open to all. 'l'hi-.: ncct'~~ity has r~tahli~hcd schools everywhere, diffn..;ing n~cful kno\\ ledge, and meeting, to some ex­tent, the utilitarian <lem.nnds of the time::;.

To a'mil itself of facts for the improvement of art nnd manufactures, is the duty of every State, moving in the adnmcc of civilization; but to draw from the great truths of science, intelligible inferences and ma~terly deduction~, and from these to n.qcend to new and beautiful abstractions~ is a lordly mental exer~ cise, which tCiul:-; to touch and refine every feeling, to call into play and satisfy the loftiest faculties of the mind, investing science in more lovely and attracting robes.

The mind, thus exercised in the maturity of its faculties, cmmot fail to find, in the twilight of age, a divine serenity ; and charmed by the music of the :-phercs, '\Yhich, like a vesper hymn poured forth by piouc:; hearts, sinks into the repose of that mysterious night which R'iYaits us all, tranquil in the happy con­r-ciousness that the sun of truth " ·ill rise in unclouded brilliancy, and place us in the enjoyment of that intel­lectual light, which has ever been among the holiest aspirations of the wise and good. The task of wield­ing the '\Yand of science, and standing a scientific evocater, within the charmccl circle of its power, is one which transports the mind from earth to the heayenly hosts,- the emblem. of wisdom and love. Tt exemplifies the bounties of deity, and proclaims " peace on earth and good will to men." w·hen sci­f'nce, in its march, gathers around its standard such

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combinations and comluds us to such victoril·s,-v-Jw would 110t enlist um/Pr it., !Juwt~'r?

If, Gentlemen, tlw view:; I lw. ,.c :-:o impcrf<:l'lly sketched and prescntc·d to yom con~ideratiOil: lw.Yc any force, they "·ill, I trust, ~timuln.te yon to profit by the advantages, IYlJich yom good f(n·tunc pennit::; you to enjoy. Pun.;uing r-;cicuce, <:ithcr as a means to an end, or for a loYc of it" inherent truth. You c·annot place too high an· c:;timate upon it:-; v;l;w, 110r can you labor too diligently in it:; pro~ecution. It is only by the exercise of the noble and god-like facultic:; of the intellect, that man is enab!ccl, in sornc 1.1casurc, to comprehend the f'tnpcndou~ grandcm of the plan of the material uni Ycr~c and to appreciate the deduc­tions of science, "·hich <'OllYcrgc to hut one conclu­::-ion, Yiz: that there is lJut one e:-!scntial cau:sc; and that cau~ation is the will and creation;-thc act of an omnipotent Being,-thc OJIC e\·crlasting source of power and of wi~dom, a~d of goodnc~s aml tli,·ine love.

Here you arc in the pof:~cs~ion of rare facilities for the acquisition of knowleLlge. \Yith a learned fac­ulty to instruct, and all the neces-:ary appliance:-; at your command, if you fail to turn thc:::e pri\ ilcgcs to good account, the lo:-is will he your:->. and mo::-t keenly will yon feel it and rcp:ret it in after year:-:. Dclorc you lies the :field of honor and of uscfnlnc!4s; \\ hcther this field shall grow up in weeds and r:o to wa::-te. or blossom, like the rose, nuder proper culture, is n mat­ter for your determination. If here your mind is properly trained, and stored with Yalunblc knowlcllgc, whateyer direction your taste or amhition mny ~ug:-. gest, or wha.tcYcr ptmmit you may adopt. you hnYc it in your power to a,ttnin excellence and to ri:;c to emi­nence,

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I n this favored country of ours, where there ate no first and second tn.bles in the halls of literature, but where the intellectual b:m(1uct is ::;pread out upon n common altar, alike acces:-;ible to the rich and poor, the high and tl~e low, eyery man can become the architect of his mrn fortune. He can either ascend the pyramid of greatness in imitation of the sublime flight of the eagle, or he can traycl along by virtue of the 1:is i,wrtiw, after the fashion of the creeping, tortuous windings of the reptile. The one hides in the ca. vern and sinks into torpidity,-thc other, in his ilight sublime, erects his eyrie on the mountain-top, ba.thcs his plumage in the higher clouds, looks at the sun with steady eye, and wreathes his garlands of im­mortality frcm the lightning's wing. · "'When you leave, Gentlemen, these wall::;, consecra­ted to science, "·ith your high commi:-;sion, and go forth into the great battle of life, it will come to you, as it has come to all, amidst its struggles and i ts cares, its hopes and its fear~,-that what is common­ly understood by pleasure, is a mere shadow,- that the tra1' pings of wealth arc but vanity cxposcd,­that the show of power is but an empty l)ageant, "sounding brass and tinkling cymbal,"-and that the promptings of ambition arc but dazzling illusions;­but I tell you what· you 11ill find steadfast, ttnd the truest and best of friends; it is KXOI\'LEDGE ! This fount, eyer pure, ever fresh, ever 1-'parl\:ling, is peren­nial and overflowing "'iYiih enjoyment. Knowledge, unlimited in space and infinite in duration, builds up a fame that endures. Coming np to the discharge of its functions, it fear.-; no dan~er, turns a:;idc from uo

· t>lj:-;taclc, and omits no exertion. Arc tho mountains to be sca.lcd,-t.hc earth p..:rfurat.ed,-the ~ kies pcnc­trated,-thc globe encircled,-:;ca. aml htnd explored, -Ll.1e di::;tuutconL~mpbieJ,-t.he Il.inllit• cxamiueu,-

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the great comprehended,-the sublime ascended,-its grasp over all things is as eternal as that mighty arm that fixed its habitation in the heavens, and holds it

. there,- a never-ending source of light, more durable in glory than the diadems of princes, and more ina­lienable in conquests than the empire of the sword, or of any power that belongs to earth !

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[ Aa he finished the rcn.uing, Mn. BARR, in substance, said:]

The sublime apostrophe to Knowledge, contained in the last paragraph of the Address, brings forcibly to my mind a fact, in the career of our deceased brother, which, though somewhat out of place, I trust that I may be ex~ cused for momentarily adverting to, as it affords a happy illustration of the beautiful consistency of his life,- and is a fragment of college history, interesting and well worth remembering.

Soon after the Uni,rersity went into operation, in 1831, the students, assembled in conventbn, appointed a com~ mittee of five of their number, to draft a Constitution for a Literary Society, and to select a name and a motto. This Committee consisted of Messrs. John G. Davenport, Robert 1\Icl\Iullen, George D. Shortridge, Alexander B. Meek and Burwell Boykin. They held their sittings on the first floor of the old \Vashington Dormitory,-every brick of whose venerable pile is a tongue to speak the praise of these youthful founders of the first Literary So~ ciety of the University of Alabama. Patient and anxious were their consultations, n::; clause after clause was dis· cussed and added to the Constitution being framed. At length, their labors drew to a close, and they presented a Constitution, which was ratified by the students, and which remains, after the lapse of a quarter of a century, • unlike many more pretentious, modern constitutions of governments, untouched, as it came from the hands of its young, but wise projectors. The Committee next ad· dressed themselves to the discharge of their remaining duties, which were, the adoption of a name and -a motto Samford University Library

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for the Society ;-an undertaking not less difficult, per· haps, than framing the Constitution itself. The joint re· suit of their labors was the significant and smooth-flow­ing name, Enosopaxc, which to this day, glitters on your banner,-and the pregnant motto,- SAPIENTIA PR..£STAT OMNIBus,-" Wisdom stands before all things ! " The same sentiment-almost the identical language of the concluding paragraph of his oration ! How beautiful, and how instructive in its beauty, is the devoted consis­tency of him, who, in the infancy of intellectual exis· tence, uttered, as the axiom of life-wisdom stands be­fore alt tllings,-and who, stricken by the "insatiate archer," in the prime of manhood, sinks into the portals of the grave, wafting back the same sublime sentiment! Such consistency the poet might well term a JEWEL, and such was our Brother's !

I shall never again behold that brilliant banner*,-with the fair genius of America,-draped in the gorgeous folds of a flag, the bare flutter of which, in the breeze, makes the patriotic heart bound,-tripping gracefully o'er the green sward, to encircle the brow of native merit with immortality's wreath, or view the word ERosoPHIC engraved on the altar before her,-and the motto, SAPIEN· TI~ PR..£STAT OM:'imus, adorning its base,-! shall never again behold those emblems, without calling to mind, with a thrill of emotion, the name of B uRWELL BoYKIN!

Student ! Erosophie ! Philomathic! younger brothers !

generous men! warm-hearted women! unite with us, as o'er the fresh-closed grave we drop a brother's tear to a brother's memory !

[• On all public celebrations of the Societies of the ~ni\·ersity, their banners are displayed conspicuously nbo>c the 1·ostrum m the Rotund?. On the present occasion, the banner alluded to, tastefully .clothed. 10. mourning drapery, hung abo>e the speaker's hen~, and bJ his to.uchmg reference to it, added powerfully to the solommty and 1mpreeslveness of tile scene.} Samford University Library

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