kind from those which are possessed by every individual in. this assembly. Let every one, then, reflect, especially every person not yet past the forming period of his life, that he carries about in his frame, as in a casket, the most glorious thing which, this side heaven, God has been pleased to create an intelligent spirit. To describe its nature, to enumerate its faculties, to set forth what it has done, to estimate what it can do, would require the labor of a life devoted to the history of man. It would be vain, on this occasion and in these limits, to attempt it. But let any one compare his own nature with that of a plant, of a brute beast, of an idiot, of a savage; and then consider that it is in mind alone, and the degree to which he improves it, that he differs essentially from any of them. And let no one think he wants opportunity, encouragement, or means. I would not undervalue these, any or all of them; but compared with what the man does for himself, they are of little account. Industry, temperance, and perseverance are worth more than all the patrons that ever lived in all the Augustan ages. It is these that create patronage and opportunity. The cases of our Franklin and Fulton are too familiar to bear repetition. Consider that of Sir Humphry Davy, who died in 1829, and who was, in some departments of science, the first philosopher of the age.* He was born at Penzance, in Cornwall, one of the darkest corners of England; his father was a carver of wooden images for signs, and figure-heads, and chimney-pieces. He himself was apprenticed to an apothecary, and made his first experiments in chemistry with his master's phials and gallipots, aided by an old syringe, which had been given him by the surgeon of a French vessel wrecked on the Land's End. From the shop of the apothecary he was transferred to the office of a surgeon; and never appears to have had any other education than that of a Cornish school in his boyhood. : * The sketch of Sir Humphry Davy which follows, to the end of the lecture, is abridged from the article in the Annual Biography for 1830. Such was the beginning of the career of the man who, at the age of twenty-two, was selected by our own countryman, Count Rumford, (himself a self-taught benefactor of mankind,) to fill the chair of chemistry at the Royal Institution, in London; such was the origin and education of the man who discovered the metallic basis of the alkalies and the earths; invented the safety lamp; and placed himself, in a few years, in the chair of the Royal Society of London, and at the head of the chemists of Europe. Sir Humphry Davy's most brilliant discoveries were effected by his skilful application of the galvanic electricity, a principle whose existence had been detected, a few years before, by an Italian philosopher, from noticing the contractions of a frog's limb; a fact which shows how near us, in every direction, the most curious facts lie scattered by nature. With an apparatus contrived by himself to collect and condense this powerful agent, Sir Humphry succeeded in decomposing the earths and the alkalies; and in extracting from common potash the metal (before unknown) which forms its base; possessing, at seventy degrees of the thermometer, the lustre and general appearance of mercury; at fifty degrees, the appearance of polished silver and the softness of wax; so light that it floats on water, and so inflammable that it takes fire when thrown on ice. These are, perhaps, but brilliant novelties; though connected, no doubt, in the great chain of cause and effect, with principles of art and science conducive to the service of man. But the invention of the safety lamp, which enables the miner to walk with safety through an atmosphere of explosive gas, and has already preserved the lives of hundreds of human beings, is a title to glory and the gratitude of his fellow-men which the most renowned destroyer of his race might envy. The counsels of such a man, in his retirement and seasons of meditation, are worth listening to. I am sure you will think I bring this lecture to the best conclusion by repeating a sentence from one of his moral works. "I envy," says he, "no quality of the mind or intellect in others; not genius, power, wit, nor fancy; but if I could choose what would be most delightful, and I believe most useful to me, I should prefer A FIRM RELIGIOUS BELIEF to every other blessing." ADVANTAGE OF KNOWLEDGE TO WORKINGMEN." NOTWITHSTANDING the numerous institutions for promoting useful knowledge in our community, it was still found that many were excluded from the benefit of them. The number of persons that can be accommodated in any one hall is, of course, limited; and it has been thought desirable to make the attempt to provide an additional course of lectures, for the benefit of those who have not had it in their power, for this or any other reason, to obtain access to the other institutions which have set so praiseworthy an example in this work of public utility. We are assembled this evening to make the beginning of this new course of popular instruction. The plan of this course of lectures was suggested at so late a period this year, that it may not, perhaps, be possible, the present season, to carry it fully into effect, in such a manner as is wished and designed, in reference to the choice and variety of subjects. It is intended, eventually, that it should extend to the various branches of natural science. It will impart useful information relative to the earth, the air, and the ocean; the wonders of the heavens; and the mineral treasures beneath the surface of the globe. It may extend to the different branches of natural history, and acquaint you with the boundless variety of the animated creation. The various properties of bodies will form a prominent subject of consideration, as the basis of so many of the arts and trades, and the sources from which so many of the wants of man * An address delivered as the introduction to the Franklin Lectures in Boston, November 14, 1831. are supplied. In like manner, the various natural powers, the agency of fire, water, steam, and weight, which, in their various combinations, produce the wonders of improved machinery by which industry is facilitated, and the most important fabrics are furnished cheaply and abundantly, will not be overlooked. It may be supposed that a due share of attention will be paid to the geographical survey of the globe, to the history of our own race, the fortunes of the several nations into which mankind have been divided, and the characters of great and good men, who, long after they have departed from life, survive in the gratitude and admiration of their fellow-men. A general and intelligible view of the constitution and laws of the country in which we have the happiness to live, tending, as it will, to enlighten us in the discharge of our duties as citizens, will no doubt be presented to you by some who will take a part in these lectures. Nor will they, I venture to hope, be brought to a close without having occasionally directed your thoughts to those views of our nature which belong to man as a rational and immortal being, and to those duties and relations which appertain to us as accountable agents. The general plan of these lectures extends to these and all other branches of sound and useful knowledge; to be treated in such order as circumstances may suggest, and with such variety and selection of subjects, and fulness of detail, as the convenience of the lecturers and the advantage of the audience may dictate. They have been called the Franklin Lectures, in honor of our distinguished townsman, the immortal Franklin, the son of a tallow-chandler, and the apprentice to a printer, in this city; a man who passed all his early years, and a very considerable portion of his life, in manual industry; and who was chiefly distinguished by his zealous and successful efforts for the promotion of useful knowledge. His name has given lustre to the highest walks of science, and adorns one of the proudest pages of the history of our country and the world. But we have thought it was still more a name of hope and promise for an institution like this, which aims to promote useful knowledge (the great |