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THE
POLITICAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
WRITINGS
OF
WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
EDITED BY HIS SON,
FRANCIS W. GODDARD.
VOL. I.
PROVIDENCE:
SIDNEY S. RIDER AND BROTHER.
1870.




Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1870, by
FRANCIS W. GODDARD,
in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Rhode Island.
HAMMOND, ANGELL & CO., PRINTERS.




PREFAACE.
THE volumes which are now offered to the puliic,
embrace the principal literary and political writings
of the late William G. Goddard. As, with but few
exceptions, they were, at the time of writing, publikhcd
only in pamphlet or newspaper form, I have been led
to collect and embody them in a more durable sLape,
in the belief that they contain much which is of permanent value, and with a desire also to rescue tiAhm
from oblivion.  In the publication of articles of a
personal character, I have selected those only which
have an important bearing on the public events to
which the second volume relates; and in their reproduction, I disclaim any intention to wound or to irritate the sensibilities of others. It may be proper to
add, that the original purpose was to limit the circulation of this work to the immediate family and friends
of the author. It was, however, deemed advisable to




iv.                   PREFACE.
so far modify this plan as to offer no barrier to those
outside of that circle who mig(ht wish to examine its
contents.  As this decision was not reached before the
larger portion of the materials was ready for the press,
no change was made in the general scope of the design.  For these reasons, therefore, my labors may
have passed beyond the limits which a deference to
this class of readers would have dictated.
F. W. G.
PROVIDENCE, February 1, 1870.




CONTENTS OF VOL. I.
PAGE.
INTRODUCTION,....... xi.
ADDRESSES.
ADDRESS to the Phi Beta Kappa Society of Rhode Island, delivered September 7, 1836,......   1
ADDRESS on "the social influence of the higher institutions of
Learning," delivered on the occasion of the dedication of
Rhode Island Hall, September 3, 1840,...  25
ADDRESS in commemoration of the death of William Henry
Harrison, President of the United States, delivered before the
City Council and Citizens of Providence, on the National
Fast, May 14, 1841,......  49
ADDRESS to the People of Rhode Island, delivered in Newport,
May 3, 1843, in presence of the General Assembly, on the
occasion of the change in the civil government of Rhode
Island, by the adoption of the Constitution, which superseded
the Charter of 1663,......  75
MEMOIR.
MEMOIR of the Rev. James Manning, D. D., First President of
Brown University, published in May, 1839,... 159




vii                        CONTENTS.
MISCELLANEOUS WRITINGS.
A  SERIES  OF ARTICLES ON  POPULAR  EDUCATION, ADDILESSED "TO TIIE FREE1MEN OF PROVIDENCE "-               PAGE.
NO.  I.,........ 213
No.  II.,.......        217
No. III.,...... 222
No. IV.,........ 227
No.  V.,........ 233
No. VI.,........ 236
No. VII.,........ 239
EXTRACTS FROM REPORTSAtheneum,......        244
Brown University,...... 255
Rhode Island Historical Society,.... 259
BROWN UNIVERSITY, A LIBERAL AND CATHOLIC INSTITUTION, PUBLISHED IN 1835,..... 261
OBITUARIESMoses Brown,....... 265
Nicholas Brown,....... 277
Thomas Poynton Ives,.        288
Pardon Bowen, M. D.,.. 296
Rev. James Davis Knowles,..... 303
Moses Curtis,....... 315
WTilliam Bowen, M. D.,.        324
James Brown,....... 329
Lieutenant Henry S. Newcomb,.        331
Dewitt Clinton,....... 333
Joseph L. Tillinghast,. 337
William Ward Bowen,.        340
Samuel Ward,....... 342




CONTENTS.                         Vii.
OBITUARIES-                                                PAGE.
William Goddard,.. 347
Christopher Greene,...... 348
Captain Nathanael Greene,..... 352
George Canning,....... 354
Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry,.... 359
James Burrill,..                                      360
Henry Ward Bowen,...... 364
Mrs. Sarah F. Mallett,.        365
Mrs. Eliza Ward,....... 367
Mrs. Abby Francis,...     368
Mrs. Ann Carter Francis,..... 369
Mrs. Catharine Celia Greene,..... 371
Mrs. Abby Miason Brown,..... 372
Miss Hope Brownr Ives,..                                 374
A  SERIES OF ARTICLES ON TOLERATION, ADDRESSED "TO
THE PEOPLE OF RHODE ISLAND "
No.  I.,........ 375.No.  II.,.......        379
No. III.,........ 385
No. IV.,........ 392
No.  V.,........ 394
MEMORIAL IN FAVOR OF THE PROHIBITION OF ALL LOTTERIES,...... 403
PASSAGES IN THE LIFE OF THOMAS PAINE,... 419
THOMAS PAINE AND "LIBERALIST,".. 425
A MAN OF THE OLDEN TIME,.        429
VIRGIL MAXCY AND HIS DISCOURSE,.... 432
BUSINESS OF " CANTING,".. 438




ii1i.                     CONTENTS.
PAGE.
CONSOLATIONS OF CHRISTIANITY,.... 444
RELIGIOUS THOUGHTS,.... 449
THE Loss OF TIIE LEXINGTON,..... 454
RICHARD II. DANA'S LECTURES,.... 458
WASHINGTON'S BIRTH-DAY,..... 460
THANKSGIVING DAY,.. 461
THANKSGIVING,... 466
THANKSGIVINGS RESOLUTIONS OFFERED IN THE GENERAL
ASSEMBLY,....... 469
JOSEPH JOHN GURNEY,...... 471
TO THE ALUMNI OF BROWN UNIVERSITY,... 473
SELECTIONS FROM A SERIES OF ESSAYS ENTITLED THE " VISITANT,"'WRITTEN AT THE AGE OF SEVENTEEN YEARSNo.      I.,....... 478
No.    II.,... 482
No.   III.,...... 485
No.   VI.,....... 488
No. VII....... 491
No. XIV.,....... 496
No.  XV.,....... 499
No. XVII.,... 503
No. XVIII.,. 507
No.   XX.,.... 510
LETTERSTo a Lady,....... 513
Extracts from various Letters,..          514
To a Lady,...., 521




CONTENTS.                          ix.
LETTERS-                                                   PAGE.
To a Lady,..,. 522
To Richard H. Dana, Esq., of Boston,...     525
To Mrs. Susan Wallace, of Philadelphia,... 526
To the same,...               529
To John W. Wallace, Esq., of Philadelphia,.        532
To the same,.. 533
To the same,....... 534
To Mrs. Susan Wallace, of Philadelphia,... 536
To Mrs. John E. Holbrook, of Charleston, S. C.,.    539
To the same,.... 541
To the same,..... 543
To the same,.... 548
To the same,....        551
To the same,....... 554
To a Lady,....... 557
To the Hon. James Gould, of Litchfield, Conn.,.        560
To Miss Hope Brown Ives,..... 562
To the same,..... 563
To Mrs. Hope Ives,. 564
To Miss Hope Brown Ives,.               565
BONAVENTITRE,.... 566
B








INTRODUCTION.
IN the conviction that Mr. Goddard's own pen best
illustrates whatever of interest gathers around his
memory, I shall not venture upon an elaborate presentation of his claims to distinction, but, after narrating
a few facts connected with his origin and history,
shall simply offer, in the spirit of filial affection, a
brief tribute to one in whose mind and character
were mingled so many charms, Since, with but few
exceptions, the life of Mr. Goddard presents no eventful history, I shall, except in the sketch of its leading
features, pay little heed to chronological order in the
arrangement of such thoughts as the subject may
tempt me to express.
WILLIAM GILES GODDARD was born upon a family
estate, in Johnston, Rhode Island, about five miles
from Providence, January 2, 1794. This estate, embracing a tract of land of about four hundred acres,
belonged to Brigadier General James Angell, his




Xii.             INTRODtUCTION
grandfather on the maternal side, who was descended
from one of the settlers who came with Roger Williams to Providence, and who, upon his death, bequeathed it to his children, one of whom, Abigail, was
the mother of Mr. Goddard, and a lady in whom were
united rare moral and intellectual graces of character.
His grandfather, on the paternal side, was Doctor
Giles Goddard, a physician of New London, Connecticut. His father, William Goddard, was born in the
year 1740, and, after serving his apprenticeship as a
printer he went to Providence, where, in the year
1762, he established and edited the "Providence Gazette and Country Journal," which was the first newspaper printed in that town. He afterwards edited, at
different periods of his life, newspapers in New York,
Philadelphia and Baltimore, in the management of
which he displayed great ability and enterprise. He
was also appointed by Doctor Franklin, the Postmaster
General, Surveyor of the Post Roads and Comptroller
of the Post Office.  His character was one of much
force and interest, and his mind presented to observation many striking qualities.
For the purpose of giving their children opportunities for instruction not to be commanded in the country, the parents of Mr. Goddard, in the year 1803,
removed to Providence. After completing his studies,
preparatory to admission to College, Mr. Goddard entered the Freshman class of Brown University, in Sep.
tember, 1808, and passing through the u'sual course,




INTRODUCTION.              Xiii.
was graduated in the year 1812, receiving the degree
of A. B. In the year 1815, the degree of A. M. was
conferred upon him, and he was, at the same time, invited by the President, Doctor Messer, to deliver an
oration; this invitation, however, he declined.  Almost immediately after the completion of his academic
studies, Mr. Goddard went to Worcester, Massachusetts, where he entered his name as a law student in
the office of the late Hon. Francis Blake; while thus
engaged, he devoted a portion of the time to his duties
as associate editor of the Worcester Spy.
Though at a riper age he developed a greater fondness for that branch of learning, the study of the law
was not then congenial to his tastes, which were of a
character that found no special gratification in the
knowledge and pursuit of jurisprudence. We therefore find Mr. Goddard, in the year 1813, again in
Providence, where he soon became sole editor and
proprietor of the Rhode Island American, a paper
which he conducted till the year 1825, with the exception of a short time, when the late Professor James D.
Knowles was associated with him in its management.
At this time he was appointed Professor of Moral
Philosophy and Metaphysics in Brown University, to
supply the vacancy occasioned by the resignation of
the Rev. Calvin Park, D. D. The suspension of his
regular labors for the press was rendered necessary by
his acceptance of this office, upon the duties of which
he promptly entered. The obligations and responsi



Xiv.             INTRODUCTION.
bilities appertaining to this chair were discharged by
Mr. Goddard for a period of nine years, when he resigned and was at the same time made Professor of
Belles Lettres. In the year 1842, in consequence of
ill health, he resigned this Professorship, thus closing
his connection with Brown University as an Instructor, which covered a space of seventeen years.  He
was, however, afterwards elected a member of the
Board of Trustees, a member of the Board of Fellows,
and Secretary to the Corporation. This brings us to
a period not far from his death, which took place without a moment's warning, February 16, 1846.
Such is a brief outline of the principal events in the
life of WILLIAM G. GODDARD. By what talents and
virtues that life was illustrated, these volumes will
partially reveal. In youth, the subject of this sketch
exhibited, in a marked degree, those natural excellencies of mind and character, the expansion and development of which, as life passed on, won for him the affection and admiration of his friends. His writings and
conversation, while a young man, evinced an intellectual and moral culture which foreshadowed that beautiful harmony between mind and heart, which, in after
years, so conspicuously marked his character and shed
so bright a light about his path. The beauty and
symmetry, with which his moral and intellectual organizations were stamped, parted with none of their
charms when, in early life, disease forever robbed him
of those joys which health alone can impart, and




INTRODUCTION.              XV.
doomed him, for the remainder of life, to the pains
and languor of the invalid.
It would seem proper to allude more fully to some
of the distinctive traits of Mr. Goddard's mind and
character-impressed as they were with so many evi.
dences of rare conformation, and rich in so much that
belongs to truth and virtue. His conduct through life
was characterized by steady attachment to those principles of thought and action which Christianity inculcates, a faithful discharge of its duties and obligations,
a manly resignation to its disappointments and sorrows,
and a nice and scrupulous observance of those proprieties which should govern the intercourse of man with
his fellow men.
Never thoughtless concerning what he afterwards
came to regard as a delightful solace, as well as a solemn obligation, he was not long in yielding implicit
obedience to the best impulses of his nature, and thus
becoming a sincere and humble believer in the doctrines and precepts of the Christian religion. The
views which Mr. Goddard entertained, in reference to
the responsibilities of life, were drawn from the teachings of the Gospel, and strengthened by those sentiments which spring from a silent and tranquil submission to its authority, in the spirit of an enlightened
faith. With a mind that deemed all speculative religion to be as unprofitable as it is boundless, he permitted no conjectural doubts or fears to perplex his
thoughts, or to discompose the calm assurance of an




xvi.             INTRODUCTION.
undisturbed faith in the fundamental doctrines of
Christianity. With a decided preference for that
form of worship observed in the Episcopal Church, he
was a stranger to all narrow and bigoted' notions relating to the various creeds which respectively guide
the different sects of the world; and in the exercise of
a liberal charity and in the temper of a genuine philosophy, he questioned not the efficacy of any theological system which derives its inspiration from the Bible.
Now and then we meet with human beings who seem
to know none but pure and noble impulses-who appear to love virtue for the sake of virtue-because it
is virtue-beings whose rectitude of character seems
not so much to proceed from the restraints which are
imposed by law, the dread of public opinion, or the
numberless influences which surround our daily life,
as to be the product of a natural and rooted love for
what is right. It is not extravagant to add, that to
this class the subject of this sketch belonged. Virtue
was the controlling principle of his life, and daily
illumined its path by rays which shone with undimmed splendor at its close.
His mind was far too comprehensive and his heart
too large to admit austerity as an element in his character; and with his exact notions concerning the duty
of every individual, and his fixed ideas regarding the
retributions of eternity, he was gentle and tolerant in
his judgments of all whose theories and practice were
not coincident with his own, on such vital questions.




INTRODUCTION.             XVii.
There was, on each day, a peaceful preparation for
death which left him nearer Heaven at its close;-a
sober simplicity and unaffected quiet-a regularity of
mind and body-a dignified and noiseless discharge
of duty-a calm and steady exercise of intellecta rational indulgence of the social faculties-and,
through all this, streaming fresh from the heart, a
generous current of kindly sympathy.
In truth, Mr. Goddard's pursuits, occupations and
recreations illustrated, in a beautiful and forcible manner, the perfect harmony of his moral and intellectual
being; and whatever he wrote or said reflected the
personal excellence of his character.
Though, in the conviction that "death is but an
event in the life of the mind," he frequently yearned
for the repose of another world, he never put from
him the thought that while on the earth it was his
duty and privilege so to live as to receive those rewards which, in the workings of an undisturbed faith,
he believed were the portion of immortality.
Mr. Goddard possessed a strong and vigorous intellect-an intellect singularly free from idiosyncrasiesand confused by no unsoundness. A love of books
was his absorbing passion, and he sought their society
rather than the bustle and excitements of the world.
Emphatically a man of elegant letters, he gathered
" into his mental garner, ere the frosts of life set in, a
plentiful crop of wise thoughts," the fruit of patient
application, and severe discrimination in the selection
C




Xvi1.           INTRODUCTION.
of what he read. His reading though by no means
circumscribed in its range, rarely included authors
whose highest aim was to captivate and amuse-but,
almost invariably attached itself to those productions
which breathed a spirit of truth and knowledge, and
were instinct with thoughts that exalt and purify both
the mind and heart. He loved to contemplate realities and truths which have a practical bearing on the
moral nature of man, and in his communion with the
thoughts of others, he sought the gratification of this
preference.
Mr. Goddard's literary taste was of the most refined
and discriminating character, and in respect to style
in composition was deemed to be without blemish. I
think that all, who critically examine these volumes,
will concede that they bear evidence of commanding
powers-a mind stored with enlarged and comprehensive wisdom, and accustomed, in its generalizations, to
a wide survey of men and things; and they cannot fail
to note the habitual reverence with which he speaks
of religion and the several virtues which crown excellence of mind and character, as well as the unusual
delicacy of his moral and intellectual perceptions, and
the classic features of a diction into which he has
exquisitely wrought so many spiritual thoughts and
tender sentiments,
Mr. Goddard's mind was of an intuitive rather than
dialectic character-it delighted not so much in cogent
argumentation, as in the utterance of philosophical




INTRODUCTION.              Xix.
truths which were apprehended and put forth with
instinctive comprehension, force and clearness. There
was no deficiency of the logical element in the composition of his mind, but the intuitive perception to
which I have alluded, was so far predominant in its
structure, as generally to maintain the ascendancy in
all its operations; and yet more, he so loved to reveal
those beauties and graces of language that his sentences were adorned almost unconsciously with Attic
touches, such as more logical periods would be incapable of receiving.
The critical perception of Mr. Goddard was a notable characteristic of his mind, and imparted a distinctive charm to all he said and wrote; few understood so well as he, and none better, the exact signification of words-the precise impression their use is
calculated to make-their almost imperceptible shades
of meaning, by the observation of which alone the
nicest gradations of thought can be expressed. He
also betrayed a partiality, both in speaking and writing, for words of Saxon origin. This acute perception
was, in its operation, not unlike the sensibility of a
true ear for music to all that is discordant in sound;
and to the possession of this faculty may, in no small
measure, be ascribed Mr. Goddard's general excellence
as a rhetorician.
With all his talents and accomplishments, his character was one of great humility. So humbly did he
regard his intellectual acquisitions, that he shrunk




XX.               INTRODUCTION.
from seeing  appended to his name the honorary title
of Doctor of Laws, a degree which had been conferred
upon him by the Corporation of Bowdoin College.
So also when approached, on a certain occasion, by
some gentlemen who solicited from him an expression
of opinion as to how he would receive the nomination
to a senatorship of the United States, he forbade such
a movement in his favor, on the ground, if for no other
reasons, that the deficiencies of his mind and education
disqualified him for a proper discharge of the duties
which belong to so commanding a station. Mr. Goddard was, for a while, a Representative in the General
Assembly of Rhode Island, and in a memorandum of
his, he writes, "I never sought this or any other political honor, and it is my desire and intention never again,
under ordinary circumstances, to become a candidate
for any office within the gift of the people."
Modest almost to a fault, his disposition was gentle
and candid-never so far ruffled as to make an unseemly exhibition of itself-never forcing from his
lips language that was undignified. But it was while
participating in "the joys of a chaste and elegant
conviviality," and giving full scope to the play of his
quick and sparkling intellect, that Mr. Goddard most
uncovered the treasures of his mind and heart. His
powers of conversation were of a brilliant order-his
flow of ideas was easy and without affectation, and, as
in his writings, there was that same graceful alliance
between language and thought. No man contributed




INTRODUCTIOn.              XXi.
more than he to elevate the tone of society by imparting to all the circles in which he moved an impulse
towards a higher standard of social ethics.  On
themes of grave interest, he- brought to bear the suggestions of an enlightened philosophy, and the sober
reflections which come only from those who give heed
to the practical teachings of experience. To lighter
topics he gave a peculiar glow by readily catching the
sympathies of the hour and animating the subject
with the charms of wit and playful humor. Opening
a wider field of fancy in his conversation, and a more
copious illustration and comparison than are to be discovered in his writings, Mr. Goddard graced with the
attractions of an aesthetic nature, the discussion of
such themes as address themselves to all who love to
indulge in the higher flights of imagination.  To
women of gifted mind he delighted to pay reverential
regard if they ceased not to respond to feminine, instincts; and the reader will find in the epistolary portion of his writings several interesting mementos of
Mr. Goddard's sympathetic interchange of thought
and feeling with such characters-women to whose
high moral attributes were linked the fascinations of
a brilliant intellect.
Mr. Goddard's life was brightened by joys which
cluster around the friendships of youth and of age;
and many a heart was warmed by those streams of
thought, full of affection and respect, which flowed
from his genial and sympathetic nature. The tender




Xxii.            INTRODUCTION.
and thoughtful interest with which he ever regarded
all who gave to him their confidence, threw a charm
around his character, and invested with a peculiar
grace and beauty all its manifestations.  With a
soul easily moved by contact with those whose lines
of moral and intellectual character were drawn
through pure and lofty regions, Mr. Goddard cultivated cordial, and, in many instances, intimate relations with some of the most distinguished men of his
day, and thus gave evidence of the value he placed
on a personal acquaintance with the higher forms of
human excellence.
There were few questions so deeply interesting to
Mr. Goddard as those intimately associated with education; and the intellectual and moral energy with
which he studied their more important bearings made
him a zealous and powerful champion of every movemenit towards a more liberal provision for the instruction of all classes. Thoroughly comprehending the
genius of our republican institutions, he believed that
they can alone be preserved and perpetuated by a
wider diffusion of the light of knowledge in every
direction. The corrupt and potent influence which
the cunning and unprincipled demagogue, with flattery on his lips and deceit in his heart, is ever ready
to exercise over ignorant minds, was a fruitful source
of anxiety to him in contemplating the future of his
country, and a dread of its malign effects stimulated
with generous ardor and unwearied devotion his




INTRODUCTION.            XXiii.
labors in the cause of learning. Foreseeing that education would become of priceless value both to the
individual and to society, when accompanied by a corresponding development of the moral sense, he pleaded
no less earnestly and eloquently for the one than he
did for the other.
Our space will not admit of more than a cursory
allusion to Mr. Goddard's connection with Brown
University. Early imbued with a deep interest in
her welfare, no sooner did he become a Professor
within her halls, than surrendering to her service all
the powers of his mind, he strove to create a stronger
public sentiment in her favor, and to do his part towards placing her in the highest rank among kindred
institutions of the country.  He held the interests
and honor of the College in high affection, and with
equally jealous care did he stand ready to guard the
interests and honor of all who were associated with
him in her management. Mr. Goddard took a personal
interest in the individual members of his classes, and
sought to kindle within their hearts the desire for a
higher and more enduring relationship with their
teacher, than springs from the formal intercourse of
the recitation room. So dignified and courteous were
his manners-so mindful was he of their feelingsand so delicate and thoughtful was his interest in
their moral as well as intellectual culture, that while
all regarded him with respect, there were many in
whom were awakened lasting attachments; and, in




Xxiv.            INTRODUCTION.
after years, his old pupils forgot the accomplished
Professor in their recollections of the man.  Of his
character as an instructor I will not pause to speak;
nor dwell upon the fact that there still remain many
scattered members of his classes who cherish the
memory of their early teacher and friend.
There was in his nature so much to love-so much
of large humanity-such true instincts-such purity
of purpose-such undying attachment to great principles-and all so beautifully blended and brought to
light in a life free from the tinge of reproach.
The wide and varied influence which he exercised,
and the universal respect which he inspired, gathered
strength from the conviction that he had no vulgar
love of applause-no sympathy with that spirit which
leads some men, in a desire to seek popularity, to
modify their principles of thought and action in order to meet the standards of those whose objects and
aims in life do not rise above mediocrity.
Reference has already been made to the shattered
condition of Mr. Goddard's health from early life to
the grave.  Those to whom  his frequent physical
prostration was known-who witnessed the sufferings
through which he passed-can never cease to wonder
at the amount of work he accomplished-labors of
which his writings by no means formed the whole.
What further services to scholarship and taste,
learning and good morals, and to social order and
law, a man with a mind and character such as his




INTRODUCTION.             XXV.
could have rendered, had health and strength been
spared, it were useless now to inquire; but, what is
better, I know that while living, he never failed to
use, for the good of others, those gifts which enriched
his nature, and both by precept and example-by his
pure and blameless life-to illustrate the dignity and
worth of an unblemished character.
Before closing this imperfect sketch, I deem it
proper briefly to refer to the civil commotion which
so fearfully agitated this State in 1842. The part Mr.
Goddard played, at this time, brought him more into
public notice, and enabled him to exercise an influence
which gives to his name an enduring interest in the
history of Rhode Island, and for which his quiet life,
amid " the still air of delightful studies," seems not to
have wholly unfitted him.
In the year 1840, a " Suffrage Association" was organized in this State, whose object was to push forward
a movement, already commenced, in favor of the extension of suffrage. This question had been occasionally
agitated for many years, but it was not till this period
that its discussion assumed a grave form and ran into
the adoption of such measures, on the part of its advocates, as threatened, if successfully carried out, the
peace and dignity of the State, and the overthrow of
the existing government. It was, and still is, the fashion of the day for those who imperfectly comprehend
the true bearings of the "Rhode Island Question," to
belittle its importance-to laugh at the recollection of
D




X.XV1.           INTRODUCTION.
the moral and physical forces which were called into
action to vindicate the majesty of the law-and to
sneer at the idea that it involved principles and interests of a vital character. There were, unquestionably,
some ludicrous elements in the controversy-some features which imparted a notion somewhat of comedy
rather than of tragedy-but, there are many, from
whose minds can never fade a remembrance of the
crisis through which this State passed - a crisis
scarcely less momentous to her people than was our
national struggle to the people of the United States,
just preceding the shock of arms. The anomalous
spectacle was presented of two Governments and two
General Assemblies, each of which was under the protection of an armed force. The worst passions of the
people were aroused, and such a tumult reigned
throughout the State that it was several times on the
verge of civil war. Men were marshalled on opposite
sides-cannon were sighted, and, on one occasion, a
flash in the pan alone prevented the match from supplying the remaining condition to a bloody contest.
I have no intention-and, moreover, this is not the
place-to give an historical view of that memorable
struggle between Revolution and Law; I have said
thus much, because the second of these volumes is
devoted exclusively to political matters, and I feared
that its pages might fall under the eyes of those outside of the State, who would wish some explanation
of the circumstances which called forth the public




INTRODUtCTION.           XXVii.
expression of such strong and decided opinions on the
civil affairs of Rhode Island.
Throughout this unhappy controversy, Mr. Goddard
was a consistent and unflinching exponent of the doctrines of law and order; and the reader will have no
difficulty in fully understanding what were his political principles, as well as what was his political virtue.
These essays were put forth day after day, as health
permitted and the occasion demanded. Those who
are familiar with the first volume only of his works
will scarcely become acquainted with the vigor and
versatility of the writer's mind. Mr. Goddard's political writings reveal a force and acuteness of intellect-a skill in the application of great principles and
philosophical truths-a raciness and pith which are
hardly discoverable in his literary writings; and what
is quite remarkable, considering the limited time for
their preparation, there are to be observed the same
beauty of diction and harmonious relation between
language and thought that characterize the more
labored productions of his pen.
There is a severity of feeling and warmth of language pervading some of these essays, which may
strike readers fresh from the first volume a little
unpleasantly-full as that book is of frequent and
unmistakable proofs that his was a gentle and kindly
nature. In those days, however, there was no time
for soft words-it was a season that demanded vigorous action and strong language-not inactivity and




Xxviii.           INTRODUCTION.
gentle phrases.  The crisis was big with peril!  A
warlike faction sought to prostrate the lawful government of Rhode Island! Such scenes transcended all
ordinary experience; and in the indignation  and
alarm to which a contemplation of such dangers gave
rise, no loyal citizen could avoid a natural affinity
between his language and his feelings. Mr. Goddard
was himself frequently assailed in the newspapers of
the day, and with the greatest malignity; but severe
as were some of his replies, I can recall none which
were incompatible with dignity and purity of purpose-none that went beyond the limits of propriety.
No man more clearly perceived the cardinal principle
that the freedom of the press is best illustrated and
best preserved by the exercise of discretion, tact,
comity, and above all honesty in its management;
and hence he constantly inveighed against that spirit
of licentious criticism, which, if suffered to prevail,
will inevitably destroy the healthful tone of a community, and seriously impair the value of newspapers
as vehicles of facts and opinions.
Mr. Goddard had no passion for mingling in the
strife of parties, and, amid the ceaseless jar of faction,
there still lingered within him a longing for that quiet
which he so loved, and which was only to be found
in the peaceful pursuits of letters, the gratification of
congenial tastes, and in the exercise of fireside affections. That such a man could be tempted to emerge
from the surroundings of a retired and literary life, is




INTRODUCTION.             Xxix.
illustrative alike of the good citizen and the extreme
solicitude with which he regarded the evils to which
his State was exposed.
It is well known that during the bitter animosity
and the fierce conflict of passion which faction engendered, he forfeited not -the respect of his political
opponents; and yet more, that with scarcely an exception, the cordial relations which existed remained
unbroken.  The bitterness of anger could find no
lodgement in his heart, and his principle and whole
practice through life were to encourage no acrimony
of temper.
The following passages from one of his political
articles, while they have a touching interest because
among the last which Mr. Goddard penned, will also
serve better to illustrate the temper in which he wrote
than anything we can say: " Fellow Citizens! The
pen which'a Rhode Island man' has, for so many
years, wielded in the discussion of'Rhode Island
affairs,' must now be laid aside, perchance forever. I
resign it, leaving no personal griefs unredressed, and
harboring no private or political resentments. I resign it, too, with a conviction, which no man can take
from me, that I have employed it not to flatter the
people, not to advance the political fortunes of any
individual, or to subserve any transient interests; but,
to the best of my humble ability, to maintain those
great conservative principles which it concerns equally,




XXX.             INTRODUCTION.
and at all times, every man and every political party to
uphold and to defend."
All this is true; and everything that he wrote and
said against sedition and rebellion was dictated in this
spirit, and expressed in that composed and dignified
manner which belonged to the inflexible truthfulness
of his character. The ends he sought were pursued
by legitimate means-in the exercise of reason and a
sober judgment-never permitting himself intentionally to give a false construction to the motives and
arguments of his adversaries. The integrity of Mr.
Goddard's nature led him to despise the instrumentality of all questionable means in a contest for victory, and, scorning a resort to equivocal expedients in
the use of tongue or pen, he saw, without the least
stain upon his honor, the complete vindication of those
principles for which he so warmly contended.
Mr. Goddard lived long enough to witness the cessation of factious violence in his native State-long
enough to enjoy a little more of that rest which he
had forsaken when she called him to her service-but
he was soon to sink into a rest which this world can
never give, and for which his pure and gentle spirit
was prepared. The evening of his days had come,
and its deepening shadows were fast gathering about
him. In the year 1846, at a time when life possessed
unusual powers to charm, while meditating upon the
cheering prospects of coming Spring, and at a period




INTRODUCTION.            XXXi.
when his influence and example were daily looked
for, death, with fearful suddenness, quenched that
bright and shining light. That polished pen which
adorned all it touched was forever laid aside, and
those lips from which had so often flowed the accents
of truth and love, would move no more; his fine
intellect and generous nature were working in a
higher sphere. A deep gloom pervaded the community which he had, for so many years, animated by
his presence, and many and sincere were the marks of
respect which this sad event called forth. A quarter
of a century almost has elapsed since the death of
Mr. Goddard. Of those who were his companions
and friends in life's journey, many have passed away;
but there still remain those who well remember him —
who can recall these excellencies of mind and character which made the accomplished man and respected
citizen. As for myself, filial affection will ever tenderly regard, with veneration and love, a memory still
radiant with "virtues upon which hath long been
placed the seal of immortal life."
FRANCIS W. GODDARD.
PROVIDENCE, February 1, 1870.








ADDRESSES,








ADD RESS
TO THE PHI BETA KAPPA SOCIETY OF RHODE ISLAND,
DELIVERED SEPTEMBER 7, 1836.
MR. PRESIDENT, AND GENTLEMEN OF THE SOCIETY:It is good for us, at every season like the present,
to step aside from the business of common life, and to
commune with each other on themes which address
themselves more especially to the principles of our
moral and intellectual being. It is good for us to look
away, at least for one day in the year, from the alternately monotonous and troubled aspects of American
society. It is good for us to suspend the activities of
trade, the strife of politics, and the frivolities of pleasure,
that we may enjoy even a transient repose in the shade
of elegant letters,. and survey, even at an humble distance, the unclouded eminences of philosophic truth.
More than all this; we need to be admonished, at different stages in the journey of life, that we are endowed
with something better than " strength of sinew and of
bone; " that we were born to a nobler heritage than to
weigh, and to measure, and to bear burdens; that the
perception of the beautiful makes a part of our mental
constitution, no less than the perception of the true;




WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
and that we stand in high and unchangeable relations
to that Essential Intellect which, in the power of its
awful ubiquity, pervades alike this dim earth, and those
regions of light which no man can approach unto.
It is not my purpose, on the present occasion, to invite your attention to any theme which is drawn from
the depths of abstraction, or which demands, for its
explanation, the resources of learning, or, for its embellishment, the inspiration of poetry. The taste of the
age is eminently practical, and I have not the temerity
to outrage it. The sympathies of the hour are bland
and exhilarating, and I have not the heart to subject
them to a painful revulsion. Allow me, then, to offer
to your consideration, a few remarks, brief and somewhat discursive, on THE VALUE OF LIBERAL STUDIES,
regarded more particularly with reference to the structure and the tendencies of American society.
The cause which I come to plead can need no advocate in this presence. Some of you have stood, for the
most valuable portion of your lives, at the well-head of
science and of letters; others, less devoted to intellectual pursuits, have been content to regale yourselves
in the stream. Such, however, are the inevitable conditions of human life;' so incessantly are we occupied
in dealing with material forms, and in providing for
physical necessities; and, besides, so imperative are the
claims of strictly professional duty, that we find it hard,
whatever may be our dispositions, to wing a buoyant
flight amid the pure elevations of intellect. Although
we may disdain the insipid pleasures of frivolity, and
loathe " the full surfeits of voluptuousness;" yet our
powers of resistance are hardly proof against the influence of pervading tastes, habits. and opinions. How




ADDRESS TO TIlE PHI BETA KAPPA SOCIETY.    3
sad to think, in a cultivated age, when the associate influences of Christianity and of Letters are abroad, thatmen everywhere require to be stiunlated to high intellectual and moral effort! The illimitable expanse of
being-matter in all its forms, and mind with all its
mysteries, lie open to their study; and yet conlparatively how few can be persuaded to employ their hours
of vacancy in familiarizing to their minds the laws,
which God hath ordained for the government of the
world around and the world within them. Such, within the last half century, has been the progress of discovery, and such the extended applications of science
to the business of life, that multitudes are now, in some
sort, compelled to an examination of facts and principles which, if they sustained no relation to gainful pursuits,-if, indeed, they did not largely affect the whole
framework of modern society, would very complacently
be left to the tribe of cloistered theorists, or to gentlemen of learned leisure. Thus, have chemistry, political
economy, and the mathematics, in their less recondite
branches, become emphatically sciences for the people.
May we not hope that the time is near, when intellectual philosophy and the science of politics shall retrieve that general favor which they never deserved to
forfeit. How strange the prevalent neglect of the former? Are not most men more ignorant of the structure
of their minds, than of the mechanism of their watches?
Are not all shrewd men, to a certain extent, practical
metaphysicians; and is not the science of the human
mind the parent of all other sciences? And yet, notwithstanding all this, the student of intellectual philosophy, who diligently ascertains facts and cautiously
establishes principles, is doomed to as much reproach,




4        WRITINGS OF -WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
as if he dedicated his days and his nights to the construction of ingenious theories, and to the arts of subtle
disputation. The noble science of politics-how often
is that supplanted by the flippant maxims of the sciolist, and " the sanctified rogueries of the demagogue.":>
And yet, never perhaps in the history of the civilized
world, was there a period  when the organization and
the administration of civil government demanded a
more philosophical acquaintance with every modification of those great fundamental principles upon which
the freedom and prosperity of States depend. In times
of extraordinary peril, it is unsafe to rely exclusively
upon natural sagacity, however essential that may be
as an element in the character of a statesman. When
a bone is fractured, or a joint suffers luxation, what
wise man would not trust himself to the skill of the accomplished surgeon, rather than to the inspired dexterity
of the natural bone-setter?  Let me not be misunderstood. I level no sarcasm at genius, which, born of no
studies and subject to no rules, carves its own way to
distinction; and, in its inherent might, tramples almost
upon impossibilities. I claim no monopoly of office for
any order of citizens. I invoke no sentence of proscription upon experience and common sense. I ainm only
to place, in bold relief, the somewhat too common fallacy, that, because all mew are, in one sense, born free
and equal, therefore all men are born fit for the service
of the state.  " Expert men," says Lord Bacon, " can
execute, and perhaps judge of particulars, one by one;
but the general counsels, and the plots, and marshalling of affairs come best from those that are learned."
I am admonished, however, to detain you no longer,
*Dr. South's Sermons.




ADDRESS TO THE PHI BETA KAPPA SOCIETY.    5
by these preliminary remarks, from the main topics of
this Address.
It is evident that the peculiar composition and the
predominant tendencies of American society should be
ascribed only to a combination of causes. The comparative infancy of our country; the position of our
territory, at an immense distance from that of any formidable rival; the vast extent and various products of
this territory, and its division, according to the federative principle of our government, among a society of
independent States; the democratical spirit pervading
all our institutions; the unrivalled political and religious freedom guarantied by our national and state
constitutions; the easy acquisition and equal distribution of property; and the innumerable enterprises
which provoke activity and reward industry;- these,
and other causes, hardly less operative, combine to impress upon the American mind and manners their most
decided characteristics. To a few of these characteristics, you will now allow me, in connexion with the
subject of this Address, to direct your attention.
Since, in the absence of all established rank, wealth
constitutes among us the most signal visible distinction; and, since the most tempting facilities for acquiring it are within the reach of our whole population, it
would be strange, indeed, if they did not seek it with
an avidity altogether disproportioned to its true value.
It would be strange, indeed, if multitudes did not
become intoxicated with that spirit of accumulation,
which, when restrained within just bounds, and preserved in rightful subordination to the superiorities of
intellect and of morals, not only merits no reproach,
but pleads the highest sanctions in its favor. Who




6           WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
that looks abroad over this land can resist the conviction, that an inordinate  desire to amass wealth threatens to become  the  most invigorating  and  elastic impulse of our whole people?* This desire disguises
itself under  pretences, always  plausible  and  often
amiable.   Provision must be made for the education of
children, and they must not be left, unportioned, upon
a pitiless world.   The employment of the industrious
poor  depends  upon  the  activity of individual enterprise.   The public good demands that vast schemes of
improvement should be accomplished.  The progress
of civilization is comlulensurate with the accumulation
of capital.   All this may be true; but it nevertheless
does not justify a  sordid  and idolatrous love of gain.
In this matter, the opulent classes are not exclusively
in fault; for of avarice as well as of pride, there is
alas!  no monopoly.   It might, however, be well for
the  opulent classes  to  remember, that  fashions,  in
opinion, as well as in  dress, are  propagated  downwards; that it belongs to theml, to  diffuse, from  their
commanding position, the light of a  beneficent exam* FNVYING the commercial greatness of the English, Napoleon somewhat
superciliously stigmatized them as "A nation of shopkeepers." Should a
similar sarcasm be levelled at us, we might plead, in our defence, the example
of our father land; but how utterly should we fail to show that wealth, in this
country, as in England, is, to any considerable extent, illustrated by almost
princely contributions to the cause of the Arts, and Sciences, and Letters. So
eager and so exclusive is our pursuit of gain, that it not only distorts our notions of what constitutes true social dignity and happiness, but it blinds us to
the high obligations of patriotism. In the absence of flagrant practical grievances, it renders us heedless of the remote consequences of vicious legislation;
andl, what is yet more to be lamented, inattentive to alarming encroachments
upon our constitutional rights. In whatever section of our country the love of
money is suffered to operate with uncircumscribed energy, there, more than
any where else, will be manifested a base spirit of political truckling, a tame
submission to the oppressions of the majority; a supple obedience to the mandates of party.




ADDRESS TO TIlE PHI BETA KAPPA SOCIETY.   7
pie; and that no more noble appropriation of wealth
can be made, than in spreading, far and wide, the ele.
ments of an elevated social happiness.
Imagine an exile from intellectual Germany, nurtured
amid a nation of scholars, and imbued with all the
sympathies of a man of letters, to visit these shores,
either for the purpose of bettering his fortunes, or of
enjoying freedom of political opinion. With what
emotions may we suppose him to survey the actual
condition of American society; and what would be his
cool, philosophical estimate of our predominant national characteristics? Should he chance, first of all, to
be thrown amid the vortices of fashion, and politics,
and trade, which, in our vast commercial metropolis,
seem, to the eye of a stranger, to engulph all better
things; how would his sensitive spirit be driven back
upon itself! How would it yearn for the inartificial,
and pure, and serene delights of Germany; for her ardent and almost universal veneration for Genius, and
Taste, and Learning.
Penetrating into the far West, would our philosopher
find his exile cheered by the voice of a more responsive
intelligence? By the majestic physical developments
of this region of our country, he would, indeed, often
be surprised into admiration; and he would look, with
somewhat of poetical enthusiasm, upon lakes, and
rivers, and forests, and mountains, which, though all
unsung are unrivalled, for sublimity, in the land from
which he had wandered. But, think you, would not
his enthusiasm be limited to these mute evidences of
Almighty Power? Among the adventurous and intrepid inhabitants of the West, would he find either
sympathy or companionship?  Would the hardy pio.




8       WVRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
neer, who is pushing his -way towards the very confines of civilization, care to know aught of the progress
of exegesis, or of the achievements of antiquarians?
Would the land speculator, intent upon some stupendous scheme of gain, lend a patient'ear to our accomplished German, as he discussed some difficult problem
in moral philosophy, or applied to a favorite author
the principles of philosophical criticism?
Directing his steps towards the South, he would
find, not unfrequently, among the children of the Sun,
a grateful response to the sympathies by which he is
moved; a more deeply reflective spirit; a more cultivated taste for the beautiful; powers of more delicate
analysis, and more comprehensive generalization. But,
even here, our traveller would perhaps complain that,
in some circles, the talk is of cotton, and that this region
of social urbanity and intellectual splendor no more
than adumbrates his unforgotten home.
He next sojourns in New England. Adopting the
popular estimate of this favored portion of our country,
he anticipates that, here, at least, he shall escape the
pangs of unparticipated sensibility. He perceives that
our territory is studded with schools, and academies,
and colleges; and he fondly imagines that, like kindred
institutions in Germany, they exert a transforming influence upon the general mind and manners. But,
even in New England, he is destined to feel the chill
of disappointed hope. He beholds, everywhere, incontestible evidences of enterprise, and industry, and
wealth; of rare practical sagacity, and uncompromising
moral rectitude. iNay, more: He witnesses many decided proofs of reverence for Science, for Art, and for
Letters; and by the whole aspect of society around




ADDRESS TO THE PHI BETA KAPPA SOCIETY.    9
him, the conviction is impressed upon his mind that,
nowhere else in our country is to be found a more enlightened subjection to law, or so general a prevalence
of high social refinement. Why, then, it may be
asked, does not our traveller feel himself at home in New
England? It would not, perhaps, be easy so to answer this question as to exempt him from the reproach
of fastidiousness. I-e misses the pervading intellectual
spirit of Germany; the enthusiasm, and exhilaration,
and simple elegance of her literary circles. It saddens
him to recognize, as predominant in many a face, an
expression of seated care, or frigid caution, or calculating sagacity. He is repelled by the topics which well
nigh engross our ordinary conversation. He is surprised to discover, that our schools, academies, and colleges exert no undivided sway over the public mind.
Now, it would be most unreasonable, to insist that the
whole order of society in this young and free country
-where all is full of enterprise, and change, and progress, should be reversed for the accommodation of a
fastidious German scholar. It would be most unreasonable to ask, that the West should intermit her
speculations in land, or her emigrations into the far off
wilderness; that the South should be less intent upon
the production of her great staples; or that the North
should force herself away from her ships and her spindles. All this would be impracticable, and, if practicable, it would be full of evil. It may be well, however, to inquire, whether, in the midst of such strong
provocations to excess, the spirit of accumulation is
not liable to become extravagant; whether a more generous culture of a taste for Liberal Studies would not
gratefully temper the elements of our present social
2




10      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
character, and introduce higher and nobler interests
into the whole of our social life. Would it not save
us from an inordinate admiration of the least enviable
distinctions of wealth? Would it not impart to our
manners more of variety, of grace, of dignity, and repose; and to our morals, a more delicate discrimination and a loftier tone?
Liberal Studies are adapted not only to moderate an
extravagant desire for wealth, but to aid in establishing the true principles upon which wealth should be
expended. In a country like our own, these principles, if well understood, are apt to be very imperfectly
applied. The primitive stages in the progress of refinenient we have long since passed. Leaving far in
the rear the cheap pleasures, the simple habits, and the
unpreten(ling hospitalities of our forefathers, we have
engaged, it is to be feared, somewhat too largely, in
the career of ambitious splendor, and inappropriate
magnificence. Impelled too often by the unworthy
desire to surpass our neighbors, in some matter of mere
external embellishment, we lavish thousands, in multiplying aroundcl ourselves the elements of an elegant and
selfish voluptuousness. I am distressed by no morbid
apprehensions concerning the progress of luxury in
our land. I am terrified by no apparition of monopoly. I utter no response to the vulture cry of the
Radical, now heard in the distance. I am far from
thinking that the opulent ought to diminish their expenses. I believe that, with signal advantage, they
might increase them. But, in the selection of those
objects of embellishment which it is in the power
alone of abundant wealth to command, I am not singular in contending that the decisions of a simpler




ADDRESS TO THE PHI BETA KAPPA SOCIETY.   11
and better taste ought not to be disregarded. Is it
not a matter of just reproach, that of all the apartments in our mansion houses, the library is generally
the most obscure, and often the most ill furnished;
and that the fashionable upholsterer is allowed to absorb so much of our surplus revenue, that hardly any
is left for the Painter and the Statuary? In all this,
there is manifested a melancholy disproportion-an
imperfect apprehension of some of the best uses to
which wealth can be applied. In the spirit of an
austere philosophy, it is not required that we should
dispense with those costly ornaments which can boast
no higher merit than their beauty; but it would be
hailed as a most benignant reform, if, in the arrangements of our domestic economy, there could be traced
a more distinct recognition of the capacities and destinies of man as an intellectual and moral being-as a
being endowed with Imagination and Taste-with
Reason and with Conscience. How few among us cultivate the Fine Arts! HIow few understand the principles on which they are founded-the sensitive part
of our nature to which they are addressed! To this
remark, the imperfect knowledge of Music, which, in
obedience to the authority of fashion, is acquired at
the boarding school, forms no exception. It may still
be affirmed, that we have among us no class who delight in Music as one of their selectest pleasures; who
gaze with untiring admiration upon the miraculous
triumphs of Painting; who are filled with tranquil enthusiasm by the passionless and unearthly beauty of
Sculpture. And is not this to be lamented?  Do we
not thus estrange ourselves from sources of deep and
quiet happiness, to which we might often resort for




12      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
solace, and refreshment, and repose? To these sources
of happiness there is nothing in the nature of our political institutions, or of our domestic pursuits, which
sternly forbids an approach. We have, it is true, no
titled aristocracy; and property does not, as in the
land of our forefathers, accumulate in large masses, and
descend, undivided, through a long line of expectant proprietors. But there is scarcely a city, a town,
or a village in this land, where some could not be
found, blessed with every requisite but the disposition, to acquire a genuine relish for the Fine Arts.
Nay-, more-in our larger cities, all of which boast
their commercial prosperity, and some their Athenian
refinement, why shouild not the masters of the pencil
and the chisel be employed to furnish for the private
mansion those precious decorations, which alone are
secure from the capricious despotism of fashion?  By
thus expending some portion of their superabundant
wealth, the opulent would drink deeply of those finer
joys which are perversely left unapproached by the indolent, the voluptuous, and the profligate. Thus, too,
would they gather around themselves almost inexhaustible means of winning others from sordid pursuits, to a contemplation of the imperishable glories of
Genius and of Art.
Again: To few better purposes can wealth and
leisure be devoted, than to the acquisition of those languages of modern Europe which embody some of the
profoundest researches of science, and some of the
most exquisite forms of thought.  And yet, except
here and there a painstaking or an enthusiastic scholar,
how few comparatively of our countrymen can unlock
the treasures of any literature save their own. To




ADDRESS TO THE PHI BETA KAPPA SOCIETY.   13
this cause may, in part, be attributed some of our most
unworthy national prejudices, and that fondness for selfglorification which is reproachfully signalized by foreigners as one of our national characteristics. Those,
who are familiar with men and manners at home and
abroad, soon rid themselves of these unenviable peculiarities; but most obstinately do they cling to those
who have found no substitute for foreign travel in a
liberal acquaintance with the literature of Continental
Europe. When this literature, so rich and characteristic, shall, in this country, be more generally cultivated, it will be strange, indeed, if we do not form more
intelligent estimates of other nations, and more modest
estimates of our own; if, emancipating ourselves from
the servitude of local and arbitrary opinions, we do
not acquire a profounder sympathy with Universal
Man, and a truer reverence for those commanding
truths which are the common property of our race.
The value of Liberal Studies, in counteracting the
influence of politics upon the individual and social
character of our countrymen, deserves next to be considered. You surely do not require to be told that
politics is with us becoming a distinct, though not
very reputable trade; that the strife for power is
hardly less eager than the strife for gain; that a new
code of political ethics has been established, for the
accommodation of pliant consciences; and that, almost
without an exception, the public men of both parties,
and of all parties, tired of waiting for popularity to
run after them, are now eager to run after popularity.
Who now so intrepid as to dare to take his stand,
upon grave and well defined principles? In these
days of meek condescension to the will of the people,




14         WRITINGS OF WILLIAM  G. GODDARD.
and of affected reverence for their good sense, how few
care  to  lead  public opinion aright! how  many pusillanimously follow it, when they know it to be wrong!
How  few, alas! will forego  the  vulgar trappings  of
office for the sustaining  consciousness, that by no sacrifice of principle or of dignity, did they ever seek  to
win them!  I would fain believe that the days of the
republic are not numbered; but I am  not without sad
forebodings of her fate, when aspirants for popular
favor are such utter strangers to the grace of an erect
and manly spirit as to  be  solicitous rather to appropriate  to  themselves, at any cost, some transient distinction, than to await, with unfaltering rectitude and
unforfeited self-respect, the judgments of coming times;
when the man of wealth, and talent, and social consideration, outstrips the Radical, in zeal for pestilent doctrines and mischievous projects; in fine, when it is
incorporated into the creed of the politician, that the
people are always in  the  right; in other words, that
public opinion  is not only the standard of taste, but
the keeper of conscience!*
To most active spirits, the contentions of party are
far from being repulsive; and elevated station seldom
* IN the early days of the Republic, the favor of the people was sought by
a different order of men, and by means, too, exempt from the reproach either
of corruption or ambiguity. The illustrious statesmen and the prominent politicians of those days were endowed with a sufficient portion of moral courage
to form their opinions in advance of the people. They did not timidly wait to
ascertain upon which side of a vexed question the majority were arrayed, and
then intrepidly espouse the popular doctrine. On the contrary, consulting the
lights of their own understandings and consciences, they formed their judgments of men and measures; and these judgments they never hesitated to
avow and to maintain. To advance themselves to elevated stations, they
scorned to humor a temporary popular prejudice; to inflame ill founded popular resentments; to court the favor of subordinate factions; or to practise any
of those arts which most political aspirants now find to be such convenient
substitutes for tried service and unswerving honor.




ADDRESS TO  THE PHI BETA  KAPPA  SOCIETY.                   15
fails to captivate the ambitious.   Thus multitudes, forsaking the round of common occupation, are seen to
dash amid the  tumults of the people. Thus, too, many
of our most gifted men, relinquishing the pursuits of
literature,* or the sure rewards and the permanent fame
of professional eminence, peril their independence, perchance their honor, in a doubtful controversy for some
fascinating political distinction.
Nor is this all. The agitations of politics communicate to the public mind impulses so despotic that it becomes, on all questions, intolerant of dissent. Hence
it often happens, that, in matters entirely unconnected
with the contentions of the  day, men  are  proscribed,
because they may be content to doubt where others
choose  to  dogmatize; or because  they  may  dare  to
differ when  the  multitude  have  determined  that all
shall agree. If this species of tyranny be not sternly
resisted, it will banish from  the walks of public and of
private life all independence of thought and action; all
calm  discussion of controverted questions; all intrepid
defence of unpopular truths.
If the influence of politics, direct and indirect, be
thus injurious, it surely demands counteraction.   I am
* THE following passage from " Landor's Imaginary Conversations " illustrates, in a most felicitous manner, the condition of those who forsake Literature for Politics:
"How many," says Sir Philip Sydney, one of the imaginary collocutors,
"how many who have abandoned for public life the studies of philosophy and
poetry, may be compared to brooks and rivers which in the beginning of their
course have assuaged our thirst, and have invited us to tranquillity by their
bright resemblance of it, and which afterwards partake the nature of that vast
body into which they run, its dreariness, its bitterness, its foams, its storms, its
everlasting noise and commotion! I have known several such, and when I
have innocently smiled at them, their countenances seemed to say,'Iwish I
could despise you: but alas I am a runaway slave, and from the best of mistresses
to the worst of masters; I serve at a tavern where every hour is dinner time, and
pick a bone upon a silver dish.'"




16       WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
not so visionary as to believe that the wider diffusion
of a taste for liberal studies would prove more than a
partial corrective of evils, which, deeply rooted in the
very nature of our government, may, to'a certain extent, be deemed inevitable. I cannot doubt, however,
that it would render politics a less absorbing game;
that it would banish from political controversy much
of its acrimony, and lead to more intelligent views of
the true interests of the people. The spirit of literature is essentially conservative.  It forms a graceful
alliance with whatever is elevated in thought or in action; it abhors violence; it is not rampant for change.
It protects the sacred inheritance of individual freedom; "the firee thought of the free soul."  It is congenial to the more retired graces of character; to elegance, to dignity, to repose. Surely, in times like
these, when a mighty controversy is maintained with
the varied forms of evil; when factious~violence everywhere prevails; when Radicalism threatens to tear up
the base of all social order, we need to calm  our
troubled spirits, and to recruit our over-tasked energies, amid " the still air of delightful studies."
In such studies may also be found an antagonist to
the spirit of ultraism.' This spirit, at the present day,
seems to pervade all lands, where thought and feeling
are free. Our own country has not escaped the epidemic phrenzy. We have ultras in fashion, who deem
every one a barbarian who will not adopt their conventional standard of propriety, and their elaborate style
of enjoyment; who will not sacrifice health, and happiness and virtue upon the shrine of their senseless
idolatries.*   Ve have ultras in politics, who either
* IT is to be hoped that some satirist, who loves to " shoot folly as it flies,"
will, ere long,.exercise his gifts upon certain classes in our large cities who




ADDRESS TO THE PHI BETA  KAPPA  SOCIETY.    17
propagate wild notions, or infer, from sound principles,
dangerous conclusions; who revel amid agitations, and
who owe all their consequence to their skill in working mischief. We have ultras in philanthropy, who
in the impetuosity of their zeal, sacrifice to an abstraction the substantial welfare of their fellow men; who
make  rash  applications of admitted  truth, and  who
seem  to forget that, in carrying out one principle, however sacred, we must never trample upon other principles which are no less obligatory upon the conscience.
And, last of all, we have ultras in  religion, who, forgetting the weightier matters of the law, lose themselves in the labyrinths of systematic divinity; and
who, impatient of a chastised, evangelical fervor, resort
to  equivocal expedients to  generate  an  effervescent
zeal. The spirit of ultraism, I cannot pause fully to
characterize. It dwarfs the intellect, and it exasperates
the passions. It is ferocious in denunciation; it is
enamored of vexed questions; it is recruited by gladiatorial strife. I do not claim for Liberal Studies the
power to operate, directly, as a corrective of this diseased state of the public mind. Some efficacy, however, may be  anticipated  from  their reflex operation.
By stimulating the intellect to an exercise of its varihave attained an unenviable celebrity by their extravagant devotion to fashion;
by their ridiculous imitation of European manners; and by their vulgar display of the trappings of wealth. If half the time and money which are expended by these people in eager struggles to support doubtful pretensions,
were dedicated to the purpose of acquiring a fund of solid and inalienable
merit, how would their sources of elevated enjoyment be multiplied, and how
cheerfully would their title to the noblest distinctions be acknowledged! The
follies, to which I allude, are unfortunately not limited to the metropolitan circles in which they originate. They are propagated from city to town, and from
town to village, where there is less wealth to be thus prostituted, and far less
temptation to engage in this paltry, and, in most cases, fruitless strife for fashionable pre-eminence.
3




18      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
ous powers upon themes of commanding dignity and
attractive elegance, they would allay the violence of
the passions, and rebuke that unphilosophical spirit
which limits itself to a partial reception of speculative
truths, and to a partial view of men and manners.
They would, moreover, establish among the intellectual faculties that harmony of adjustment and operation, which is essential to their just procedure, both in
matters of speculation and of conduct. They would,
in fine, impart to all classes of people, not those feverish impulses which impair intellectual vigor and foster
an eccentric zeal; but those healthful interests which
are congenial to moderation, to simplicity, and to
truth.
Society everywhere seems to be running mad after
what it deems the exclusively practical and usefill.
Every object of pursuit or of contemplation is subjected to some gross popular test, and if it fail to yield
a coarse visible product, it maytdespair of any enthusiastic general favor. In estimating our social tendencies, this influence deserves particular attention; because the peculiar conditions of society under which
we, as a people, are placed, seem to make a regard to
utility almost a part of our religion. Immense wealth
is acquired by comparatively few, and rarely is it long
preserved in an unbroken mass. No gradation of ranks
is known to our laws; and there prevails among us an
unwarrantable hostility to those distinctions in char.
acter and condition which, says Mr. Burke, " form what
I should call a natural aristocracy, and without which,"
he adds, "there can be no nation."  Hence, there ex,
ists among us no distinct class, who can devote uninterrupted leisure to pursuits rather elegant than use



ADDRESS TO THE PHI BETA KAPPA SOCIETY.   19
ful. In a country like our own, the ordinary necessities of life encourage, if they do not demand, an almost
undivided attention to concerns- of practical utility.
There is danger, therefore, that a false standard of utility will be established; and that the patrons of this
most respectable of the prevalent heresies will come to
" think, that there is nothing worth pursuit but that
which they can handle; which they can measure with
a two-foot rule; which they can tell upon their ten
fingers."  This somewhat hyperbolical language was
applied by Mr. Burke to the tribe of vulgar politicians,
who, even in his day, were not unknown. Are they
less applicable to the tribe of frigid philosophers, who
would exclude from life its noblest occupations and its
most attractive embellishments; who are so dead to the
pleasures of taste and imagination, that they allege
proofs when they should appeal to sensibility; who
are so enamored of the stability of the granite base,
that they have no eye for the beauty of the Corinthian
capital? The spirit of utilitarianism is not in harmony
with our intellectual constitution. How pervading is
the sense of the beautiful, and how full of beautiful
forms is this Earth on which we are appointed to
dwell! Who can look upon nature in her serene aspects and wonderful transformations, and not own it
a glorious privilege to comprehend other than philosophical relations, and to enjoy something beside the
demonstrations of exact science? At this season of pathetic loveliness, who can look upon the memorials of
the dying year, without confessing the poxwer of imagery
to wake to an eloquent response the chords of human
feeling.




20      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
This peculiar tendency of American Society, which
I have cursorily considered, would be exempt from the
danger of excess, if Liberal Studies were permitted to
exert their full power of counteraction. WTithout rendering us impatient of dull realities, they sometimes
lift us above them; they quicken within us the sensibilities of taste; they transport us into the region of
hopes and fears; of the profound and the indefinite;
they invite us to the contemplation of what is lovely
in the sympathies of our common nature; splendid in
the conquests of Intellect, or heroic in the trials of
Virtue.
Allow me only one or two remarks, which admit of
general application, and I will trespass no longer on
your attention. Professional men, sometimes ready to
sink under the pressure of unvaried mental effort, find
that occasional excursions into the field of elegant literature impart renewed vigor to their exhausted powers.
They do not so much require complete exemption from
toil, as counterl' excitement; and to men of refined tastes
this species of excitement is abundantly supplied
by those treasures of wisdom and of wit, and those
captivating forms of expression, which lie without the
boundaries of exclusively professional study. Again,
from the peculiar nature of their pursuits, and from
the almost incessant attention which they demand, such
men are liable to become somewhat narrow and perverse in their judgments. They cultivate few of the
graceful sensibilities of their nature; they estrange
themselves from the regions of taste; they regale their
imaginations with no images of beauty. "There is
perhaps nothing," says one of the most original thinkers of the age, "which more enlarges or enriches the




ADDRESS TO THE PHI BETA KAPPA  SOCIETY.    21
mind, than to lay  it genially  open to  impressions of
pleasure from  the exercise of every species of talent."
In this disposition, with rare  exceptions, professional
men are wanting; and it is this disposition which liberal studies are specially fitted to create. What a reproach attaches to the lawyer who feels admiration for
no science but his own?-   What physician  is thoroughly prepared for the practice of his profession, who
has not learned much which it is not the business of
masters in medical science to teach?  And, think you,
should we hear such repeated complaints of the drowsiness and the aridity of the pulpit, if preachers, less
ambitious of soaring to the Alpine heights of theology,
spoke  more  frequently  the  language  of cultivated
tastes, sympathies, and  affections; if, full of the momentous verities of the Gospel, they were capable of
imitating, however inadequately, the varied  song  of
David, the  majestic eloquence  of Paul, the seraphic
fervor of Isaiah?
But it is to those who are familiarly styled men of
business, that Liberal Studies should be more particularly commended.  Parents often withhold, from  such
of their sons as are intended for active life, an accomplished education, because they believe that success in
active life is rather hindered than  promoted by the
liberal cultivation of the intellect.  In accordance with
* THE precepts and the example of the celebrated JAMES OTIS deserve to be
commended to the attention of every young man who aspires to distinction at
the Bar. We are told, by his biographer, that, after leaving College, he devoted
eighteen months to the pursuits of various branches of Literature, previously to
entering on the study of Jurisprudence. In a Letter to his father, he says, "I
shall always lament that I did not take a year or two further for more general
inquiries in the Arts and Sciences, before I sat down to the laborious study of
the laws of my country." He inculcated on his pupils as a maxim, " that a
lawyer ought never to be without a volume of natural or public law, or moral
philosophy, on his table, or in his pocket."




2 2     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
this belief, it is often said that Merchants, Manufacturers, and Mechanics acquire no additional skill for
the conduct of their business, by an acquaintance with
general literature. And what if they do not? Were
they born to be Merchants, and Manufacturers, and
Mechanics, and nothing more? Are they not endowed,
like other men, with the higher faculties of their being,
and should not these faculties be exercised upon their
proper objects? They are not, it is true, candidates
for literary distinction; but in whatever sphere they
may chance to move, they are human beings, and why
should they not be rational, well informed, refined human beings?  If their ordinary occupations be somewhat alien from the pursuits of literature, this, of itself, is a cogent reason why a taste for such pursuits
should be the more carefully fostered. To the imperfect education of this large and valuable class in every
community, may be ascribed the otherwise inexplicable
mistakes of men who stand strong in the consciousness
of rare practical sagacity.  What disastrous errors
would such men avoid, if they gave more repose to
their passions; and if, by employing their minds upon
a larger variety of objects, they sharpened their accuracy, and enlarged their comprehension!
Well might I be deemed an unfaithful advocate of
Liberal Studies, if, in estimating their value, I yielded
no tribute of applause to the solid provision which
they make for independent individual happiness; for
that happiness which is enjoyed, not so much amid the
hum and shock of men, as amid the solitude of Nature
and of Thought. Living in a land where " men act in
multitudes, think in multitudes, and are free in multitudes," we are constantly tempted to forget the mys



ADDRESS TO THE PI-II BETA KAPPA SOCIETY.   23
terious individuality of our being; to go out of ourselves for materials of enjoyment; to fritter away our
sensibilities, and to debilitate our understandings, amid
the false and hollow gaieties of the crowd. I contend
for no severe estrangement from the joys of a chaste
and elegant conviviality; for no exclusive intercourse
with forms of inanimate beauty; for no fearful communion with the mysteries of the inner spirit. But I
deprecate habits and tastes which are impatient of seclusion; which destroy all true and simple relish for
nature; which scorn all quiet pleasures; which abhor
alike the composure and the scrutiny of meditation.
As means of reforming tastes and habits thus uncongenial to virtue and to happiness, I can hardly exaggerate the importance of Liberal Studies. I ascribe to
them, however, no power to teach rooted sorrow the
lesson of submission; to succor virtue amid mighty
temptations; to dispel the awful sadness of the inevitable hour. These are the victories of Christian Faith;
the grand, and peculiar, and imperishable evidences of
its power. But I challenge for Science and for Letters
the noble praise of reclaiming us from the dominion of
the Senses; of lightening the burden of Care; of
stimulating within us the undying principles of the
Moral Life.








ADDRESS
ON "THE SOCIAL INFLUENCE OF THE HIGHER INSTITUTIONS
OF LEARNING," DELIVERED ON THE OCCASION OF THE
DEDICATION OF RHODE ISLAND HALL, SEPTEMBER 3, 1840.*
GENTLEMEN:We have come up to this beautiful temple to celebrate no political triumph; to gaze at no gorgeous
pageant; to consider no scheme of pecuniary emolument. For a purer and more generous purpose, are
we assembled. Leaving behind us, and rejoicing to
leave behind us, thoughts, and scenes, and interests,
which, in the daily progress of life, press upon us
with no grateful influence, we have come hither, today, to repose for awhile in the shades of the Academy; to interchange sympathies purely intellectual;
to behold what private munificence hath done for the
cause of Science and of Letters in this community; to
congratulate our venerable University upon the completion of another Hall to be devoted to her service;
to look upon her, arrayed in her festival garments; to
thank God for the good example of the departed
worthies who have illustrated her past history; and to
* Mr. Goddard having been seized with sudden illness, this address was
read by the Rev. Dr. Crocker.
4




WRI2 TINGS OF WILLIA3I G. GODDARmD.
follow her, with our hopes and our prayers, into the
untold future. Although it is my privilege to address
you from  a spot over which science, in her severe
gface, is destined to preside, yet I must be pardoned, on
the present occasion, for avoiding all abstract discussion, and for attempting no themes which are not in
harmony with the associations of the present hour.
In the primeval stages of society, how imperfect is
the development of the noblest powers of our being;
how profound the ignorance of the laws of nature; how
unheeded the solemnities of eternal Truth; how dull
the perception of those forms of beauty which decorate
the earth, the ocean and the sky! Under very different conditions of the social state, is it our destiny to
live.  Our lines are fallen to us, not only in pleasant
i)laces, but at an epoch in the moral history of our race,
when Science, by the varied applications of her principles, is working miracles of beneficent change in the
whole order of society; when elegant literature embellishes the life of the remotest dweller in Christendom;
when Art puts forth her power, as if she owned some
portion of her ancient inspiration, and sought to recall
the days of her classical splendor; when Christianity,
with her train of gracious influences, is abroad in the
earth, to heal the woes of man-to purify his nature, to
exalt his hopes; to explain the mysteries of his being.
Hlaving reached this stage of intellectual refinement,
society demands an amount and a variety of intellectual
culture, adapted to its existing habits, tastes, and necessities. In Europe, where civilization exhibits itself in
most attractive forms, schools of learning and academies
of Art are potent instruments in creating a demand for
high culture, and in supplying the demand which they




DEDICATION OF RHODE ISLAND HALL.       27
create. Accumulated within these repositories, behold
the intellectual wealth of centuries  the choicest fruits
of genius, and learning, and research. Behold, also,
those matchless productions of the pencil and the chisel,
which tasked to the utmost the creative skill of Art,
and which have embodied for immortality the most
marvellous conceptions of spiritual beauty, and grace
and power. Look abroad upon society, and mark how
these causes, and causes analagous to these, have helped
to place France and England at the head of European
civilization. In what a noble strife for social improvement are both these nations now engaged; what laurels,
all unstained, are they now reaping; how serene and
majestic all their intellectual triumphs. Ask Germany,
what her Universities, and gymnasia, and schools, have
done, and are doing, for the cause of Science and of
letters. Challenging your attention to her legion of
philosophers, poets, and scholars —to her historians,
commentators, critics and philologists-she will exclaim, these are my jewels-in these consists the noblest
wealth of nations.
The academical institutions of our own country are
far less magnificent, venerable and imposing than those
which, in our fatherland, own princes and prelates for
their founders;-which have reached their palmly state,
only after the lapse of'centuries;- and upon which is
concentrated the nursing care of the Church, the peerage, and the throne. The people were the founders of
our higher schools of learning, and the people are their
patrons. These institutions can plead, on the score of
antiquity,but an humble title to veneration-and, with
perhaps one exception, they are without endowments
which deserve the name. Such, however, as they are,




28      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
they have grown out of the. peculiar condition of our
society; they are adapted to the wants of the people;
they are in harmony with the genius of our political
system; they have exerted and they are destined to
exert, a commanding influence upon all the elements of
our national character and national prosperity-upon
Literature, Science, Politics and Religion uponthe
tastes, manners, opinions and principles of society.
We are in some danger of undervaluing the positive
and substantial benefits which the higher schools of
learning confer upon a country like our own. As a
people, we are intent upon gain; —we are heated by
partisan strife; we are absorbed by interests essentially
material. Hence we are prone to leave unheeded that
more refined combination of influences, which belongs
to the world of mind, and which, often works important changes in the character of individuals, and of
communities. We seem to think, and to speak, and to
act, as if money and majorities-and water, and steam,
were something more than instruments for accomplishing higher ends. What is yet more to be lamented,
we seem to fo)rget that the wise employment of these
instruments depends upon the knowledge of pr-inciples,
and that the knowledge of principles is not instinctive,
but can be acquired, most readily, in still retreats, under skillful masters, and after sears of patient study.
In no country, perhaps, on the face of the earth, ought
Science to be cultivated with more resolute ardor, and
with a stronger conviction that various great public
interests cannot be advanced without a knowledge of
its truths. We are in a state of rapid transition from
one condition of society to another. In some parts of
our widely extended Union the process of change and




DEDICATION OF RHODE ISLAND HALL.        29
improvement, though never suspended, m-ay be less
impressive in its results than in others. In the regions
of the magnificent and adventurous West, every year is
signalized by the inception or by the completion of
some gigantic enterprise, intended to convert primeval
solitudes into the abodes of industrious, opulent, and
intelligent fireemen.  Obstructions to the navigation
of vast rivers are removed; railways to facilitate intercourse between sections of country widely distant, are
constructed; and canals are dug to connect the river
with the lake, and the lake with the ocean. Everywhere, indeed within our borders, plans of improvement are in progress, which, firnishing cheaper and
more expeditious modes of transportation, will hasten
the development of our immense natural resources, and
impart a new phase to the physical and moral condition of the whole country.  Can  science, nurtured
within college walls, claim no participation in these
mighty and beneficent works of improvement?  Does
she supply no principles by which refractory material
agents are converted to the service of man? Is it too
much to say that men, whatever may be the bent of
their genius, are not 6bo'n algebraists, geometers, and
engineers? Does the country owe nothing to the scientific skill of the accomplished graduates of the Military
Academy at West Point?  nothing to those proficients
in the exact sciences and in mechanical philosophy who
annually emerge from the seclusion of our Colleges?
Where but in College Halls, and in kindred institutions, can the truths of science be so successfully taught?
Nowhere else are the means of instruction, necessarily
various and expensive, so amply provided; nowhere
else can the pupil find teachers more devoted to the




30      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
tasl of explaining the wonderful phenomena, and the
sublime laws of the material Universe. If our higher
schools of learning answered no other purpose, than to
diffuse, more widely a knowledge of the laws of Nature,
as a branch of liberal education of which none ought to
be ignorant, they would deserve the most cordial and
substantial support. But their titles to general favor
are strengthened by the consideration, that Science is
one of the great agents of modern civilization, and that
the progress of this country in wealth and in social refinement depends, in an especial manner, on its being
thoroughly and extensively cultivated.
Owing to the fieedom of our institutions, the equality of our laws, the exhaustless resources of the country, tile facility in obtaining credit, the characteristic
enterprise, energy, and skill of our people, we embark
in plans, and we make experiments, and we encounter
hazards, for the accumulation of wealth, with a very
imperfect knowledge of the principles which may avert
failure or command success.  Our efforts to better our
condition seem, in too many cases, more like a series
of mere empyrical expedients, than a well devised system of means and a sober calculation of' consequences.
And what is the ordinary result of these eager and
insane reaches after wealth? If in a few exempt cases,
it is thus acqaietdie, how seldom  is it preserved unimpaired! How seldom does it, in the end, escape the
destiny of wealth which is accumulated without the
exercise of well directed and patient industry.  IIow
often is it squandered in vicious extravagance-frit.
tered away upon chimerical projects, or sunk, at once in
the vortex of mad speculation! Of the multitudes who
embark in business, how few escape the hazards to




DEDICATION OF RHODE ISLAND HIALL.     31
which they are exposed! Are these hazards the inevitable conditions under which wealth in this country
must be sought? Is there no exemption from the ruin
which, at every financial crisis, overwhelms the fortunes of thousands of our countrymen?  Notwithstanding the numerous and complicated risks to which
all active business is subject, I cannot be persuaded
that the disastrous vicissitudes, which we have such
frequent occasion to deplore, might not be more frequently avoided.  I have great faith that less ambitious aims, less extravagant modes of living less desire
to avoid labor, and less haste to become rich, would, in
connexion with a more elevated standard of moral pro.
bity, be found a remedy for some of the worst evils of
the times. I cannot surrender the belief that, if we
entertained more Christian estimates of the true value
of wealth, and if we brought the conduct of our business within the operation of some fixed and consistent
general principles, our enterprise and sagacity would
not so often miss their aim, or be stripped of their rewards. I believe that, in this matter, the science of
Political Economy gnight be made to do good service.
Comprehending in its wide extent not only the laws
which regulate the production, distribution and con.
sumption of wealth, but some of the higher ethical
relations of communities, it ought to be familiarized to
the minds not only of the statesmen who determine the
policy of the government, but to the mind of every citizen who engages in the business of the country. Presenting to observation a large variety of facts and sustaining extended relations to other Sciences, it deserves,
for the mere purposes of intellectual discipline, to be
commended.




WRITINGS OF WILLIAMI CG. GODDARD.
But Political Economy may accomplish a yet higher
purpose than intellectual discipline. When it shall
come to be better understood, when, in the estimation
of practical men, it shall be rescued from the reproach
of a barren or a delusive theory —when those who
affect to be statesmen shall become more familiar with
its teachings, the buisivess of the country and the legislation of the country will be kept within the influence
of those sound principles which lie at the foundation of
private and of public prosperity. In concluding this
topic, may I be allowed to add that an illustrious Professor in a Scotch University was the first formal precursor of the modern science of Political Economy, and
that, in our own country, it is systematically taught
only in College Halls, or by men who were bred in
College Halls. In this cursory estimate of the social
influence of our Colleges, their intimate connection
with the grand cause of Pojutlar _EdlCation ought not
to be omitted.
A large proportion of the young men, who are annually graduated from our colleges, become engaged, at
once in the business of instruction. As Preceptors of
Academies, or as Teachers of schools, both public and
private, they occupy an important position, and exert
an extensive influence. Their qualifications are not
always equal to their responsibilities; but, in most
cases, it is believed, they address themselves to the
work with a fidelity and a skill which accomplish the
most valuable results. The instruction of the young
in the elements of useful knowledge has come to be
considered as one of the great interests of the State.
Banish our Colleges firom the land, and what would
be the fate of this great interest. Without underrat



DEDICATION OF RHODE ISLAND HALL.        33
ing those truly meritorious individuals, who, unaided
by academical discipline, have acquired no mean skill
as instructors, I cannot help thinking that the great
cause of popular Education must look mainly to the
College for the instruments to accomplish its final triumphs.
It may not be amiss, on the present occasion, to advert
briefly to the influence of our higher academical institutions in cultivating a taste for elegant letters, and in
spreading far and wide, the elements of a generous
moral and intellectual culture. The value of this influence it would not be easy to overrate.
Literature addresses itself so constantly to our various mental faculties-it deals so largely with all our
affections, passions, and modes of life-it leaves so
grateful an impression upon our character-it imparts
to existence so bland and exhilarating a charm, that
we cannot fail to prize whatever may endear to us its
pursuits.
The languages of classic antiquity, which embody,
in the most exquisite forms, wisdom, and eloquence, and
poetry hitherto unsurpassed, are prominent branches of
instruction in our Colleges. They are not lost upon
those who study them  with ardor.  They cultivate
habits of vigorous and clear thought, and they form
the taste to an admiration of a chastened if not austere
beauty of expression.  They invite the student to
drink at the undefiled fountain of ancient genius and
learning, and they foster within him  a taste for the
purest models of thought and expression which illustrate the literature of the moderns. Our Colleges,
wherever to be found, form little centres around which
cluster the associations and sympathies which belong
5




34      WVRITINGS OF WILLIA3I G. GODDARD.
to those who have acquired a love for letters. They
are the repositories, and, in our country, with few exceptions, the only repositories of those collections of
books which may be deemed among the most efficient
means of creating and diffusing a true literary spirit.
Hardly forty years ago, that eminent statesman and
scholar, the late Fisher Ames, remarked that all the
libraries in the United States could not have furnished
the books which Gibbon found it necessary to use in
writing his Roman History alone. This remark, had he
lived to this time, he would have seen reason to modify.
The Library of Harvard University, with its rich
stores of erudition, would alone deserve to save the
country from a similar reproach.  Not only do the
Libraries connected with our Colleges serve to nurture
the love of elegant letters, but the same end is pronloted by those literary exhibitions in which some of
the veteran graduates now participate, and which lend
so much attraction to the season of our Annual Commencements.
Dwelling no longer upon a topic of familiar import,
permit me to add that every department of polite literature must, directly or indirectly, be benefitted by
those habits of thought and study which characterize
collegiate instructors, and the multitudes of collegiate
pupils who annually quit their sequestered abodes to
engage in the business and to contend for the honors
of active life. The important relation which our Colleges sustain towards the learnedl professions, and
their agency in elevating those professions, are topics
too obvious to need extended remark. Mlost highly
to be prized is the influence of the professional classes
on the spirits and the forms of our whole society. They




DEDICATION OF RHODE ISLAND HALL.      35
are composed, for the most part, of men who owe, whatever of distinction they may have attained, not to
wealth, but to character-to intellect carefully disciplined and laboriously employed,-to morals which
have escaped unhurt, the grosser indulgences of sense
and the tolerated chicanery of trade,-to habits and
manners which fashion has not seduced from all true
simplicity, elegance and dignity. In the language of
Lord Bacon, they entertain no abstract and friarly
contempt for wealth. They are hostile to none of its
rightful superiorities. On the contrary, they honor
the industry and skill and enterprise, by which it is
acquired, and, yet more, do they honor the noble liberality with which it is not unfrequently expended. Occupying, however, an elevated social position, they are,
in some sort, the natural antagonists of that class
among the opulent who, especially in our larger cities,
are prone to introduce modes of life ruinously expensive, and ludicrously incongruous with the whole
structure of American society. In the elevation of the
learned professions, who does not feel that he has a
deep interest. They touch us in so many points; they
mix themselves so largely with our graver interests,
and they spread so intelligent a grace over our familiar
hours, that we demand for them the benefits of the highest intellectual culture. Without our Colleges and professional schools, the professions would soon cease to be
learned —and, when once they have forfeited the distinction of learning-they would lose all power of usefulness and all claim to honor-they would counteract
no longer some of the most injurious tendencies of
wealth and fashion; and they would leave our whole




36      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
system of social life to influences destructive of its
purity, dignity and repose.
In a spirit of reproach, it is sometimes said that
business and politics, are, in this country, the predominant interests of life-that these interests are suspended
only for tumultuous pleasures, or for enervating repose-that the studies which adorn and solace life, in
other lands, are in our own pretermitted for arid practical details, or for furious political controversy.
Would it not be wise to inquire whether there may
not be some truth in these imputations? Do we devote much of our leisure to those delightful studies
which are full of the treasures of knowledge and of
the spirit of wisdom. Are not our prominent political
men disposed to regard the profound meditations and
the laborious inquiries of the statesman, as somewhat
unavailable sources of popularity and of power? Are
not our young men moulding their characters for manhood, under influences favorable neither to intellect,
nor patriotism, nor virtue?  If these be some of the
prevailing tendencies of American society, they need
to be counteracted by a sentiment of deeper reverence
for learning-by a more cultivated sense of beauty,
and a more profound veneration for truth. To purposes so valuable, may not our Universities and Colleges lend some aid?  Year after year, they send forth
into the business of life thousands of ingenuous youth,
well instructed in the truths of science and the lessons
of duty. These youth are challenged to high responsibilities. Some of them alas! are soon drawn within
the vortex of politics or of pleasure; others are more
careful to grow rich than to grow wise; but, abstracting these recreants, many are still left to check the




DEDICATION OF RHODE ISLAND HALL.      37
prevailing evils of the times, and, by their example, to
attract admiration to the calm pleasures of intellect,
and to the majestic power of incorruptible virtue.
In connexion with this topic, may I be allowed to
advert to another, suggested by the nature of our political institutions, anal by the political condition and
prospects of our country. Think not that I am about
to enter that arena whereon so many combatants are
now engaged in fierce controversy. I invite you to no
such spectacle. The organ of an Institution, which is
a stranger to the transient passions and interests of the
day, most scrupulously would I abstain from all gratuitous and reproachful allusion to our domestic
politics. I shall not, however, be thought to violate
the decorum of my position by the remark, that our
country will always need the counsels of patriotic,
wise and well informed statesmen-  statesmen familiar
with the various forms of civil polity which have existed in all time-acquainted with the complicated
structure of our own institutions-and the various interests of our people-profoundly versed in the knowledge of men, and, more than all, anchored in the great
controlling principles of all private and social morality.
I am not so visionary as to believe that the College
alone will prepare such a race of men for the service
of the State or that no man can be a statesman who
is a stranger to academical discipline, or to the accomplishments of academical learning.  It cannot, however, be deemed extravagant to regard the studies
pursued at our American Colleges as valuable means
of preparation for the duties and responsibilities of
eminent political station. These studies invite to a
high range of thought and action;-they deal with in



38      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
tricate and extended relations;-they subject the faculties to a rigid training; —they commend to imitation
the noblest exhibitions of human virtue. What gifted
young man can pursue them, in a right spirit and with
genuine ardor, without becoming endowed with warmer
sympathies for his country and his kind-without
aiminog to become something better than a shrewd
politician,-without resolving never to sink to the
level of a tempestuous demagogue! Besides all this,
the whole structure of our political Institutions demlands that our citizens should be somewhat conversant with recondite theories, and that they should
jealously guard against every encroachment upon
their constitutional rights. The gloonmy despotisms
of the East and the stern military despotisms of Continental Europe exact of the people nothing but
torpid submission; they tolerate no agitation of their
profound calm; no curious speculations concerning
inalienable rights —no appeal to the great fundamental principles of individual and social freedom.
But wherever the democratic principle establishes its
ascendancy, it creates, especially in relation to all matters of government, the most intense intellectual activity-it has to do with the most complicated theories
-it operates on the gravest interests-it summons to
its support the strongest passions. For these reasons, if
for no other, an American citizen should be instructed
and well instructed as to the rights and duties of an
American citizen. He should learn them, not from partisan journals or from intemperate politicians; but
from  lips which will not betray him-from those
lessons of political wisdom upon which hath been
placed the seal of immortality; from a deliberate sur



DEDICATION OF RHODE ISLAND HALL.        39
vey of the practical workings of our institutions. In
this country, the democratic principle is firmly established, and its ultimate ascendancy in all civilized governments is hardly to be doubted. With us, then, the
great problem is, how shall we secure it from perversion  how shall we rescue it from the influence of impracticable and ferocious theories-how shall we render it a more efficient agent in imparting to this generation and  to  generations which are unborn the
blessings of well ordered freedom, and the fruits of
a progressive civilization?  The democratic principle,
as I understand it, can be maintained only by an alliance with virtue, intelligence, and law. It is hostile to
none of the superiorities which God hath established;
it is at variance with none of the principles of his
moral government; —it seeks to supplant none of the
impulses with which he has endowed us;  it acknowledges, as a first principle, the equality of all men before the laws; —it leaves every man to employ, for his
own advantage and for the advantage of his children,
his time, his talents, and his skill. When carried out
into its just applications, it shields from violation the
most insignificant right of the humblest man in the
community; it places within his power the means of
bettering his condition; of improving his character;
of elevating himself and his children in the scale of
moral and intellectual happiness. With an equally
jealous care, it guards the fruits of honest industry
from the rapacity of those whom indolence and vice
may have doomed to poverty and to discontent. It
abhors all tyranny, the tyranny of the majority no
less than the tyranny of the king.  It recognizes the
necessity of checks and balances, in the organization




40'     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
of every political system which is intended to give full
effect to the will of the people, and to protect from
violation the rights of the people. As we are destined
to live under a democracy-God forbid that it should
ever become a licentious and brutal democracy-God
forbid that the masses, as, in the cant of the day, the
great body of the people are now designated, should
be betrayed into the adoption of any theories which
would ultimately be subversive of their own rightswhich would lay waste all the monuments of social refinement, turn back the tide of modern civilization  and
quench in blood the guiding star of freedom to the nations! To avert an issue so disastrous, I invoke the
aid of those to whom is committed the religious and
literary education of our youth. With special earnestness, do I invite Instructors in our Colleges to look
well to this high concernment. It is their office to
address, at the most impressible season, minds which
are destined to exert, for good or for evil, an important influence upon the destinies of the country.
They help to mould the characters of those who, in
the order of Providence, will be selected to fill the
high places in society. It becomes them, therefore, to
magnify their office in respect to its duties and responsibilities. It becomes them, to take good care that every
pupil, before he quits his academic bower for a region
of perverse wills, and conflicting interests, and stormy
passions, shall be prepared to resist temptation in all
its forms, and even, if left alone, to do battle for liberty, for law, for virtue and for truth.
I now leave this desultory discussion, for themes
suggested more particularly by the occasion which has




DEDICATION OF RHODE ISLAND HALL.      41
called us together, and which address themselves, with
a more animated interest, to the sympathies of the hour.
The annual festival of this University which was
yesterday celebrated recalls to memory the interesting fact that it is now just seventy years since the
first College edifice, University Hall, was erected, at
the expense, it is believed, exclusively of citizens belonging to the town and county of Providence. Referring to the actual wealth and population of our
community at that time, who can withhold from this
enterprise the praise of rare munificence and extraordinary public spirit. This effort in behalf of learning,
it should also be remembered, was not made by men
fashioned in the schools, but. by men of great practical
sagacity and large views; by men who venerated
learning and religion, and who believed that learning
and religion are the stability and the ornament of every
free State. From that Hall, around which, in the progress of years, so many interesting associations have gathered, went forth into the world some of the most gifted
men who have adorned the history of Rhode Island.
Of these gifted men, many alas! have gone down to
the grave; others, I rejoice to add, still live, occupying elevated positions in society, and reflecting honors
on the Seminary which first quickened within them
the powers of genius and the hopes of fame. Half a
century elapsed before another College edifice was
erected. In the years 1821-2, the gentleman to whom
this University is so largely indebted, imparted a fresh
impulse to its growth, by erecting, at his own expense,
another building for the accommodation of its students.
To this building, at the suggestion of the donor, was
given the name of "Hope College."




42      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
In the years 1833-4 the third College edifice, embracing a Chapel and Library, and distinguished as a
beautiful specimen of architecture, was erected at the
expense of the same gentleman to whose liberality I
have already referred. A pupil of Dr. Manning, he
gave to this edifice the name of "Manning Hall," in
remembrance of his venerated instructor and friendthe first President and one of the principal founders of
this University. Nearly three years since, some of you,
my fellow-citizens of Providence, intimated a desire to
unite in any effort which might be made to advance,
still further, the prosperity of this Institution. Your
benevolent impulses were not destined to prove ineffective.  After some delay, a subscription was
commenced for the erection of the chaste and commo*dious edifice in which we are now assembled, and
likewise of a suitable mansion-house.for the President
of this University. The terms of the subscription
also embraced a provision that some portion of the
amount to be raised should be expended in the improvement of the adjacent grounds-in rendering them
not only more useful to those for whom they are
specially intended; but more accessible to the public,
and more ornamental to the city. This subscription
was commenced under auspices which left no doubt
of its success. The aid of the substantial friend of
the University was not on this occasion withheld.
He tendered to the acceptance of the Corporation
the sites occupied by these new edifices, and he
pledged himself for the sum of ten thousand dollars
towards the expense of erecting them. This generous
offer was promptly seconded by you, my fellow-citizens of Providence. Thanks to your effective co



DEDICATION OF RHODE ISLAND HALL.    43
operation the sum originally required, hardly less
than twenty-one thousand dollars, was speedily obtained. I congratulate you upon the accomplishment
of your generous and elevated purposes. Look around
you, my fellow-citizens, and behold the enduring and
beautiful memorials of what you have done-for Science and for taste, for our University and for our
city-for the generation that now lives and for the
generations that are to come.
In asking you to survey the ample accommodations
which you have provided, within these walls, for the
departments of Natural Philosophy, Chemistry, Mineralogoy and Natural History; and in directing your
attention to the transformation without, which has
thrown over a hitherto neglected spot the charm of a
somewhat classic repose, I summon you to the highest
banquet a generous mind can taste-the reflected
pleasure of benevolence-the ennobling consciousness
that you have done something to make the world
wiser, and better, and happier.
The means of liberal instruction in the Physical
Sciences at the command of this University are now
sufficiently extensive. Without additional public aid
they can be readily so enlarged as to meet the demands of general taste, and to correspond to the
progress of scientific inquiry. And, be it remembered,
that the instruction here to be imparted is not to be
confined to the regular pupils of this University.
Under proper restrictions, this Hall and the Lectures
here to be delivered are to be made accessible to the
public. The benefits which such an arrangement will
confer upon our community, and, in the end, upon this
University, it would not be very easy to calculate. It




44      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
is sufficient for my purpose to suggest them for your
more deliberate reflection.
In acknowledging the munificence which has reared
this edifice for the purposes of instruction in Natural
Philosophy and in the Physical Sciences, I ought perhaps to mention, as a gratifying consideration, that,
with one exception, all the contributors to the object
are Rhode Island men-either native citizens, or citizens by adoption. Rhode Island men did I say!
In the language of no formal courtesy, I add, that this
good work was not accomplished, without aid-substantial and disinterested aid,-from Rhode Island women.
This expression of sympathy from those who have so
deep a stake in the welfare of this Institution, deserves
to be welcomed by some token of gratitude which will
survive to other times. I am therefore authorized to
announce in this presence, that this edifice shall hereafter be called and known by the name of Rhode Island
Hall. May this honored name-a name not without
pretensions to a classical origin, be preserved unsullied; and may the recollections which it is intended to
perpetuate remind our children and our children's
children of their obligations to multiply, to the extent
of their power, the means of elevating the tastes, opinions, and institutions of society.
This University has reached an important stage in
its progress. Within a few years its friends, both at
home and abroad, have manifested, on more than one
occasion, a warm interest in its favor. By multiplying its facilities for instruction, they have strengthened its hold on the public favor, and quickened it
to fresh endeavors in the cause of good learning.
The Library fund, amounting to the sum of twenty



DEDICATION OF RHODE ISLAND HALL.     45
five thousand dollars, having recently become available,
the University Library will soon be recruited by important accessions to its stores; and the time, I trust,
is not distant, when it will become a most efficient
means of winning general favor,-and advancing
general intellectual improvement.
At the present season, how many memories come
thronging about the hearts of those of us who look
upon this seat of learning with sentiments of filial
attachment. The noble race of men who founded
this Institution, have perished from off the earth.
Not one of the original members of her Corporation,
and not one of the members of the first seven Classes
which here received academic honors, are alive to share
in the triumphs of this day. I miss, in the crowd before me, the familiar forms of those veteran friends of
this University whom, year after year, I was accustomned to greet, upon every recurrence of her annual
festival.  The first three Presidents, Manning, Maxcy
and Messer have all ceased from their labors. With a
solicitude truly paternal, they watched over the early
destinies of this University. How would they rejoice to
mingle in the notes of congratulation which now come
up before her?  They knew her in her humble estate.
How would they now rejoice to behold her clothed in
strength and in honor! Surveying, in a chastised and
thoughtful mood, the change which hath passed upon
them, and which is destined so soon to pass upon us,
let us pause, amid the festivities of this day, to yield
to these departed worthies the passing tribute of sad
and grateful recollection. Above all, in the spirit of
that divine philosophy, which, come what may, will
ever be the transcendent philosophy, let us aim to live




46      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
not unto ourselves, and to do now, and with our might,
whatever our hands may find to do.
I cannot close this Address, without pressing upon
you, my fellow-citizens, the importance of laying broad
and deep the foundations of all our literary institutions
-of endowing them with the most extensive means of
action and of usefulness-of looking to them as the distinctive sources of true civic renown-as among the
grand conservative elements of public virtue, prosperity, and freedom. In wealth and population and
territorial extent, Rhode Island can never hope for
pre-eminence. Let her not, however, be discouraged by
the insignificance of her physical dimensions. Let her
make amends for the lowliness of her stature, by the
loftiness of her spirit. Let her seek to spread throughout her borders the seeds of piety and learning, and she
will ultimately put forth a moral power which even
States of gigantic magnitude might be proud to wield.
Upon you, more especially, my fellow-citizens of Providence, I take the liberty to urge these views of our
social interest, honor, and duty. You have already
done much to render our city a fountain of intelligence
from which have gone forth streams to fertilize the
whole of our little heritage. You have, within the
past year, extended and improved your system of popular education-you have never faltered in your friendship for the Athenaeum, now  among the primary
attractions of our city-you have given the most substantial proofs of your desire to promote the welfare of
the University. These efforts are worthy of all praise.
I hail them as blessings for the present, as cheering
tokens of good for the future. Be assured, my fellowcitizens, that although we cannot obtain for our city




DEDICATION OF RHODE ISLAND HALL.    47
the distinction of being populous, and rich, and powerful, we can obtain for her the yet prouder distinction
which waits upon high social character-upon taste,
learning and piety. I ask your continued aid, in
behalf of these great objects.
Remember, and how  full of exaltation is the
thought! that the powers of the human soul. are
limited to no dimensions. Attica in respect to territorial extent was insignificant, but what region in the
civilized earth owns not the sway of Attica?  What
civilized region bows not down in homage to her omnipotent power over the world of mind? Athens
still kindles the most enthusiastic recollections, but, remember, it is not warlike, rich, populous, democratic
Athens that holds us spell-bound, after the lapse of
more than two thousand years, but Athens the abode
of philosophy and poetry-of eloquence and of artthe city consecrated to Minerva.








ADDRESS
IN COMMEMORATION OF THE DEATH OF WILLIAM HENRY
HARRISON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, DELIVERED
BEFORE THE CITY COUNCIL AND CITIZENS OF PROVIDENCE,
ON THE NATIONAL FAST, MAY 14, 1841.
GENTLEMEN OF THE CITY COUNCIL, AND FELLOW CITIZENS OF PROVIDENCE:The death of William  Henry Harrison, late the
President of the United States, has no parallel in the
history of our country. Washington died amid the
tranquil shades of Mount Vernon, after a life illustrated by the rarest union of heroic and of civic virtue which the world hath yet seen. His illustrious
compatriots and successors, Adams, Jefferson, Madison,
and Monroe, were permitted, for many years after they
had rested firom the labors of office, to rejoice in the
prosperity of the land over which they had ruled, and,
yet more, to rejoice in the power of republican institutions to withstand the trials to which republican institutions are, in an especial manner, exposed. They all
died, after having accomplished every object for which,
as public men, they had wished to live. Not thus was
it with him, the tidings of whose death so recently agi



WRITINGS OF WILLIXAM G. GODDARD.
tated the hearts of this whole people. He was swept
from the earth, in the hour of fresh triumph and joyous expectance,-in the midst of unaccomplished plans,
amid all the ensigns of place and of power; snatched
for ever from our sight at the moment when every eye
was turned towards him, and before the voice, which
he had lifted up in the presence of thousands, had died
away upon the ear! What passages of splendor and
of gloom in the history of the few last weeks! What
alternations of joy and grief have torn the public
mind! How many purposes have been broken off!
How many hopes have perished! The Angel of Death
hath gone up into our palaces, and, as if to give this
whole nation a more awful manifestation of his power,
he hath smitten down, almost in a night, the chief
whom they delighted to honor. The agitation caused
by an event so startling, has subsided into the stillness
of a contemplative sorrow. The season for absorbing
emotion has gone. The season for reflection has come.
Let it not have come in vain. Now, in the time of our
adversity, shall we not seek to learn the sweet uses of
adversity? Shall we not, in dependence upon divine
aid, aim to discover and to renounce our sins? Shall
we not, in profound humility, supplicate the King of all
the earth to look down from the throne of his holiness,
in pity, upon us and our common country?
In the solemnities of this day there lieth a deep
meaning, which it were well to understand. They are
endowed with a moral sublimity which no forms of
material grandeur can shadow forth. They appeal to
undying principles in the nature of man. They stand
in awful relationship to the attributes of the Eternal.
They speak to us, in no earthly tones, of all that scat



ON THE DEATH OF PRESIDENT HARRISON.    51
ters light or darkness over the prospects of immortality. What a spectacle have the temples of Christian worship, throughout our land, this day presented!
A whole people, chastened by the recollection of their
recent sorrow, and putting aside the interests of daily
life, have prostrated themselves before the Almighty,
to confess their dependence upon him; to entreat the
forgiveness of all their sins, negligences, and ignorances; and to commend to his protection the country
upon which, in all past time, his richest blessings have
been showered. The pulpit, this morning, has been
faithful to its high trust. It has addressed to the understanding the most momentous truths, and to the
conscience and the heart the most persuasive exhortations in behalf of a better life. We have assembled,
this evening, amid the trappings and the suits of wo,
not to banish from our minds the high spiritual design
of these solemnities, but to blend with them a tribute
of grateful homage to the life and character of our departed Chief Magistrate; not to speak of him as the
representative of any particular ppinions or interests
about which his fellow citizens are divided, but to
speak of him as the President of this Federal Republic; as a patriot who, when his country claimned his
services, was always the last to think of himself; as a
man of tried ability in the conduct of affairs, both civil
and military; but whose noblest distinction, after all
was not so much reach, and originality, and brilliancy
of intellectual power, as that higher wisdom which is
the growth of right principles, and direct purposes,
and cultivated affections.  To more elaborate pens
must be reserved that circumstantial narrative of the
events of his life, and that accurate analysis of the ele



5 2     WRITINGS OF WILLIAMI G. GODDARD.
ments of his character, which his fellow citizens will
not be slow to demand as due to his fame and to the
fame of his country. Be mine, however, the humbler
task, to glance at passages in his eventful story; and
to attract your attention, more particularly, to those of
his characteristics which can be contemplated without
a jar to the frame of a sorrowful or a devout spirit.
WILLIAM HENRY HARRIsoN was a native of Virginiathat land so fertile in illustrious names, so allied to our
proudest recollections of courtesy and valor, and genius
and patriotism. He was born on the 9th of February,
1773, and, as will be seen, not long before that memorable struggle had commenced which ended not, till
the thirteen colonies fought themselves into the rank
of free and independent States. He descended from
ancestors not unknown to fame in the early history of
Virginia. His father, Benjamin Harrison, was an eminent patriot of the revolution, and a gentleman of the
old school. He occupied several commanding stations,
and mixed himself largely with all the great events
and stirring interests of his time. In the year 1791 he
died, having maintained unforfeited, to the last, his
claims to the confidence and favor of his fellow citizens.
Benjamin Harrison was among the intrepid signers of
the Declaration of Independence; but history assigns
to his name a yet nobler distinction, a more consecrated title to immortality, by recording the fact that
he was " an intimate friend of Washington."
Young Harrison was committed by his father to the
care of Robert Morris, one of the most conspicuous actors in the drama of the revolution-the great financier
-gifted with no humble portion of the transcendent
genius of Hamilton. To such influences was our late




ON THE DEATH OF PRESIDENT HARRISON.    53
President subjected in the forming stages of his character. His father and his father's friend had perilled
all in the cause of freedom. Is it strange that his
youthful spirit caught the generous inspiration, and
that he was eager to go forth to do and to dare in the
service of his country?  After completing his academical education at Hampden Sydney College, he directed, under the advice of his friends, his attention to
one of the liberal professions.  He was reserved, however, for a far different destiny. The Indian tribes on
our northwestern borders, who had fought under the
banner of England, during the revolutionary war, laid
not down the weapons of war when peace was concluded with their civilized ally. True to their instincts, the Indians pushed the work of rapine, and
massacre, and conflagration, till the faces of all who
lived upon our frontiers gathered paleness. Throughout the whole land, sympathy for the sufferers, and in.
dignation against their ruthless assailants, spread with
electric rapidity.  Our young student was impatient
to engage in the strife. Abandoning his professional
pursuits, he rushed, at the early age of eighteen, from
the shades of the academy, into the tumults of the
camp. In the year 1791, he received from President
Washington the commission of Ensign, and, what was
yet more grateful to his sensibilities, he was cheered in
his romantic enterprise by the approving voice of
Washington.  Shortly after the disastrous defeat of St.
Clair, he reached his regiment, then stationed at Fort
Washington, which occupied the present site of the
city of Cincinnati. How pregnant with all the elements and associations of romance is this simple fact!
What an impressive commentary upon the elastic




54      PRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
spirit andl the expansive energies of freedom! When
Ensign Harrison first passed within her limits, Ohio
was a wilderness-Cincinnati but a feeble and obscure settlement! In the progress of a few years, for
what is half a century in the life of a nation, Ohio
teems with population, and is endowed with all the
institutions of cultivated society, with all the faculties
of an empire. Cincinnati is the great city of the West,
wealthy, enterprising, and intellectual.  Yet more;
this same Ensign Harrison, after having "achieved
the silver livery of advised age," comes to rule over
seventeen millions of people, at the cheering voice of the
multitudes who now inhabit the magnificent domain in
the defence of which he nerved his youthful arm!
The limits to which this address must be restricted,
for)id ile to dwell on the early military career of Harrison. Ile was not slow in establishing an elevated
character, as a soldier and a man. The perils and
trials, the privations and exposures, incident to warfare
with savages, amid forests and morasses, it would not be
easy to exaggerate. None of these things moved him
from his settled purpose.  His health was delicate, and
his firiends, apprehensive that he would fall a victim
to unwonted trials of his strength, advised him to resign his commission. He refused to abandon the service in which I;e had embarked. Though removed
from the wholesonle restraints of public opinion, he
yielded not to the seductions of the camp. He desecrated the temple of his immortal spirit, by no profane
orgies; and his habits of temperance, thus early formed,
were the parent of the health and vigor which blessed
him even to the close of life.
Ensign Harrison was soon advanced to the rank of




ON TEIE DEATH OF PRESIDENT HARRISON.    55
lieutenant. So highly did General Wayne, his commander-in-chief, esteem him for his courage, attention
to discipline, and other military qualities, that he commissioned him as one of his aids-de-camp. In his general orders and official despatches, General Wayne, on
more than one occasion, had reason to commend the
bravery and good conduct of Lieutenant Harrison.
The bloody and desperate battle of the MAiami, in which
the Indians were totally defeated, terminated the war.
Soon after this battle, he was promoted to the rank of
captain, and was assigned to the command of an important station on the western fiontier.  As, however, the
peace with the Indians allowed him no further opportunity of serving his country in the field, he, at the close
of the year 1797, resigned his commission in the army.
And now begins the civil career of Harrison-that
career which, though interrupted by his return to the
employments of military life, was destined not to end,
till a grateful people conferred upon hinm the highest
honor within their gift.
Imnmediately after his retirement from the army, he
was appointed, by President Adams, Secretary, and,
ex-offcio, Lieutenant Governor of the Northwestern
Territory.  " Here," says Mr. Cushing,* "in the discharge of the civil duties incumbent on his office, he
became intimately associated with the brave and hardy
people around him, and learned to understand, and
duly estimate the character, wants, and wishes of his
countrymen -studying the practical lessons of life in
the great volume of nature, as unfolded to him by
daily intercourse, in the cabin of the settler, the
hunter's lodge, the council chamber, and in social
t Vide " Outlines of the Life of Harrison," by Hon. Caleb Cushing.




5 6      WRITINGS OF WTLLIAM G. GODDARD.
meetings with the free-spirited pioneers of the West."
The Northwestern Territory then embraced the whole
of our territory lying northwest of the river Ohio.
Such confidence did the people of that Territory
place in his talents and fidelity, that they elected him,
the following year, their first Delegate to the Congress
of the United States. In this new and important relation, he acquired additional honor. Associated with
him in the councils of the nation, were some of our
most distinguished statesmen and eloquent debaters.
To be a member of Congress, at that time, was an enviable distinction; for our halls of legislation had not
then been disgraced by those offensive personalities
and those scenes of disorder which have since caused
the considerate men of all parties to blush and to
tremble for their country. Although  only  about
twenty-six years of age, Mr. Harrison, by his broad
and comprehensive views of public policy, and, by his
familiarity with the practical details of legislation,
commanded the respect of the more experienced men
around him. He signalized his career in Congress, as
a Delegate, by the change, which he proposed and materially contributed to effect, in the then existing mode
of disposing of the public lands. They had heretofore
been sold in large tracts, the smallest of which included
at least four thousand acres. This system, found to be
exclusive in its operation, and unfavorable to the growth
of the West, was so modified by the bill which he
reported, and which subsequently became a law, that
the tracts of public land were required to be offered
for sale in a very reduced size. Thus were they placed
within the pecuniary ability of actual settlers. The
principle involved in this important measure has, by




ON THE DEATII OF PRESIDENT HARRISON.   5)7
subsequent acts of Congress, been extended. And its
justice and wisdom have been signally vindicated by
the marvellous changes which increasing population
and wealth have wrought throughout the immense
valley of the Mississippi.
In the year 1800, the Northwestern Territory was
divided, and a separate territory of almost boundless
extent was established, under the name of Indiana.
Mr. Harrison having resigned his seat in Congress, was
appointed Governor of this new territory, being first
appointed by Mr. Adams, and, afterwards, by Mr.
Jefferson. He was intrusted with civil powers so extensive, and so unrestrained by the usual checks, that
nothing but the necessities of the case, and the high
personal character of the Governor, could justify this
wide practical departure from the cautious theories of
a republican government. Well, however, did he
repay the confidence thus reposed in his integrity,
talents, moderation, and courage. For thirteen years,
he discharged, with unquestioned ability, the duties of
his elevated and difficult office. The peculiar conditions under which he was placed, subjected his moral
and intellectual character to a severe practical test.
Hle ruled over a thinly-scattered population, in the
bosom of a wilderness, and surrounded by a ferocious
and treacherous foe, thirsting to renew the work of
slaughter and of vengeance. He was charged with a
mass of grave, complicated, and almost irresponsible
powers, which operated on the various interests of a
people in the forming stages of social organization.
It was his concern to see that the Indian did not
pillage and murder the borderer; and that the borderer did not provoke and defraud the Indian. It




I58     WRITINGS OF VWILLIAMI G. GODDARD.
was, moreover, his concern to exercise a substantial
control over titles to large tracts of the public land
lying within his civil jurisdiction.  For some time, he
was, in effect, the lawgiver of the people of the Northwest, and most exemplary was he in the discharge of
his numerous delicate trusts. The records of his multifarious transactions with the Indians, in peace and in
war, cannot be read without exalting the public estimate of his practical wisdom in the conduct of affairs
-without a stronger conviction of his military skill,
and of the humanity which beautifully tempered his
valor.  "It is not," says Fisher Ames, "in Indian wars
that heroes are celebrated; but in  them  they are
formed."  The experience of Harrison illustrates this
remark, and verifies its philosophic truth. From boyhood till the close of his military career, he was
familiar with the warfare of the Indian.  No stranger
was he to "the suddeness of his onset, or the craft of
his ambushes, or the ferocity of his vengeance."  The
discipline of difficulty and of danger was not lost upon
him. His whole life was marked, and strongly marked,
by those characteristics, which are developed, in great
vigor, only by emergent occasions, by intricate combinations of circumstance, by strange and varied experiences of peril and of toil.
While administering the government of Indiana, he
was again compelled to resort to arms, in defence of
his extended frontier against the attacks of the Indians.
In the year 1805, was formed, as it is believed, under
the influence of foreign emissaries, a most formidable
combination of all the Northwestern tribes of Indians,
with the design, by a sudden and simultaneous onset,
to destroy all the whites, or drive them  from  the




ON THE DEATH OF PRESIDENT HARRISON.    59
valley of the Mississippi. Of this design, Governor
Harrison was fully apprised, but, by the exercise of a
-wise policy, he was enabled, for several years, to prevent any serious attempt to execute it.
In the year 1811, the inhabitants of our western
frontier were again involved in an Indian war. "The
warwhoop again awakened the sleep of the cradle, and
the darkness of midnight glittered with the blaze of
their dwellings."  At the head of all the forces which
he could muster, Governor Harrison marched, with
caution, through an uncultivated and exposed region,
to Tippecanoe-that name, once how exhilarating!
But ah, the carols are all ended! On that spot, was
waged one of the most fearful strifes in the annals of
Indian warfare. The forces were nearly equal; every
man shared the dangers of the battle. The Indians
fought, hand to hand, and with desperate bravery.
Night lent her horrors to the scene. In the midst of
all this wild and impetuous conflict, and exposed to
imminent personal hazard, Harrison continued to put
forth his calm might, and to raise his animating voice.
At length the day dawned, when, by a decisive movement, the strife was ended. Victory perched upon
the banners of our army. The border settlements
were rescued from  the appalling calamities which
threatened to overwhelm them.
After the declaration of war with England, in the
year 1812, the military talents of Harrison were again
put in requisition. The inhabitants of the frontiers
looked to him, instinctively, for protection, as the man
of the crisis; and they looked not in vain. President
Madison, responding to the universal sentiment, not
to say the acclamations of the people of the West,




60      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
appointed him commander-in-chief of the Northwestern
army. He was invested with powers the most extensive, and was left to exercise them, according to his
best judgment. In discharging the high trusts committed to him, he did not fail to justify the confidence
with which President Madison had honored him.
Obstacles and impediments clustered in his path, and
retarded his progress, but his spirit never faltered.
His energy, firmness, and courage, were again triumphant. He accomplished all the objects prescribed to
him, and,  within one short year from the time he
commenced his campaign, he gloriously terminated it,
by the victory of the Thamles —"a victory which,"
said Langdon Cheves on the floor of Congress, "was
such as would have secured to a Roman general, in
the best cldays of the republic, the honors of a
triumph!"
Unwilling, fellow citizens, to detain you upon topics
which, by some, may be thought uncongenial to this
season of devout humiliation and funeral solemnity, I
have sought to avoid all reference to military details;
and, in my rapid glance at what General Harrison
dared and did, I have passed by many trials of character, not borne in vain, and scenes of martial triumph
which the Muse of History will transmit to future
times. I have not recalled to your memory his
brilliant defence of Fort Meigs, so memorable in the
history of the late war, nor his wise forecast in causing
a fleet to be built and equipped, in order to obtain
command of Lake Erie. Quite unnecessary have I
deemed it to remind you of his association, in danger
and in fame, with our own Perry, who, with all the
laurels which he had won upon the Lake, yet green




ON THE DEATH OF PRESIDENT HARRISON.    61
upon his brow, fought, as a volunteer, in the battle of
the Thames, by the side of Harrison.
Moved, as it is thought, by some private grief, the
Secretary of War, General Armstrong, in the plan of
the ensuing campaign, saw fit to assign to General
Harrison a comparatively unimportant command, and
to entrust to others the post of duty and of danger.
Justly indignant at such treatment, and too disinterested to enjoy his elevated rank and the emoluments
which it conferred, without rendering an equivalent
service, he resigned his commission in the army. In
the absence of the President from the seat of government, the Secretary of War hastily assumed the right
to accept General Harrison's resignation. Thus, in
the subsequent campaigns, the country was deprived
of th'e abilities of him  " who," in the words of the
gallant Colonel Johnson, "was, during the late war,
longer in active service than  any  other general
officer; was perhaps oftener in action than any of
them, and never sustained a defeat."
General Harrison returned to the walks of private
life, with a name, not only unsullied, but bright with
honor. President Madison, in appointing him, soon
after his resignation, to conduct, in connexion with
other distinguished men, important negotiations with
several of the Indian tribes, gave him a renewed proof
of that confidence which had, it is believed, at no
time, been either suspended or withdrawn. Yet more
conspicuous honors awaited him. In 1816, he was
elected a Representative in Congress from the State of
Ohio; and, in 1824, having been, in the mneantimne, a
member of the Ohio Senate, he was elected a Senator
in Congress from that State. General Harrison had,




62      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
for so many years, been conversant with the principles
and details of civil administration; so familiar was he
with the various interests of the West; so interested
in all that related to the effective organization of the
army, that he soon became a prominent member of
that body, which then, as it is now, was composed of
some of the ablest men in the country. He was, as
would appear from his cursory debates and his more
formal speeches in Congress, a ready, animated, and
efficient debater, full of resources, and apt in applying
them to the subject under discussion. In the debates
of the Senate he frequently participated, and he
helped, in no humble measure, to shape the character
of several important acts of general legislation.
The last civil function which General Harrison performed, prior to his election to the Presidentship, was
a diplomatic function. In 1828, President Adams
appointed him  Envoy Extraordinary and Minister
Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Colombia. Without delay, he repaired to the scene of his mission.
Such, however, was the state of the new republic, and
so speedily was he recalled, in consequence of a change
of parties at home, that he was unable to accomplish any important object. His celebrated letter
to  Bolivar, the  Dictator of Colombia, must be
familiar to the minds of all who hear me. I advert
to it now, not so much for the purpose of commending
its generous republican sentiments, as for the purpose
of directing your attention to the following noble
passage: "To be esteemed eminently great, it is
necessary to be eminently good. The qualities of the
hero and the general must be devoted to the advantaoge of mankind, before he will be permitted to




ON THE DEATH OF PRESIDENT HARRISON.    63
assume the title of their benefactor; and the station
which he will hold in their regard and affections will
depend, not upon the number and splendor of his
victories, but upon the results and the use he may
make of the influence he acquires from them."  Here
is embodied the grand moral of Harrison's life, the
true secret of his fame, the only imperishable element
of all real greatness!
I have invited you, my fellow citizens, to a survey
of a large portion of the active life of General Harrison.
You have followed him from his youth to his mature
age. You have beheld him, at one time, discharging
grave and most difficult civil trusts; at another,
fighting the battles of his country, and, by his victories, recovering her lost territory, and retrieving her
lost honor. You have beheld hiln, amid primeval forests, contending with the elements, and protecting the
remotest dweller beyond the mountains from savage
ferocity. You have seen him, in legislative halls,
lending his ripened wisdom to the public counsels;
and you have seen him, last of all, the apostle of
republican principles at the court of a Dictator!
And, amid all this variety of conditions, have you not
found  him, in  purpose, in principle, in  character,
always the same; always just, always firm; his head
always quick to discern the wise expedient; his
" heart expanded, and always in the right place.?"
And now, fellow citizens, follow this veteran worthy,
rich in naught but honor, into his retirement on the
banks of the beautiful Ohio. See how life passes with
him, under this new condition. Is he not the same
man still?  Though not born for seclusion, is he imt Governor Metcalfe, of Kentucky.




64      WVRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
patient of seclusion? Does he sigh for the camp, or
the senate-house, or the court?  Does the crowded
drama, in which he has been a chief actor, pass in
shadowy review before him, to mock dejected hopes,
and to exasperate the sense of disappointment to a
pang? Do you need to be told that Williamn Henry
Harrison was too rich in the materials of intellectual
and moral happiness, to waste an hour in dreams, or
to suffer a drop of bitterness to reach the fountains of
his spirit? He lived at North Bend, as he had lived
every where else, to good purpose, like a true man and
a true gentleman; enjoying homebred affections; like
some of the best worthies of ancient days, cultivating
his acres, without forgetting his country or neglecting
his heart; given to a generous hospitality; and, when
graver duties did not forbid, regaling his intellect and
taste by the study of elegant letters.  Such was
William  Henry Harrison at his homestead on the
banks of the Ohio. Iow does that dwelling mourn
that the light of his presence has vanished for ever!
Henceforth, it will become, in some sort, a consecrated
spot, and the traveller, as he approaches it, will strain
his eyes to catch a glimpse of the mansion where
passed, in honor and in quiet, some of the happiest
years of the patriot statesman, now translated to a
house not made with hands.
Of subsequent events in his history, I can presume
no one to be ignorant. The voice of the people summoned him from a retirement which lie had supposed
was to continue for the residue of his life, to fill the
office of President of these United States. His journey
from Ohio to Washington will not soon be forgotten.
Without the pomp of a triumph, it had more than the




ON TIIE DEATH OF PRESIDENT HARRISON.    65
honors of a triumph. At the wayside and at the
place of concourse-in city or in hamlet-on mountain
or in valley, the people, without distinction of age,
sex, color, or condition, pressed upon him, with their
hearts in their hands, to bid him welcome. Arrived
at the seat of government, like a true son of Virginia,
he yearned to revisit, once more, his native land.
The thought of other years, of ties now broken, but
well remembered still, came thronging around him;
and, before he entered upon the duties of office, he
yielded to his affectionate instincts, and went to see
Virginia. He went to look, once more, at the old
family mansion, to survey its ancestral halls, to sit
again, under the shade of those patrimonial trees,
beneath which he had frolicked in boyhood —to live
over again, in memory, the days when his father was
alive, and his children were about him-and, yet
more, to fill his spirit with most gracious influences,
by recollections of that mother who was wont to pray
for him, and who taught him how to pray! In that
mother's chamber, where he was born, and where he
had often kneeled beside her, while she earnestly implored the rich blessings of Heaven on his future life,
he penned that remarkable passage in his inaugural
address, in which he expresses his profound reverence
for the Christian religion How beautiful the picture
here presented to our view! The child of many
prayers has become a gray-haired statesman, and is
about to be clothed with the selectest honor which a
nation can confer. With thoughts saddened by anticipations of the cares and responsibilities of office, he
turns to the image of his sainted mother, and on that
spot from which her voice of supplication had gone up
9




36 6    WRITINGS OF AWILLIAM G. GODDARD.
to the mercy seat for him, he bears his testimony to
the value of that religion which was her hope in death,
and which, it is not too much to say, was his!
The scenes at which I have asked you to look, must
undergo another, and yet another change. Next
comes the Inauguration. A pageant more brilliant
and captivating, has, in this country, seldom been
seen. The metropolis was thronged with multitudes
from the East and from the West, from the North and
from the South. As the procession, with bannered
pomp, and glittering array, and spirit-stirring music,
passed along the streets and avenues of Washington,
the man of the people was the observed of all observers. On every side, was heard the voice of welcome, and every face was lighted with the smile of
joy. He took the oath of office, and delivered his address in the presence of nearly forty thousand of his
countrymen. After listening, with profound attention,
to what proved to be his parting counsels, they rent
the air with their acclamations!
In one month, one little month, ah! what a change!
Hushed all at once are the jubilant echoes, and fled
the joyous smiles. The wail of anguish is heard from
the bed of sickness, doomed, too soon, to become the
bed of death. Throughout our land, intense was the
anxiety which his danger awakened, and genuine the
sorrow felt by the men of all parties, when it was
known that he had ceased to live. Well might we
all grieve for one, who had ever been true to us-for
one whose thoughts were upon us and his country,
even when the dews of death gathered upon his forehead. These scenes of touching pathos which I have
sketched, but have not aimed to paint, are well nigh




ON THE DEATH OF PRESIDENT HARRISON.    67
over. What solemn beauty, what almost incommunicable sadness in that last pageant, with which the
nation sought to assuage its own sorrow, and to honor
the illustrious dead! What a change had come over
that dwelling, in one short month! There he lay, in
that dread repose which no man may break, and upon
the very spot which had hardly parted with the
echoes of congratulation and of triumph. No voice
now was heard, but the voice of him who, in the name
of his Lord, spoke of the Resurrection and the Life.
"The awful fathers of the State" were there-the
titled representatives of kings were there-political
chieftains, once his foemen, were there-warriors,
young and old, were there, to look, for the last time,
upon a warrior's face! Slowly and solemnly, they bore
him to his grave-through those same paths which
he so lately trod, full of health, and hope, and joy.
Not a sound is heard, but the knell of death-the
muffled drum, the hearse-like airs which float upon the
breeze, like airs from another world. With reverent
hands, they commit his body to the ground, earth to
earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust! And is this all of
William Henry Harrison! No! Faith triumphs over
the grave. They look for the general resurrection in
the last day, when this corruption shall put on incorruption, and this mortal shall put on immortality!
My fellow citizens, how impressive are the scenes
which I have contrasted. In presenting them afresh
to your minds, I have dealt in no arts of poetical
exaggeration. Can they be looked upon without
emotion?  It is not, however, for the purpose of indulging an indolent and luxurious sorrow that we
have come hither, to-day. We have come together to




68      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
pay a tribute of veneration to the character of a great
and good man; to contemplate that character, in some
of the various lights in which it was reflected; and to
gird ourselves for a yet sterner conflict with the principle of evil within and around us.
I stand not here to lavish extravagant praise upon
the departed President. He was a man, and, therefore,
was not without the frailties of a man. I place him on
no height of inaccessible virtue. I bespeak for himn no
idolatrous homage. To some exhibitions of his character, I have already adverted.  Before, however, I
quit the task with which you have honored me, let me
speak to you, somewhat more fully, of his substantial
claims upon your respect and grateful remembrance.
President Harrison belonged to the order of efficient
and well-balanced minds. Subjected to numerous and
decisive tests, in peace and in war, his intellectual
powers were always found to be equal, and more than
equal, to the crisis. They were distinguished, not less
for their amplitude than their harmony. They were
prone to no excess, they exhibited no disproportion,
they delighted in no eccentricity. Abstractions never
bewildered them; the splendid and fanciful combinations of genius never seduced them from their sphere.
The best part of every man's education is the discipline
of life-the demands which practical occasions make
upon the mind — the difficulties which sharpen its
penetration-the labors which task its strength-the
extended relations which enlarge its comprehension.
To this sort of intellectual training, he was early accustomed; and the freedom, and directness, and vigor with
which he put forth his mind, under every variety of
circumstance, was of such training the natural result.




ON THE DEATH OF PRESIDENT HARRISON.    69
He studied, however, not only men, but books, and
books he studied, that he might better understand
men. Without pretensions to erudition, he had stored
his mind with a rich fund of general knowledge, and
he had superadded the finish of no inelegant scholarship. The productions of his pen would fill a volume.
While they do honor to his powers as a thinker, they
exhibit him as a ready, clear, and polished writer. I
am admonished, however, to leave this region of frigid
analysis, to dwell on themes of gentler and more
solemn interest-to speak to you of the man, and of
the spirit which moved the man, in the various and
commanding relations which he was called to sustain;
of those moral endowments for which he was so eminent; and which, now that he is no more, we most
love to contemplate.
As a statesman, William Henry Harrison stood upon
well-defined principles, and to these principles lie
adhered with unswerving honor. This was the main
cause of his popularity —a popularity unequalled by
that of any other man, since the days of Washington.
His popularity was not that which is run after —" that
weed of the dunghill, which, when rankest, is nearest
to withering."* It was founded on intrinsic merit and
good service. The people trusted him and favored
him, not so much because they thought him to be
great, as because they knew him to be honest. They
saw that, in the discharge of his public duties, he was
not only just, but humane and disinterested-not only
firm, but conciliating and forbearing. Few men have
enjoyed more abundant opportunities of enriching
themselves, and yet he died comparatively poor.  He
t Fisher Ames.




70       WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
died poor, because he abhorred the degradation of
acquiring wealth by equivocal means; and because, as
a public man, he would use no means to benefit his
fortunes, which would expose him  even to the suspicion of dishonor. How would the records of this
good man's life shame these days of lax private and
social morality, when a pure name is no longer preferred to riches; when the most sacred trusts are
abused; when the obligations of law, and honor, and
conscience are violated, not only without scruple, but
without punishment!
As a military man, he was remarkable for the excellent discipline which, without the exercise of severity,
he was able to maintain. This is no small praise; for
he had to deal with somewhat refractory materials;
with Indians hard to be reconciled to the usages
of civilized warfare; with regular troops not yet
estranged from irregular habits; with militia, impatient to return to their homes, and jealous of all
restraints upon their freedom. It was by generous
moral influences, that he moulded these discordant
materials to his purposes. He never forgot that his
troops were men, and that some of them were his fellow
citizens. He governed them with ease, because, to use
his own language, "he treated them with kindness
and affection; and shared with them, on every occasion, the hardships which they were obliged to undergo."
The uncounterfeited sadness with which the tidings
of President Harrison's death were received throughout the country, inspires confidence in the moral sensibilities of the country. Thank God! there yet remain
to us some spots of verdure, amid the arid waste




ON THE DEATH OF PRESIDENT HARRISON.    71
which antagonist parties have created-some cheering
tokens that even in our strifes we have not forgotten
that we are men, and brethren, and Christians! It
indicates a yet higher form of the moral character, that
this people, turning away from the civil and military
distinctions of Harrison, seek to contemplate the
beauty of his daily life. And yet more, it marks
the universality of the religious sentiment, and it
speaks well for the Christian character of our country,
that his chastened and humble piety is among the
most precious recollections of those who now mourn
and honor him. Happily on this tdpic, which commends itself with such interest to every man who
values himself on the dignity of a thinking being, we
are left to something better than a trembling hope.
Since his death, the public mind has, on more than
one occasion, been attracted to ample evidence that
his piety was no formal and decorous piety —that his
faith was no speculative faith-that his good deeds
were performed in dependence upon a strength not his
own.  Most exemplary was his reverence for that
Book, which, in the comprehensive language of John
Locke, "has God for its author, salvation for its end,
and truth, without any mixture of error, for its
matter."  With no austere precision, but with conscientious gravity, did he observe that sacred day
which is the great bulwark of Christianity in all
lands, and which this people are more especially concerned to save from desecration. And yet more, he
felt himself to be a sinner in the sight of God, and he
prostrated himself, in devout humility, before the
Saviour of sinners. To that Saviour he had given his
heart, and to that Saviour he had resolved, without




'72     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
delay, publicly to confess his allegiance. A no less
interesting proof of the temper of his soul may here
be added. In a letter to her who was, for so many
years, the depositary of his affectionate and unreserved confidence, he revealed  the interesting fact
that, after returning from the ceremonies of the inauguration, he retired to his chamber, as soon as he could
find time, and there fell upon his knees to thank his
Maker for all his mercies, and to supplicate his
gracious guidance in the faithful discharge of the
duties which, as the occupant of a high station, he
owed to him and to his country. Is there in an incident like this no power to reach the heart?  A
Christian statesman, oppressed by the solitariness of
grandeur, seeks communion with his God! A Christian statesman, anticipating that trials may perplex
and darken his course, goes, for light and for comfort,
to the source of eternal illumination and repose!
My fellow citizens, the man for whom we are now
in heaviness, and whose fame we are about to commit
to the judgment of history, assured that from the
judgment of history he has nothing to fear, has
expressed, as in the presence of this whole people,
his profound reverence for the Christian religion, and
his thorough conviction that sound morals, religious
liberty, and a just sense of religious responsibility are
essentially connected with all true and lasting happiness. In the proud days of Gentile philosophy, a
famous historian stigmatized Christianity, in accommodation to the prevailing sentiment, as "a pernicious
superstition." Not two thousand years have passed
away, and what a change in the moral condition of
society hath been wrought! Christianity has become




ON THE DEATH OF PRESIDENT HARRISON.    73
the religion of every portion of the earth redeemed
from barbarism-the parent of a new and higher form
of civilization-elevating, every where, the masses,
and, through the agency of the masses, pervading the
character of all existing institutions. This great principle of social progress is destined to achieve yet
nobler triumphs-to diffuse, through all civilized
lands, yet sublimer conceptions of truth and of duty
-to endow with moral life the races which for ages
have slumbered in darkness. In this country, more
especially, is Christianity to be prized as an essential
element of strength, and happiness, and safety. We
need the hopes which it inspires; but, most of all, do
we need the motives which it implants, and the
restraints which it provides. Here, all power resides
exclusively in the people; and our government supposes that the most efficient checks, the only genuine
conservative influences, are the good sense of a cultivated, moral, and religious people. Let us, then, be
true to ourselves.  Let us take good heed that our
liberty does not degenerate into license; that our
passions do not drown the voice of our reason; that
impracticable theories do not mislead us; that inordinate vanity and reckless self-confidence do not betray
us to our ruin.
In elections to office, let us turn away from the
demagogues who meanly seek our confidence, to the
men who best deserve it; to the men who are too
honest to flatter us, and too patriotic not to prefer our
interests to our favor. Above all, let us remember
that, unless the spirit of the people be right, legal
codes are nothing-protective charters are nothing10




74      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
constitutions, whether written or unwritten, are
nothing-and that our popular institutions cannot be
upheld, without impressing on the popular mind a
conviction of the indissoluble union between RELIGION,
LIBERTY, and LAW.




ADDRESS
TO THE PEOPLE OF RHODE ISLAND, DELIVERED IN NEWPORT,
MAY 3, 1843, IN PRESENCE OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, ON
THE OCCASION OF THE CHANGE IN THE CIVIL GOVERNMENT
OF RHODE ISLAND, BY THE ADOPTION OF THE CONSTITUTION, WHICH SUPERSEDED THE CHARTER OF 1663.
MEN OF RHODE ISLAND:
WHAT means this gathering of the people? What
stirs the deep sympathies of the general mind? Why
are the streets of this ancient Metropolis thronged
with eager and exulting crowds? For what purpose
have we entered these sacred courts? Why do I see
before me the chief Executive Magistrate of Rhode
Island, the grave legislators of Rhode Island, and a
brilliant corps of the citizen soldiers of Rhode Island?
Have we all come hither to gaze at a captivating
pageant; to exchange, in holiday humor, the congratulations of this holiday season; to celebrate, with
heated passions, a partisan triumph, and to waste,
amid pomp and festivity, the hours which should be
consecrated to freedom and to truth? God forbid,
my fellow-citizens, that such should be either our duty
or our choice! God forbid, that, at such a crisis as
this, we should look away from the essential to the




76      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM GO. GODDARD.
accidental-from the permanent obligations of principle, to the fugitive interests of men-from the august
cause of LIBERTY AND LAW, to the poor and perishing
concerns of ordinary political parties! I know you
too well to think that, for any such purposes, you
have come together, upon the present occasion. Far
nobler impulses than a mere contest for political
power hath ever created, now agitate your hearts, and
bid you to pour forth, from all that is within you, the
voice of deep and tranquil joy, at our final deliverance from trouble; and of solemn thanksgiving to
ALMIGHTY GOD for the signal interpositions, in our
behalf, of his watchful care and his restraining power.
We are here assembled to commemorate the triumph
of "the sovereign Law, the State's collected will," over
treasonable counsels, and treasonable acts-over the
unchastened fervors of the revolutionary spirit, and
the actual perils of revolutionary strife. We are
assembled, likewise, to look, for the last time, and
with reverent eyes may it be, upon that venerable
frame of civil government, the work, and, under God, the
protection of our fathers, which embodies the seminal
principles of civil and religious liberty; and which, for
nearly two hundred years, has showered upon this our
goodly heritage the rich blessings of peace, prosperity,
freedom and honor. And yet more, we have assembled, fellow-citizens, to witness the organization of the
government under that new Constitution, which the
people of Rhode Island, in the exercise of their sovereign power, have ordained and established-to the
end that they might secure and transmit, unimpaired,
to succeeding generations, the civil and religious
liberty enjoyed under the Charter.




THE CIVIL GOVERNMENT OF RHODE ISLAND.   77
This, then, is a crisis without a parallel in the
political history of Rhode Island-and without a
parallel, it would not be too much to add, in the
political history of any free government. How many
chords of solemn interest does it touch! How closely
it links itself with the associations of the Past and the
destinies of the Future! What touching memories
does it awaken of the venerated and heroic dead, who
once adorned this ancient seat of wealth, and talent,
and social elegance,* and who now slumber amid these
scenes of placid and imperishable beauty! How impressively does it admonish us of the dangers to which
popular freedom is most exposed; and with what eloquent earnestness does it exhort us, by the use of every
instrumentality within our power, to save from destruction what, next to Christianity, would seem to be Uhe
great element of human progress!
I do not mean, fellow-citizens, to dwell long amid
the depths of our early history. The generous sympathies which animate all hearts, at the present hour,
would be somewhat impatient of the labors of minute
and elaborate historical research. Without, therefore,
intruding upon the province of the historian, I shall
glance only at those epochs in the early history of
Rhode Island, which may serve to illustrate the principles of our fathers-principles which impressed
themselves upon all the forms of their civil polity, and
which, so far as taste, habit, and opinion are concerned,
determined their whole system of common life.
In 1636, Roger Williams and his associates in the
great work of founding a State upon the principles of
entire religious fi-eedom, and of unmixed democracy,
* See Biographical Sketches and Memoranda annexed, No. 1.




'78        WRITINGS OF WILLIAM  G. GODDARD.
commenced the settlement of that spot, to which, in
grateful remembrance of "God's merciful Providence
to him  in distress," he gave the name of PROVIDENCE.
They transacted in town meetings, monthly, the affairs
of their infant colony; but of these meetings, unhappily, no -record* has been preserved. That, at an early
period, "the first comers" regulated themselves, by
some general rules, may, however, be inferred, from
the following simple covenant, which is copied from
the first book of the recordst of the town. To this
covenant no date is affixed, but Knowles expresses a
decided opinion that it was drawn up by Roger
Williams:
"We, whose names  are  here  under, desirous to
inhabit in the town of Providence, do promise to subject ourselves, in  active or passive obedience, to all
such orders or agreements as shall be made for public
good of the body in an orderly way, by the major
assent of the present inhabitants, masters of families,
incorporated together into  a town-fellowship, and such
others Uwhom, they shall admit unto them, only in  civil
things."
This simple instrument, as is justly remarked by
Knowles, in his Memoir of Roger Williams, combines
the principles of pure democracy and unrestricted religious liberty.   Only in  civil things!  What a preg* In March, 1676, Providence was attacked by the Indians, and twenty-nine
houses were burnt, in one of which the records of the town were kept. To
preserve them from the flames, the records were thrown into a mill pond,
from which they were recovered in a mutilated state.
t " That there existed some kind of an agreement between the first settlers,'masters of families,' is apparent from the terms of these articles. They are
referred to as a town, as incorporated together into' a town-fellowship.' And it
is equally certain that the first agreement, whether in writing or not, provided
for obedience'in civil things only,' otherwise this would not have been so
guarded."-Staples's Annals.




THE CIVIL GOVERNMENT OF RHODE ISLAND.   79
nant exception do these few words embody! How
emphatically do they recognize the great principle of
the entire sanctity of the conscience, which our fathers
were the first to establish, and which their children, I
trust, to the remotest generations, will be the last to
abandon. It will not escape remark, that no person
could become a member of this "town-fellowship,"
unless he had been admitted to the rights and privileges of membership. In those primitive days, the
judgments and consciences of men were not betrayed
from all true estimates of things, by the poor conceits
of metaphysical politicians. What would have been
thought, two hundred years ago, of the plea of a
natural right, on the part of every man over twentyone years of age, to be admitted a member of this
memorable "town-fellowship!"
In 1637-8, Clarke, Coddington, and their associates,
commenced a settlement upon this beautiful island,*
which, says Callender, was in 1644, named the isle of
Rhodes, or Rhode Island —a name ultimately given to
the whole State. The adventurers established "a
body politic" under the following simple compact,
which marks a spirit of humble dependence upon
Almighty God, never more predominant than amid
the sublimities of primeval solitude, and the rage of
elemental war:
" We, whose names are underwritten, do swear solemnly, in the presence of Jehovah, to incorporte ourselves into a body politic, and, as he shall help us, will
* The northern part of the island was first occupied, and called Portsmouth.
The number of colonists being increased during the summer, a portion of the
inhabitants removed next spring to the south-western part of the island,
where they commenced the town of Newport. Both towns, however, were
considered as belonging to the same Colony.-Knowles's Memoir of Roger Williams.




80      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
submit our persons, lives and estates, unto our Lord
Jesus Christ, the King of kings, and Lord of lords,
and to all those most perfect and absolute laws of
His, given us in His holy word of truth, to be guided
and judged thereby."
Under this compact, a government somewhat peculiar, and in form not dissimilar to a theocracy, was
established.  It did not, however, last long.  Our
forefathers were too much wedded to democracy and
to religious freedom, to tolerate any institutions to
which those grand, moving principles of'human
progress did not give their form and pressure.
In March, 1641-2, the first government established
upon this island was moulded into a truer practical
conformity to the' cherished sentiment of the first
settlers. At "a General Court of Election," it was
ordered and unanimously agreed that this government
was "a democracy, or popular government," and that
the power to make laws and to depute magistrates to
execute them, was "in the body of freemen orderly
assembled, or a major part of them."  At the same
time, was passed a law for securing liberty of conscience, in these memorable words:- "It is further
ordered, by the authority of this present court, that
none be accounted a delinquent for Doctrine, provided
it be not directly repugnant to the government or
laws established."  And, at the next court in September, 1642, it was ordered "that the law of the last
court, made concerning liberty of conscience, be perpetutated." All these acts go to show that the first
settlers of Providence and the first settlers of Newport were united, in opinion and in feeling, upon the
great leading principles which have marked through



THE CIVIL GOVERNMENT OF RHODE ISLAND.   81
out, and so strongly, the institutions and policy of this
State.  In this connection, another example of the
early legislation of the settlers upon this island,
ought to find a place. In 1638, they " ordered that
none shall be received as inhabitants or freemen to
build or plant upon the island, but such as shall be
r-eceived in by consent of tlhe body, and do submit to
the government that is or shall be established according to the words of God."  This is " law and order"
in a nut shell! Little did these simple coloniststhese early democrats in faith and in practice, dream of
those licentious and disorganizing doctrines which are
broached by our modern demagogues, and which, if
not repudiated by the good men and true of all political parties, will inevitably destroy the securities of
temperate freedom throughout the land!
Under these simple compacts, suited to the condition of pioneers in the march of civil and religious
liberty, our fathers continued to live and to prosper,
-administering their civil governments upon the
true principles of democracy; and, in all matters of
religious concernment, maintaining inviolate the
sacred rights of conscience.
In 1644, the towns of Providence, Portsmouth and
Newport, which had thus far been separate settlements or townships, were united under one government, by a Charter which Roger Williams, through
the aid of Sir Henry Vane, obtained from the Parliament under the Commonwealth of England. This
Charter conferred upon the inhabitants "full power
and authority to govern and rule themselves, by such
a form of civil government as by voluntary consent of
all or the greatest part of them, shall be found most
11




82          WRITINGS OF WILLIAM  G. GODDARD.
serviceable in their estates and condition " —provided
such form of civil government "be conformable to the
laws of England, so far as the nature and constitution
of the place will admit."* For reasons which, in the
absence of authentic history, we are left to conjecture,
the government was not organized under this Charter,
till May 1647, when the first session of the first General Assembly  of Rhode  Island  was held  at Portsmouth.  Warwick was then admitted into the association, with the  same privileges as Providence.t   The
acts of this  session  are perfectly accordant with the
principles  of our fathers.   They  manifest a  great
jealousy of delegated power, a sacred regard for the
protection of individual right, and an unfaltering
attachment to the cause of religious liberty. "The
code of laws which was ordained for the government
of the Colony contains,"  says Mr. Justice Staples, in
his  Annals  of the  Town  of Providence, "nothing
touching religion or matters of conscience, thus pursuing the same silent yet most expressive legislation on
the  subject which  was  commenced  in  the  Charter
itself." That portion of the code relating to offences
is  followed  by  a  declaration, so  significant of the
* The powers conferred by the Charter are exceedingly ample. No form of
government is prescribed, and the choice of every officer is left to the inhabitants. In strict conformity, too, with the leading principle of the settlements,
it refers only to civil government. The inhabitants are empowered to make
"civil laws for their civil government." The colonists had always contended
that their right to perfect religious liberty did not result from human laws.
They could not, therefore, have accepted a grant of this from any human
power, as that would be acknowledging a right to withhold the grant, and to
control the exercise of religious freedom.-Staples's "Annals of the Town of
Providence."
t Warwick was settled in 1643, by a body of men unconnected with the colonists of Providence, Newport and Portsmouth. Thus were established in
Rhode Island, three distinct settlements, which, at the commencement, were
entirely independent of each other.




THE CIVIL GOVERNMENT OF RHODE ISLAND,  83
spirit which moved our fathers, and so full of genuine
eloquence, that its repetition can never fall unheeded
upon the ears of any of their sons:
" These are the laws that concern all men, and these
are the penalties for the transgression thereof, which,
by common consent, are ratified and established
throughout the whole Colony; and otherwise than
this, what is herein forbidden, all men may walk, as
their consciences persuade them, every one in the
name of his God. And let the Saints of the Most
High walk, in this Colony, without molestation, in
the name of Jehovah their God, for ever and ever."
"This noble principle," says the biographer of
Roger Williams, "was thus established as one of the
fundamental laws, at the first Assembly under the
Charter. It is indigenous to the soil of Rhode Island,
and is the glory of the State." Bancroft, the distinguished Historian of the United States, thus happily
describes the internal condition of Rhode Island,
under the first Charter: "All men were equal; all
might meet and debate in the public assemblies; all
might aspire to office; the people, for a season, constituted itself its own tribune, and every public law
required confirmation in the primary assemblies. And
so it came to pass that the little " democracie " which,
at the beat of the drum or the voice of the herald,
used to assemble beneath an oak or by the open seaside, was famous for its "'headiness and tumults "'its stormy town-meetings and the angry feuds of its
herdsmen and shepherds. But, true as the needle to
the pole, the popular will instinctively pursued the
popular interest.  Amidst the jarring quarrels of
rival statesmen in the plantations, good men were




84      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
chosen to administer the government, and the spirit of
mercy, of liberality and wisdom was impressed on its
legislation." Every man was safe in his person, name
and estate. Such were the people of Rhode Island
two hundred years ago. Time hath changed none of
the essential elements of their character and condition. They are not less anxious now than they
were then, that the laws should be respected; that
good men should be elected to office; that liberty
should be enjoyed without licentiousness; and that
the spirit of mercy, liberality and wisdom, should
mark all the proceedings of their government.
And now for the glorious OLD CHARTER, the much
abused royal Charter, which has been superseded, not
because it is old, and not because it is stigmatized as
the grant of a King, but because, in the order of
Providence, it has done its office! At the Restoration
of Charles II., in 1660, the inhabitants of the Colony
of Rhode Island feared that those rights which they
had obtained from the Parliament, under the Cornmonwealth, when at war with the father, would not
be respected by the son. They had also reason to
fear that.the exertions of their neighbors-for our
neighbors, even then, thrust their sickle into our corn
-to obtain the recall of the Charter, would now be
repeated, and with better success.  They therefore
adopted wise precautionary measures to avert the
threatened danger. They entrusted to John Clarke,
the agent. of the colony in England, and a name illustrious in the annals of Rhode Island, a new commission, investing him with full powers to take good care
of their chartered rights and liberties. The faithful
labors of Clarke, "our  trusty  and well-beloved




THE CIVIL GOVERNMENT OF RHODE ISLAND.   85
friend," were not in vain. On the 8th of July 1663,
he obtained from  Charles II., that Charter under
which, for nearly two hundred years, Rhode Island
has exhibited the model of a free, prosperous and
happy commonwealth. The Colonists welcomed, with
no common joy, the arrival of " George Baxter, the
most faithful and happy bringer of the Charter."
Here, on this beautiful spot, on the 24th of Novem.
her, 1663, the whole body of the people gathered
together, "for the solemn reception of his Majesty's
gracious letters patent."  The Charter, so says the
ancient record, "was taken forth from the precious
box which held it, and was read by Baxter, in the
audience and view of all the people; and the letters,
with his Majesty's royal stamp, and the broad seal,
with much beseeming gravity, were held up on high,
and presented to the perfect view of the people."
The most humble thanks of the Colony were directed
to be returned to his Majesty " for the high and inestimable, yea, incomparable grace and favor;" to the
Hon. Earl of Clarendon, Lord High Chancellor ot
England, for his exceeding great care and love unto
the Colony, and to the modest and retiring Clarke,
who during a residence of twelve years in England,
from 1651 to 1663, was the devoted and indefatigable
agent of the Colony.*  " How," says Bancroft, 4" could
Rhode Island be otherwise than grateful to Charles
II., who had granted to them all that they had asked,
and who relied on their affections, without exacting
even the oath of allegiance! "  "A very great meeting
and assembly" do I now see gathered on this spot, to
hail the adoption of a new Constitution, and to pay a
* See Biographical Sketches and Memoranda annexed, No. 2.




86       WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
tribute of grateful reverence to that Charter which
our fathers, in 1663, welcomed with tokens of general
joy.  Recreant should we be to the memory of those
fathers, if we could take our leave of this timehonored instrument, without a sentiment of gentle
regret, that it can no longer be rescued from the
operation of the great law of change.
My fellow-citizens: Quite too familiar are you with
the Charter, to require, at my hands, any exact or
formal statement of its provisions.*  You need not be
told, that it was granted to the people, in answer to
their request; that it was formally accepted by a vote
of the people; that it established what Chalmers, a
writer devoted to regal principles, pronounced, somewhat querulously, to be " a mere democracy, or rule
of the people; " and, finally, that whatever changes,
from time to time, it may have undergone, have been
ratified, not only by the silent acquiescence, but by the
positive sanction of the people. And yet this is the
frame of civil government, which, at home and abroad,
has been the theme of so much vulgar obloquy, and so
much flippant sarcasm.  This is the frame of civil government, which has been, again and again, branded as
a royal charter, as a despotism and usurpation, under
which a free people should scorn to live! t
The professional skill with which the Charter is
draughted, though  among  its subordinate  merits,
deserves a passing comment. How dignified and
perspicuous is its language! What a choice specimen
of English undefiled! How luminous is the arrange* See Biographical Sketches and Memoranda annexed, No. 3.
t Vide Marcus Morton's letter, in answer to an invitation from " the ladies
of Woonsocket." to attend their " Clam Bake and Pic Nic," in October last!




THE CIVIL GOVERNMENT OF RHODE ISLAND.   87
ment of its provisions; how comprehensive and unambiguous the terms in which it secures to the people,
not only perfect liberty of conscience, in matters of
religion, but likewise the almost unrestricted power to
govern themselves "in civil things!" The chief glory,
however of the old Charter, is the ample security
which it provides for religious liberty. To an assembly of Rhode Island men, I need not apologize, for
repeating, on an occasion like the present, the noble
and ever memorable declaration of the Charter. "No
person within the said Colony, at any time hereafter,
shall be any wise molested, punished, disquieted, or
called in question, for any differences in opinion, in
matters of religion, who does not actually disturb the
peace of our said Colony; but that all and every
person and persons may, from time to time, and at all
times hereafter, freely and fully have and enjoy his
own and their judgments and consciences, in matters
of religious concernments, throughout the tract of
land heretofore mentioned, they behaving themselves
peaceably and quietly and not using this liberty to
licentiousness and profaneness, nor to the civil injury
or outward disturbance of others."  It is grateful to
know that this memorable declaration, which indicates
on the subject of religion a catholic spirit quite in advance of the prevalent spirit of the age, was but a
response to the petition of our forefathers, in which
they " freely declared, that, it is much on their hearts
(if they be permitted) to hold forth a lively experiment,
that a most flourishing civil State may stand and be
best maintained, and that among our English subjects,
with a full liberty in religious concernments; and that
true piety, rightly grounded upon Gospel principles,




88       WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
will give the best and greatest security to sovereignty,
and will lay in the hearts of men the strongest obligations to loyalty."
The principles of entire religious freedom on which
this State was founded, have impressed themselves
upon all our institutions; upon our religion, our legislation, our politics, and upon the habits, manners, and
opinions of our social life.* No religious sect has ever
sought, through the operation of law, to obtain preeminence; and the various rival sects, which  exist
among us, have seldom suffered their differences of
opinion to betray them into very wide departures
from true Christian liberalty and courtesy.  Bishop
Berkeley spoke from his own experience of this place
and people, when, in a letter to a friend in Dublin,
dated Newport, April 24th, 1729, (after mentioning
the various sects which prevailed,) he said, " Notwithstanding so many differences, here are fewer quarrels
about religion than elsewhere, the people living
peaceably with their neighbors of whatsoever persuasion." What was true of Newport, more than. a
century ago, was not less true, it is believed, of other
towns in the Colony, where  similar differences of
opinion prevailed. The testimony of Berkeley would
not be inapplicable to Rhode Island, at the present
time; for, nowhere in this country are collisions between rival sects less infrequent; nowhere is theological
controversy less suited to the public taste; and nowhere are the gracious interchanges of social intercourse so little interrupted by sectarian differences of
opinion.  While, in neighboring States, religious sects
have allied themselves to political parties, for political
* See Biographical Sketches and Memoranda annexed, No. 4.




THE CIVIL GOVERNMENT OF RHODE ISLAND.   89
purposes, here, in Rhode Island, such connexions have
never been attempted, and, if attempted, would be
discountenanced by some signal exhibition of public
opinion. No man among usl has been excluded from
office, or elected to office, because he chanced to belong
to one religious sect or to another. The legislation of
the State, in respect to religious corporations, has been
strictly impartial. The privileges which have been
granted to one sect, have been granted to all-and
those which may have been denied to one, have been
denied to all. The result has been most auspicious.
The State has never interfered with religion, and religion has been left without a pretext for interfering
with the State.
The extraordinary prosperity which, with few interruptions, the people of this State have enjoyed, since
1663, evinces with what wisdom and equity our Charter
government has been administered. Wholesome and
equal laws, suited to the condition of the community,
have been enacted by a Legislature composed of men
chosen directly by the people, having a common interest
with them-and having, therefore, less temptation to
impose oppressive' burthens or to usurp dangerous
powers. Justice, civil and criminal, has been promptly,
cheaply, and impartially administered. Men of all
classes, assured that their rights were safe under the
protection of the law, have been busy in bettering their
own condition. The results are what might have
been anticipated. Since the reception of the Charter,
twenty-seven new towns have been incorporated-the
population of the State has increased from two thousand
five hundred, to over one hundred thousand-agriculture has developed the capacities of our soil; commerce
12




90      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
has decorated our cities with its spoils; and manufactures, and that too within the last thirty years, have
dotted our territory with thriving villages. Above
all, religion and letters have superadded to abundant
physical comforts ample means to carry forward this
whole people in an elevated career of intellectual and
moral happiness. Exorbitant wealth may seldom or
never have been acquired; but, what is far better for
the good of the whole, enterprise, frugality, sagacity
and diligence, have been rewarded by those moderate
accumulations which are attended with the least hazard to human virtue, which are best suited to the genius of our republican institutions, and which are less
likely to be wasted in vicious extravagance, or periled
upon the issues of mad speculation.
The government of Rhode Island, under the Charter,
has been eminently a government of Law and Order.*
Antagonist political parties have mingled in hot
strife; but, amid all their struggles for superiority,
they have never laid a rude hand upon the ark of constitutional freedom. The men who governed the State
owned the State. This is the grand secret of the
genuine freedom and the extraordinary peace and
prosperity which the people have enjoyed under the
Charter. " Nowhere in the world," says Bancroft,
" have life, liberty and property, been safer than in.
Rhode Island!" Well may we exclaim, in the somewhat quaint but expressive language of one of our
early colonial documents, "we have long drank of the
cup of as great liberties as any people that we can
hear of under the whole heaven!"
Can we pass, my fellow-citizens, without emotions
* See Biographical Sketches and Memoranda annoned, To. 5.




THE CIVIL GOVERNMENT OF RHODE ISLAND.   91
allied to those of filial sorrow, from under the beneficent dominion of the old Charter-the oldest constitutional Charter in the world?  Can we take our leave
of this ancient and excellent frame of civil polity,
without being penetrated with sentiments of gratitude
for the rich blessings of which it has been the parent
to this State, through all the vicissitudes of her being?
Can we ever lose the conviction that this Charter
contains principles destined never to perish? Can we
ever forget that it was under the Charter, that
Hopkins and Ellery affixed their signatures to the
immortal Declaration of American Independence;
that, under the Charter, "the Rhode Island Line"
stood foremost in fighting the battles of liberty; that,
under the Charter, this State joined the Confederacy
established by the glorious old thirteen; and, finally,
that it was under the Charter, that Rhode Island, by
the adoption of the American Constitution, added the
last link to that chain of more perfect union which
binds these States together?  How inseparable, likewise, is the Charter from all our memories, not only of
the deeds, but of the men of other times? How
vividly does it recall to our minds distinguished politicians, who, less than a quarter of a century since,
mixed themselves so largely with our counsels and our
strifes, and who, it is sad to think, have nearly all departed! How lively, at an hour like this, are our
recollections of the cultivated, vigorous, and eminently
practical mind of James Burrill; the inflexible uprightness and varied attainments of Samuel Eddy;
the extraordinary intellectual and political ascendency,
early acquired and to the last maintained, by Elisha R.
Potter; and the searching analysis, the dialectic skill,




92       WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
the effective, but never vehement eloquence, of Benjamin Hazard.* These recollections of distinguished
Rhode Island men, who are no longer among us,
should not be permitted to escape from our minds,
without admonishing us of the high duties which we
owe to the State. Never, perhaps, at any previous
crisis in her history, has Rhode Island more needed
the aid of wise and patriotic and intrepid counsellors.
She is about to embark, under new auspices, in a new
career. See ye to it, Legislators and Men of Rhode
Island, that this new career be commenced aright,
upon principles which will stand the test, long after
you and I shall have been gathered unto our fathers!
The ANCHOR of Rhode Island hath clung through
many a storm; her HOPE, "untaught to yield," has
shed light upon many a disastrous hour.t  Surely, it
can never be that the future is destined to shame the
past-that the halcyon days after the tempest are to
bring in aught but just, and wise, and magnanimous
counsels-to be the crowning triumph of our noble
struggle in the cause of temperate and durable
freedom!
In dismissing from our consideration, on the present
occasion, that excellent system of government, which
is fastened to our affections by so many ties, I rejoice
to be able to congratulate you, in all sincerity, upon
the establishment of a truly liberal Constitution,
better suited, in some respects, than the Charter, to
the actual condition of things in Rhode Island-a
Constitution adopted by the people in their sovereign
capacity, and under the sanction, and according to the
* See Biographical Sketches and Memoranda annexed, No. 6.
t At the May session of the General Assembly, in 1664, the seal of the Colony
was fixed, an ANCHOR, with the word HOPE over it.




THE CIVIL GOVERNMENT OF RHODE ISLAND.   93
forms of law.  The Convention which framed the Constitution was constituted upon a popular basis-every
male native citizen of the United States, of competent
age, being allowed to vote for delegates, without
other qualification than a residence within the State
sufficiently long to be deemed evidence of some
common interest in the welfare of the State.  Never
in this, nor in any State within this Union, has a
grave deliberative body assembled under circumstances
so  extraordinary, demanding  more moral courage,
more disinterested patriotism, or a wiser application
of the lessons of practical political wisdom.  This
Convention, as you well know, was composed of men,
distinguished for talent and character; familiar with
the interests of Rhode Island, and animated, in all
their doings, by a true Rhode Island spirit. They
addressed themselves to their work, with the determination to frame a Constitution which should be
adapted to the peculiar condition of this State, and
which should reflect, not the passions of excited masses
-not the speculations of theoretical politicians-but
the sober and deliberate judgments and wishes of
the whole people, upon matters of general and lasting
concern. This work they accomplished with eminent
success.  The Constitution which they framed, and
submitted to the people, was adopted by a very
decided vote of the people; and, at the recent election, its validity was practically acknowledged by a
more imposing manifestation of popular sentiment
than, in this State, was ever before seen.* To the
* The whole number of votes given for General Officers, at the first election
under the Constitution, on the first Wednesday in April last, was about
16,600. The average majority in favor of the "Law and Order" candidates,
was 1,802.




94          WRITINGS OF WILLIAM  G. GODDARD.
great value of some of its principal provisions, I beg
leave, for a few  moments, to direct your attention.
The Constitution under which the government of
Rhode Island has just been organized, abrogates the
freehold qualification, as an exclusive qualification,
and makes provision for an extension of the right of
suffrage, far more liberal than  was either sought or
expected, when the suffrage movement, as it is termed,
was begun.*   Liberal enough  it may  not be, to  suit
the notions of those who contend that every man in
Rhode Island, twenty-one years of age, has a natural
right to vote. Liberal enough it may not be, to facilitate the plans of demagogues who seek, by inflaming
the passions of concentrated masses, to hold in their
own  hands the whole  political power of the  State.
No man among us, however, who  considers the extent
of our territory, the peculiar character of our population-the concentration, in four or five towns, of more
than  one  half of the  whole  number of our inhabitants-the relative decline of population in the agricultural, and its rapid increase in  the  manufacturing
districts, can, with  any just reason, utter a complaint,
because the new  Constitution has not left the right of
* Suffrage, by the Constitution, is extended to every native citizen of the
United States, of the age of twenty-one years, who has had his residence and
home in the State for two years, and in the town or city where he offers to
vote, six months next preceding the time of voting, whose name shall be registered in the town where he resides, on or before the last day of December,
in the year next preceding the time of his voting, and who has, within such
year, paid a tax or taxes assessed against him, in any town or city in the
State, to the amount of one dollar, or has been enrolled in a military company, been equipped, and done duty therein, according to law, at least for one
day, during such year.
Naturalized citizens are required to have a freehold, as heretofore, to entitle
them to vote. And no person can vote to impose a tax or to expend money, in
any town or city, unless he shall have paid a tax, within the year next preceding, upon property valued at least at $134. — ide Constitution.




THE CIVIL GOVERNMENT OF RHODE ISLAND.   95
suffrage entirely unrestricted. In States of large territorial extent, where the agricultural interest is the
predominant interest, universal suffrage may encounter some practical and efficient checks upon its otherwise inevitable  tendencies  to  work  mischief.  In
Rhode Island, however, such salutary checks are not
and never can  be found.   A  wholly  unrestricted
suffrage would, therefore, be pregnant with incalculable evils to the State. It would jeopard the rights of
property and the principles of liberty. If all history
be not a lie, " there is a tendency in the poor to covet
and to share the plunder of the rich; in the debtor,
to relax or avoid the obligation of contracts; in the
majority to tyrannize over the minority, and trample
down their rights; in the indolent and profligate to
cast the whole burden of society upon the industrious; and there is a tendency in ambitious and wicked
men to inflame these combustible materials."    If,
my fellow-citizens, you desire to know how alarming
are the mischiefs which universal suffraget entails
upon a community, look at the great city of New
York. The prophecy of Mr. Van Buren has been well
nigh fulfilled. The character of her voters is such as
to render her elections "rather a curse than a blessing," and to " drive from the polls all sober-minded
people." 4   The Empire  State, if not destined  to
govern the country, is destined to exert a mighty
* Chancellor Kent's Speech on the elective franchise in the New York Convention, 1821.
t Rufus King, who was likewise a member of the New York Convention in
1821, was not less decided in his opposition to universal suffrage. In his
opinion, "no government, ancient or modern, could endure it."
t Mr. Van Buren's Speech on the elective franchise, in the New York Convention, 1821.




96      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
influence upon the country. In less than a century,
the city of New York, with the operation of universal
suffrage, and under skillful direction, will govern the
State of New York! Let not this impressive example,
my fellow-citizens, be lost upon us. Let us adhere,
and steadfastly adhere, to the provisions relative to
suffrage established by the Constitution, if we would
preserve to ourselves the blessings of good government; if, in the language of Washington, we would
"make the public administration not the mirror of
the ill-concerted and incongruous projects of faction,
but the organ of consistent and wholesome plans,
digested by common counsels and modified by mutual
interests."
In the constitution of the legislative department, are
likewise to be observed a wise adaptation to the
peculiar conditions of our society, and at the same
time, practical illustrations of a cardinal maxim of
political philosophy. The House of Representatives
is constructed upon the basis of population. Thus is
redressed that inequality of representation, of which
some of the towns have long complained; and thus,
too, is given to mere numbers quite as much power
over the legislation of the State, as, consistently with
the good of the whole, can to mere numbers be safely
entrusted. The Senate, in order that it may prove an
efficient check upon the House, when checks are most
needed, is constituted upon very different principles.
Each town, whatever may be its population, is entitled
to elect one Senator and no more. Thus, while the city
of Providence, with her twenty-five thousand inhabitants, will, in the House, wield one-sixth of the whole
legislative power of the State, she will, in the Senate,




THE CIVIL GOVERNMENT OF RHODE ISLAND.   97
be entitled to exert no more power than the town of
Jamestown, with less than four hundred inhabitants. A
Senate, thus organized, may by theoretical politicians, be
esteemed a monstrous anomaly. Government, however,
it should be recollected, is a practical matter. It cannot
be fashioned in exact accordance with abstract theories.  It is meant to operate upon actual existencesupon man as he is-upon positive and mixed interests
-upon the various and perchance conflicting passions
and aims of human society. Were the Senators and
Representatives, who compose the Legislature of Rhode
Island, elected upon the same basis of population, the
legislative department would be without check or
balance.* The government, however popular might
be its form, would, in effect, be a despotism.  The
whole legislative power would be exercised by
the representatives of mere numbers. What check
would there be upon factious majorities "who are
united and actuated by some common impulse of
passion or of interest adverse to the rights of other
citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interest of
the whole?"t  We have reason, my fellow-citizens, to
be grateful that our Senate is just such a Senate as
Rhode Island needs; just such a Senate as will be
competent to restrain precipitate or oppressive legislation, should the House ever be swayed from its duty,
under temporary inflammations of the popular mind* " The only effectual safeguard to the rights of the minority, must be laid
in such a basis or structure of the government itself, as may afford to a certain
degree, directly or indirectly, a defensive authority in behalf of a minority
having right on its side."- Vide Mr. Madison's Speech in the Virginia Convention, 1829-30. Debates, pp. 537-38.
t Federalist, No. X., by Mr. Madison.
13




98       WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
just such a Senate, in fine, as will maintain unimpaired
the equal rights of every section of the State, and prevent any one interest from engrossing a dangerous
portion of political power. The people of Rhode
Island look to the Senate, with entire confidence that,
upon all occasions, it will fearlessly assert and maintain its constitutional rights. In the distribution of
powers, they have made no distinction between the
Senate and the I-House. These branches are, by the
Constitution, in all respects, co-equal. It is as competent for the Senate to orignate a bill as for the House
-it is as competent for the Senate to negative a
bill as for the House. Constituted as one branch of
our Legislature is upon the basis of population; and
constituted as is the other upon a different and somewhat arbitrary principle, it would not be strange if,
in the progress of the government, the constitutional
exercise of the power of the Senate, in negativing a
bill passed by the House, should be stigmatized as an
attempt, on the part of an oligarchy, to defeat the
legitimate operation of the popular will. Let no such
clamor be heeded. The issue thus sought to be
made, would be a false issue. Whenever the Senate
may see fit to check the power of the House, it will,
in so doing, carry out the will of the people, as sol.
emnly expressed in that Constitution which they have
just ordained and established. Never let it be said,
that the House is the representative of the people,
rather than the Senate, because the former is constituted upon the basis of population, and the latter is
not. The Constitution recognizes not this dangerous
distinction, and the people ought never, for one moment, to tolerate it, unless, by the irregular action of




TIHE CIVIL GOVERNMENT OF RHODE ISLAND.    99
public sentiment, they are resolved to neutralize the
most valuable conservative element in their whole system of government.
The increased stability given by the new Constitution  to  the judicial department of our government,*
deserves a more extended commentary than would be
suited to the genius of the present occasion. Under
the Charter, the Judges of all the courts were annually
elected by the Legislature, and the compensation for
their services might, at any time, be diminished by the
Legislature. No system, if system it deserves to be
called, could, in  theory, be worse than  this.  While,
however, the political power of the State was limited
to  freeholders, the  evils  of  so  pernicious a tenure
of the judicial office were seldom, to any serious
extent, experienced. A sound public opinion, especially of late years, has secured the State from the
evils incident to a constitution  of the judicial department of the government so utterly hostile to all just
principles of popular freedom. The Judges of the
Supreme Court, of late, have been exempted from the
fate which, at every change of parties, inevitably befalls all other officers who owe their places to an
annual legislative appointment. The salutary effects
* " The Judges of the Supreme Court shall be elected by the two Houses in
grand committee. Each Judge shall hold his office until his place be declared
vacant by a resolution of the General Assembly to that effect; which resolution shall be voted for by a majority of all the members elected to the House
in which it may originate, and be concurred in by the same majority of the
other House. Such resolution shall not be entertained at any other than the
annual session for the election of public officers: and in default of the passage
thereof at said session, the Judge shall hold his place as herein provided. But
a Judge of any court shall be removed from office, if, upon impeachment, he
shall be found guilty of any official misdemeanor.
" The Judges of the Supreme Court shall receive a compensation for their
services, which shall not be diminished during their continuance in office."Vide Constitution.




100     WRITINGS OF WILLIAMI G. GODDARD.
of this practically stable tenure of office have been
seen in the elevated character which our Supreme
Court has acquired, and in the increased confidence
which is felt by the people in the wisdom of its decisions, and the rectitude of its administration. The
framers of the new Constitution, when they made provision for a wide extension of the elective franchise,
would have been false to their high trust, had they
not armed the Judiciary with some corresponding
power to protect indviduals, and especially minorities,
against encroachments from the Legislature; and, likewise, to secure to every man, whether humble or
elevated, whether enjoying the favor of the people, or,
for any cause, exposed to their displeasure, the full
and undisturbed possession of his constitutional
rights. In the Constitution, which you, my fellowcitizens, have adopted, you have declared that certain
essential rights and principles shall be established,
maintained, and preserved, and shall be of paramount
obligation in all legislative, judicial and executive
proceedings. Without a Judiciary essentially independent, of what avail for the security of popular
freedom would be this grave declaration of constitutional rights and principles? Why subject the executive power and the legislative power to restrictions, if
the Judiciary be left powerless to  enforce them?
Why solemnly reserve to yourselves the rights of
freemen, if, either through the timidity or the corruption of your courts, those rights cannot, whenever they
are invaded, be intrepidly and effectually protected?
In truth, my fellow-citizens, without a Judiciary which
feels itself to be independent of the legislative power,
no Constitution is worth the parchment upon which it




THE CIVIL GOVERNMENT OF RHODE ISLAND.  101
is engrossed. Without such a Judiciary, there can be
no freedom under a popular government. Without
such a Judiciary, civilization, in its higher forms, can
make no advance. Beware, then, Men of Rhode
Island, of that political man or of that political party,
who may hereafter seek to inflame you with a jealousy
of that department in your government, which, from
the very nature of its functions, is least dangerousand which, so long as the administration of justice is
the chief end of government, you are most interested
to cherish and to defend. In a monarchy, the king who
is impatient of restraint upon his will, tolerates no
Bench competent to shield the subject against the
power of the throne. In republics like our own, the
case is essentially the same. No strangers to the impulses which animate royal bosoms, are the majority,
which seeks to oppress the minority, and the demagogue, who hates every institution in the State which
he cannot make tributary to his aims. When have
not factious majorities and profligate demagogues
sought to persuade the people that an independent
Judiciary is their master, and not their shield?
When have they not affected to believe that learned
and upright Judges, who dispense no patronage and
exercise no political power-who are endowed with
no spontaneous energy to arrest the operations of the
executive or of the legislature, and whom it is never
difficult to remove for malfeasance in office, are
intrenched in some strong hold, which the people
should watch with a jealous eye? Easily indeed must
that people be duped, who suffer such morbid apprehensions to trouble their peace. Need I tell you,
fellow-citizens, that the danger all lies in another




102     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
quarter-in the occasional excesses of popular passion
-in the artifices of the demagogue, who makes himself hoarse in proclaiming the wisdom of the people,
and in declaring his marvellous love for the peoplein the tendencies of majorities to oppress minoritiesin the desires of the vicious and idle to make spoil of
the accumulations, whether ample or limited, of
industry, honesty and enterprise. These are among
the dangers most formidable to constitutional rights
and popular freedom, and these are the dangers which
render a learned and uncorrupt Judiciary an essential
component part of every free government.
Fromi this brief and necessarily imperfect commentary upon the practical effect of some of the leading
provisions of the new Constitution, the article relating
to amendments is too important to be excluded. The
people of Rhode Island, having determined to establish a Constitution which, as far as practicable, should
perpetuate the institutions transmitted to them by
their fathers, have wisely guarded that Constitution
against the dangers of precipitate and disastrous innovation. They have placed no insurmountable obstructions in the way of such reforms as experience may
indicate to be necessary. They have, however, rendered it somewhat difficult for any faction, however cunning or however turbulent, to break down any of the
essential conservative provisions of the Constitution.
The danger of all precipitate action, on the part of the
Legislature, is excluded, and no organic change can be
consummated, without the consent of a majority of
three fifths of the people, voting thereon in their primary assemblies-thus ensuring the consent of an actual




THE  CIVIL GOVERNMENT  OF RHODE  ISLAND.   103
majority of the whole people.* These wise and salutary provisions will protect our State against fierce
political controversies touching the very foundations
of the government under which we live. Under free
institutions, the people must be expected to differ
about men and measures of policy; but the whole
social order is in danger, the securities of life, liberty
and  property are in  danger, whenever it becomes the
fashion of the day to project changes in the fundamental law, and to effect those changes, by inflammatory appeals to the passions and interests of political
parties.
MEN OF RHODE ISLAND- I should be heedless of
the sympathies of the hour, and of the pleasant stir
which animates the whole population now assembled
in this ancient town, did I, in behalf of all the men,
women and children of Rhode Island, neglect to
thank the framers of the Constitution for preserving,
essentially untouched, the venerable ordinance and
custom   of our fathers, relative  to  the time and place
of holding the General Election. By the old Charter
* The article on amendments is as follows:-" The General Assembly may
propose amendments to this constitution by the votes of a majority of all the
members elected to each House. Such propositions for amendment shall be
published in the newspapers, and printed copies of them shall be sent to the
Secretary of State, with the names of all the members who shall have voted
thereon, with the yeas and nays, to all the town and city clerks in the State.
The said propositions shall be, by said clerks, inserted in the warrants or notices by them issued, for warning the next annual town and ward meetings in
April; and the clerks shall read said propositions to the electors when thus
assembled, with the names of all the Representatives and Senators who shall
have voted thereon, with the yeas and nays, before the election of Senators
and TRepresenatives shall be had. If a majority of all the members elected to
each House, at said annual meeting, shall approve any proposition thus made,
the same shall be published and submitted to the electors in the mode provided in the act of approval; and if then approved by three fifths of the electors of the State present, and voting thereon in town and ward meetings, it
shall become a part of the Constitution of the State."




104     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
was it established and ordained, that "yearly, once in
the year forever hereafter, namely, on every first
Wednesday in the month of May, a General Assembly
should be held at Newport, then and there to consult,
advise, determine in and about the affairs and business
of the Governor and Company of the English Colony
of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations." Year
after year, has this ancient custom and ordinance been
observed by the good people of Rhode Island. Year
after year, have young and old, men and women,
looked forward with pleasure to this festival season,
as an occasion for renewing most grateful associations
with the mighty and solemn past; and likewise for
infusing an element of fresh and innocent joy into the
cares and occupations of common life. Year after
year, have multitudes come hither, from island and
from main, to witness the time-honored ceremonies of
a Rhode Island General Election; to behold the emerald isle arrayed, at this season of vernal loveliness, in
her most beautiful garments; to repose amid her
haunts of gentle beauty, or to hush their spirits into
awe amid the sublimities of her ocean scenes. Unaffected by a rage for capricious innovation, and alive to
the truth, that the moral power of any government
depends, essentially, upon those sentiments of reverence and affection which are fastened in the general
heart, the framers of our Constitution left the provisions of the Charter, in this matter, essentially unchanged. Much do I regret that it seemed necessary
to change them at all. Much do I regret that the
generous sympathies of this people, which, for so many
generations, have flowed forth spontaneously on the
first Wednesday in May, must, hereafter, be awakened




THE CIVIL GOVERNMENT OF RHODE ISLAND.  105
on the first Tuesday of May. This, however, will ultimately prove no serious detriment to the enjoyment of
the occasion. In an age, too, so eminently practical as
the present, it is quite too much to expect that the
positive utilities of society should be postponed for
the indulgence of those higher sympathies and tastes
which are, in some sort, the grace and the ornament of
our common nature. Grateful ought we to be that
the General Election is still to be held here-and that
the Election Day, though changed from what it was,
still comes in the first week of this beautiful and
merry month of May.
Fellow-citizens: The purposes for which we are
assembled seem to require an unambiguous and fearless
statement, though not with legal precision, and in
consecutive order, of some of the mighty principles
which we have periled so much to maintain, and
which, with the blessing of Almighty God upon our
struggles, we have at last established.
Strange as it may appear, the real merits of THE
RHODE ISLAND QUESTION are imperfectly understood
abroad. Many have, by the grossest and most systematic misrepresentations, been betrayed into the
belief, that our controversy was a controversy between
adverse political parties, for political power, and that
our triumph, therefore, can claim no higher distinction
than what belongs to a mere 2partisan triumph. You
all know, my fellow-citizens, that for such a belief
there is no foundation. You all know, that, in this
great battle for constitutional freedom, no rival partisan
banners were unfurled to the breeze;-and you all feel,
now that the battle is over, not that either this party
or that has lost or won, but that the State which you
14




106     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
love and honor has been rescued from the evils of
revolutionary anarchy. This is the secret of your
deep and thoughtful joy-this is the crowning glory
of your moral triumph!
Multitudes have, likewise, been betrayed into the
belief that the question of Free Suffrage was mixed
with the great issues which the people of Rhode Island
have recently decided. This misrepresentation, which
prevails somewhat extensively abroad, has more effectually, than any other cause, opened for the revolutionary
party "the source of sympathetic tears."  It should,
therefore, be known that the freeholders of Rhode
Island had agreed to a system of almost unrestricted
Suffrage, before any attempt was made to overthrow,
by force, the existing government. Thus, was forever
withdrawn from the catalogue of popular grievances
even this poor apology for Revolution!
We have throughout contended for those principles
of constitutional reform which are recognized by the
Constitution of the United States, and which were
recognized by our sister States, in forming their Constitutions, as essential to constitutional freedom. We
have never denied any of the fundamental doctrines of
popular right set forth in the Declaration of American
Independence, and in the Constitutions of the several
States; but we have repeatedly and unequivocally
affirmed them. Never have we denied the right of the
people to make and alter their constitutions of government-a right which "constitutes the basis of our
political systems." We have, however, contended that,
where the people have adopted a constitution which
contains a provision for its own amendment, such Constitution must be amended or changed according to




THE CIVIL GOVERNMENT OF RHODE ISLAND.  107
the mode established by itself. We have, moreover,
maintained that where a Constitution provides no mode
of amending itself, the people must effect the desired
reform, through the agency of the Legislature, the representatives and the agents of the people. No other
mode of changing constitutions of government can we
admit to be "an explicit and authentic act of the
whole people." No other mode of changing them can
be rescued from the reproach of being revolutionary
in its character-transcending, consequently, all law;
and subjecting to the worst perils all the interests of
a State, and all the safeguards of regulated liberty.
The doctrine that the people, after having once embodied their will in a Constitution, or in a fundamental law, may alter or abolish such Constitution, or such
fundamental law, "without law  and against law,"
would, in its practical application, be fatal to popular
liberty. It would leave the people without adequate
means of resisting a factious majority, for even majorities may be factious, which might meditate the overthrow of the existing government. Nay more,-it
would leave them to the tender mercies of a factious
minority, who might vote themselves to be the people,
and who, with arms in their hands, might easily control the legitimate expressions of the general will, and
substitute for the voice of the law the voice of the
mob. Once abandon the forms of law in this grave
matter of making and altering constitutions of government, and you abandon all the principles of true
constitutional reform. You precipitate yourselves into
the vortex of revolution, to maintain a doubtful
struggle with the exasperated passions, and with the
distempered energy of revolution.




10     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
At the commencement of the popular movement in
this State, which ultimately terminated in a resort to
force, the question of suffrage was drawn largely into
discussion. We maintained then, and we maintain
now, that the right of suffrage is a political and not a
natural right; and that this important political right
is to be established and regulated by the persons
composing the body politic, and possessing the right
to exercise political power, and according to their
judgment of what the general welfare may demand.
It will be seen, that, under the Charters of 1644 and
1663, the people of this State agreed to form one body
politic. Neither of these Charters regulated the right
of suffrage, or the admission of persons into the body
politic. They left all power over this matter to be
exercised by the representatives of the people. More
than a hundred years ago, the people of this State, by
their representatives, in the General Assembly, provided that none but freeholders should be entitled to
the right of suffrage, or should be admitted members
of the body politic, with the right to exercise political
power. Those who admit the sovereignty of the people
are bound to admit the right of the people of this
State so to make and constitute this portion of their
fundamental law. We have contended, and we contend still, that those only who possessed political power
according to the provisions of this fundamental law,
were, in a constitutional sense, the people of Rhode
Island; that no other persons had a right to change
the law, in this respect, or to exercise those constitutional powers which belong to the people. It was the
people, in this sense, who, through their delegation in
Congress, declared the independence of this State, in




THE CIVIL GOVERNMENT OF RHODE ISLAND.    109
1776.  It was the people, in  this sense, who  in  the
year 1790, ratified, through. their delegates assembled
in Convention, the Constitution of the United States.
Under all these circumstances, and after the lapse of
half a century, it was reserved for sage politicians in
1841, to discover that Rhode Island had not a republican form   of government,* but was an  aristocracy  so
oppressive as to justify a Revolution! t   A  Revolution
by whom? Had those who by the fundamental laws
of the State had no right to the exercise of political
power, a right to destroy the body politic, that they
might erect another upon its ruins? Whence did they
derive this right?   Not certainly  from  the law.  The
social compact makes no provision for such a right, and
cannot recognize such a right. The law denies to
all those who are not the legal people, the right to
exercise any political power in the State. It must,
therefore, a fortiori, deny their right to *revolutionize
the body politic. Have the members of the body
politic the right to destroy the body politic?   From
whence do they derive it?  NTot certainly from the lawnot from the social compact, for this is sacredly obligatory upon all, until changed, in some mode which can be
recognized as the " authentic act of the whole people."
~" The essential criteria of a government purely republican," says Alexander Hamilton, " are that the principal organs of the executive and legislative
departments shall be elected by the people, and hold their offices, by a responsible and temporary or defeasible tenure." In Rhode Island, under the Charter
Government, not only were the Governor and both branches of the Legislature
elected by the people, but the members of the House of Representatives were
elected once in every six months!
t "That is revolution," says Daniel Webster, "which overturns or controls,
or successfully resists the existing public authority; that which arrests the
exercise of the supreme power; that which introduces A SiEW PARAMOUNT
AUTHORITY into the rule of the State." It will hardly be denied, that this was
the precise object of those men who took up arms for the purpose of establishing the so called People's Constitution.




110     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
Upon what is the right of revolution founded? Can
aught save " a long train of abuses and usurpations,"
justify a resort to revolution? A majority of those
who possess the political power may oppress the minority, but it is preposterous to claim for the majority
in a free State, the right of revolution. Whatever
grievances they may chance to suffer, can be redressed
at the ballot-box, and hence the ground of necessity,
upon which alone such a revolution, as is here contemplated, can be justified, is excluded. In the late revolutionary movement which convulsed this State, were
engaged men who, under the laws of the State, had no
right to the exercise of political power. They endeavored to compel the body politic to receive them as
members. Among these men were persons born in
this State, and persons who came hither from abroad.
What rights had the latter, beyond those which belong to an invader? In this same revolutionary
movement were, likewise, engaged persons who were
members of the body politic, and who sought to make
themselves a majority of the people, according to the
widest signification of that term, by an alliance with
those who had no legal right to political power. By
this. course, they could lawfully gain no political
rights. As a minority of the people, what right had
they to condemn the lawful action of the majority,
because they might be unwilling to change their
fundamental law? By seeking the alliance, and
for such a purpose, of strangers and sojourners,
they did violence to the laws and constitution of the
State, and involved themselves in the guilt of rebellion
an'd treason.
We have contended, and we still contend, that the




THE CIVIL GOVERNMENT OF RHODE ISLAND.  111
People's Constitution had no validity, even admitting
that it received the votes of fourteen thousand persons.
Those who had no right to vote, could not gain a legal
right by their own unlawful act. The votes, therefore,
of all such persons, should be deducted from the aggregate of fourteen thousand. Those who had a right to
vote, had no right to vote but in conformity to the
laws. Their action, being without law, could by no
law be authenticated and made valid. But they acted
against law, as well as without law, and conspired to
overthrow the government. Such a course of illegal
proceeding resulted, as was foreseen, in overt acts of
treason and civil war.-That we have been saved from
the terrific calamities incident to a state of anarchy,
demands ascriptions of devout praise to Him who
ruleth the spirit of man, and stilleth the tumult of the
people.
I have thus attempted to set forth some of the most
essential principles involved in the decision of THE
RHODE ISLAND QUESTION. They lie, as we believe, at
the very foundation of all our systems of popular government. Unless they can be sustained, and triumphantly sustained throughout these States, the day is not
far distant when the American people will be summoned to such a conflict between REVOLUTION and
LAW, as will make the whole land turn pale! These
principles are worth voting for; they are worth fighting for; if need be, they are worth dying for! How
disastrous to this State would have been our failure to
vindicate them! Under the rule of a revolutionary
government, what interest or institution would have
been safe from aggression?  What confidence would
have been felt, at home or abroad, in the stability of a




112     WRITINGS OF WILLIAMf G. GODDARD.
government established without law and against law?
What could have rescued the State from the dominion
of successive factions? Under the unmitigated popular despotism which was sought to be fastened upon
us, how inevitable would have been the decline of all
public spirit, and of all manly independence in individual character! If, fellow-citizens, the men who
sought, by force of arms, to overthrow the legal government of Rhode Island, had consummated their purpose, we should have been not only oppressed, but
dishonored. In what bitterness of spirit should we
have deplored the baleful triumph of popular licentiousness and misrule? Where, then, would have
been "that proud submission, that dignified obedience," which a free citizen delights to yield to a government founded upon law, and devoted to the cause
of rational liberty?  Who of us, in fine, would not
then have felt that Rhode Island had ceased to be his
home —that his affections were fastened to her only by
those glorious recollections which give an undying
interest to the past.
MEN OF RHODE ISLAND-Much do we all love this
pleasant land where our fathers sought and found
"freedom to worship God" —and where, through all
the stages of her history, has been exhibited the most
perfect pattern of an unmixed and orderly democracy,
which the world hath yet seen. How much more
should we love her, for the great tribulations through
which she has, at last, reached the vantage ground of
peace and liberty and honor! Not a year since, and
our little State was convulsed to its centre. How
dark and wild  was the tumult of revolutionary
passions! How many thoughtful spirits brooded in




THE CIVIL GOVERNMENT OF RHODE ISLAND.  113
sadness over the woes which threatened to fall upon
us! In how many noble bosoms was formed the stern
resolve to maintain, at whatever cost of treasure and
of blood, the supremacy of the laws! When, before
this uproar of all our social elements, have any portion
of our fellow-citizens been seduced from their allegiance to the government which protected them? When,
before this, my fellow-citizens, in the whole history of
civil society, have demagogues so inflamed the passions
of the people, that a reproach upon landholders has
been welcomed as a sign wherewith to conquer?  Not
for a single moment, could the men of Rhode Island
brook the thought of surrendering this inheritance of
freedom, derived from heroic sires, to be trampled in
the dust by lawless feet! Not for a single moment,
could they pause in their career, till the battle for
Liberty and Law was won! How determined was the
spirit of patriotic resistance, even among the peaceful
dwellers upon this island! How fixed their purpose,
that the soil which embosoms all that was mortal of
the patriot Ellery and the gallant Perry,* should never
be pressed by a rebel foot! that these shores, which
once listened to the philosophic wisdom of Berkeley,
and woke to deep and eloquent rapture, the soul of
Channing,t should never give back the shouts of a
rebel host! Never can the scenes of the last year
fade from our recollections! Never can we forget those
memorable days which stirred, to their very depths,
the spirits of this whole people-when the men of
Rhode Island, forsaking all common occupations, and
* See Biographical Sketches and Memoranda annexed, No. 7. t See Biographical Sketches and Memoranda annexed, No. 8.
15




114       WRITINGS OF WILLIAM  G. GODDARD.
banishing all common cares, rushed to the support of
their government and the defence of their firesides.
" High hung the rusting scythe awhile,
And ceased the spindle's roar;
The boat rocked idly by the isle,
And on the ocean shore;
The belted burgher paced his street,
The seaman wheeled his gun;
Steel gleamed along the ruler's seat,
And study's task was done!"
" Old Narragansett rang with arms,
And rang the silver bay;
And that sweet shore whose girdled charms
Were Philip's ancient sway;
And our own island's halcyon scene
The black artillery sent;
And answered from the home of Greene,
The men of dauntless Kent! "*
Thus, in strains worthy of his theme, sung one of
our own poets. These spirit-stirring scenes have passed
away. The tempest, which blackened our whole
horizon, has left it to  be spanned by the bow  of
promise, and to reflect the glories of an untroubled
sky. Let us not forget, however, in this season of our
joy, the solemn lessons taught us in the day of our
calamity. How impressively do the events of the last
year admonish us of the great danger to be apprehended
from visionary theories, which, though ostensibly
addressed to the understandings of the people, take
the strongest hold of their passions, and which ultimately lead the people to the grossest misconceptions
of their constitutional rights and social duties. Strange
* See Biographical Sketches and Memoranda annexed, No. 9.




THE CIVIL GOVERNMENT OF RHODE ISLAND.  115
as it may seem, no inconsiderable portion of our fellowcitizens were deluded by wretched sophistries into a
conviction that, in all their efforts to establish the
People's Constitution, they were sustained by the
example of our revolutionary fathers, and by the
eternal principles of natural justice. The delusion did
not expend itself upon their understandings. From
the lips and the pens of false teachers, multitudes
learned the captivating texts of sedition-their passions supplied the inferences. And yet more-in order
to impart additional energy and ardor to the popular
passions, demagogues, educated and uneducated, were
incessant in the work of exasperating them by appeals
the most artful and fervid. Thus did it come to pass,
that, in Rhode Island, where no man hitherto had
dreamed of oppression, or meditated resistance to the
laws, multitudes were persuaded to think themselves
oppressed, and to rush madly for redress upon the
portentous issues of a Revolution. The sad experiences of the last year should, likewise, teach us not to
confound the love of freedom, which never exists
without producing the happiest effects, with that morbid ambition for uncontrolled political -power which,
whether raging in the breasts of individuals or of
masses, threatens, especially in seasons of excitement,
the worst evils to a State. The former, as has been
justly remarked by a philosophical historian, will
produce disturbances only when real evils are felt; the
latter frequently produces convulsions, independent of
any real cause of complaint; or, if it has been excited by
such, it continues after it has been removed. " The
one complains of what has been felt; the other anticipates what may be gained; disturbances arising from




116      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
the first, subside, when the evils from which they
spring are removed; troubles originating in the second,
magnify with every victory which is achieved. The
experience of evil is the cause of agitation from the
first; the love of power the source of convulsions from
the last. Reform and concession are the remedies
appropriate to the former; steadiness and resistance
the means of extinguishing the flame arising from the
latter."'~
The dangers, fellow-citizens, through which we have
passed, should also impress more strongly upon every
mind the conviction that those are the worst enemies of
the people, who, under captivating names and false
pretexts, violate the essential principles of all popular
freedom. Without Law, and without a reverence for
Law, a Democracy cannot exist;-there can be no
security for equal rights; there can be no protection
for the weak against the strong; there can be nothing
to save the few from the tyranny of the many; nothing
to shelter from the rapacious and the idle, the'4aecumulations of honest industry —nothing, in short, to arrest
the tendencies of society towards either the barbarism
of savage life, or the repose of sullen despotism. Law
and a reverence fobr Law are bound up in all our hopes
of the future triumphs of the democratic principle.
The friends and the foes of the existing forms of civil
government in Europe, look, with intense solicitude, to
the results of the mighty experiment now making in
this country. This experiment, perhaps the grandest
which, in the progress of society, hath ever been witnessed, will fail, if it be destined to fail, from a
perversion of the true notions of liberty; —from the
* Vide Alison's History of Europe.




THE CIVIL GOVERNMENT OF RHODE ISLAND.  117
relaxation, among the people and in their rulers, of
those conservative principles, without which, in the
absence of physical force, there can be neither freedom
nor civilization. Be it our duty, therefore, Men of
Rhode Island, to discharge, faithfully, the sacred trust
confided to our hands. The lines are fallen to us in
pleasant places. We inhabit a territory which is unrivalled for salubrity-and which, in its physical characteristics, supplies the most ample facilities for a
progressive advancement in social refinement. Numerous and densely peopled towns concentrate within
themselves the means of high intellectual improvement
-our rivers, ere they finish their course, furnish the
motive power for extensive manufactures-and. our
bay, while it facilitates the operations of commerce,
embosoms islands of extraordinary agricultural capac.
ity, and which recall to classic memories the far-famed
beauty of the Grecian Isles.
Let not these benefits and blessings be lost upon
us. While we gird ourselves for any fresh service in
the cause of constitutional freedom to which we may
be summoned, let us constantly aim to multiply for
ourselves, and to spread far and wide, the means of
increasing physical happiness; to secure to every man,
by the strongest tenure, his rights under the Constitution and the laws; and to place within every man's
reach the transcendent blessings of education and religion. Above all, let us beware how, amid the con.
flicts, and in pursuit of the objects, of party, we countenance any of those leveling or anti-social principles,
which it is sad to think are propagated from high
places in the land. Let us remember that, if we
would walk abroad in the light of an exalted freedom,




118     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
we must cultivate the spirit of an exalted freedom;that vain will be our HOPE IN GOD, unless, as politicians and as men, we ANCHOR ourselves in the
immutable and all-prevailing principles of HIS MORAL
GOVERNMENT.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES AND MEMORANDA.
[No. 1. —Page 77.]
In this language there is no exaggeration. Bishop
Berkeley, soon after his arrival at Newport, in the
year 1729, spoke of Newport, in one of his letters to a
friend in Dublin, as then containing " about six thousand souls, and as the most thriving place in all
America, for bigness."  In 1774, according to the
census, taken by authority of the government, the
population was nine thousand two hundred and nine,
of which one thousand two hundred and forty-six were
blacks. The number of persons, however, actually
belonging to the town, at that time, is believed, and
not without reason, to have been nearly or quite
eleven thousand. This belief is founded on the fact
that, in the British mode of taking a census, as then
and now practised in the United Kingdom, temporary
residents, strangers, &c., were excluded from the enu



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES AND MEMORANDA.  119
meration, which was confined to permanent settlers.
This belief is also corroborated by the additional fact,
that the colonial government was interested in bringing the population within the lowest limits, in order
to reduce the requisitions in men and money, which,
in time of war, were proportioned to the numbers
returned. Of the one hundred and eighty-four vessels
which cleared at the Newport Custom House, from
January 1, 1763, to January 1, 1764, on foreign voyages, and of the three hundred and fifty-two in the
coasting trade, two thirds, if not three quarters, belonged to Newport. These, with the fishing vessels,
required a force of two thousand two hundred seamen.
Her merchants were princes. One of them, Mr. Aaron
Lopez, of the Hebrew persuasion, owned, at one time,
more than thirty sail of vessels, of different descriptions. The commercial prosperity of Newport was at
its zenith, in 1769, or shortly before that period.
The manufactures of Newport were, at the same
period, quite extensive. Besides numerous distilleries,
there were, in the town, sixteen manufactories of
sperm-oil and candles; five rope-walks; four sugar
refineries, &c. The manufacture of sperm-oil was
introduced into Newport by the Colony of Jews
which arrived there, between the years 1745 and 1750.
These Jews were all emigrants from Portugal.
The venerable Dr. Waterhouse, himself a native of
Newport, in a newspaper article published in 1824,
says: "The island of Rhode Island, from its salubrity
and. surpassing beauty, before the Revolutionary War
so sadly defaced it, was the chosen resort of the rich
and philosophic from nearly all parts of the civilized
world. In no spot of the thirteen, or rather twelve




120     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
colonies, was there concentrated more individual opulence, learning and liberal leisure." The Redwood
Library is still a beautiful monument of the former
wealth, learning and public spirit of Newport. This
library owes its origin to a literary and philosophical
Society established in Newport, in the year 1730.
This Society was composed of the most eminent men of
Newport, and in its discussions, Berkeley, the intimate
friend of some of its members, was accustomed to participate.
Among the former inhabitants of Newport, were
about three hundred of the children of Abraham, embracing some of her most enterprising and opulent
merchants. ";Newport," says Dr. Waterhouse, "was
the only place in New England, where the Hebrew
language was publicly read and chanted by more
than three hundred of the descendants of Abraham."
Their synagogue, built in 1762, remains, but not a
solitary worshipper is left behind.
In the vicissitudes of human affairs, Newport has
declined from her ancient wealth and splendor; but,
within her and around her, are left sources of enjoyment, which mock the power of time and of changethe living spirit of beauty which pervades her hills and
vales —the eternal sublimities which dwell around her
shores!
[No. 2.-Page 85.]
Dr. JOHN CLARKE was born October 8, 1609, and, as
is believed, in Bedfordshire, England. Before he came
to New England, he was a practising physician in




BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES AND MEMORANDA.  121
London. He was the original projector of the settlement oif Rhode Island, in 11638, and was subsequently
one of its ablest legislators. In 1644, he formed a
church in accordance with the principles of the Baptists, and, uniting the professions of a clergyman and
physician, he continued to perform the duties of pastor
of that church, till 1651, when he was despatched,
with Roger Williams, to England, to procure the abrogation of the Charter which Mr. Coddington had
obtained, and which gave him the control of the
island. After they had accomplished this object,
Roger Williams returned to Rhode Island, leaving
Mr. Clarke sole agent of the Colony in England. He
was present at the Restoration of the Stuarts, and so
far as any one, this side of the Atlantic, was instrumental in procuring the Charter of 1663, Clarke, it
would seem, must have been the man to whom that
honor is fairly due. He was a learned man, and if he
did not himself draught that Charter, he probably
sought and obtained the best legal assistance in preparing an instrument which was to pass the great seal.
After his return from  England, in 1663, he was
elected, three years successively, Deputy Governor of
the Colony. He is stated to have been the first
regularly educated physician who ever practised in
Rhode Island; and all the records of his life show
him  to have been an able, pious and disinterested
man. He maintained his pastoral relation to the
church which he founded, till he died, April 20, 1676,
aged sixty-six years. He was buried on his own lot,
on the west side of Tanner street, in Newport.
16




122     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
[No. 3-Page 86.]
This venerable document may be found prefixed to
every digest of the statute laws of Rhode Island, and
is embodied in every collection of the Constitutions of
the several States. It empowered the people of Rhode
Island to choose all their officers, legislative, executive
and judicial, and invested in them or in their delegates, all the high powers of legislation and government. So democratic was the Charter deemed to be,
both in its letter and spirit, that doubts were entertained in England, whether the king had a right to
grant it! In a very able Report on the subject of an
Extension of Suffrage, submitted to the Legislature of
this State in June, 1829, by the late Benjamin Hazard,
Esq., the merits of the Charter are made the theme of
the following just and animated encomium, which will
meet a response from the heart of every true Rhode
Island man:-" It is not the less our Constitution,
because its name furnishes a theme for cavillers. The
people have always held it as their Constitution; and
have more than once manifested their satisfaction with
it. It was framed and agreed upon, as it purports to
have been, by the purchasers, proprietors and settlers of
the State; and its character, as their work, was not at
all changed by its having been put into the form of a
charter. At that time, the people, being colonists, could
not avoid submitting to have the usual reservations
expressive of the royal prerogative, engrafted into it;
but, independent of these appendages, it was wholly
the work of the people, and was purely republican.
The whole power of self-government was in their own




BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES AND MEMORANDA.  123
hands. No Constitution, before or since the Revolution, has been framed, none can be framed, more free
and popular. Our separation from the mother country
perfected this Constitution, by cancelling the conditions and reservations under which we held it, and
leaving the work of the people entire. Let strangers,
if they please, treat this instrument with levity, and
hold it up as a reproach to the State, for the sage
reason that it was originally a charter; but let us continue to be proud of it, as a lasting monument of the
free, manly and enlightened spirit of our fore-fathers,
who could, at so early a day, and while colonists,
frame, adopt and obtain the confirmation of a constitution of self-government so perfectly republican; and
by which all the natural, civil and political rights and
privileges of themselves and their posterity were so
amply and completely asserted and secured."
[No. 4.-Page 88.]
The Charter granted, in 1764, by the General Assembly of the Colony of Rhode Island to Rhode Island
College, now Brown University, although it secures to
the Baptists the control of the College, recognizes,
repeatedly, and in the most unequivocal terms, the
grand principles of religious freedom, for which Rhode
Island, through every stage in her social progress, has
resolutely contended. This Charter not only forbids
all " religious tests," but it guarantees to every member
of the University "full, free, absolute, and uninter.




124     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
rupted liberty of conscience."  It also enjoins that
" the sectarian differences of opinion shall not make any
part of the public and classical instruction; although
all religious controversies may be studied freely,
examined and explained by the President, Professors
and Tutors, in a personal, separate, and distinct manner, to the youth of any or each denomination." The
Statutes of the College are framed in accordance with
the spirit of the Charter. So long ago as 1783, those
students who regularly observed the seventh day as
the Sabbath, were exempted from the operation of the
law which required every student, as a moral duty, to
attend public worship on the first day of the week.
Those who statedly attended the Eriends' meeting
were expressly " permitted to wear their hats within
the College walls," &c., and "young gentlemen of the
Hebrew persuasion," were formally exempted from the
operation of the law which commanded, on penalty of
expulsion, that no student should deny the divine
authority of the Old and New Testament. And yet
more-in 1770, the Corporation of the College declared, as would appear from their Records, that "the
children of Jews may be admitted into this Institution,
and entirely enjoyvthe freedom of their own religion,
without any constraint or imposition whatever."
Although these provisions of the Charter, and of the
Statutes of the College, may fall somewhat short of
that "full liberty in religious concernments," for
which Roger Williams contended, yet they manifest a
delicate regard for the rights of conscience, for which,
it is believed, hardly a parallel can be found in the
history of similar Institutions.




BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES AND MEMORANDA.  125
[No. 5.-Page 90.]
It cannot fail to be regarded as a somewhat significant fact that the revolutionary spirit which, during
the last year, threatened this State with anarchy, was
confined mainly to the county of Providence, and to
those towns in that county where extensive manufacturing establishments had concentrated masses of
people, many of them not natives of Rhode Island,
and most of them especially liable to become the
dupes of designing politicians. The agricultural town
of Foster, throughout the whole agitation, was sound
to the core; and Scituate, though subjected to many
trials, maintained her integrity to the last. The
county of Kent, as the result proved, was found eminently faithful to the laws. The fidelity of her agricultural townships was never even doubted. In the
counties of Washington, Newport, and Bristol, where
the agricultural interest is not overborne by a fluctuating manufacturing population, the standard of insurrection found comparatively few recruits. These
portions of the State are inhabited almost exclusively
by Rhode Island men, born and bred upon the soil
which they both know how to cultivate and to
defend.
No. 6.-Page 92.
These eminent citizens sustained, for so many years,
an intimate relation to the Charter government, that




126     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G0. GODDARD.
the following biographical memoranda respecting them,
will not, in the present connection, be deemed inappropriate.
HON. JAMES BURRILL, LL.D., was born in Providence,
April 25, 1772. He was graduated at Rhode Island
College, in 1788, when only sixteen years old, and
having obtained his professional education under the
late Hon. Theodore Foster and David Howell, commenced, at the early age of nineteen, the practice of the
law in his native town. In 1797, at the age of twentyfive, he was elected, by the Legislature, to the office of
Attorney-General, vice the Hon. Ray Greene, appointed a Senator in the Congress of the United States. So
decided were his professional merits, and so strong
was his hold upon the public favor, that, amid all the
competitions of party, he was annually re-elected
Attorney-General, till, after a laborious service of
about sixteen years, he was compelled, by delicate
health, to retire from office, in the year 1813. With
the law of the State which requires the Attorney-General to " give his attendance at the General Assembly,"
Mr. Burrill never failed punctually to comply. By
him were draughted many of the most important
statutes which were enacted by that body, while, in
virtue of his office, he participated, to a certain extent,
in the legislative counsels of the State. In June, 1813,
he was returned as one of the four Representatives in
the General Assembly from the town of Providence;
and, in May 1814, he was elected Speaker of the
House of Representatives, the duties of which office
he discharged with distinguished ability. In 1816, he
was elected Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of




BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES AND MEMORANDA.  127
Rhode Island; and, a few months afterwards, a Senator in Congress. He attended only four sessions of
that body, his valuable life having been prematurely
terminated by a pulmonary disease, December 25,
1820, in the forty-ninth year of his age. His remains
were interred at Washington, in the cemetery appropriated to members of Congress, &c. His death
created a sensation of profound regret among his constituents; and, at the request of the Providence Bar,
the Hon. Tristam Burges pronounced a Eulogy upon
the life and character of their eminent associate.
Rhode Island has given birth to few men so distinguished as was Mr. Burrill, for intellectual gifts and
acquirements. A more able and successful advocate,
our courts, it is believed, have never known; and the
high reputation which he was not slow to acquire at
Washington, may be deemed no unequivocal proof of his
talents as a statesman and as a parliamentary debater.
Mr. Burrill, however, did not confine himself either to
law or to politics. His reading was various and extensive, especially in the department of elegant literature;
and so retentive was his memory, that he seemed able
to command, at pleasure, even the acquisitions of his
desultory hours. No man enjoyed, with keener relish,
the characteristic beauties of the literature of England;
and no man, in ordinary conversation, brought to bear
upon whatever topic might happen to be introduced,
a greater variety of interesting facts, or unambitiously
poured himself out in a strain of more instructive
remark. Like many distinguished lawyers, he seldom
or never used his pen, except in the discharge of his
ordinary professional duties.  Hence, he neglected,
perhaps, the most efficient means of transmitting to




128   - WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
posterity those impressions of intellectual power
which eminent men leave upon the minds of their
contemporaries.
The HON. SAMUEL EDDY, LL. D., was born in
Johnston, R. I., March 31, 1769. He was a graduate
of Brown University, in 1787, and was a classmate of
Dr. Maxcy, subsequently the President of that Institution, with whom he maintained a long and cordial
friendship. He read law with the Hon. Benjamin
Bourne, and was afterwards his co-partner in the practice of the law, in Providence. In 1790, he was chosen,
by the General Assembly, Clerk of the Supreme
Judicial Court for the county of Providence, to
which office he was annually re-elected for three years.
In December, 1797, he was elected, by the General
Assembly, Secretary of State, in the place of Henry
Ward, Esq., deceased; and to that office he was annually
re-elected, by the people, without opposition, till May,
1819, when he declined a re-election. On his retirement from the Secretaryship of State, the General
Assembly unanimously voted their thanks to him, " for
his distinguished talents and ability manifested in the
discharge of the duties of said office, for more than
twenty years."
This long term of official service embraced a period
of extraordinary excitement in the politics of the
country, and of the State. To the praise of Mr.
Eddy, however, and not less to the credit of the
people, it should be remembered that no attempt was
ever made to remove him from an office, the duties of
which he performed with signal ability, and, amid all




BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES AND MEMORANDA.  129
the changes of party, with an impartiality which disarmed opposition. While his distinguished contemporary, James Burrill, the Attorney-General, attended,
year after year, the sittings of the General Assembly,
occupying, according to usage, a seat near the Chair of
the Speaker of the House, Mr. Eddy being considered,
in virtue of his office, as Secretary of the Senate,
likewise attended, year after year, the sittings of the
Assembly, and was seated at the same Board with the
Governor and Senate. This duty sometimes involved
something beyond the mere exercise of clerical skill
and quiet diligence. The Senate being composed,
nearly at all times, of gentlemen not bred to the law,
some imperfections in statutes, whether originating in
the Senate, or passed by the House, might very naturally
be expected to escape detection. The clear discernment and the professional knowledge of the Secretary
were, however, always at their command; and, though
never obtrusively tendered, they were never perversely
withheld.
On the occasion of his relinquishing the office which
he had so long held, Mr. Eddy made the following
interesting private record: "May 5, 1819. This day
terminated my duties as Secretary of the State. I have
the satisfaction to believe that, in the discharge of my
official duties, I have been free from partiality. I
have never knowingly received more than my lawful
fees, and no man's business has been refused, or left
undone, for want of money."
At the August election, in 1818, Mr. Eddy was
elected one of the two Representatives in Congress,
from Rhode Island. To this station he was twice
17




130     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
re-elected, and was hence a member of the National
councils for six years, from 1819 to 1825.
In May 1827, upon the re-organization of the Supreme Court, he was appointed Chief Justice, and
was annually re-elected till June, 1835, when sickness
compelled him to retire forever from public life.
Judge Eddy, throughout his long and useful life,
was diligent in the cultivation of his intellectual
powers. At one period in his career, his attention
was almost exclusively directed to studies connected
with the evidences, doctrines and duties of religion.
Few laymen more carefully investigated these high
matters, or acquired, respecting them, a larger amount
of valuable learning, both practical and critical. At
a subsequent period, he devoted no small portion of
his leisure hours to the acquisition of some of the
physical sciences. With youthful ardor, he pursued
the study of geology, mineralogy, and more especially
of conchology, and the collections which he made to
illustrate those sciences are creditable to his industry,
taste and knowledge.
Judge Eddy was no debater, but he was an excellent writer. He loved the English language, in all its
Saxon vigor, and purity, and expressiveness; and in
practice he was careful to exclude those innovations
which the modern taste seems inclined to countenance.
Last of all, Judge Eddy was a Rhode Island man,'; after the straitest of the sect." No man was more
firmly attached to the principles of Roger Williams,
in relation to religious concernments; and no man was
more familiar with the history of the State, or more
highly prized the blessings of regulated liberty, enjoyed




BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES AND MEMORANDA.  131
under the Old Charter. He died at his mansion house,
in Providence, February 3, 1839, aged sixty-nine years.
The HON. ELISHA REYNOLDS POTTER was born at
Little-Rest, now Kingston, in the town of SouthKingstown, (R. I.) November 5th, 1764. In the year
1778, when only sixteen years of age, he enlisted, as a
private soldier, for the purpose of joining the Expedition commanded by General Sullivan. Before, however, he was called into active service, Rhode Island
was evacuated by the American troops. Mr. Potter
was a self-made man, and, throughout his long life, he
exhibited those striking characteristics which are most
strongly developed in those who are obliged to carve
their own way to distinction. Early in life, he became
an apprentice to a blacksmith, and worked at that
useful occupation sufficiently long to become somewhat
expert in its various labors. This occupation, however,
was not destined to be the business of his life. His
academical education, like that of most men who,
at that period, entered into life, under similar circum.
stances, was far from complete. Some of the elementary studies he pursued, for a time, at Plainfield,
(Conn.) under the instruction of Mr. Dabol, whose
arithmetic, forty years ago, was a favorite text-book in
our common schools. For the exact sciences he had
quite a taste, and in some of the less diffcult branches,
he made, considering his opportunities, respectable
proficiency.
That portion of his professional education which Mr.
Potter did not owe to himself, he acquired under Mat



132     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
thew Robinson, a celebrated lawyer, who removed
fiom N'ewport to Narragansett, in 1750, and there
resided till his death, in 1795.  He continued to
practise law, till he reached the age of about forty
years, when the fascinations of political life withdrew
him from the business of the Courts. As an advocate,
he was successful, although he was often obliged to
contend with Robinson and Bourne, and Bradford,
then distinguished practitioners at the Rhode Island
Bar. Mr. Potter's last forensic effort was before the
Supreme Court of the United States, at Washington,
not many years before his death, when he made the
opening argument in a case of his own, and was followed by Mr. Wirt, in the close. Most of this argument he committed to writing.
In April 1793, Mr. Potter was first elected a Representative to the General Assembly-destined to be,
with few interruptions, the scene upon which he was
to exhibit his extraordinary powers, for more than
forty years. He continued to represent his native
town in the Legislature, till October 1796. In November of that year, he was elected a Representative
in the 4th Congress, in the place of Judge Bourne,
who had resigned his seat. He was, at the same time,
chosen to the 5th Congress, in the place of Judge
Bourne, who had been elected, and had declined. Mr.
Potter likewise resigned his seat, before his term of
service had expired, and returned home. Hon. Christopher G. Champlin was his colleague.
In August 1798, he was again returned to the
General Assembly from South-Kingstown, and there he
remained, till in 1809 he was again elected a Representative in Congress. ~ He continued in Congress, with




BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES AND MEMORANDA.  133
his colleague, the late Hon. Richard Jackson, for six
years, when they both declined a re-election.
In August 1816, Mr. Potter was again elected a
member of the General Assembly; and, thenceforward, he was re-elected semi-annually till his death,
except in April 1818, when, being a candidate for the
office of Governor, he could not become a candidate
for the inferior office. Although he lived in times of
high political excitement, and, as a politician, was
never required to define his position, yet so prevailing
was his personal influence, that he was never opposed
but twice, as a candidate for the Legislature. In both
of these contests, which were extremely ardent, he
succeeded by decided majorities. During his long
term of service in the General Assembly, Mr. Potter
was five times elected Speaker of the House-in October 1795, May 1796, October 1796, May 1802, and
October 1808.
Perhaps no political man in this State, ever acquired
or maintained, often amid  many adverse  circumstances, a more commanding influence. This influence
was the result, mainly, of his powers and qualities as
a man; of his rare natural endowments-his intuitive
perception of character-his large acquaintance with
the motives, principles and passions which belong to
human nature, and determine the conduct of men. He
was not a favorite of the mass of the people, for,
politician though he was, he neglected many of the
most effective means of winning popularity. Over
the minds, however, of those, whether friends or foes,
to whom in political concernments the people are wont
to look for direction, he always exerted an extraordinary influence. When a member of Congress, from




134     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
1809 to 1815, he did not, like most members of his
party, during that stormy period, sever himself from
all familiar associations with his antagonists. On the
contrary, he mingled freely with them, and though he
never exposed to suspicion his fidelity as a politician,
he won them to an easy and generous confidence in
the virtues of the man.
After his retirement from Congress, Mr. Potter
maintained an extensive correspondence with those
leading politicians at Washington, whose political
sympathies were in harmony with his own. He
seldom wrote for the newspapers, except under his
own signature; but at different times he put forth
pamphlets intended to influence the politics of the day
in Rhode Island. Though he was unskilled in the art
of composition, yet he always expressed himself with
clearness and vigor; causing the strong conceptions of
his strong mind to fall with decided effect upon the
minds of others.
During his long legislative career, Mr. Potter seldom
or never made speeches which were the work of premeditation. He never spoke, however, without finding willing listeners and producing a strong effect.
He was always forcible, and at times he was eloquent.
When, more especially, the warm current of his kindly
emotions had acquired a quicker flow, by some appeal
to his sympathies as a man, his gigantic frame would
almost tremble with agitated sensibilities. When the
unfortunate asked for relief, or when the guilty sued
for pardon, the statesman was lost in the man. On
such occasions, he has been known to pour forth a
strain of uncultivated and powerful eloquence, which
canme from the heart and went to the heart.




BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES AND MEMIORANDA.  135
Although Mr. Potter was, for so many years, an
active and prominent politician, yet he was not unaccustomed, at intervals, to look for pleasure and instruction to some of the master spirits of English
literature. Of Shakspeare, he was particularly fond,
attracted, doubtless, by the marvellous knowledge of
the springs of human action, which is discovered by
that unequalled dramatist.
Mr. Potter loved his native State with genuine
ardor, and no man was more indignant when either
her rights were invaded or her honor assailed. Had
he lived to witness the trials through which she has
just passed unhurt, he would have put forth all the
energies of his mind, and all his influence as a politician, in vindication of the majesty of the laws and the
rights of the people.
Mr. Potter departed this life at his residence, in
Kingston, September 26, 1835, aged seventy years.
HON. BENJAMIN HAZARD was born in Middletown,
the town which adjoins Newport, September 18,
1770. He was graduated at Brown University, in
1792. After studying law with the late Hon. David
Howell, at that time a distinguished practitioner in
Providence, he was admitted to the Bar, in the year
1796, and commenced the practice of his profession in
the town of Newport. For several years, Mr. Hazard
did not occupy himself seriously with the business of
the courts, but he failed not in the end to acquire, and
he maintained to the last, a distinguished rank at the
Bar of his native State. At the August election, in




136     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
1809, he was first elected a Representative from the
town of Newport, a vacancy having been created in
the delegation, by the election to the Senate of the
United States, of the late Hon. Christopher Grant
Champlin. Mr. Hazard's colleagues from Newport,
were at that time, George Gibbs, William Hunter,
John P. Man, John L. Boss, Stephen Cahoone-none
of whom, except Mr. Cahoone, the present General
Treasurer, and Mr. Hunter, the American Ambassador
at Brazil, are now among the living upon earth. The
duties of this station, he continued to discharge with
eminent ability, for the term of thirty-one successive
years. From October 1816, to May 1818, he presided
over the deliberations of the House. At the August
election, in 1840, he declined a re-election, and retired
from public life. In accordance with a provision of
the royal Charter, so democratic as to be without
precedent, the election of Representatives to the General Assembly was required to be made twice in every
year. Thus was Mr. Hazard subjected, in the course
of his public life, to the ordeal of sixty-two popular
elections! The confidence which his townsmen early
reposed in him, was never withdrawn. Amid all the
fluctuations of party, he was re-elected, generally,
though not in all cases, without opposition. Rarely,
in New England, is it the fortune of a public man to
command, from  the same constituents, and under
similar circumstances, a confidence so long and so uninterruptedly continued! Mr. Hazard felt himself at
home in the General Assembly. There, and not in
our courts or primary assemblies, did he put forth
with the most effect the uncommon powers with which
he was gifted. His talents for debate would have




BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES AND MEMORANDA.  137
won for him no mean rank, even in the highest delibera.
tive body in our country. The tricks of oratory-the
artificial embellishments of rhetoric- he seemed to
scorn-but, if his aim were either to support or to defeat
a measure, no man was a more skilful master of the
language and of the style of argument required for his
purpose. No man more clearly comprehended, and at
times more ably defended, the true merits of a public
question. No man, too, it should be added, better
knew how to perplex his adversaries by subtle objections, or to wither them by caustic sarcasm. Mr.
Hazard was fond of reading. In my last interview
with him, not many months before his death, he
spoke, with great animation and emphasis, of his
relish for Shakspeare, Sir Walter Scott, and Dean
Swift. His predilection for the latter, will not surprise those who recall to memory the celebrity of
Swift, as a politician, and the wonderful influence
which, by the peculiar character and direction of his
intellect, he obtained over the popular mind. Mr.
Hazard could boast a true Rhode Island lineage, and
he was, in spirit,. a genuine Rhode Island manattached to the old Charter, and to all the institutions
which grew up under it. The Report on the Extension of Suffrage, made by a Committee of which he
was Chairman, in the year 1829, is characterized by
unusual ability. It is among the very few productions of his pen to which he attached his name, and,
in style and argument, may, perhaps, be deemed one
of the best specimens of his peculiar powers. He died
at Newport, March 10, 1841, aged sixty-nine years.
18




138     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
[No. 7.-Page 113.]
WILLIAM ELLERY, one of the illustrious signers of
the Declaration of American Independence, was born
in Newport, December 22, 1727. There he passed the
whole of his long life, except when absent in the public service; and there he died, February 15, 1820, in the
ninety-third year of his age. His grave is not among
the least interesting memorials of by-gone times to be
found at Newport.
OLIVER HAZARD PERRY, who at the age of twentyseven years, achieved the victory of Lake Erie, was
born at South-Kingstown, August 23, 1785. He died
at Port Spain, Trinidad, August 23, 1819, aged thirtyfour years. His remains were conveyed to his native
land, in a ship of war, according to an act of Congress,
and were interred at Newport, which had long been his
home, December 4, 1826. A neat granite monument,
bearing an appropriate inscription, has been erected by
the State of Rhode Island, to indicate the spot where
sleep the ashes of one of the most heroic of her sons.
[No. 8.-Page 113.]
The celebrated GEORGE BERKELEY, D. D., Dean of
Derry, and afterwards Bishop of Cloyne, was born in
Ireland, in the year 1684. Intent on the conversion of
the American savages to Christianity, by the establish



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES AND MEMORANDA.  139
ment of a College in the Bermuda Islands, he arrived
at Newport, with his family and several literary and
scientific gentlemen, January 23, 1729. In a short
biographical sketch of Bishop Berkeley, prefixed by
the Rev. Dr. Elton, of Brown University, to his
edition of Callender's Century Sermon, may be found
the following interesting particulars concerning the
Bishop's residence on Rhode Island: "Soon after his
arrival, the Dean purchased a country seat and farm
about three miles from Newport, and there erected a
house which he named Whitehall. He was admitted
a freeman of the Colony at the General Assembly in
1729. He resided at Newport about two years and a
half, and often preached at Trinity Church. Though
he was obliged to return to Europe, without effecting
his original design, yet his visit was of great utility in
imparting an impulse to the literature of our country,
particularly in Rhode Island and Connecticut. During his residence on the island of Rhode Island,
he meditated and composed his Alciphron, or Minute
Philosopher, and tradition says, principally at a place,
about half a mile southerly from Whitehall. There,
in the most elevated part of the Hanging Rocks, (so
called,) he found a natural alcove, roofed and opening
to the south, commanding at once a beautiful view of
the ocean and the circumjacent islands. This place is
said to have been his favorite retreat."
The learned Dean repeatedly visited Narragansett,
and so enraptured was he with the prospect from Barber's heights, in North-Kingstown, that he expressed
a desire to select it as the site for his projected College.
Failing in his favorite plan, he returned to England,




140     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
in 1733, and died at Oxford, in 1753, in the seventythird year of his age.
The organ presented by him to Trinity Church,
Newport, after his return, is still in constant use, and
is among the most interesting objects in that venerable edifice.
WILLIAM  ELLERY CHANNING, D. D., was born in
Newport, in the year 1780.  There he passed the
scenes of his early boyhood, and there, or rather at a
beautiful retreat only a few miles distant from the town,
he was accustomed, in his riper years, to seek health
and repose, during the heats of summer. The infuences of the scenery of the island, in moulding the
spirit of Dr. Channing, are most eloquently described
in the following passage from a Sermon on " Christian
Worship," preached by him at the dedication of a
Church, in Newport, July 27, 1836:
"As my mind unfolded, I became more and more
alive-to the beautiful scenery which now attracts
strangers to our island. My first liberty was used in
roaming over the neighboring fields and shores; and
amid this glorious nature, that love of liberty sprang
up, which has gained strength within me to this hour.
I early received impressions of the great aud beautiful, which I believe have had no small influence in determining my modes of thought and habits of life. In
this town I pursued, for a time, my studies of theology.
I had no professor or teacher to guide me; but I had
two noble places of study. One was yonder beautiful
edifice, [the Redwood Library,] now so frequented,
and so useful as a public library, then so deserted that




BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES AND MEMORANDA.  141
I spent day after day, and sometimes week after week,
amidst its dusty volumes, without interruption from a
single visitor. The other place was yonder beach,
the roar of which has so often mingled with the worship of this place, my daily resort, dear to me in the
sunshine, still more attractive in the storm. Seldom
do I visit it now without thinking of the work, which
there, in the sight of that beauty, in the sound of
those waves, was carried on in my soul. No spot on
earth has helped to form me so much as that beach.
There I lifted up my voice in praise amidst the tempest. There, softened by beauty, I poured out my
thanksgiving and contrite confessions. There, in reverential sympathy with the mighty power around me, I
became conscious of power within. There struggling
thoughts and emotions broke forth as if moved to
utterance by nature's eloquence of the winds and
waves.-There began a happiness surpassing all worldly
pleasures, all gifts of fortune, the happiness of communing with the works of God.  Pardon me this
reference to myself. I believe that the worship, of
which I have this day spoken, was aided in my own
soul by the scenes in which my early life was passed.
Amidst these scenes, and in speaking of this worship,
allow me to thank God, that this beautiful island was
the place of my birth."
This pure and highly gifted man died, while on an
excursion for the benefit of his health, at Bennington,
Vermont, October 2, 1842, aged sixty-two years.




142        WRITINGS OF WILLIAM  G. GODDARD.
[[No. 9. —Page 114.]
The whole of the beautiful and spirited lyrical
effusion, from  which  I have  quoted  two stanzas, deserves to be embodied in a form less ephemeral than
the pages of a newspaper. It was first published in
the Providence Journal, of July 15, 1842, and is from
the pen of the Rev. GEORGE BURGESS, A. M., a native
of Providence, (R. I.) and  now  Rector of Christ's
Church, (Hartford, Conn.) The Notes which I have
added, are intended to explain allusions which might
otherwise be obscure to people abroad.
0 gallant land of bosoms true,
Still bear that stainless shield!
That anchor clung, the tempest through;
That hope, untaught to yield!
Fair city, " all thy banners wave,"
And high thy trumpet sound!
The name thy righteous father gave,
Still guards thee round and round!
No thirst for war's wild joy was thine,
Nor flashed one hireling sword:
Forth, for their own dear household shrine,
The patriot yeomen poured;
There, rank to rank, like brethren stood,
One soul, and step, and hand;
And crushed the stranger's robber-brood,
And kept their father's land.*
* The first and second stanzas refer to the noble determination of the citizen
soldiers of Providence, and of the gallant yeomen who came to their aid, to rescue that city from the ignominious and most calamitous fate, which would
have befallen her, had the forces of the Insurgents, embodied at ChepacLet,
been triumphant.




BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES AND  MEMORANDA.   143
High hung the rusting scythe awhile,
And ceased the spindle's roar,
The boat rocked idly by the isle,
And on the ocean shore;
The belted burgher paced his street;
The seaman wheeled his gun;
Steel gleamed along the ruler's seat,
And study's task was done!
Old Narragansett rang with arms,
And rang the silver bay,
And that sweet shore whose girdled charms
Were Philip's ancient sway;
And our own island's halcyon scene
The black artillery sent;
And answered, from the home of Greene,
The men of dauntless Kent! *
Can freedom's truth endure the shock
That comes in freedom's name?
Rhode Island, like a Spartan rock,
Upheld her country's fame!
The land that first threw wide its gates,
And gave the exile rest,
First arms to save the strength of States,
And guards her freedom best.
O ever thus, dear land of ours,
Be nurse of steadfast men!
So, firmer far than hills and towers,
Or rocky pass and glen!
[For peace alone, to dare the fight;
The soldier for the laws;
Thine anchor fast in Heavenly might,
Thy hope, an holy cause!
* The third and fourth stanzas are exactly descriptive of the state of things
in Rhode Island, during the last week in June 1842. All the common occupations of life were suspended; and troops, composed of infantry and artillery, promptly repaired to Providence, from the county of Washington, (Old
Narragansett) and from the counties of Newport, Bristol and Kent. Senti



144       WRITINGS OF WILLIAM  G. GODDARD.
HISTORICAL MEMORANDA.
Our ancestors, when they settled in this State, incorporated themselves into a body politic, and, by
unanimous agreement, ordained and declared their
government to be a " democacie," or popular government. They, at the same time, adopted a resolution
that " none should be received as inhabitants or freemen, but by consent of the body." Of those who
came hither from abroad, they admitted such as " upon
orderly presentation were found meet for the service
of the body, and no just exception found against
them."  None but those who were regularly admitted
freemen were allowed to take any part in the affairs of
the government; although it is certain that many of
the inhabitants were not freemen, or qualified electors.
It appears from the early colonial records, that persons were  not unfrequently  "disfranchised of the
privileges and prerogatives belonging to the body
politick," and that, in some cases, they were " suspended
their votes till they had given satisfaction for their
offences."  The persons thus disfranchised were not
unfrequently, re-admitted, and the early records likewise show that the " censure of suspension " was not
perpetual.
nels were stationed in the most frequented streets of Providence; an efficient
company of seamen, the "Sea Fencibles," was organized; the Legislature
adjourned, for the purpose of allowing the members to proceed to the scene
of conflict; and such confusion reigned in the city, that the studies in the
University were suspended, till Commencement.




BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES AND MEMORANDA.  145
The Charter of King Charles II. contains no provision defining or regulating the right of suffrage. It
simply empowered the General Assembly to choose
such persons as they should think fit "to be free of
the said Company and body politick, and them into
the same to admit." This power the General Assembly
continued to exercise, until, in 1666, they granted it
to the towns, to be exercised by them in town meeting.
In 1663-4, all persons, were required to be of " competent estates," in order to be admitted to vote. This
qualification was re-enacted in 1665. In 1723-4, was
enacted the statute which provided that no person
could be admitted a freeman of any town, unless he
owned a freehold estate of the value fixed by law. In
1798, the value of such freehold estate was required
to be one hundred and thirty-four dollars, and thus it
remained till the adoption of the Constitution.  The
main provisions of the act of 1723-4 have been, again
and again, enacted. No material change has ever
been made in the amount originally prescribed-and
that act has invariably been considered by the General Assembly, and by the people, in the light of a
fundamental law.
The Charter of 1663, provided that the towns in
the State should be represented by " not exceeding six
persons, for Newport, four persons for each of the respective towns of Providernce, Portsmouth and Warwick, and two persons for each other town." In process of time, owing to the increase of population in
some towns, and to its decrease or slow growth in
others, the representation from the towns became very
unequal.  This inequality, however, though often
made a topic of complaint, was never felt, even by the
19




146     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
towns, who were inadequately represented, as a serious
practical grievance.  The Senate, consisting of the
Governor, Lieutenant Governor and ten Senators, was
chosen annually by general ticket, and was, therefore,
under the Charter government, that branch of the
Legislature which reflected, fully and impartially, the
sentiments of the people.
Within about twenty years, four attempts have been
made, under the sanction of acts of the General Assembly, to form a Constitution for this State, all of
which attempts, except the last, failed. The first was
made in the year 1824. The Constitution, which was
then framed and submitted to the people, corrected to
a very considerable extent, the alleged evil of an unequal representation. It, however, left untouched the
freehold qualification, rejecting, almost unanimously, a
motion to extend the elective franchise to non-freeholders. Had this Constitution been judged according
to its merits, it would have met a better fate. The
people, not yet ripe for a change, rejected it by a very
decided majority. Total of votes for the Constitution,
one thousand six hundred and sixty-eight-against it,
three thousand two hundred and six; majority against
it, one thousand five hundred and thirty-eight.
In 1834, another Convention for the purpose of
framing a Constitution dissolved, for want of a quorum,
and without submitting a draught of a Constitution
to the suffrages of the people. A motion to extend the
elective franchise to non-freeholders obtained, in this
Convention, only seven votes, but four more than were
obtained in 1824. In this Convention, seven towns,
out of thirty-one, were unrepresented-an indication
that, up to that time, the desire to part with the Char



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES AND MEMORANDA.  147
ter government, or to change any of its essential provisions, was far from universal.
In 1836, the Election Law again underwent a revision by the General Assembly, then composed of a
decided majority of the democratic party. The exclusive freehold qualification, being deemed a part of
the fundamental law of Rhode Island, was, however,
retained. Only two members voted in favor of changing it!
In March 1840, the Rhode Island Suffrage Association was formed, having in view " a liberal extension
of suffrage to the native white male citizens of the
United States resident in Rhode Island."  At that
time, universal suffrage was, by the members of this
association, very generally repudiated. Suffrage associations, auxiliary to the parent body, were subsequently formed in various parts of the State.
In January 1841, printed petitions, signed by about
six hundred persons in all, were presented to the Legislature, praying for " the abrogation of the Charter,
and the establishment of a Constitution which should
more effectually define the authority of the executive
and legislative branches, and more strongly recognize
the rights of the citizens." The signers of these petitions suggested the propriety of an extension of suffrage " to a greater portion of the white male residents
of the State," than were permitted by the then existing laws to exercise the elective franchise. At the
same session of the General Assembly, a memorial was
presented from the town of Smithfield, setting forth
"the extreme inequality of the representation from
the several towns," and asking legislative interposition for the correction of the alleged evil. The result




148     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
of these applications to the Legislature, was the passage of resolutions requesting the people to elect delegates to a Convention to be held at Providence, in
November 1841, to frame a new Constitution for this
State, in whole or in part. At the session in June
1841, a resolution was adopted, constituting the proposed Convention more strictly upon the basis of population. The Legislature, however, refused to extend the right of electing delegates to the Convention,
to persons who were not qualified electors by the
fundamental laws of the State. Notwithstanding the
disposition of the General Assembly to act, in this
matter, in accordance with popular sentiment, -measures were taken, before the June session, by the friends
of the suffrage movement, to organize a Convention
by their own authority.
In May, 1841, at a mass meeting held in Newport,
under the auspices of the Suffrage Association, measures were taken for calling a convention of the people,
without any regard to the fundamental laws of this
State, which, for more than one hundred years, had
required the possession of a freehold, to entitle a
person to be admitted to the exercise of political
power, and to be a member of the body politic and
corporate. A portion of the people responded to the
call of this unauthorized body, and met in the several
towns to choose delegates to a Convention to form a
Constitution for this State, to be holden at Providence,
October 9th, 1841.
This was in anticipation of the lawful Convention
which was to meet on the first Monday of November,
1841.
The unauthorized Convention assembled in Provi



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES AND MDEMORANDA.  149
dence, at the time appointed. They were the delegates of a minority of the people, in whatever sense
the word people may be understood. A small portion
of the freeholders joined in this irregular election, and
although all persons were admitted to vote who chose,
not more than about seven thousand two hundred
votes, gave any appearance of sanction to this Convention. The number of white male citizens of the
United States, resident in this State, over twenty-one
years of age, exceeds twenty-two thousand. Inasmuch
as this Convention assumed the authority which,
under the laws of the State, was to be exercised by
another Convention, chosen by the freemen for that
purpose, they acted in opposition to the law under
which the lawful Convention was called, and in violation of the right which belonged to the legally qualified
electors, to make a Constitution for this State.
This unlawful Convention, elected by a minority of
the people, proceeded to the solemn work of forming a
Constitution to be proposed to the people of this State,
and also exercised one of the most important powers
of sovereignty; of their own authority they decided
what portion of the people should, and what portion
should not, vote upon the adoption or rejection of the
Constitution. At meetings holden under their authority, their Constitution was submitted to those
whom they pleased to recognize as the people. It was
voted for, during three days, in open meetings, and
three days by votes collected from all quarters, by any
person or persons, and brought to the pretended Moderator, and with no opportunity for detection of frauds.
Votes thus collected and counted by their own mode
of computation, they declared to have been given by




150     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
a majority of the people, and by the same pretended
authority, they proclaimed their Constitution to be the
supreme law of this State.
By the " People's " Constitution, " every white male
citizen of the United States of the age of twenty-one
years, who has resided in this State for one year, and
in the town where he votes for six months," was permitted to vote.
The lawful Convention assembled at the appointed
time, the first Monday in November, 1841. The result
of their deliberations was a Constitution, extending
the right of suffrage to every white male native citizen
of the United States, of the age of twenty-one years,
who had resided two years in the State. In reference
to naturalized citizens, the freehold qualification was
retained.
On the 21st, 22d and 23d of March, 1841, the legal
Constitution, by an act of the Legislature, was submitted to all persons, who by its provisions would be
entitled to vote under it, after its adoption, for their
ratification. It was rejected by a majority of six
hundred and seventy-six, the number of votes polled
being sixteen thousand seven hundred and two-for
the Constitution, eight thousand and thirteen —against
it, eight thousand six hundred and eighty-nine. Many
freeholders voted against it, because they were attached to the old form of government. Both parties
used uncommon exertions to bring all their voters to
the polls. Yet, under the scrutiny of opposing interests, in legal town meetings, the friends of the People's
Constitution brought to the polls probably not over
seven thousand to seven thousand five hundred votes.
If one thousand be allowed as the number of free



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES AND MEMORANDA.  151
holders who voted against the legal Constitution,
because they were opposed to any Constitution, it
would leave the number of the friends of the People's
Constitution seven thousand six hundred, or one-third
of the voters of the State under the new qualification
proposed by either Constitution.
The whole number of persons claimed to have voted
for the People's Constitution, was thirteen thousand
nine hundred and ninety-six. The number claimed by
the suffrage party, as being entitled to vote, was
twenty-three thousand five hundred and forty-two.
At the first election under the People's Constitution,
held while the excitement on the subject of suffrage
was unabated, only. six thousand four hundred and
seventeen persons voted-a reduction of seven thousand four hundred and forty-nine, from the alleged
vote for the Constitution! In the town of Newport,
one thousand two hundred and seven votes were
claimed for the People's Constitution. Only three
months afterwards, in March 1842, the vote was
taken upon the legal Constitution, and every person
who had resided in the State two years, was admitted
to vote, and only foreigners and the transient population excluded. The suffrage party, after the most
strenuous exertions, could obtain only three hundred
and sixty-one votes against it! The aggregate vote of
both parties, given at this same town meeting, was
only one thousand and ninety.one votes! These facts
cannot easily be explained away. What frauds were
committed in other towns, the people were not permitted to ascertain. The People's Convention, in
January 1842, by resolution, authorized their Secretaries to copy any part of the registry of the votes, or




152     WRITING S OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
the votes themselves, upon the application of any person. Foreseeing what would be the inevitable result
of a rigid examination of the registry, the Suffrage
Association countermanded the orders of the People's
Convention, and prohibited any further copies from
being taken!
On the 4th of May 1842, the Charter government
was organized, as usual, at Newport. The suffrage
party, having also elected a Governor and a Legislature, under the so-called  "People's Constitution,"
organized a government, under the protection of an
armed force, May 3d, 1841, at Providence.
On the 18th of May 1842, an attempt was made by
an armed force, commanded by the Governor under
the People's Constitution, to capture the State's
Arsenal in Providence. The military force assembled
on that occasion, was, in the language of the " People's
Governor," "not less than four hundred men, whose
port and spirit indicated that they were ready, in the
last resort, to sustain the People's Constitution, and
the government duly elected under it, by all necessary
means i" The result of this most atrocious enterprise
has become matter of history.
In the third week of June 1842, the General Assembly passed an act providing for another Convention
to form a Constitution, to be held in September, and
to be composed of delegates chosen by persons having
three years' residence in the State, neither property,
taxation, nor military service being required as a
qualification.
In the last week of June 1842, another desperate
effort was made to overthrow, by force of arms, the
regular government of Rhode Island, and to establish




BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES AND MIEMORANDA.  153
the  " People's Constitution" upon  its  ruins.  The
result of this effort, which has given to Chepachet and
to the Insurgents who there assembled, so unenviable
a celebrity, has likewise become matter of history.
The Convention provided for by the act of the General Assembly in June, assembled at Newport, in September 1842.  The  Constitution  under which  the
government of Rhode Island has just been organized,
was draughted by this Convention, and by them was
submitted to the people, for adoption or rejection, on
the 21st, 22d and 23d days of November 1842.  The
people adopted it by a very decided vote; for the
Constitution, seven thousand and thirty-two-against
it, only fifty-nine.  The suffrage party formally protested against the adoption of the legal Constitution,
and declined even to vote against it! They, however,
subsequently  determined  to  register  their  names,
according to its provisions; and, at the recent election, by voting under it, they, in a legal sense, fully
acknowledged its VALIDITY!:
ORI:GIN OF THE WVORI) "4 PROX."
At the recent election in this State, one of the
"tickets" on which was placed the names of candidates for General Officers, was denominated Rhode
Island "Prox."  As the Constitution cannot give law
* NOTE.-Vide Report of the Committee on the action of the General Assembly, on the subject of the Constitution, March Session, 1842.-Hazard's Report on the Extension of Suffrage, June Session, 1829.-Statement submitted
by John WVhipple, John Brown Francis, and Elisha R. Potter to the President of the United States, 1842.-Considerations on the Rhode Island Question,
by Elisha R. Potter, 1842.-Frieze's "Concise History " of the Suffrage Movement, 1842.
20




154     WRITINGS OF WILLIAMI (G. GODDARD.
to language, this word, so long associated with institutions under the Charter government, is likely to be
retained in use. The following account of its meaning
and derivation, is, therefore, not unworthy of preservation. It was published originally in the Rhode Island
American for August 1, 1817, and was written, in the
presence of the Editor, currente calaemo, by the late
lion. James Burrill:
"We use the word Prox in the sense of a ticket or
list of candidates for the offices of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Senators. The origin of this singular use of the word is, it is believed, as follows:Under the Charter of Charles II. to the Colony of
Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, the freemen, after having elected their Representatives at
home, went in person to Newport to vote for " Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Assistants." At a
later period, this mode being found inconvenient, the
General Assembly passed a law permitting the freemen to vote in the April town meeting for General
officers, and the votes thus given in were and are now
by law, called Prioxy votes, because they were to have
the freeman's name written on the back of the vote,
and were to be sent to the General Assembly by one
of the members, who was thus considered as the
Proxy of his constituent-and the member himself
might, as might also any other freeman who did not
vote in April, give in his vote personally at the General Election in May. When an election was likely
to prove "close," as the phrase was, the friends of the
candidates collected all such frieemen as had not voted
in town meeting, and carried them to Newport to vote
at the General Election. This system being obviously




THE CIVIL GOVERNMENT OF RHODE ISLAND.  155
calculated to promote bribery and corruption, and
being also productive, as experience proved, of riots
and tumults at the General Election, was altered many
years ago; and the freemen, as in other States, now
give their suffrages in their respective town meetings.
So late, however, as 1798, a Representative in the Assembly, who had not voted at home, might vote on
the Annual Election Day at Newport.
"Though the reason for the singular use of this
word among us has long ceased, the word, as is often
the case in other instances, remains in use. And our
statutes call the votes given in for " General Officers,"
proxy votes, and in common parlance the vote is called
a prox, or in the plural, proxies."
RECEPTION OF THE CHARTER OF CHARLES II.
The following extracts from the Colony Records,
show how cordial and diffusive was the joy felt by
our ancestors, at the reception of the Charter of
Charles II.
THE PROCEEDS OF A COURT OF COMMISTIONERS AT
NUPORT, NOVEMBER 24: 1663.
Votted that Captayne George Baxter be desiered to
bring forth and present the Charter to this Court.
Votted that this Court be adiourned vntill to
morrow morning eight of the clocke to give way for
the Charter to be read.
Att a very great Metting and Asembly of the
Freemen of the Collony of Providence Plantations at




156     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
Nuport one Rhod-Iland in New England November 24: 1663.
The abovesayd Asembly beinge legally called and
orderly mett for the Sollome Reseption of his Maiestyes gratious Letters pattents vnto them  sent and
having in order therto chosen the Presedent Benidick
Arnold Moderator of the Asembly,
It was ordered and voted Nemene Contradecente.
Voted 1. That Mr. John Clarke the Collony Agents
Letter to the Presedent Asestants and freemen of the
Collony be opened and Read which accordingly was
done with good delevery and atentionVoted 2. That the box in which the King's gratious
Letters weare inclosed be opened and the Letters with
the Broad Seale thereto affexed be taken forth and
Read by Captayne George Baxter in the audiance and
vew of all the people: which was accordingly done
and the sayd letters with his Maiestyes Royall Stampe
and the broad Seale with much beseming gravity held
up on hygh and presented to the parfitt vew of the
people, and soe Retorned into the box and locked vp
by the Governor in order to the safe keping it.
[Here follow votes of thanks to King Charles II., to
Lord Clarendon, and to Dr. Clarke.]
Voted 8. That Captayne George Baxter shall have
five and twentye pound starling in Corrant pay given
him as a token from the Collony of ther Thankfull
Resentment of the Charter of which hee was the most
faythfull and happie bringer and presenter by our
Agents order vnto this Asembly besids the Charge of
his being in and cominge from Boston therwith to be
alsoe defrayed and the sd 25 pound to be payd him
with all conveniante speed.




BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHIES AND MEMORANDA.  157
Votted 9. That all the above sayd Votts be Recorded by Joseph Torrey Gennerall Recorder and soe
the Asembly is disoulfed in order to the aecquiseing
his Maiestyes order and Commands in the Charter."
Colony Records, pp. 232-234.








MEMOIR
OF THE REV. JAMES MANNING, D. D., FIRST PRESIDENT  OF
BROWN UNIVERSITY, PUBLISHED IN MAY, 1839.*
A  CENTURY has elapsed since the birth of Dr. Maning, and nearly half that portion of time since his
death.   Few, very few, of his contemporaries are now
among the living  upon  earth.   Not one of those liberal and  enlightened  friends  of piety  and  learning,
who  helped  to  lay the  foundations of Rhode  Island
College, and not one  of the  original members of its
Corporation, forty-eight in number, are now alive to
lend the aid  of their recollections to this endeavor to
place on record a few  memorialb  of the  life and character of James Manning.   Of the Professors associated
with  him, the  venerable  Dr. Waterhouse,+  of Caml* This institution was incorporated as " The College or University in the
English Colony of Rhode Island;" and was, in common parlance, denominated Rhode Island College, till the year 1804, when, in consequence of a liberal donation from the Hon. Nicholas Brown, of Providence, the Corporation
determined that it should "be called, in all future time, by the name of
"BROWN UNIVERSITY."
t This gentleman, distinguished in the medical history of our country, as
"the American Jenner," was born in Newport, R. I. His father, originally
a Presbyterian, embraced the religious opinions of the Society of Friends, after
he had reached mature life; and to those opinions he remained sincerely attached, till his death, at an advanced age. His son, to borrow his own lan



1 (30       WRITINGS OF WILLIAM  (G. GODDARD.
bridge, Ms., is the only survivor; and of the Tutors,
all except the Hon. Asher Robbins,j of Newport, R. I.,
guage, " was born and educated in the principles of liberal Quakerism." He
has, however, it is believed, never adopted the peculiarities of that quiet and
useful sect, nor has he, for many years, been accustomed to unite with them
in their religious worship. Dr. Waterhouse never received a collegiate education; but few of our countrymen have been more frequently honored by distinctions from literary and scientific bodies, at home and abroad. That his
early academical training was not neglected, is evident from his various publications, some of which evince a familiarity with the learned languages.
He was a pupil of the celebrated Dr. Fothergill, of London, and he subsequently pursued his medical studies at the famous schools of Edinburgh and
Leyden. From the Leyden school, he received the degree of Doctor in
Medicine. In 1783, he was appointed Professor of the Theory and Practice of
Medicine in Harvard University, and he continued to perform the duties of
that Chair, for the period of nearly thirty years. This was among the earliest
medical schools established in our country; and of the original Professors, Dr.
Waterhouse alone survives. From 1782 to 1795, Dr. Waterhouse was a member of the Board of Fellows of Rhode Island College, and, in that capacity, he
seldom failed to attend its annual Commencements. In 1784, he was elected
Professor of Natural History in the same institution, and, while occupying
this chair, he delivered, in the State-house in Providence, the first course of
lectures upon that science ever delivered in the United States. T]le benevolent and intrepid agency of Dr. Waterhouse in introducing vaccination into
this country, is too fresh in the public recollection, to need more than this
passing allusion. Among the works which he has published, may be noted,
more particularly, an elaborate and ingenious essay, in one octavo volume,
which is intended to show that Lord Chathamn was the author of the celebrated
Letters of Junius.-Dr. Waterhouse, we are pleased to add, is still living; and,
though he is far advanced in the vale of life, his spirits are cheerfilf, and his
mind is gratefully occupied in those intellectual pursuits to which, in the more
active seasons of life, he was devoted.
I This early friend and official associate of Dr. MLanning was born in Connecticut. and was graduated at'ale College in 1782. Soon after he had completed his collegiate education, he was elected a Tutor in Rhode Island
College. While, for the term of seven years, he was thus occupied in quickening the diligence of his pupils, and in imbuing their minds with a genuine
relish for the varied forms of classical beauty, he sought every opportunity to
cultivate his own taste for the classics, and, indeed, for every species of elegant
learning. After resigning his Tutorship, he studied law under the late Hon.
William Channing, of Newport, and, at that time, the Attorney-General of
Rhode Island. Mr. Robbins established himself at Newport in the practice of
the law, and there he has ever since resided. In his profession, he soon attained a hioh rank, as a well-read lawyer, and as an advocate gifted, in no
humble measure, with powers of lumninous, acute and logical argumentation.
For the last fourteen years, he has represented, with acknowledged ability,
the State of Rhode Island in the Senate of the United States. In the debates
of that body he -has not often participated; but on no occasion has he addressed
the Senate, without leaving upon the minds of all who heard him a decided




MEMOIR  OF REV. JAMES MANNING, D. D.                   161
are departed. These impressive facts are here stated,
not so much to inculcate a lesson of moral wisdom,
as to anticipate objections  to which this sketch of Dr.
Manning  may be  liable, from  its deficiency in minute
information, and  in discriminating  estimate of character. In connection with these facts, it should, for the
same  reason, be  added, that Dr. Manning never published  any of the  productions  of his mind, except a
Baccalaureate Address, and  that, with  the" exception
of one or two familiar letters, he  left nothing in manuscript. From scattered and unavoidably imperfect
sources must, therefore, be collected all the particulars
which can now be obtained respecting this remarkable
man, and (in  reference to Rhode Island) this eminent
pioneer in the cause of science and letters.
~,Dr. JAMES MANNING was born in Elizabethtown,
N. J., October 22, 1738. Concerning his remote ancestors, it is now too late to obtain authentic information.
His parents are said to have been substantial and pious
people; and, from the skill in husbandry which their
son exhibited, it is inferred that they were proprietors
and cultivators of the soil. To them and to the village
impression of his high intellectual powers and accomplishments-of his ability
as a statesman and his acquisitions as a scholar. To the ancient classics, the
Greek more especially, he is still ardently attached; and, during the intervals
of relaxation from public toil, it is his selectest pleasure to commune with
those immortal minds who have bequeathed to the world the richest treasures
of thought and the most exquisite models of style. While politicians of
coarser mould busy themselves in fomenting the rude strifes of party, Mr.
Robbins, from the impulse of a purer taste, when public duty does not forbid
the indulgence, addresses himself to the gorgeous fictions of Homer or to the
unsurpassed orations of Demosthenes. In the year 1835, the Fellows of Brown
University manifested their sense of Mr. Robbins's talents, as a civilian, by
conferring upon him the degree of Doctor of Laws. We lament that such a
man, so fitted to temper the violence of political controversy, is about to retire
to private life. May the declining years of this veteran scholar be cheered by
the best consolations; and may his sun, now verging towards its setting, linger, yet longer, above the horizon.
21




162     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM. CG. GODDARD.
school, was young Manning indebted for his first lessons in the elementary branches of learning. To
parental counsel and example was he also indebted
for those principles of right conduct, and those cultivated moral sensibilities, which saved his youth from
frivolity and vice, and which, ere he had ripened into
manhood, God was pleased, through the influence of
his Spirit, to crown with the beauty of Christian holiness. At what age he became the subject of peculiar
religious impressions, is not known; but it is known
that, before he had attained his majority, he solemnly
consecrated himself to the service of God.
In the year 1756, the Rev. Isaac Eaton, opened an
Academy at Hopewell, N. J. "for the education of
youth for the ministry." To Mr. Eaton belongs the
high honor of being the first American Baptist to establish a seminary for the literary and theological
education of those young men who embraced the doctrines of his sect, and designed, ultimately, to preach
them. In this seminary, young Manning pursued
those branches of mathematical and classical learning
which, at that time, were required for admission into
our American colleges.
At the age of about twenty, he entered Princeton
College, then, as now, one of the most distinguished
literary institutions in the country. Of his collegiate
life few memorials have reached the present day. It
passed on, probably without striking incident, from
its commencement to its close, in the pursuit of high
intellectual aims, and in the cultivation of a wellformed moral character. He graduated in 1762, with,
it is said, the highest honors of his class. This class
consisted of twenty, and was somewhat eminent for its




MEMOIR OF REV. JAMES MANNING, D. D.    163
scholarship. The distinction conferred upon young
Manning provoked some discontent among his ambitious compeers, who could not, however, have been the
most impartial judges of his merit or their own.*
Soon after he had completed his collegiate course,
he was settled as the pastor of a Baptist church in
Morristown, N. J. At that time, theological seminaries, richly endowed, and furnished with valuable
libraries and a corps of learned Professors, were quite
unknown in our country.   Young men were then
prepared for the duties of the ministry, chiefly under
the superintendence of clergymen who had made themselves known by  their attainments  in theological
science, or who were celebrated for their eloquent exhibitions of truth from the pulpit.  The sentiment, so
beautifully expressed by Dr. South-that " the Spirit
always guides and instructs before he saves; and as he
brings to happiness, only by the ways of holiness, so
he never leads to true holiness but by the paths of
kEnowledge,"-then commanded an assent by no means
universal. The Baptists have since adopted an elevated standard for the education of Christian minis.
ters; but, in the days of Dr. Manning, they had made
but slender provision for the professional training of
their clergy.  That excellent man, it is, therefore, not
unfair to presume, engaged in his pastoral duties, with
no pretensions to theological erudition or to polemical
skill; but he was endowed with what is far better —
with the spirit of Christian gentleness and Christian
wisdom. In powers of severe analysis and comprehend
* The degree of Doctor in Divinity was conferred upon Mr. Manning, by the
University of Pennsylvania, but in what year we have, in vain, endeavored to
ascertain.




164     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
sive generalization, he may have been deficient; but
he was rich in cultivated tastes, sympathies, and affections. He had learned from the Bible and from the
experience of his own heart, how to touch the moral
sensibilities of his hearers, and he addressed himself
to the work, with apostolical simplicity and fervor.
Even in the first stages of his ministry, he was, as a
preacher, highly acceptable. He was invited to become the pastor of the Baptist church in his native
town, but this invitation, though a pressing one, he
felt it his duty to decline. Soon afterwards, he travelled through several of the colonies, to ascertain the
actual state of religion, and to prepare himself for
more extended usefulness, by a larger acquaintance
with men and manners. No record is left to indicate
the extent, or to exhibit the incidents of his journey.
On the 23d of March, 1763, Dr. Manning was
united in marriage to Miss Margaret Stites, daughter
of John Stites, Esq. of Elizabethtown. With this
excellent woman, he lived, most happily, till his
death. She survived him many years, and, after a
long and solitary widowhood, never having known
the pleasures of maternity, she died in Providence,
R. I., November 9, 1815, aged seventy-five years.
His connection with the church at Morristown was
of short duration; for, it would seem that, towards the
close of the year 1763, he accepted an invitation from
the Baptist church in Warren, R. I., to become their
pastor. Soon after his ordination, he opened a Latin
school in that town. Respecting his course of life,
when he thus discharged the duties of a classical
teacher and a village pastor, we have no information
to impart. The praise of laborious diligence and of




MEMOIR OF REV. JAMES MANNING, D. D.    165
accurate knowledge in the business of instruction may,
without hazard, be claimed for him; and the reluctance with which he parted from his beloved peoplea reluctance which even the prospect of more enlarged
usefulness and a more conspicuous station could not
overcome-is no equivocal evidence of his affectionate,
faithful, and disinterested ministrations.  The compensation, which he received for his various labors at
Warren, was barely sufficient for his support. While,
however, his outward man was thus a stranger to the
luxurious accommodations of life, his inner man was
sustained by the ennobling consciousness that he
lived not in vain;-that he was treading, with cheerful
alacrity, the path of appointed trial; and that, through
his agency, multitudes were becoming wiser and better, for time and for eternity. On this passage in the
life of Dr. Manning, it is delightful to dwell. It is
delightful to turn aside from scenes of political ambition and ecclesiastical turbulence which now mar our
peace, and to repose, for a while, upon a by-gone example of unaffected humility, of quiet duty, and confiding prayer.  He had been elected President of
Rhode Island -College; and the future prosperity of
that institution was thought to depend on its removal
to Providence. So affectionately desirous, however,
was Dr. Manning of the people of his care, many of
whom had, through his instrumentality, experienced
the transforming efficacy of the religion of Christ,
that he could not find it in his heart to leave them.
To avoid a separation so painful to his sensibilities, he
even proposed to resign the elevated station to which
he had just been appointed. To this proposition his
influential friends would not listen, and they per



166        WRITINGS OF WILLIAM  G. GODDARD.
suaded him  to  abandon all thought of resigning the
Presidentship.   While we are compelled to think that
his final decision was a wise  one, we honor the feelings which well nigh betrayed his judgment. Under
similar circumstances, how few men would have faltered; how few would -have sought to renounce the
pathway to literary and social distinction, for the unambitious career of a village pastor!
We have already alluded to Dr. Manning as the
President of Rhode Island College. It now remains
to trace his history, in connection with  that of the institution of which he may be considered as the
founder, and over which  he  so long, and  with  such
signal ability, presided.
Although, according to Morgan  Edwards, the College was projectedl.in 1.762, by the Philadelphia  Baptist Association; yet we have no reason for believing
that this or any other ecclesiastical body is entitled to
the praise of being considered its founder. The original conception may have come from  the Philadelphia
Association, but the  credit of moulding this conception into a plan, and of carrying into execution that
plan, would seem  to belong to  Dr. Manning.  In an
obituary notice written by the Hon. David Howell,
his contemporary and official associate,* and published
* The Hon. David Howell, LL. D., was born in New Jersey, January 1,
1747 (0. S.) and graduated at Princeton, in the year 1766. He subsequently
removed to Providence, R. I. where he continued to reside till his death, in
1824, at the age of seventy-seven years. During a large portion of his protracted life, he was connected with the College in Rhode Island. For three
years, he was a Tutor, and the first ever appointed in that institution; for
nine years, Professor of Natural Philosophy; for thirty-four years, Professor
of Law; for fifty-two years, a member of the Board of Fellows; and, for
many years, Secretary of the Corporation. Except, however, as a Tutor, we
have never heard that he participated in the ordinary duties of academical instruction. Though abundantly competent to the task, he never delivered, as




MEMOIR  OF  REV. J.AMES  IMANNING, I. D.                167
in the Providence Gazette, a few   days  after the death
of  Dr. Manning, he  is, without qualification,  designated " as the  founder of the College."   The  opinion
of the Hon. Asher Robbins is in accordance with the
statement of Judge Howell. In a letter to the author,
Mr. Robbins remarks:  "The  College, I  believe, was
the  project of Dr. Manning, and  his  motive was to
give to the Baptist churches a learned clergy. And
this, I have no doubt, was the motive to the liberal
patronage of the opulent men in Providence, of that
persuasion."  Morgan Edwards, in his manuscript History of Rhode Island, states that, in the year 1763, Dr.
Manning recommended  to  several influential Baptist
gentlemen,  assembled   at  Newport,  the  project  of
establishing "a seminary of polite literature, subject to
the government of the Baptists." The project was
favorably received, and Dr. Manning was requested
to present a plan of the proposed institution. With
we have reason to know, any lectures while he filled the chair of Professor of
Law. After President Manning's decease, Judge Howell, at the request of
the Corporation, presided at-two of the Commencements of the College. On
both occasions, he delivered to the graduating class, Baccalaureate Addresses, which, as specimens of undefiled English and excellent counsel,
were deservedly admired. He practised law in Providence for many years,
and was among the most eminent members of the Rhode Island Bar. Under
the Confederation, he was a member of Congress from that State, and he subsequently filled, with great ability, several high offices, civil and judicial. In
1812, he was appointed United States Judge for the District of Rhode Island,
and this office he sustained till his death. Judge Howell was endowed with
extraordinary talents, and he superadded to his endowments extensive and
accurate learning. As an able jurist, he established for himself a solid reputation. He was, however, yet more distinguished as a keen and brilliant wit,
and as a scholar extensively acquainted not only with the ancient, but with
several of the modern languages. As a pungent and effective political writer,
he was almost unrivalled; and, in conversation, whatever chanced to be the
theme, whether politics or law-literature or theology-grammar or criticism
-a Greek tragedy, or a difficult problem  in Mathematics, Judge Howell was
never found wanting. Upon all occasions which made any demands upon
him, he gave the most convincing evidence of the vigor of his powers, and of
the variety and extent of his erudition.




168       VRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
this request he complied, and the plan which he had
prepared was approved. After some delay, the causes
of which are left for the future historian of the College
to relate, a charter for the institution was, in the
year 1764, obtained from the legislature of the colony
of Rhode Island. The original corporators, of whom
Dr. Manning was one, were prominent and influential men. Among the laymen, (and they composed a
large majority,) were the Hon. Stephen Hopkins, and
the Hon. William Ellery, illustrious as signers of the
Declaration of American Independence; —the former,
distinguished for his vigorous powers and his extensive information, especially in political science; the
latter, distinguished, not only for his endowments, but
for his philosophical spirit and the graces of elegant
scholarship. The influence of these men and of their
coadljutors, was successfully put forth in behalf of the
charter, which, after a long and earnest debate, was
granted by a large majority.
Although the charter secures to the Baptists the
control of the College, yet it recognizes, repeatedly,
and in the most unequivocal terms, the grand principles of religious toleration for which Rhode Island,
through every stage in her social progress, has resolutely contended. Again and again, is the College
denominated in the charter as " a liberal and catholic
institution;" and, were this the proper place, it would
be easy to show that the claim to this noble distinction
has never been forfeited.
For several years after the charter was granted, the
College, for obvious reasons, advanced but slowly
towards the station which it was destined to attain.
In September, 1765, Dr. Manning was appointed




MEMOIR OF REV. JAxIES MANNING, D. D.   169
"President, and Professor of Languages, and other
branches of learning, with full power to act in those
capacities, at Warren or elsewhere." This is the language of the record, which, though not obnoxious to
the charge of legal precision, seems to imply, on the
part of the Corporation, no want of confidence in the
variety of the President's attainments.
In the year 1766, President Manning commenced his
course of collegiate instruction at Warren, where it was
at first proposed that the College should be established.
The first commencement was held in that town, September, 1769, at which time a class of only seven was
graduated. To this class belonged the Rev. Dr. William Rogers, a Baptist clergyman of some celebrity in
his day, and the Hon. James Mitchell Varnum, an
advocate of almost unrivalled powers of eloquence.
An important question soon arose, as to the most
eligible place for erecting an edifice for the purposes
of the new institution. Although this question divided
the exertions of the friends of the College, yet it did
not, perhaps, in the end, retard its growth. The original plan of establishing the College at Warren was
adopted, we presume, mainly in reference to the convenience of Dr. Manning, who was connected with
that town by interesting personal and official ties.
The counties of Newport, Providence and Kent, zealously interposed their claims to the advantage of
which the county of Bristol had become the recipient;
and it was not without a patient and formal hearing
of all the arguments advanced in behalf of each of
the competitors, that the Corporation, in the early
part of the year 1770, decided "that the said edifice be built in the town of Providence, and there be
22




17     WRITINGS OF WILLIAMT G. GODDARD.
continued forever."  The Corporation, at the same
time, appointed a committee to assure President Manning of their cordial approbation of his administration of the affairs of the College, to request him to
continue in office, and to transfer his residence to
Providence, on the removal of the institution to that
town. The same committee were also authorized to
endeavor to procure of Mr. Manning's church and congregation their consent to his removal. The cautious
delicacy with which the Corporation interfered with
his existing relations presents a somewhat grateful
contrast to the unceremonious and otherwise questionable modes of procedure which, under similar circumstances, are now sometimes adopted.
The result of all these proceedings may be anticipated. In the course of the year 1770, the first college edifice, now University'Hall, was erected in the
town of Providence; and at the expense, it is understood, exclusively of citizens belonging to the town
and county of Providence. The edifice was not at
once completed; but, in May, 1770, President Manning removed thither, together with his official associates, and the undergraduates of the College. The
first Commencement at Providence was held on the
first Wednesday of September, 1770, when a class of
only four was graduated. Of this number was the
late Hon. Theodore Foster, senator in Congress from
Rhode Island for the period of thirteen years, and
familiarly known for his spirit of antiquarian research,
and for the zeal with which he collected materials for
a history of that State.
Dr. Manning now entered upon a theatre of enlarged and responsible action. The College was in its




MEMOIR OF REV. JAMES MANNING, D. D.    171
infancy, and demanded his parental supervision. Its
funds were scanty, and needed to be recruited. Its
actual system of discipline and instruction was imperfect, and required not only to be improved, but to be
adapted to the new circumstances under which it was
hereafter to be administered. To these important objects Dr. Manning devoted himself, with patience and
energy, and with that spirit of self-denial which is
essential to the success of great enterprises, and which
great enterprises are apt to inspire. In the beneficent
work of establishing, within the little colony of Rhode
Island, "a public seminary for the education of youth
in the vernacular and learned languages, and in the
liberal arts and sciences," he was aided by the efficient
co-operation of the Rev. Morgan Edwards, the Rev.
Hezekiah Smith, and others of his clerical brethren.
It is, however, perhaps not too much to say, that, but
for the enlightened zeal and substantial liberality of a
few eminent Baptist laymen, citizens of Providence,
the College would have been slow in winning its way
to general repute. These public-spirited men, though
strangers themselves to the discipline of schools of
learning, knew how to prize the benefits of high intellectual culture. Though self-educated, they were
without a particle of hostility to. the distinctions of
learning or of that affected contempt for learned men
with which the uncultivated sometimes seek to console
their deficiences. Moved by a generous ardor, they determined that their children and the children of their
contemporaries should enjoy, to the remotest generations, opportunities for intellectual improvement denied to themselves. Well have they been repaid for
their efforts in this good cause. Their activity and




172     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
enterprise in the accumulation of wealth are now well
nigh forgotten; but still fresh is the memory of all
their deeds in behalf of science, and letters, and religion.
The permanent establishment of the College in
Providence inspired its friends with renewed confidence in its ultimate success, and stimulated them to
fresh endeavors to increase its funds, and to enlarge
its means of instruction. In all these endeavors, as it
would seem from the records of the College, the President was conspicuous. He recommended to the Corporation measures for the advancement of the College,
and, in the laborious execution of those measures, he
actively participated. As one among the many proofs
of his desire to promote the interests of the institution
over which he presided, and of the sacrifices which he
was ready to make in that cause, we here record a fact
communicated by the Hon. Asher Robbins:
" The President received a letter from England, soon.
after the peace in 1783, in which the writer gave it as
his opinion, that if a person were sent out there, for
that purpose, he might obtain donations to enlarge the
funds of the College, and thereby extend its usefulness. This letter was communicated to the Corporation; and the only objection to the plan was the uncertainty of success, while the expense would be considerable. Whereupon, the President volunteered to
go on this mission, asking only indemnity for his actual
expenses, and offering to trust to the contributions for
that indemnity. This project was, however, unhappily
defeated."
Dr. Manning discharged the duties of his responsible office, with unwearied assiduity and with gratify



MEMOIR OF REV. JAMES MANNING, D. D.   173
ing success, till the year 1776, when the college edifice became first a barrack for the militia, and afterwards a hospital for the French army commanded by
Count Rochambeau. He was then compelled to susspend his collegiate occupations, till the close of the
Revolutionary war in 1783. From  1776 to 1786, no
degrees were conferred. This interval of relaxation
from collegiate duty, Dr. Manning diligently employed
in the labors of the ministry, and in various acts of
social benevolence which the perils and distresses of
that period in our national history prompted him to
perform. The following instance of his humane disposition is related by the venerable John Howland,
President of the Rhode Island Historical Society, in a
short Memoir of Dr. Manning, published in the year
1815:
"He enjoyed the confidence of the general commanding in this department, and in one instance in
particular had all the benevolent feelings of his heart
gratified, even at the last moment, after earnest
entreaty, by obtaining from General Sullivan an order
of reprieve for three men of the regular army who
were sentenced to death by that inexorable tribunal,
a court martial. The moment he obtained the order
revoking the sentence, he mounted his horse at the
general's door, and, by pushing him  to his utmost
speed, arrived at the place of execution at the instant
the last act had begun which was to precipitate them
into eternity. With a voice which none could disobey, he commanded the execution to stay, and
delivered the general's order to the officer of the
guard. The joy of the attending crowd seemed
greater than that of the subjects of mercy; they were




174     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
called so suddenly to life from the last verge of death,
they did not for a moment feel that it was a reality."
Dr. Manning is now to be exhibited in a new character, and in new relations. Hitherto we have seen
him ministering at the altar, or dispensing the oracles
of wisdom amid the shades of the academy. We are
now to note his career as a patriot statesman.  In
the following paragraph, Mr. Howland relates the
history of an important civil function which was confided to Dr. Manning, and by him most skillfully discharged:
" The repeated calls of the militia, while the enemy
remained in this State, (Rhode Island,) operated with
peculiar severity; in some districts the ground could not
be planted, and in others, the harvest was not reaped
in season; the usual abundance of the earth fell short,
and he who had the best means of supply frequently
had to divide his store with a suffering neighbor:
In addition to this, laws existed in several States, prohibiting the transport of provisions beyond the State
boundary. The plea for these restrictions was that
there was danger of the enemy being supplied; but the
real cause was to retain the provisions for the purpose of
furnishing their State's quota of troops, as the war was
generally carried on by the energy of the governments
of the individual States. These restrictions came with
double weight on the citizens of Rhode Island, as a
great part of the State was in the possession of the
enemy, and the remainder was filled with those who
had fled from the islands and the coasts for safety.
These restrictions and prohibitions were variously
modified, but under all their variations, which referred chiefly to the mode of executing the law, the




MZEMOIR OF REV. JAMES 3MANNING, 1. D   75
grievance was the same. The governor and council of
war of Rhode Island, wishing to give their language
of remonstrance, a power of impression which paper
could not be made to convey, commissioned Doctor
Manning to repair to Connecticut, and represent, personally, to the government of that State our peculiar
situation, and to confer with, and propose to them a
different mode of procedure. The Doctor in this embassy obtained all that he desired; the restrictions
were removed, and, in addition to this, on his representation of the circumstances of the refugees from the
islands, contributions, in money or provisions, were
made in nearly all the parishes in the interior of Connecticut, and forwarded for their relief."
The Articles of Confederation  adopted by the
United States in 1781, proved, as is well known,
utterly inadequate to the purposes of government.
Commercial embarrassments multiplied; the public
credit was impaired; and the great interests of the
nation, nay, even the whole political fabric was threatened with destruction. At this crisis of depression
and alarm, Dr. Manning was, by an unanimous resolution of the General Assembly, appointed, in 1-786, to
represent the State of Rhode Island in the Congress
of the United States. The story of this interesting
event in the life of Dr. Manning is well told by Mr.
Robbins, in the following extract from one of his
letters to the author of this Memoir. It may not be
amiss here to add, that these letters were written with
no view to publication; but that we have been kindly
permitted, by the distinguished writer, to use them
for the purpose of illustrating the character of his departed friend:




176     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
"Though he had other merits and ample for this
appointment of delegate, I have no doubt the, dignity
and grace for which he was so remarkable, smoothed
the way to it. It took place in this wise. There was
a vacancy in the delegation, and the General Assembly, who were to fill it, were sitting in Providence.
No one in particular had been proposed or talked of:
One afternoon, Dr. Manning went to the State-house,
to look in upon the Assembly, and see what was
doing. His motive was curiosity merely. On his
appearance there, he was introduced on the floor, and
accommodated with a seat. Shortly after, Commodore
Hopkins, who was then a member, rose and nominated
President Manning as a delegate to Congress, and,
thereupon, he was appointed, and, according to my
recollection, unanimously. I recollect to have heard
Commodore Hopkins say (it was at the house of his
brother, governor Hopkins where I shortly after met
with him,) that the idea never entered his head till he
saw the President enter and take his seat on the floor
of the Assembly; and that the thought immediately
struck him, that he would make a very fit member for
that august body, the continental Congress.
"Congress under the old Confederation sat, as you
know, in conclave; no report of their debates was
published; how far Mr. Manning mingled in them,
therefore, I cannot say. I recollect his speaking of
one in which he participated (the subject I have forgotten) on account of a personal controversy to which
it gave rise between him and a fiery young man, a
delegate from Georgia, by the name, as I think, of
Houston. This young man in his speech had reflected
upon New England and her people. Mr. Manning




MEMoIR OF REV. JAMES MANNING, D. D.   177
repelled the attack, and by way of offset, drew a
picture of Georgia and her people. This so nettled
the young man that in his passion he threatened personal violence. The next day he appeared in Congress with a sword by his side. This produced, at
once, a sensation in that Body the symptomns of which
were so alarming, that he thought proper to withdraw,
take off his sword, and send it home by his servant.
In the course of the day he took an opportunity to
meet with Mr. Manning, and to make him an apology.
"' He must have given himself much to business
then, as he seemed to be master of all the important
questions which had been debated, and could give
the arguments, pro and con, offered by the different
speakers.
"The famous Dr. Johnson of Connecticut was a
member at the same time, with whom Mr. Manning
became intimate, and of whoml he always spoke with
admiration. The Doctor once paid him the compliment of holding the pen of a ready writer, which
Mr. Manning very highly valued as coming from such
a man. It was upon an occasion of drawing up a
report for a committee of which both were members,
and which report the Doctor professed to be much
pleased with."
On receiving the appointment of Delegate to Congress, Dr. Manning asked and obtained of the Corporation leave of absence from his collegiate duties, from
March till September. During this interval, the Rev.
Perez Fobes, at that time a Congregational clergyman of Raynham, Ms., and soon afterwards a Professor in the College, was appointed as Vice President.
23




178     WRITINGS OF WILLT.IAM G. GODDARD.
Dr. Manning returned at the time designated, and
quietly resumed his clerical and collegiate duties.
Dr. Manning was an enlightened friend of social
order and of all those paramount interests which it is
the design of government to foster and protect. He
saw how inefficient the Confederation had become;
and he feared that, unless a system of government,
endowed with more energy, and founded on a popular
basis, were established, the blessings of union and
independence could not long be preserved. Hence,
he was an earnest advocate for the adoption of our
present national constitution. As evidence of the profound interest which he felt in the momentous question which, in the year 1788, agitated the country, we
take pleasure in quoting from Mr. Howland's Memoir,
the subsequent passage:
"Dr. Manning was extremely solicitous for ratification. I-e viewed the situation of the country with
all the light of a statesman and a philosopher; and,
as a prudent and well informed citizen, he took his
measures accordingly.  He had saved the college
funds through the fluctuations and storms of one revolution, and he now saw them dissipated and lost forever, unless the new form of government should be established. He knew that several clergymen with whom
he was connected in the bonds of religious union
were members of the convention, and that they were
generally opposed to the ratification. He therefore
repaired to Boston, and attended the debates and proceedings of the convention. His most valued and
intimate friend, the Rev. Doctor Stillman, was one of
the twelve representatives of the town of Boston in




MEMOIR OF REV. JAMES MANNING, D. D.   179
the convention, and zealous for the adoption; and in
their frequent intercourse with their friends, who
were members, they endeavored to remove the objections of such as were in the opposition; in this they
were assisted by the Rev. Doctor Smith, of Haverhill,
who was also a Fellow of Rhode Island College, and
ardently attached to its interests; with the Rev. Isaac
Backus, who was a Delegate from the town of Middleborough, and considered one of the most powerful
men of the anti-federal party; they were not able to
succeed. The question of ratification was finally carried
by a majority of nineteen, after a full and able discussion. The writer of these sketches well recollects
the cordial congratulations with which Doctor Manning greeted his friends on the decision of this convention, after his return from Boston."
In connection with the facts stated by Mr. Howland, we cannot forbear to add an incident mentioned
in an interesting communication from Dr. Waterhouse
to the Rev. Prof. Elton, of Brown University. On
the last day of the session of the Massachusetts Convention, and before the final question was taken, governor Hancock, the President, invited Dr. Manning to
" close the solemn convocation with thanksgiving and
prayer." Dr. Manning, though, as Dr. Waterhouse
thinks, taken by surprise, immediately dropped on his
knees, and poured out his heart in a strain of exalted
patriotism and fervid devotion, which awakened in
the assembly a mingled sentiment of admiration and
awe. The impression which he made must have been
extraordinary; for, says Dr. Waterhouse, who dined
in a large company, after the adjournment, " the praise
of Rev. Dr. Manning was in every mouth!  Nloth



180     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
ing," adds Dr. Waterhouse, "but the popularity of
Dr. Stillman prevented the rich men of Boston from
building a church for Dr. Manning's acceptance."
After his return from Congress, Dr. Manning sustained no political office, and, with the exception of
his patriotic mission to Boston, we do not learn that,
during the remainder of his life, he engaged conspicuously in the politics of the times. For politics, however, he had a decided taste, imbibed, it is presumed,
amid the exciting controversies of the American RPevolution. With governor Hopkins, whom Mr. Rob.
bins denominates, "a living library  of political
knowledge," Dr. Manning maintained a familiar and
confidential intercourse.  This association probably
quickened the generous interest which he felt in the
public affairs of his country-an interest entirely
without acrimony or a feverish thirst for personal distinction, and which, it is believed, he retained to the
last.
The connection of Dr. Manning with the First Baptist church in Providence, as their pastor, was an
important event in his life. Unwilling to break the
continuity of the preceding narrative, we have refrained,
thus far, from noticing, particularly, this event which
opened to Dr. Manning a new province of labor and
usefulness.
The First Baptist church in Providence was planted,
according to governor Winthrop, in the year 1639;
and it is the oldest Baptist church in America. With
its history prior to the year 1770, we have, here, no
concern. At that time, the Rev. Samuel Winsor was
its pastor. Residing at a distance from the meetinghouse, and finding the duties of his office too arduous




MEMOIR OF REV. JAMES MANNING, D. D.   181
for him, he made known to his people his earnest
desire to be released from services which lie could no
longer perform, without infringing his paramount
obligations to his family.  Dr. Manning, having
recently become a resident in Providence, was formally invited to preach in Mr. Winsor's meeting-house.
He accepted the invitation, and preached a sermon on
a Sabbath which happened to be the day for the
administration of the holy communion. Dr. Manning
was invited by Mr. Winsor to partake this sacred and
affecting ordinance. Several of the members of the
church were, however, dissatisfied, that "the privilege
of transient communion" should have been allowed
to Dr. Manning. This dissatisfaction led to a series
of church meetings, in which the majority, however,
was, in every instance, found to be on the side of Dr.
Manning.  The ostensible objection urged by Mr.
Winsor and his followers against Dr. Manning was'" that he did not make imposition of hands a bar to
communion, though he himself received it, and administered it to those who desired it." As the well-informed believed, the true cause of opposition to him
was " his holding to singing in public worship, which
was highly disgustful to Mr. Winsor!"  It being
found impossible to reconcile conflicting opinions in
this matter, Mr. Winsor, and those who thought like
him, withdrew from the church. Dr. Manning was
then, in due form, appointed the pastor, ppro tempore,
or, to use his own language, " until there may be a
more full disquisition of this matter, or time to seek
other help; at least until time may prove whether
it will be consistent with my other engagements, and
for the general interest of religion."




182     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
These ecclesiastical dissensions are now  all but
forgotten; and, if remembered at all, they are remembered only as impressive admonitions to the fuller
exercise of that charity which " beareth all things."
Under the pastoral care of Dr. Manning, the First
Baptist church in Providence increased in numbers,
efficiency, and evangelical zeal. The congregation
requiring the accommodations of a larger house of
worship, the spacious and beautiful edifice, which is
now among the chief architectural ornaments of the
city of Providence, was erected; and, in May, 1775,
was opened for public worship. On that occasion,
Dr. Manning preached a sermon from the following
text-" This is none other, but tthe house of God —and
this is the gate of heaven."  He continued his ministry
for many years; but, finding that his accumulating
duties, as President of the College, would not permit
him to do justice to his people, he repeatedly and
earnestly requested them to seek for a proper person
to succeed him. "At length, in a most honorable
way, he resigned his pastoral office." On the last
Sabbath in April, 1791, a few months only before his
death, he preached to his people, his farewell sermon.
It affected them to tears. Little did they dream, however, that the voice which now melted them  into
sadness, was now uttering, indeed, its last farewell;
and that they were so soon to water with the tears of
a lasting sorrow, the grave of their counsellor and
friend.
We now approach the close of Dr. Manning's valuable life. At the annual Commencement in 1790, as if
in prophetic anticipation of his approaching death, he
requested the Corporation to direct their attention




MEMOIR OF REV. JAMAES MANNING, D. D    183
towards some suitable person as his successor. This
unwelcome duty, was, however, suddenly forced upon
them. On the Sabbath morning of July 24, 1791,
while uttering the voice of prayer around the domestic altar, he was seized with a fit of apoplexy, in
which he remained, but with imperfect consciousness,
till the ensuing Friday, when he expired, aged fiftythree years.
The sudden death of a man who had filled, for so
many years, such various and commanding stations,
produced, throughout the community, sensations of no
common sorrow. All felt that a wise and good man
had departed in the midst of his strength, and usefulness, and honors. His fellow-citizens sorrowed, as if
for a public benefactor. The people to whom he had
so long and so faithfully preached the words of eternal
life, mourned that they should see his face no more.
His pupils looked in awe upon him, as he lay in the
deep and unalterable repose of death, and they sighed
to think, that never again should they hang upon the
accents of their "guide, philosopher and friend."
The Corporation immediately assembled, and the
death of the President was announced by the Chancellor. Among other demonstrations of respect and
affection for the deceased, a Committee was appointed
to superintend the funeral, and was authorized to defray the expenses from the funds of the College.
On the day next after his death, the remains of Dr.
Manning were conveyed from his mansion-house to the
College Hall, where the funeral solemnities were performed by the Rev. Dr. Hitchcock, at that time the pastor of a Congregational church in Providence, and one of
the Fellows of the College. The funeral, though a




184       WVRITINGS OF WILLIANM G. GODDARD.
public one, was no empty pageant.  Multitudes flocked
to the College to look, for the last time, upon a face
which had so often beamed upon them  in kindness;
and maltitudes followed him  to the grave which was
so soon to hide him forever from their sight.
On the ensuing Sabbath, eloquent and appropriate
funeral discourses were delivered, in the First Baptist
meeting-house, by the Rev. Jonathan Maxcy and the
Ptev. Perez Fobes, both of whom  were associated with
Dr. Manning in the government and instruction of the
College.
Over the grave of Dr. Manning, the Corporation
lost no time 1n erecting a monument, on which is inscribed a faithful record of his worth as a statesman,
scholar, gentleman and Christian.
Before we dismiss our task, it remains for us to add
a few particulars relating to the personal appearance,
habits, and manners of Dr. Manning, and then, without attempting an analysis of his character, to invite
attention to the ability and success with which he discharged his various duties. -
The advantages of a most attractive and impressive
exterior,; Dr. Manning possessed in no common measure. His person was graceful and commanding, and
his countenance was " remarkably expressive of sensibility, dignity and cheerfulness." In his youth, he
was noted for bodily strength  and activity.  These
qualities he was accustomed to display in the athletic
exercises common among the young men of his day,
* The likeness of Dr. Manning, accompanying this memoir, was engraved
from a portrait, which has long been in the possession of Brown University.
When this portrait was painted, or by whom, we are unable to state with confidence. Those, however, who remember Dr. Manning insist that it conveys
but a very imperfect idea of his remarkably prepossessing countenance.




MEMOIR OF REV. JAMES MANNING, D. D.   185
and, in his mature years, in some of the severer labors
of husbandry. Unpoetical as the occupation may
seem, he sometimes made his own stone wall; and in
the use of the scythe, he acknowledged no superior
among the best trained laborers in the meadow. To
his habits of vigorous muscular exercise may be attributed, in part, his excellent constitution, and the
sound health, which, till within a few years of his
death, he uninterruptedly enjoyed.
The voice of Dr. Manning was not among the least
of his attractions. To its extraordinary compass and
harmony may, in no small degree, be ascribed the
vivid impression which he made upon other minds.
How potent is the fascination of a musical and expressive voice! How sad to think, that, in these days
of almost universal accomplishment, this mighty instrument for touching the heart of man should be
comparatively neglected! When, in connection with
a more careful culture of our moral being, the voice
shall be trained to a more perfect manifestation of its
powers, a charm, hitherto unfelt, will be lent to the
graceful pleasures of life, and an influence of almost
untried efficacy to its serious occasions.
The manners of Dr. Manning were not less prepossessing than his personal appearance. They seemed
to be the expression of that dignity and grace for
which he was so remarkable, and of which he appeared
to be entirely unconscious-a dignity and grace, not
artificial or studied in the least, but the gift of pure
nature. He was easy without negligence, and polite
without affectation. Unlike many of the distinguished men in our country, he was too well bred to
adopt an air of patronage and condescension towards
24




186     WTRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
his inferiors either in talent or in station. As a
Christian, also, he felt the importance of cultivated
manners, and he acknowledged  no necessary connection between the sternest fidelity to principle and the
precision and austerity with which it is sometimes
found associated.  Like the venerable Wheelock, the
founder of Dartmouth College, he abhorred all religious profession " which was not marked with good
manners."*
In the intercourse of social and domestic life, his
amiable disposition and versatile colloquial powers,
rendered him  an engaging and instructive companion.' He was," says Mr. Robbins, " of the most happy disposition and temperament-always  cheerful-much
inclined to society and conversation; in conversation
more disposed to pleasantry than seriousness; fond of
anecdote, especially if illustrative  of character, of
which he had a store."  Indeed, so far as personal
appearance, address, manners, and voice may be considered, it is given to few men to leave behind them
so strong and so grateful an impression.
In the discipline and instruction of the College, Dr.
Manning was eminently successful.  He secured the
obedience of his pupils, rather by the gentleness of
parental persuasion than by the sternness of official
authority. His instructions, which were always oral,
never failed to command their attention, and to leave
upon their minds a  distinct impression.  Classical
learning was his forte, and to the classics and their
cognate branches, he principally confined himself.
Relative to this topic, Mr. Robbins furnishes an apt
t See Memoir of Rev. Dr. Wheelock, by Dr. Allen, published in American
Quarterly Register for August, 1837.




MEMOIR  OF REV. JAMES MANNING, D. D.                 187
reminiscence.   "I well recollect  to  have  heard  the
students of the classes whom  he chose to take through
Longinus particularly, often  speak with admiration of
his comments upon that author, and of the happy and
copious illustrations  he gave of the principles from
which Longinus deduces the sublime.  I could readily
believe  the  admiration was muerited; for I know  he
had  paid great attention  to  the general principles of
oratory, and  particularly  to  those  of  elocution, of
which he was an admirable preceptor."
It must not be understood, however, that Dr. Mlanning was  unacquainted  with  the   severer  sciences.
This was not the  case.  As, however, they were less
agreeable to his taste than the belles lettres, he naturally devoted his attention mainly to the cultivation of
the latter.  That he was a profound original thinker,
or that he was a man of recondite and critical learning,
is not pretended.   His reading was  somewhat extensive, but it  was  rather  desultory  than   systematic.
Indeed, between the care of the college, the care of his
church, and the care  of his family,* he had not much
leisure  for acquisition.   He was fond  of conversing
with  those who were enabled to devote more time to
study, and  he  sought to profit from  their conumunica* The number and variety of Dr. Manning's cares may be inferred from the
following amusing extract from a recent letter, written by Dr. 5Waterhouse to
a gentleman in Providence: "I never shall forget what Dr. Manning, in great
good humor, told me were among his trying'exp)eriences.' He told me that
his salary was only eighty pounds sterling per annum, and that, for this pittance, he performed all the duties of President of the College; heard two
classes recite, every day; listened to complaints, foreign and domestic, fromn
undergraduates and their parents of both sexes, and ansnwered them, now and
then, by letter; waited, generally, on all transient visitors into college, &c.
&c. Nor was this all.'I made,' said Dr. Manning,'my own garden and
took care of it; repaired my dilapidated walls; went nearly every day to
market; preached twice a week, and sometimes oftener; attended, by solicitation, the funeral of every baby that died in Providence; visited the sick of




188       WRITINGS OF WILLIAM  G. GODDARD.
tions.   Tith the  late Mr. Joseph Brown, of Providence, who, says Mr.  Robbins, "was profound  in
mechanical philosophy and in electricity," he cultivated a familiar intercourse.
The wisdom  and success with which Dr. Manning
directed, for the term  of twenty-six years, the affairs
of the College, may be inferred from  the preceding
narrative.  Amidst many discouragements, he raised
it from  a very humble beginning at Warren, to a station of acknowledged respectability and usefulness.
His pupils loved and revered him.  Most of them  are
no more; but the few, who remain, still speak of him
with  an enthusiasm  which time has mellowed-not
destroyed.  Of this love and reverence, an interesting
proof was given, a few  years  since, by  the  Hon.
Nicholas Brown, of Providence.  At his own expense,
he built for the University which bears his name, a
beautiful edifice, and to perpetuate the remembrance
of his early instructor and friend, he gave to it the
name of MANNING HALL.
The dignity and grace with which Dr. Manning was
accustomed to preside at the annual commencements
is happily illustrated by the following anecdote derived from  Mr. Robbins: "I recollect that at one of
our Commencements, a French gentleman of distinction, (I think  he bore some title of nobility,) was
present.  He sat by Dr. Waterhouse, and  was, I
think, introduced and presented by him.  They conmy own Society, and, not unfrequently, the sick of other Societies; made numerous parochial visits, the poorest people exacting the longest, and, in
case of any seeming neglect, finding fault the most.'" Amid all these perplexing cares, which allowed him but scanty tinle for premeditating his sermons, we have the testimony of Dr. Waterhouse for adding that " the honorable and worthy man never complained."




MEMOIR OF REV. JAMES MANNING, D. D.   189
versed together in Latin, either, as being learned men,
they chose to converse in a learned language, or as the
Frenchman being less perfect in English and the Doctor in French, they found it more easy to converse in
Latin. Struck with this natural dignity and grace,
the Frenchman whispered to the Doctor —TLtialis
prcesidere (born to preside.) I heard this from Dr.
Waterhouse himself, the next day."
For the times in which he lived, Dr. Manning may
be considered as an eminent divine, and an effective
preacher. He was a Calvinistic Baptist, but without
a particle of sectarian bigotry. Indeed, he was singularly exempt from any of that narrowness and rigidity
which professional pursuits are apt to produce, more
or less, in most men. He preached the truths of the
Gospel, with simplicity and fervor —with a fidelity
which alarmed the presumptuous, and with a gentleness which attracted the humble. He spared not the
whited sepulchre, but it was his delight to heal the
bruised reed. To Mr. Robbins, we here leave the task
of completing our exhibition of Dr. Manning as a
preacher and divine.
" Dr. Manning was the acknowledged head of the
Baptist clergy of his time. He was so considered in
England as well as in this country. IHe corresponded
with all the most eminent of his denomination in
England. I have seen some of their letters to him.
I recollect that one informed him that his communication upon the state of the Baptist churches in this
country, and their prospects, had been published in
England and extensively circulated there. It was at
the time when they were contending in some of the
States for independence of the State religious estab



190      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
lishment, and for exemption from contribution to that
establishment.
" At that time, certain polemics of England made
war upon the distinguishing doctrine of the Baptists.
This called forth defensive publications on their part.
These were sent to Dr. Manning. I recollect that
some of these were written with great animation, and,
according to the fashion of the polemics of that day,
with not a little vituperation. The Doctor of course
thought the argument on his side complete and
triumphant.
" He was well versed in all the learning in the controversy about their distinguishing tenet-as to the
subject and mode of baptism. I believe he had read
all the books extant upon that subject; but the learned
Dr. Gill was his favorite author. His writings he
considered a treasure of Biblical learning.
"His pulpit discourses were all ex temrpore, because
he believed this mode, though written compositions
were more interesting to scholars, to be more interesting and more effcacious to a mixed congregation made
up of all classes of society. His manner was earnest,
but never vehement. He made no effort at oratory,
or at display of learning. It is true, he occasionally
touched and dwelt upon some doctrinal point; but it
was incidentally, as it were, and subordinate to some
practical view, the scope of his discourse."
What has already been said supersedes the necessity
of additional remark respecting Dr. Manning's capacity as a statesman. He was formed rather for the
theatre of action than for the shades of academic
seclusion; and, had he devoted himself exclusively to




MEMOIR OF REV. JAMES MIANNING, D. D.    191
politics, he would unquestionably have stood foremost
among the public men of his times.
On the Christian character of Dr. Manning his life
is the best eulogy.  His religion was wrought into the
texture of his moral being.  It exerted a pervading
and habitual control, regulating his principles, tastes,
habits and opinions.  It exhibited no disproportions,
it delighted in no bustle; it was reflected in no strong
lights.  In life it was his informing spirit-in death
his sustaining hope.
Our task is finished. We cannot, however, quit it,
without commending to the young men of our country the example of JAMES MANNING.  Hlow diligently
and cheerfully did he labor for the good of others!
Thus laboring, what valuable results did he accomplish! And all this, too, without the aids of abstruse
learning, without ample leisure for self-cultivation,
with powers distracted by care, and spirits perhaps
saddened by economical solicitude.  He labored, be it
remembered, not for himself, but for others, and, in
language breathing a holier inspiration than that of
poetry, may be conveyed the GRAND MORAL OF HIS
LIFE" Love thyself last,
Let all the ends thou aimn'st at, be thy country's,
Thy God's, and truth's,"




192     WRITINGS OF WILLIAMI G. GODD)AR).
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.
AMONG the pupils of President Manning, of Brown
University, were many gifted young men. Several of
them arrived at eminence in life, and when a history
of Rhode Island shall be given to the world, their
names will be recorded as among the most distinguished of her sons. We have not the means, and
this is not the place, to do full justice to these men,
but we subjoin a few brief notices of some of them,
by way of appendix to the life of their venerated
Preceptor.
JAMES M. VARNUM.
General JAMES MITCHIELL VARNUI,M  was born in
Dracut, Ms., 1'749, and he graduated at Rhode Island
College, in 1769. While an undergraduate, he indicated a remarkable capacity for learning, and although
somewhat dissipated in his habits, he made handsome
acquisitions. After completing his professional studies, he established himself as a legal practitioner in
the town of East Greenwich, R. I. He rose rapidly
to distinction at the bar; and, as an advocate, stood
without a rival.  The Hon. Asher Robbins shall
describe his powers of eloquence: "I have heard him
speak in our courts and in our legislature. He spoke
without effort, and without gesture, in one steady




BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.          193
stream of utterance, but with tones well modulated.
He was very unequal; at times, careless and incorrect
in language, and common-place in thought, and, at
times, extremely eloquent, abounding in happy turns
of thought, and striking beauties of expression. His
eloquence appeared to me to be the. gift of nature, not
at all prepared; and to come upon him by fits, as it
were, by inspiration."  In 1777, he was appointed a
Brigadier General in the revolutionary army; but
after some service, he in 1779 resigned his commission.
In 1786, he was a delegate to Congress from his
adopted State, and in 1787, he was appointed a Judge
of the Northwestern Territory. He died at Marietta,
Ohio, in the year 1790, at the early age of forty. In
closing this sketch of a very'unconmmon man, a remark
made several years since by the celebrated Thomas
Paine to the Hon. Nathan F. Dixon of Rhode Island,
may not inappropriately be quoted.  Meeting Mr.
Dixon, casually, at a public house in Stonington, Ct.,
Paine made inquiries respecting Gen. Varnum, with
whose powers, as an advocate, he was not unacquainted, adding, " I have heard the most distinguished
orators in the British Parliament and in the French
Convention, but I have never heard one superior in
powers of eloquence to Gen. Varnum." Paine, though
a man of most abandoned principles and profligate
life, was, in this matter, no incompetent critic.
SAMUEL WARD.
Colonel SAMUEL WARD, of the revolutionary army,
was born in Westerly, lR. I., in the year 1756. He
was prepared for college under the immediate care of
his accomplished father, the late Gov. Ward, of Rhode
25




194     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
Island. In the year 1771 he graduated at the early
age of fifteen. Soon afterwards, the country was agitated by its mighty struggle for independence. With
youthful enthusiasm he embarked in the perilous contest. At the early age of eighteen we find him in
command of a company, and soon afterwards he accompanied Arnold and his gallant associates, in their
march through the unexplored wilderness to Quebec.
In this march, they encountered almost insupportable
fatigues, and suffered dreadful privations. To appease
the torments of hunger, they actually subsisted on
dogs and reptiles, and, what is more affecting still,
they devoured even their shoes, and the leather of
their cartridge boxes! At the attack on Quebec,
Captain Ward was made prisoner, but was exchanged
the following year. It does not comport with the
plan of these Notes, to trace his eventful and brilliant
military career, with the particularity of the historian. It should, however, be added, that he commanded a regiment in the celebrated retreat from
Rhode Island, although he was not commissioned as
a Lieutenant Colonel until the next year. At the
termination of the war, Col. Ward retired from the
army, and engaged in mercantile pursuits. He established himself in the city of New York, and for a
time, his high mercantile probity and intelligence were
rewarded with ample success. He ultimately, however,
experienced the vicissitudes incident to commerce, and
a season of disaster forced him to make a voyage to
Europe, for the purpose of accommodating his affairs.
He happened to be in Paris when Louis XVI. was
beheaded by those ferocious actors in the drama of
the French Revolution, who perpetrated the worst




BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.          195
crimes under the sacred name of liberty. On his
return to his native land, Col. Ward retired from business to a farm in East Greenwich, R. I., where he
resided till about the year 1817, when, desiring to be
nearer to his sons, several of whom had embarked in
business in New York, he was induced to remove to a
farm in the vicinity of that metropolis. Here he lived,
for several years, in the enjoyment of some of the best
blessings of life-a serene conscience, filial love, and
the spontaneous homage of all who had the pleasure
to know him. Upon the death of his wife, a daughter
of the late Gov. Greene of Rhode Island, he removed
to the city of New York, where, after a residence of a
few years, he closed his useful and honorable life, in
the year 1832, aged seventy-five years. Col. Ward,
though amply qualified for the most responsible duties
of civil life, could seldom be induced to emerge from
his modest seclusion. In 1786, he was one of the
Commissioners from Rhode Island to the Convention
which assembled at Annapolis, Md., for the purpose of
considering the state of trade, and the propriety of a
uniform system of commercial relations. Col. Ward
was on his way to Annapolis, when, hearing that the
Convention had adjourned, he returned to his home.
There is also another passage in the life of Col. Ward,
which, however it may suit the passions and the prejudices of the times to misrepresent it, will, in the
judgment of posterity, impair, in no degree, his titles
to the respect and the confidence of his countrymen.
Together with George Cabot, Harrison Gray Otis,
Nathan Dane, Roger Minot Sherman, and other able
and patriotic men, he was a member of the Hartford
Convention. This is a topic, however, which, although




196     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
we have no desire to shun it, may be thought to
belong more properly to politics than to literary history. We cannot close this imperfect sketch of Col.
Ward, without adding that he was a ripe classical
scholar, a gentleman of most winning urbanity of
manners, and a man of sterling intellect, and unblemished honor.
SOLOMON DROWN.
SOLOMON DROWN, M. D., was born in Providence, in
the year 1753. He graduated at the age of twenty,
and soon after engaged in the study of medicine.
After obtaining his medical degree, he visited Europe,
for the purpose of completing his professional education. On his return to Providence, he practised medicine in that town till he, shortly afterwards, removed
to Ohio. He did not remain there long, but again
returned to Providence, where he remained till 1792,
when ill health compelled him once more to migrate.
After residing in West Pennsylvania nine years, he
returned in 1801, to Rhode Island, and settled in the
town of Foster, where he passed the remainder of his
days, in professional and agricultural pursuits, and in
the cultivation of his taste for botany and for elegant
letters. In 1811, he was appointed Professor of Materia Medica and Botany in Brown University, and
for two or three seasons he delivered lectures to a
class of medical pupils. He also lectured on botany
to the undergraduates of Brown University, and to a
private class of citizens. He died in 1834, at the
advanced age of eighty-one years. Botany was his
favorite pursuit, and he directed his attention, not
more to the philosophy of the science, than to its




BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.          197
practical uses in agriculture and medicine. He was a
member of the American Academy of Arts and
Sciences, and an honorary member of several other
learned bodies. His occasional addresses which have
been published, are creditable to him as a man of taste
and varied acquisitions. In 1825, he published the
"Farmer's Guide," a work of great practical value to
the agriculturist. Dr. Drown, after all, was not well
fitted for the active pursuits of life. He had a mind
prone to contemplation, and had he been the incumbent of a scholarship in an English University, it is
not too much to say, that his genius, under circumstances thus congenial to the exercise of its powers,
would have exhibited itself in some work which " the
world would not willingly let die."
BARNABAS BINNEY.
BARNABAS BINNEY, M. D. This gentleman was
among the earliest pupils of Dr. Manning. Ile died
ere he had reached the prime of manhood; but he
lived long enough to leave upon the hearts of those
who best knew and most loved him, an enduring
record of his worth. Responding to our solicitations,
a lady, one of Dr. Binney's immediate descendants, has
kindly favored us with the following sketch of his life
and character, which it gives us great pleasure to present to the public. It is the offering of affection, but
without exaggeration; a discriminating and eloquent
tribute to virtues upon which hath long been placed,
the seal of immortal life.
" The early death of Dr. Binney, during the infancy
of his children, and the death of their mother which
succeeded it, have left his descendants but few partic



198     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
ulars of his youthful days. His short career, however,
is still regarded by surviving friends, with the most animated respect and affectionate admiration; and if they
fail to collect and combine the minute circumstances
which aided in the formation of his distinguished excellence; if they cannot refer to all the methods of
culture which contributed to his future worth and
accomplishments, they know enough to perceive in
general, that the discipline of such a character as his
must have commenced under enlightened judgment,
and exemplary regularity; while they would be ready
to admit, that he possessed a natural vigor, which, had
he not commanded advantages, would soon have surmounted the want of them.
" Barnabas, son of Barnabas and Avis Binney, was
born in Boston, in the year 1751. His father, a man
of active and energetic temper, was extensively engaged in commerce, to which, it is supposed he would
have bred his son. His mother, of the family name of
Ings, was a lady of uncommon cultivation and piety;
and to her early and perhaps imperceptible influence,
we mav ascribe the decided bias of her son's mind to
liberal studies. As a child, he exhibited an acute
sensibility to the beauties of English literature, and
soon desired to pursue the stream up to its ancient
and inexhaustible fountains.
" From associations of friendship, probably, Mr. Binney was entered a student of Rhode Island College,
instead of the older institution near his paternal home.
In that honored seat of learning, he devoted himself
to all that was then taught, and attracted the esteem
of the amiable President Manning, who often spoke of
him as a youth of the finest abilities, and most perse



BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.          199
vering diligence. In 1774, he received the highest
distinction of his class, and wrote and delivered an
English oration, which was immediately published,
and long considered, near his native soil, with the
most favorable estimate of its merit. At the close of
his collegiate life, he appears to have directed his
views to the study of medicine, to which, indeed, a
residence of some months with an eminent physician
in London, had, while yet a youth, confirmed his
preference. To this end, he assiduously attended the
lectures of the Philadelphia school, and in due time,
received from it a degree. The death of his father in
Demarara, recalled him to Boston, where his care of
the family mansion and effects, then, and long afterwards, indicative of liberality and comfort, detained
him for some time. In 1777, he returned to Philadelphia, and intermarried with the eldest daughter of
Mr. Henry Woodrow, originally of Monmouth County,
New Jersey. To this event, he ever believed himself
to be largely a debtor for all the important benefits of
a well-assorted and most happy connection. The state
of the times, and the prospect of professional advancement, induced him to accept the post of senior surgeon
of one of the hospitals for the American army. In this
station, he remained for more than three years, and
acquired both experience and reputation. At the conclusion of the peace, he established himself in Philadelphia, and commenced his walk of city practice.
His success was less dilatory than usual; and few
young physicians have conciliated a more thorough
confidence and esteem, or, in a few years, laid a better
foundation for both distinction and emolument. His
health, however, declined, and in the course of 1786,




2000'WRITINGS OF'WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
he relinquished his professional duties, and arranged
his private affairs with the utmost precision and order.
In the hope of restoration, more with his friends than
with himself, he sat out, accompanied by his wife, for
the Berkely Springs of Virginia. There, after a few
desponding weeks, his strength failed, and he determined to return and die at home. He lived only
to reach the house of a friend on the way; and after
a few hours, passed in the utterance of deep tenderness to his wife and children, and of piety and
resignation to the will of God, on the 21st of June,
1787, he closed his mortal existence.
"Here, the scant notices of his life are expended,
and the few points, no way remarkable, perhaps, on
which affection or kindred could linger, are lost by
the indistinctness of distance.  But the memory of
Dr. Binney, deserves a tribute beyond the mere entries
of time and place. His attainments, and his embellishments, were much above the general state of improvement. His fine intellectual powers-his various
and elegant knowledge-his refined and polished manners, would alone have given him  elevation; while
strength of principle-decision and energy of action
-sensibility and tenderness, made a combination of
qualities engaging to all, and wholly influential and
commanding in the circle of domestic friends. If a
fault could be suspected in a character so finely constituted, and so richly adorned, it arose from what
David Hume has happily discussed in one of his
essays, and called a "A Delicacy of Passion," which
rendered him intensely susceptible of pain, or of enjoyment-of honor, or of dishonor-of the very threatenings of moral disorder-almost, of external negli



BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.           201
gence. He indeed, " felt a stain like a wound," and
aware of his sensitive and vivid perceptions, habitually put forth his vigilance to control them, and to
defend the passes to uneasiness, which his better
judgment pronounced to be dangerous.
" Dr. Binney possessed an ardent love of letters,
which neither business nor illness could long estrange.
He wrote with ease and elegance, and cherished both
the taste and the talent for poetical composition. He
was intimately connected in friendship with some of
the first men of his time, and allied by the warmest
personal attachment to the lamented young Gen.
Warren of Boston, of whom, it is said, to his closing
days, he fondly spoke, as of a model of worth. He
celebrated his generous self-sacrifice and untimely fall,
in some beautiful stanzas, alike illustrative of his own
devotion to the cause of civil liberty, and of his friendship and veneration for the accomplished soldier."
To the above interesting sketch we have nothing to
add, except the remark, that academical distinctions
seem to be a sort of heir loom in the family of the
Binneys. Dr. Binney graduated at Rhode Island College, in 1774; his son, the Hon. Horace Binney, graduated at Harvard, in 1797; his grandson, Horace
Binney, Jr., Esq., graduated at Yale, in 1828. Each
received the highest honors of his class.
SAMUTEL EDDY.
Hon. SAMUEL EDDY, LL. D., was born in Johnston,
R. I. He graduated in 11787, and was a classmate and
friend of Dr. Maxcy, afterwards President of the College. He read law, but never practised it. In 1798,
he was elected by the people, Secretary of the State
26




202      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
of Rhode Island, and was re-elected to that office
without opposition, for twenty-one years in succession.
Resigning the Secretaryship, he was elected, for three
terms, a Representative in Congress from  his native
State.  He subsequently sustained the office of Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court of Rhode Island, for
eight years, and till sickness compelled him to resign
it. Judge Eddy is still living,* and is justly
respected for his uprightness and intelligence, and for
the extent and variety of his attainments. He is no
debater, but he writes with uncommon purity, accuracy
and force. To several branches of natural science he
has devoted much of his leisure, and he has made valuable collections of specimens to illustrate them. The
Transactions of the Massachusetts Historical Society
are enriched with several contributions from his pen.
JONATHAN M3AXCY.
Rev. JONATHAN MAXCY, D. D., was born in Attleborough, 3Ms., in 1768. He graduated in 1787, and
was, the same year, appointed one of the College
Tutors. In 1791, he was appointed Professor of Divinity; and, in September, 1799, he was elected President of the College, in the place of Dr. Manning.  He
was about the same time ordained as the pastor of the
First Baptist Church in Providence. In 1802, he
resigned the Presidentship of Rhode Island College,
having been elected President of Union College, at
Schenectady, N. Y. Here he remained till 1804, when
he removed to Columbia, S. C., having been chosen
the first President of the South Carolina College.
* Judge Eddy departed this life, on the 3d.of February, 1839, several weeks
after these Notices were sent to the Publisher.




BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.          203
Over this institution he continued to preside till his
death, in 1820, aged fifty-two years. In 1801, Harvard University conferred upon him  the degree of
Doctor of Divinity.  Several of his Orations, Sermons, and Baccalaureate Addresses have been published. In justice to his fame, they ought to be collected and preserved in some enduring form. Dr.
Maxcy was a highly gifted man, an accomplished instructor, and a most eloquent preacher. May it not
be long, ere some of his friends shall seek to rescue
from oblivion the fast perishing memorials of his brilliant and commanding intellect!
JAIMES BURRILL.
Hon. JAMES BURRILL, LL. D., was born in Providence, in 1772. He was prepared for college by William Wilkinson, Esq., then an eminent classical and
mathematical teacher in that town. He graduated at
the early age of sixteen, and after completing his professional studies, he commenced, at the age of nineteen, the practice of the law in his native town. So
rapid was his rise at the bar that, at the age of twentyfive, he was elected, by the people, to the responsible office of Attorney-General, and this office he continued to hold, amid the vicissitudes and competitions
of party, for about sixteen years, until bodily infirmity
compelled him to retire from the bar. In 1816, he
was elected Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of
Rhode Island; and, a few months afterwards, a Senator in Congress. He attended only four sessions of
that body, his valuable life having been prematurely
terminated by a pulmonary disease, December 25,
1820, in the forty-ninth year of his age. During his




204      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
short career in Congress, Mr. Burrill won for himself
a very high rank. To the Senate of the United States
there perhaps never had belonged a more useful legislator or a more practical statesman. All who knew
Mr. Burrill marvelled at the opulence of his resources,
and at his power to command them at pleasure. In
the operations of his mind there was no indication of
excess, of feebleness, or of confusion. On the contrary, he was always judicious, luminous, and forcible
-master of an infinite variety of facts and principles,
and ever ready in applying them. He seldom wrote,
although he was capable of writing well; and it is
sad to think that his fame, as a lawyer and as a statesman, must soon become only a matter of dim, traditionary recollection.
JAMES FENNER.
Hon. JAMIES FENNER, LL. D., the son of the late
Governor Arthur Fenner, of Rhode Island, was born
in Providence, in the year 1771. He graduated in
1789, with the highest honors of his class. He early
formed a taste for politics, and to that taste his reading and habits of life have been conformed. In 1804,
he was elected, by the legislature of his native State,
a Senator in Congress. In 1807, he resigned this high
office, and was elected by his fellow-citizens Governor
of Rhode Island, for four successive years. After several years passed in retirement, he was again elected
Governor in the year 1824; and he remained in office
for seven years. Governor Fenner is still living, in the
enjoyment of an ample patrimony, and in the full possession of all his powers. Though a private citizen,
he still interests himself warmly in public affairs; and




BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.            205
he continues to exert an influence which vigorous
talent, strong impulses, and direct purposes never
fail to command.
ASA IMESSER.
Rev. ASA MESSER, D. D., LL. D., was born in
Methuen, Ms., in the year 1769. He graduated in
1790, and soon afterwards joined the First Baptist
church in Providence, then under the pastoral care of
the Rev. Dr. Maxcy.  In 1792, he was licensed by
this church to preach, and, in 1801, he received ordination. He was elected a Tutor in 1791, and remained
in that office till he was elected, in 1796, Professor of
the learned languages.  In 1799, he was appointed
Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy;
and this station he continued to hold till the resignation of Dr. Maxcy, in 1802, when he was chosen President of the College. For twenty-four years, he presided over its affairs; diligently and efficiently participating in the duties of instruction and supervising,
with no common practical sagacity, its disordered
finances. During his administration, the College continued to flourish. An increased number of pupils
resorted thither, and, at no antecedent or subsequent
period in its history, have the classes ever been so
large. After having been connected with the College,
either as a pupil or an officer, for the term  of nearly
forty years, Dr. Messer, in the year 1826, resigned the
office of President. Possessing a handsome competence, the fruit in part of his habitual frugality, he
was enabled to pass the remainder of his life in the
enjoyment of independent leisure. After his retirement from collegiate toils, his fellow-citizens of Provi



206      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
dence elected him, for several years, to responsible
municipal trusts; and these trusts he discharged with
his characteristic punctuality and uprightness.  Dr.
Messer died, after a short illness, and to the inexpressible regret of his family, in the year 1836, aged sixtyfive years. His religious opinions, especially for the
last twenty years of his life, corresponded nearly to
those of the General Baptists of England.  He was a
strenuous advocate for the supremacy of the Scriptures, and for their entire sufficiency in matters of faith
and practice.  As a preacher, he wanted the attractive
graces of elocution; but he never failed to address to
the understanding and the conscience the most clear
and cogent exhibitions of the great practical truths of
the Bible. For what is termed polite literature he
had no particular fondness, but he was a good classical
scholar, and was well versed in the Mathematics, and
the several branches of Natural Philosophy.  In moral
science, also, we have known few better reasoners or
more successful teachers.  In fine, Dr. Messer was
remarkable, rather for the vigor than the versatility of
his powers; rather, for solid acquirement, than for
captivating embellishments; rather for wisdom than
for wit; rather for grave processes of ratiocination,
than for the airy frolics of fancy. In 1824, he received
from  Harvard University  the  honorary degree of
Doctor of Divinity, having previously received the
same degree from his Almha Jfcater, and that of Doctor
of Laws from the University of Vermont.
JONATHAN RUSSELL.
Hon. JONATHAN RUSSELL, LL. D., was born in Providence in 1771. He graduated, in 1791, with the




BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES.            207
highest honors of a class distinguished for talents and
scholarship.  While an undergraduate, he cultivated
with ardor that talent for writing, which, in after life,
won for him  such merited distinction.  His genius
and taste were eminently favorable to elegance and
eloquence in composition.  He eagerly received all
instruction upon the subject of his favorite study, and
to these instructions he added the discipline of practice and a familiar intercourse with the best models,
ancient and modern. Mr. Russell was bred to the law,
but he never engaged in the practice.  He subsequently embarked in the pursuits of commerce, and visited
Europe on some commercial enterprise.  His predonminant taste, however, was always for politics, and, in
political science he was well versed. He occupied, in
the service of his country, several high and responsible diplomatic stations, and he performed their duties
with acknowledged ability.  For several years, he
represented the government of his country as Minister
Plenipotentiary at Stockholmn; and was one of the
five commissioners who negotiated the treaty of peace
with England, at Ghent, in the year 1814. On his
return to his native country, he settled at Mendon,
Ms., and was soon afterwards elected a Representative in Congress from the district in which he resided.
For several of the last years of his life, his health
declined, and, in 1832, he died at Milton, Ms., aged
sixty-one years. Mr. Russell had no skill as a forensic
or parliamentary speaker; but, as a writer, he possessed versatile and eminent gifts.  He wrote, not
only with facility, but with uncommon elegance and
force-and, when the subject permitted, with a caustic




208     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
severity not often surpassed. Excepting the Fourth
of July Oration, which he delivered in Providence, in
1800, (and which has passed through many editions,)
and his diplomatic correspondence while in Paris,
London and Stockholm, Mr. Russell has left scarcely
any permanent record of the various intellectual gifts
and accomplishments for which he was distinguised.
WILLIAM HUNTER.
Hon. WILLIAM HUNTER, LL. D., was born in Newport, R. I. He graduated in 1791, and shared, with
Mr. Russell, the highest honors of his class. Soon
afterwards, he went to England, and read law in the
Temple, and attended the courts in Westminster Hall.
On his return, he was admitted to the bar, and immediately commenced the practice of law. He soon
rose to eminence in his profession, and, till his election
to the Senate of the United States, in 1811, he was
one of the most successful and eloquent advocates at
the Rhode Island bar. While a member of the Senate it was a matter of regret that he seldom engaged
in debate; lbut, on one or two occasions, he delivered
elaborate speeches which obtained for him a very high
rank as a statesman and as a parliamentary orator. In
1821, Mr. Hunter's term  of office as Senator having
expired, he resumed the practice of his profession, and
continued it, till the government of his country, in the
year 1834, appointed him Charge d'Affairs at the court
of Brazil. Since that time, he has resided at Rio
Janeiro, faithfully and ably discharging the high
diplomatic functions which have been intrusted to




BIOGRAPIHICAL NOTICES.        209
him. Perhaps no man in Rhode Island has enjoyed
the advantages of a more accomplished education than
has Mr. Hunter; and that little commonwealth can
probably boast no mind more rich and elegantnone more various in its tastes, or more capable of
extracting from art and from letters their nobler
inspirations.
27








MISCELLANEOUS WRITINGS,








MISCELLANEOUS WRITINGS.
PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, MARCH 15, 1839.
TO THE FREEMEN OF PROVIDENCE.
NO. I.
FELLOW CITIZENS:-On the 27th inst., only one week
from Wednesday next, you will be required to give
your votes upon two questions of vital importance to
the present and future welfare of our city. One of
these questions affects the constitution of our municipal government-the other, the great cause of Popular
Education. To be more definite, you will be required
to declare by your votes, in the first place, whether or
not you will repeal the City Charter, under which our
government has been efficiently and economically administered for nearly seven years-and, in the second
place, whether so much of the Ordinance of the City
Council enacted April 9th, 1838, as provides for the
establishment of a High School, shall be carried into
effect. I have no fears that, after the trial which you




21 4    WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
have had of its benefits, you will abandon the Charter; or that, if you are correctly informed upon the
subject, you will pronounce sentence of condemnation
upon the High School. Will you allow one of your
number who, in the decision of these questions, has no
interest apart fiom the public interest, to address to
your candid attention a few considerations, which may
serve to elicit discussion should they fail to produce
conviction. I shall endeavor to be brief and to
be dispassionate. I make my appeal, not to your
passions, but to your judgment-not to the sordid
motives which betray the understanding, but to the
nobler principles which guide it aright.
On the present occasion, I shall confine myself to a
few preliminary remarks on the importance of our
establishing and maintaining A HIGH CIVIC CHARACTER.
This object cannot be accomplished, without a city government, well constituted and well administered, nor
without institutions, religious, philanthropic, and literary, which will purify and elevate our social
character.
The God of nature has endowed our city with
many advantages: a pleasant position —a salubrious
climate-an ample supply of pure water-a productive soil. These are solid advantages, which I am too
much of an utilitarcian to undervalue. Such, too,
have been the triumphs of steam over distance, that
our city, for all practical purposes, is brought very
near to Boston and to New York. We can never
hope to overtake either of those cities in wealth or
population, or fashion. But, in the blessings, the
incalculable blessings, of high moral and intellectual
culture, we may strive, and we ought to strive, to sur



POPULAR EDTCATIOX.            215.
pass them. It is not only our imperative duty, but it
is our obvious interlest, to look to this high concernment. We must stand, not upon wealth or numbers,
not upon commercial enterprise or manufacturing industry, but upon CHARACTER; upon our general intelligence, our moral sobriety, our economical but not
inelegant modes of living-our public spirit, our quiet
pursuit of happiness.
Notwithstanding the drafts which other cities, enjoying greater facilities for the accumulation of wealth,
are constantly making upon us, our population gradually increases. Though we are not unfrequently called
upon to part with valuable citizens, yet it should not be
forgotten that our forces are recruited by accessions from
abroad-that more come hither to cast their lot among
us, than leave us to try their fortunes in other spheres of
business and enjoyment. Is it not, indisputably, our
interest, if we look only to the value of our estates, to
fasten to our soil those who were born and nurtured
among us?  Is it not, for the same reason, indisputably, our interest, to attract to our city those who may
be content to forego large profits in business, or who
may seek to expend superfluous wealth in easy and
unambitious elegance-remote from the din, the artificial restraints, and the proverbially corrupt morals of
our crowded cities?  If either of these objects be desirable, how can they be more effectually promoted
than by superadding to the advantages of our natural
situation, the attractions of a well ordered, intelligent,
moral and refined community?  Individuals and private corporations have already fostered into a vigorous
growth several valuable literary and scientific institutions. Do these institutions furnish none of the




216     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
elements of our prosperity, respectability and happiness? Is a Providence man attached to his birth place,
merely because he there first saw the light? Is he
proud of his birth place, merely because twenty thousand people, eat, drink and sleep there-sell cotton and
rum-talk politics, project reforms, and get up agitations? Is it not far otherwise? Is not his affection kindled and fed by moral and intellectual associations?
Does he not think, and speak, and dream of Providence, as a spot-where something has been done, and
where more is attempted to be done, to exalt t~he tone
of the general mind-to create a taste for science; to
excite enthusiasm for letters; to win reverence for
religion?
Let us not forget, my fellow citizens, in the eager
pursuit of wealth, the value of moral and intellectual
power. Let us not lose sight of the fact, that even
the thrift which we so much love has nothing to fear
from the progress of general cultivation. God forbid,
that, at the very moment, when other communities,
less wealthy and less populous than our own, are
going ahead in enterprises intended to make the
present and succeeding generations wiser and better,
we should perversely abandon the noble career in
which we have started! It is the lotw school, and not
the highy school, which is to be feared; it is the demagogue, and not the tax gatherer, of whom we should
be jealous; it is the wrong direction of the public
mind, and not the continuance of the City Charter,
which threatens to sap the foundations of our peace,
and prosperity, and honor.    A PIATE CITIZEN.
7         ~~~A PRv A TE CITIZEFN.




MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT.           217
PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, MARCH 16, 1839.
TO THE FREEMEN OF PROVIDENCE.
NO II.
FELLOW CITIZENS:-Our City Charter has been in
operation nearly seven years, and, in the main, it
has worked well. The Charter, be it remembered, is
not responsible for the character of the men whom you
may, from time to time, elect as Aldermen and Common Councilmen. I am free to confess that, in this
matter, you have, in some cases, been unfaithful to
yourselves. Yours, however, and yours alone, is the
fault. If you prefer weak men to strong men; —if
you honor with your confidence the noisy demagogue,
who looks out for himself and his party, rather than
for the city, it ill becomes you to complain that things
do not always go right. In all this, you do yourselves
wrong. The remedy is in your own hands. I proceed now to offer to your consideration a few reasons,
which, it would seem to me, ought to induce you to
sustain the Charter, and to sustain it by a commanding majority.
It is no light matter for a people to change the form
of their government;-to break up established foundations; to disturb existing adjustments; to prostrate a
well cemented edifice.  Any radical change in the
constitution of a government is of itself an evil, and,
28




218     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
unless for the gravest reasons, for reasons seriously
affecting the public peace, prosperity, and happiness,
such change should never be made. Have such reasons been assigned for the change which a respectable
number of our fellow citizens are endeavoring to
effect? Have any of their charges against the City
Government been substantiated? Can they be substantiated?  Has our population  decreased?  Far
otherwise; it has increased, and is increasing. Has
crime increased, under our City Government, or
does it elude detection and punishment?  I answer
in the negative.  Notwithstanding the construction
of great public improvements in our vicinity has
attractedhither no inconsiderable number of people,
whose ignorance and poverty are deplorable, the peace
of our city has not been disturbed by riots: its tranquillity during the night, is exemplary, and the rogues
who, in a small way, depredate upon the property of
their neighbors, are pursued with intrepid ardor by
our Police Magistrates, and, when detected, they are
made to feel the retributory vengeance of the law.
Has our public debt increased?  We have the best
evidence that it has been diminished. In June, 1832,
when the City Government went into operation, this
debt amounted to one hundred and eight thousand
eight hundred and fourteen dollars and ninty-seven
cents; —in June, 1838, it amounted to ninety-nine
thousand six hundred dollars. Here is a reduction
of nine thousand two hundred and fourteen dollars
and ninety-six cents. Have our expenses increased?
Let facts answer this question.
The Town Government expenses, for six years from




MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT.          219
June 1, 1826, to June 1, 1839, amounted to two hun.
dred and ninety-eight thousand one hundred and twenty
dollars and ninety-one cents. The City Government
expenses, for six years from June 1, 1832, to June 1,
1838, amounted to two hundred and sixty-two thousand three hundred and seventy-six dollars and fiftyfive cents.  If there has been a small increase of
taxes, that increase has been met by the increase of
wealth and population. On all these points I refer
you, my fellow citizens, to a very satisfactory financial
report, recently made by a Joint Committee of the
City Council, and published in the newspapers of this
city. I affirm, moreover, without fear of contradiction,
that our money has been economically expended under
our present government; that crude projects have met
with less favor than in past times; that the public good
has, in most cases, if not in all, been the paramount
consideration.
The old Town Government was abolished in the
most deliberate manner, and for the most convincing
reasons. It had done its office. It was found quite
inadequate to maintain the peace of the city; to protect the lives and the property of our citizens; to
carry forward, wisely and economically, the work of
improvement.' Its legislation was often partial in its
operation, and its execution of the laws was unavoidably imperfect. It was a government without the
requisite energy; it adopted important measures,
without the proper deliberation; it had no sufficient
checks, and could be held to no just responsibility.
It was a government, which tended to concentrate in
the hands of a few all the powers of the community;




220         WRITINGS OF WILLIAM  G. GODDARD.
which  gave to demagogues and  log-rollelrs,* extraordinary facilities for compassing  their ends; which lent
an   artificial  consequence  to  the  vociferous  townmeeting orator, and almost forbade to the quiet
citizen  any  participation  in  its  councils.  Some  of
these remarks will be understood as applicable rather
to the Town House than to the Council Chamber.
Have you  forgotten, fellow  citizens, the  days of old,
when at the heel of a Town Meeting, a small minority
of the  freemen  would  adopt some  scheme of lavish
expenditure, and would vote away large sums of your
money, ostensibly for the public benefit, but in reality
for their own?  If you  have forgotten  how  this was
done, allow me to refresh your memories, by stating an
imaginary  case.  A   practised  log-roller, residing  on
the east side, has a favorite object in view. He wants
some  street graduated  and  paved.  It will be a vast
public improvement, and, as such, he  presses it upon
the attention of the meeting, careful all the while to
keep out of sight his own personal interest in the
matter, and the interest of his friends and neighbors.
At the same time, another log-roller, equally well practised, and  living  on  the west  side, has his favorite
object. IIe, too, and for similar reasons, wants a
street graduated and paved at the public expense.
* The term "log-rolling" is familiarly applied to a species of legislation
which, if not corrupt, is of doubtful character. I have somewhere heard an
explanation of the origin of this ternm; but as it has passed from my memory, I
am left to substitute conjecture for knowledge. The backwoodsmen, when
engaged in clearing land for cultivation, are accustomed to burn in a pile the
heavy logs which the axe has prepared for the sacrifice. The strength of a
single backwoodsman being inadequate to the task of lifting the logs, lie calls
upon his neighbors to help him roll them into a pile. This generous service is
always cheerfully rendered; and the hardy pioneer of the forest, who is thus
helped, is expected to respond to the call of his neighbors when they have logs
to roll. To this sort of log-rolling I have no objections.




MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT.           221
With all the sagacity of self-interest, these two public
benefactors combine their forces. They agree to help
each other; they watch their opportunity, and when
the meeting is thin, introduce their projects. A majority of the freemen present are found to be friends
of impmrovement! A large sum of the people's money
is appropriated; the streets are forthwith graduated
and paved; the triumph of the log-rollers is complete!
This, fellow citizens, as you well know, is no caricature. If you yearn for fresh examples of this sort of
legislation, repeal your City Charter, return to your
old Town Government, and, my word for it, your
pockets will soon admonish you of the change which
you will have wrought.
I might multiply reasons against a change in our
form of government, until I had wearied the patience
of my fellow citizens, but I forbear. Convinced that
a majority of them desire no change, my principal aim
is to impress upon all the friends of the City Charter
the importance of sustaining it by an overwhelming
majority. They can do so, if they only will to do so.
Be assured that the opponents of the Charter, every
man of them, will cast his vote, on the 27th; and if
its friends are not true to themselves and to their
cause, this agitation will be renewed, next Spring, in
connexion, perchance, with some topic which may
make it formidable.  Let us, therefore, as we value
the best interests of our city, settle this question now
by a triumphant majority; and if we thus settle it
NOW, we settle it FOREVER.    A PRIVATE CITIZEN.
A PRIVATE CITIZEN.




222     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, MARCH 19, 1839.
TO THE FREEMEN OF PROVIDENCE.
NO. III.
FELLOW CITIZENS:-I come to the defence of the
HIGH SCHOOL, not without a sense of embarrassment.
I am reluctant to admit, even by implication, that a
project for the establishment of such an Institution in
my native city needs a champion. I feel somewhat
like the son, who is tortured by the necessity of revealing to the world the infirmities of a parent, whom
he must love, but cannot all applrove. I blush to tell
the story in Gath, to publish our reproach in the
streets of Askelon. I shrink from the anticipated
disdain of the Philistines. The truth however, must
be told: it would be treachery to a good cause to
withhold it. Those of you, my fellow citizens, who
are zealous friends of the contemplated High School
ought to be admonished of the fact that a large number of our citizens, comprising some of our most opulent, intelligent and influential men, are resolved to
record their votes in opposition to the High School.
They have an indisputable right so to do; and although I am compelled to think that they mistake
both their interests and their duty in this matter, I
should be among the last to trench upon their freedom




POPULAR EDUCATION.            22 3
of opinion, or to draw into question the purity of
their motives. They are the guardians of their own
interests.  They are the keepers of their own consciences. They should be left to act according to
their own convictions of interest and of duty. It is, at
the same time, incumbent on those of us, my fellow
citizens, who are in favor of a High School, manfully
to uphold OUR CAUSE; to propagate our opinions, widely and intrepidly; to give them all possible currency
by our words, and all possible effect by our v:otes.
Having thus performed our part, if the project, which
we believe to be so beneficial, should fail, wve shall
stand acquitted. Do not think, however, that I anticipate a failure-that I am preparing your minds to
bear the mortification of defeat. Far otherwise; I discern cheering auguries of success; I seem to see, already
floating in the distance, the ensigns of our moral
triumph. If you gird yourselves for this high service; if you. come up to the work in a right spirit; in
a spirit of moderation and firmness; with a candid
estimate of the judgments of those who in this matter
differ from you, and an unwavering trust in the rectitude of your own, you will at least deserve success.
I am. persuaded that you will command it.
The High School, my fellow citizens, is no novel
project. More than ten years ago, aye, even in the
palmy days of the old Town Government, a sub-committee of the School Committee, composed, I believe,
of Dr. Wayland, and of our late excellent fellow citizen,
William T. Grinnell, Esq., after a diligent inquiry into
the whole subject, reported in favor of Primary
Schools and of a High School. The Primary Schools
were established, and though they have increased the




2 3 4   WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
amount of our annual expenditure, I do not believe
there is a single freeman who would now vote to
abolish them. I am not certain that they ever had an
opponent. I am quite sure that they have none now.
The High School, recommended by this intelligent
committee, was not established. It encountered some
fallacious but captivating objections, and, by common
consent, it was suffered to go into the pigeon hole
appropriated to all projects which are deemed unripe
for execution. Thus ended the first chapter in the history of the Providence High School!
In December, 1836, the School Committee made
another movement in behalf of a High School. They
voted to establish such a School in this city " for the
instruction of young men in the higher branches of a
good English education, provided the City Government made the necessary appropriations for the same."
They also decided that the course of study in such
school should embrace Geography and Mathematics,
Book Keeping, Surveying, Navigation, Mechanics, and
the applications of Mathematics to the samne, Moral
Philosophy, &c.
The resolutions of the School Committee upon this
subject were communicated to both branches of the
City Council.  This led to most important results.
The Common Council directed their attention to the
condition of the public Schools. They appointed an
intelligent committee to visit other towns, for the purpose of examining into the state of their schools. This
committee discharged its duty with signal ability.
They collected much valuable information, and they
were forced into the conclusion, that, however complacently we might be disposed to regard our whole




POPULAR. EDUCATION.           225
Public School System, it was inferior, and very far
inferior, to the systems established by our neighbors.
They saw the necessity of important improvements, in
order not only that this city might not lag behind the
age, in the march of beneficial reforms, but that our
schools should be made efficient for the purposes for
which they were originally established. After a most
thorough investigation of the whole subject, a bill
was reported in March, 1838, by a Joint Committee
of the City Council, providing for a new organization,
and for the future government of the Public Schools
of the City of Providence. The provisions of this
Bill underwent an animated and protracted discussion
in the City Council. They were also freely canvassed
in conversation, and in the public journals. The utmost deference was shown to popular opinion-aye,
even popular prejudice was humored. In the whole
progress of this business, there was no concealment,
no heat, no precipitation. In April, 1838, the bill,
with some unimportant modifications, became a law,
by a nearly unanimous vote of the City Council. The
whole matter came before the people at the April
election. They discarded from  their confidence no
Alderman or Common Councilman, who had recorded
his vote in favor of the School bill. They have shown
no disapprobation of the measure since; and it is, to
say the least, somewhat extraordinary, that they should
now be required to express their opinions upon a sub.
ject which, it was believed, had already obtained their
implied sanction. I regret this attempt to shuffle off
responsibility; and I want a High School for this, if
for no other purpose, that a class of men may be reared
29




2 2 6   WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
up among us who, in a good cause, will never fear to
"take the responsibility."
The High School, I beg you to remember, is already
estcaltished. It was established by your Representatives, in the most deliberate and solemn manner. It
forms an important feature in the system of improvement, which has been adopted in relation to our public schools. If you vote to strike out this feature, you
endanger the success of the whole system; nay more,
you invite aggressions upon other important parts of
the plan which is intended to elevate Providence, in
the matter of popular education, to something like an
equality with those of her sister cities, who surpass
her neither in wealth nor in population. The High
School, if it should be suffered to go into operation,
can do us no harm. It is a grand experiment, meant
for good, and only for good. Let those who doubt
about its wisdom, give to the experiment the benefit
of their doubts. Above all, my fellow citizens, let us
be careful, how we interfere with the legislation'of
our City Council. Let us look well to the moral and
intellectual qualifications of our Aldermen and Common Councilmen;  and if they misrepresent ouropinions and our interests, let us, at the proper time
and in the proper manner, deal with them according
to their deserts. But, let us not, I pray you, by a
specious sort of nullification, undo what they have
done; and what they have done wisely and deliberately.  Let us repose in them  a wise confidencewatch them with a salutary but not suspicious vigilance-and hold them, in all cases, to a just responsibility.                     A PRIVATE CITIZEN.




POPULAR EDUCATION.           227
PROVIDENCE JOURNAL MARCH 20, 1839.
TO THE FREEMEN OF PROVIDENCE.
NO. IV.
FELLOW CITIZENS: —I have told you when, and how,
and by whom, the HIGH SCHOOL was established.
Now that'you are familiar with its history, would
it not be well for you fully to comprehend its object.
Some of you, who are determined to vote it down, if
you can, I am persuaded are inflamed against a
"monster," which your own imaginations, and not the
Ordinance of the City Council, has created. Some of
you are terrified by its name —others are perplexed to
understand its nature. About all this, you suffer
yourselves to be needlessly troubled. There is nothing offensive in the name of a High School; there is
nothing unintelligible in its nature. Need I say that
the termn Hilt, in this connexion, imports the rank of
the School, and nothing more; it imports that the
higher branches of popular education are taught
therein; it distinguishes the school from the grammar
and writing schools, and from the Primary Schools, and
it does nothing more. Do not, therefore, I beseech you,
vote it down, because its name does not please your
fancy, or because it has causelessly aroused your fears.
Let us, now, examine briefly, the nature and object of
the High School. Here, I shall have recourse to the




~228    WRITINGS OF WILLIAMi G. GODDARD.
Ordinance of your City Council, passed April, 1838,
and which provides for a new organization of the
Public Schools.
This Ordinance enacts that the number of Public
Schools in this city shall be seventeen, exclusive of
schools for colored children, and that said schools
shall be of the following descriptions, viz.: One High
School, six Grammar and Writing Schools, and ten
Primary Schools.  I quote' fiom the Ordinance the
provisions which relate to the High School:
"The High School shall be under the care of a Preceptor and one or more Assistant Teachers; and
thorough instruction shall be given therein; in all the
branches of a good English education; and instruction
shall also be given therein, to all pupils whose parents
or guardians.may desire it, in all the preparatory
branches of a classical education.
"The High School shall not at any time contain
more than two hundred pupils; of which number not
more than one hundred shall be females, except when
the number of male pupils shall be less than one hundred; in which case, an additional number of females
may be admitted, until the school shall be filled,
under such conditions as the school committee may
prescribe.
"No pupil shall remain in the High School more
than tliree years, unless by the special permission of
the school committee and of the Superintendent of
the public schools; which permission shall, in no
case, be given, when there is a sufficient number of
candidates in the Grammar and Writing Schools
qualified to fill the regular vacancies. No child who
shall not have attended a Grammar and Writing School




POPULAR EDUCATION.           229
for at least three years, shall be admitted to the High
School, when there is a sufficient number of candidates
in the Grammar and Writing Schools qualified for admission therein; but whenever there shall not be a
sufficient number of such candidates, any child, over
the age of twelve years, whether a child of an inhabitant of the city or not, may, if qualified, be admitted
for such time as the school committee may determine,
and on such conditions as that committee may prescribe and establish; provided, however, that in such
cases, preference shall always be given to children of
inhabitants of the city, over children of persons who
are not inhabitants thereof."
The Ordinance farther provides that the annual
salary of the Preceptor of the High School shall be
twelve hundred and fifty dollars; that of each male
Assistant Teacher, seven hundred and fifty dollars; and
that of each female Assistant Teacher, five hundred
dollars.
I have been at some pains to spread before you all
tkefacts in, tke case. They are so plain as to need no
commentary, in order that they may be understood.
About the wisclom of some of these provisions of the
Ordinance, we may chance to differ in opinion; but
about their meadi',qy, there is no room for any difference of opinion. I now invite your candid attention
to a consideration of some additional REASONS which
should induce you, on the 27th inst. to vote in favor
of sustaining the High School.
The High School forms a part of the system which
the City Council has adopted in order to elevate the
character and to extend the usefulness of our Free
Schools. These schools, it will be remembered, were




230     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
established in this city, nearly forty years ago. It is
thought, by some, that, during all that time, they
have remained, so far as discipline and instruction are
concerned, nearly stationary. I was a pupil in one of
them, more than thirty years ago, and, in comparing
the school which I then attended with the schools
which now exist, I am unable to note any signal improvement-none, certainly, at all answerable to the
demands of the present time, or to the improvement
which, in parallel institutions, has been accomplished
elsewhere. The High School which your City Council
has established, will, if permitted to go into operation,
exert a constant, powerful and most salutary influence
upon the pupils of the Grammar Schools. By recurring to one of the provisions of the Ordinance I have
just quoted, you will perceive, that the privileges of
the High School are not to be accessible, indiscriminately, to all children. In the first place, so far as the
right of admission is concerned, a decided preference
is given to the children who attend the Free Schools.
Indeed, except in a certain contingency, none but those
who shall have attended a Grammar School for at least
three years, can be admitted to this school. Do those
freemen who educate their children at the Grammar
School, complain of this provision, which secures
to them  and their children most important, nay,
almost exclusive privileges? Do they complain of a
provision, so beneficial to themselves, and which looks
like a concession intended to allay even their prejudices? If any persons are entitled to complain in this
matter, it is those whose children are excluded from
the High School, unless they are pupils of the Grammar School. These persons, however, ought not to




POPULAR EDUCATION.            231
complain, for they will be abundantly compensated
for the seeming inequality. They have a deep stake
in the community-many of them  are large property
holders; and, if they look at this question simply in
the light of self-interest-if they look at it simply as a
question of municipal police or of political economy,
they will come to see that it has a most important
bearing on the value and the security of their property.
Other things being equal, in what community is
property the most valuable and the most secure? In
a community where there are schools or in a community where there are none; in a community where the
schools are good, or in a community where the schools
are bad?  I go further. I ask under what circumstances can wealth be best enjoyed? Its power to
confer happiness on its possessor is, under any circumstances, very limited. It soon supplies the demands
of his physical nature, and, if he ventures into the
region of luxurious accommodations-if he tasks his
invention for means of fantastic enjoyment-he treads
at once upon a perilous verge. His virtue and his
happiness both depend upon his living in the temperate zone of moral and intellectual pleasures. But
the condition of society most favorable to the enjoyment and to the legitimate influence of wealth, is no
longer a problem. What is wealth, without freedom,
and law, and learning, and religion? What is wealth,
when it only furnishes a despot with an incentive to
take away the life of its possessor? What is wealth,
amid the wretched cabins of Ireland, or the yet more
wretched hovels and caves of Moldavia and Wallachia? What is wealth amid the poverty and depression of European serfs? What is wealth in the midst




2 3 2    WRITINGS OF WVILLIAM G. GODDARD.
of Mahometan ignorance, imposture and sensuality?
Under all these circumstances, it is a most perilous
endowment; a solemn plausibility; a wretched mockery! Look, however, at a free, moral, intellectual and
religious community, and you will see a different state
of things. There, wealth is the reward of labor; and
it is secure from  depredation. If not hoarded, it
yields many blessings to its possessor, and to the
world; if benevolently expended, it creates a vast
amount of individual and  social happiness; if not
ostentatiously exhibited, it awakens no childish or
malignant envy.  Is there one of you, my fellow
citizens, who having secured, by industry and intelligence, an ample fortune, wishes to enjoy the fruits of
your honorable toil, without participation?  Is there
one of you who does not desire to see this city a model
for other cities, in all that constitutes the noblest distinction of a city  industry, frugality, and enterprise;
a sound public opinion; ample means for the generous
culture of the general mind; simple elegance in modes
of living; a love for science and for letters; pure
morals; the exalting influences of Christianity?  Remember that Providence cannot be made what she
may be made, and what she ought to be made, without our being willing to contribute to the cost of the
improvement. Can you, when such interests are involved, pause to calculate the cost?
A PRIvATE CITIZEN.




POPULAR EDUCATION.:     233
PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, MARCH 21, 1839.
TO THE FREEMEN  OF PROVIDENCE.
NO. V.
FELLOW CITIZENS: I repeat it-we ought to sustain the High School for this if for no other cogent
reason, that it will exert a powerful and most salutary
influence upon the Grammar Schools.  By various
causes has the progressive improvement of these
schools been retarded; by the want of a high and
constantly operating stimulus to diligence; by irregularity of attendance, and, yet more, by the erroneous
judgment of those parents who prematurely push their
children into the business of life. Neither the Preceptors nor the School Committee have been able to
remove these next to insurmountable obstacles to the
elevation of the Grammar Schools. The High School,
when it is put in operation, will supply the much
needed incentive to diligence; it will correct all injurious irregularity of attendance; it will secure, in the
case of a large majority of the pupils, a continuance
in the Grammar School, at least for the term of THREE
YEARS. Candidates for the High School, will have to
undergo a severe examination; and none but those
who deserve the palmn, will be suffered to wear it.
Who can calculate the amount of generous ardor to
excel, which the High School will create in those
30




231      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
young beings who will pant to enjoy its opportunities
for more extended intellectual culture 
The admission of girls to a participation in the benefits of the High School, may justly be accounted
another reason why the freemen of this city should
not vote it down. It is most desirable, that our girls
should be trained to act well their part in life; that
their intellects should be invigorated and expanded
by culture; that their ardent affections should be
properly regulated; that their habits should be rightly set, and their principles of wise conduct firmly
established. The temper of the times demands especial attention to female education. We live inll an age
signalized by intense intellectual activity, and by
magnificent enterprises of benevolence.  It is not,
therefore, strange, that extravagant theories should be
broached; that strong feeling should be enlisted in
their support; that useless, nay in some cases, mischievous projects of individual and social reform
should be started. All these things are but the counterfeit presentment of the true character of the age.
They show us how irrepressible is its intellectual energy-and how unconquerable are its benevolent impulses. They warn us against the dangers of ultraism
and fanaticism. -They exhort us to discriminate between the true and the false in theories and in plans of
improvement; and to do now, and with our might,
whatever good work our hands find to do. In reference to the peculiar temper of the times, it is most
important that all classes of our women should receive
a thorough and substantial English education. Would
you improve the breed of men in this country, and
that it needs improvement who doubts? improve the




POPULAR EDUCATION.             235
hearts and minds-the affections and tastes, the habits
and principles of women.  Once teach theml their
true position, their varied relations, their high responsibilities; and over the whole American nind there
will, ere long, come a change most auspicious to the
peace and the stability of our times.
I do not mean to detain you much longer. Before,
however, I take my leave of you, for to-day, permit
me to call your attention to the rich intellectual treat
which will be spread before you, this evening. The
Hon. Horace Mann is expected to address you in behalf of the great cause of Popular Education. The
annunciation of the fact is, I pr)esunle, all that is necessary to secure your general attendance. Mr. Mann is
well known to some of you, as the accomplished Secretary of the Massachusetts Board of Education. He
is master of his subject. He is devoted to his cause.
Having abandoned the emoluments of a most honorable profession; having laid aside the trappings of
office; and put far firom him the captivating political
distinctions which courted his grasp, he dedicates all
the powers of his strong and fervid genius to one of
the noblest enterprises of human benevolence. Inconstant health cannot quell his ardor; abundant labors
cannot exhaust his energy; insidious reproach cannot
turn him from the calm  and settled purpose of his
life.                        A PRIVATE CITIZEN.




236     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, MARCH 23, 1839.
TO THE FREEMEN OF PROVIDENCE.
NO. VI.
FELLOW CITIZENS -Before I proceed to offer to
your consideration any additional reasons in favor of
the High School, allow me to recall to your memory
one or two passages in the history of our Free Schools.
In the year 1800, through the instrumentality of the
Association of Mechanics and Manufacturers, these
schools were established in this city. The members
of that respectable association were the pioneers in
this good work. They felt, then, that the proper education of our youth was a great municipal interest,
an imperative moral duty; and that the public money
could, in no way, be more wisely and economically expended than in furnishing imeatns to enlighten the public mind. Experience having proved the inadequacy
of these schools to the purpose for which they were
originally established, the same Association, in February, 1837, made another decisive movement in behalf
of these valuable institutions. They adopted, unani.
mously, a memorial to the City Council, which prayed
that body to adopt measures for the improvement of
the common schools-of this city. To show the necessity of such improvements, cogent reasons were alleged,
and several interesting statistical facts were stated.




POPULAR EDUCATION.             237
According to this memorial, the number of pupils
attending the public Schools of this city in 1836, was
fourteen hundred and fifty-six; the number of pupils
in private schools, three thousand two hundred and
thirty-five; the amount paid by the State and City for
the support of the folrmer, was seven thousand four hundred and sixty-one dollars and ninety-nine cents; the
cost of maintaining the private schools, over twenty
thousand dollars!  It was further stated that threefifths of the youth of Boston are educated in the public
schools of that city; and that, owing to various causes,
producing a want of confidence in our public schools,
there was educated therein, in 1836, less than onethird of the whole number of our youth who were at
that time under instruction.  These are significant
facts. They speak volumes in favor of the improvenmet urged by the Association of Mechanics and Manufacturers upon the attention of the City Council.
Their memorial was the basis of all the subsequent
measures of the Council. It was the seminal principle of the High School.  Will the Mechanics and
Allanufacturers of Providence abandon the good cause
in which they were the first to embark?  In the issue
of the pending question, no class of our community
have a deeper stake than they. The time has been,
when a competent knowledge of reading, writing, and
arithmetic was deemed sufficient for those who were
not in training for what is termed the liberal professions. That time has passed by forever. The present
age demands a more generous culture of the general
mind. The democratic principle, in all the civilized
governments of Europe, is working mighty changes.
Its tendencies every where are favorable to the mass.




238      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
In this country, it is the informing, the predominant
principle of all our institutions.  It moulds our legislation; it shapes our manners; it determines our character and our pursuits.  It would be all in vain to
resist it, for its energy is irrepressible.  And no man
would desire to resist it, while it puts forth its might
under the conservative influences of a sound moral
and intellectual education.
Let us, my fellow citizens, in this great concern, be
true to ourselves. Let us not forget, that in the
United States the people are the source of all power,
and that their good is the end of all government. Let
us not forget the fearful powelr entrusted to the majority.  If the minds of the mass be left to stagnate, the
passions of the mass will not stagnate.  They cannot
sleep amid the noise of our factions. They will be
armed with the destructive energies of the volcano.
If the mind of the mass be half educated, it will be
liable to the mistakes of ignorance; and it will be full
of the conceit which is the proverbial'concomitant of
a " little learino."  If the mind of the mass be thoroughly and substantially educated, but without a corresponding culture of the heart, it will acquire only
an increased capacity to work evil; it may disdain
the joys of a gross sensuality, but it will become
enamored of the, varnished profligacies of fashion; it
may demand an artificial polish of manners, but it
will resent no accredited impurity in morals. If, however, the mind of the mass be properly trained-if it
be imbued with the influences of learning and religion, it will manifest its power only for good. It will
go forth, only to seek and to win fresh triumphs for
FREEDOM and for TRUTH.       APRIVATE CITIZEN.
A PRI-VATE CITIZ}BST




POPULAR EDUCATION.             239
PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, MIARCH 25, 1839.
TO TIlE FREEMEN  OF PROVIDENCE.
NO. VII.
FELLOW CITIZENS:-In addressing you, for the last
time, in relation to the two important questions which
you are required to decide, by your votes, on WEDNESDAY NEXT, allow me again to state, precisely, what these
questions are. In the first place, you are to decide,
whether or not you will repeal the City Charter; in
other words, whether or not you will return to the
superannuated Town Government, which, firom a thorough conviction of its inefficiency, you  abandoned
nearly seven years ago. In the second place, you are
required to decide, whether or not the High School,
established by the City Council in April 1838, shall
be put in operation. These are the questions which
await your decision. You are, I trust, prepared to determine them, in that spirit of wisdom and moderation
which becomes men, when important interests are at
stake, and solemn duties are to be performed. I have
no fears for the Charter, if its friends will only recollect that it must be sustained by VOTES, and by nothing
but VOTES! Let it be remembered, that the opponents
of the Charter are active and resolute in their opposition. Not one of tl1em will forget what he believes
to be his duty on Wednesday next. To a man, they




240     WRITINGS OF WILLIAMI G. GODDARD.
will all go against the Charter. Let its friends be
equally active and resolute in their endeavors to sustain it, and they cannot fail of success. It is highly
important to the public interest, not only that the
Charter should be preserved, but that the majority in
its favor should be so commanding, as to discourage
all future attempts to put it down. If the majority
should not le decisive, this question will be agitated,
year after year. The habitual malcontents and the
adroit trading politicians will make common cause;
and, though they may never be able to destroy your
city government, they may be able to fill this whole
community with the elements of strife. Sustain the
Charter by an imposing majority, Now, and you throw
around it the best securities for TIIE FUTUrRE. There
is no fear that we shall stagnate for want of topics to
agitate us. Neither the politicians nor the reformers
of the day will allow us to enjoy, for any length of
time, the blessings of repose. We are destined always
to differ about men and measures. Let there be at least
one subject which shall be withdrawn  from the list of
open questions. Let us re-establish our City Government, on Wednesday, and leave it to rest upon IMMiOVABLE FOUNDATIONS!
In regard to the High School, I am full of hope. I
am slow to believe that a majority of the freemen of
this city —a city exempt from the evils of universal
suffrage, will be found to record their votes against
this improvement in our system of popular education.
While other cities, with extraordinary unanimity, and
with somewhat of enthusiastic ardor, are fostering
their Public Schools as among the most important of
their municipal interests, I am slow to believe that




POPULAR EDUCATION.             241
Providence, after standing still in this matter, for forty
years, will refuse to make even an experiment for the
improvement of heiy Public Schools. I believe, and I
am half ashamed to make the confession, that had the
High School been distinguished by a more captivating
name, it would, with some of you, have found more
favor. I cannot, however, pause to reason with those
who are governed by names, rather than by things.
I cannot flatter their self complacency. I disdain to
appeal to their prejudices. The schoolmaster is said
to be abroad, and, while men are thus in thraldom,
he has something to teach, and they, something to
learn.
For whom is the Higlh School intended? I answer,
it is intended, almost exclusively, for the children,
male and female, who resort to our Public Schools for
their elementary  education. The pupils of these
schools, according to  the ordinance of the City
Council, can always obtain admission into the High
School, in preference to the pupils of private schools.
Who is particularly benefitted by this provision?
The rich or the poor?  I will not anticipate the
answer.
What is to be taught in the High School? I answer, in the words of the ordinance, " all the branches
of a good Enyids Education."  Is there in this either
aristocracy, or heresy, or extravagance?.Will it harm
our children, be they rich or poor, to be taught some
of the branches, if not all, of a good English education? Having learned to read, and write, and cypher,
have they nothing else to learn? Are they not pre.
paring themselves for the varied relations of domestic
life; for the duties of republican citizens, for profes31




94  RITINGS OF  TTTLLIAM3 G. GODDARD.
sions, mechanical or liberal, demanding both skill and
character? Some of them are destined for commanding stations in the service of the country; all of them
are born to the sublime inheritance of an immortal
life. Will it harm  any of them  to understand the
grand relations in which they stand to God and to
their fellow men?  Should a treatise on Moral Philosophy familiarize to their minds the great principles of human duty, would they ever have reason to
lament the acquisition?  Should they come to understand something of the constitution of their country,
would they be less valuable, as private citizens, or less
useful, if called into the public service? If Natural
Philosophy should give them  ampler revelations of
the phenomena and laws of the material world, would
they feel less reverence for the Creator; or be less
competent to  deal with refractory substances,-to
mould them into instruments of use or into shapes of
beauty?  Aind what if Chemistry, and Mineralogy,
and animal and vegetable Physiology, should likewise
be included among the branches of a good English
education? Would not the youth who should master
the elementary principles of these sciences, in the High
School, be amply repaid for his diligence; and would
he not more than repay society for placing those
sciences which are specially useful to the people,
within the reach of the people? Again, is it not
worth while for every man  and woman, in this
country, to learn to write and to speak, with accuracy, and clearness, and force, their mother tongue?
In fine, should the pupils in the High School be
instructed in the evidences of natural and revealed
religion, would they be less happy, and useful, and




POPULARl EDUCATION.           243
virtuous, in the daily walks of life? Would their
faith be less firm, because they could give a reason for
it; or their piety less ardent, because it was sustained
by their convictions? It is not known to me that all
these branches of Iknowledge which I have mentioned,
will be taught in the projected High School. That
somle of therm will be, there cannot be a doubt. Is
there a man in this country who would not be wiser,
and better, and happier, for understanding some if not
ail of them?
I now leave this question in your hands-to be
settled as you mlay be pleased to settle it. Before,
however, you vote to put down the High School, anticipate, for a few mloments, the judgments of History.
You and I must soon pass away, but the record of our
deeds will be, in some solt, imperishable. Let us not
give posterity cause to reproach us. Leave them no
room to say, and to say in scorn, that, in the middle
of the nineteenth century, the city of Providence cadvanceed backcwacrd in the march of modern civilization.
Expose not yourselves to the practical sarcaslll that,
at the very moment when the superannuated military
despotisms of Europe were scattering among the
people the lights of knowledge, a city of republican
America, the seat of a University for seventy years,
determined, by a pOp/)la.m vote, against carrying forward
a system of pop lar Fducctatiom /! Let us, fellow citizens,
be no laggards in this noble enterprise. Let us come
up to the spirit of the age. Let us erect around our
government and laws-our lives, liberty, and property
-the strongest and the cheapest of all defences-A
5WELL EDUCATED, AND MORAL, AND RELIGIOUS PEOPLE.
A PRIVATE CITIZEN.




244     WRITINGS OF WILLIA3M G. GODDARD.
EXTRACTS FROMI REPORTS.
ATIIENIEUM.
*    - X    X  -     *         * X
YouR Board do not feel themselves warranted by
the state of your funds, in purchasing for the Library
any books, which cannot be read by those who are
familiar only with the mother tongue.  At some
future day, the reasons for this restricted course will,
it is hoped, cease to exist. In the mean time, it is
consoling to think that, within the range of our own
vigorous, and rich, and varied literature, are to be
found almost exhaustless treasures; flights of the
loftiest imagination; efforts of transcendent intellect;
lessons of profoundest wisdom. The morbid appetite,
now so extensively prevalent, for that class of literary
productions which inflames the passions and perverts
the moral sentiments, your Board cannot consent to
foster. They would betray their trust, were they not,
in all cases, to give a decided preference to those
works which are favorable to a healthy tone of thought
and feeling, and which help to strengthen the securities of human virtue and happiness.
-*    *    *    *    *       -x*    *    *
We have embarked, under cheering auspices, in a
noble enterprise. In the priceless benefits of this
enterprise, we and our children cannot fail to participate. Let us beware, then, how we indulge, at the




ATHENLEUM.                 245
outset, a disposition to shrink from  its burthells. If
it be our aim  to establish a public Library which
shall not dishonor our city and ourselves, we must
come up to the great work with warm hearts and with
open hands. This work cannot be accomplished by
spasmodic efforts or by transient expedients.  It demands for its thorough execution, sustained and vigorous action-the devotion of spirit which is not repelled
firom  its object by the labor of years.  It should,
morever, recruit our zeal in this noble cause, to reflect
that a public Library is almost the only Institution
which, amid the agitations of society at the present
day, can expect to escape either the machinations of
craft or the turbulence of faction: in other words,
that an Institution, like the Athemeum, is powerful
for good, and incapable of being perverted, by any
party, religious or political, to the purposes of evil.
Let us, therefore, lay broad and deep the foundations
of our Library, sustained by the grateful confidence
that we are laboring to elevate the social character of
our city, to advance the cause of general intelligence,to diffuse throughout our borders the light of Learning and of Truth.
X    X    X *     *X *           X *    *
The stranger in the United States finds, in every
portion of our land, incontestible evidences of intelligence, enterprise and wealth. He perceives not only
that the struggle of individuals to accumulate money,
is hot on every side, but that, every where, magnificent plans of physical improvement are executed with
an ease and a rapidity characteristic of the energy of
a young and free country. But he asks, sometimes in
sorrow, and sometimes, it is to be feared, in scorn,




24-6     WRITINGS OF WILLIA.M G. GODDARD.
where are your Public Libraries? Where your reverence for science, and art, and letters, —where your
thirst for that higher culture which marks the more
advanced stages of civilization?  It is time that, in
our most populous and opulent communities, no just
cause should be found for such reproach. Several of
them have engaged with a noble zeal in the great
work of establishing public Libraries.  Although,
from the circumstances of the case, these institutions
can never be expected to equal, in magnificence, those
extensive repositories of intellectual wealth which
adorn the capitals of Europe, yet they are doing much,
and in the progress of time they cannot fail to do
mnore, to elevate the public taste, and to supply a
regenerating element to public opinion. Under a
republican government and among a republican people, where the laws of primogeniture and of entail are
unknown, and where wealth, of course, seldom accumulates in large masses, associated efforts in behalf of
these institutions are specially required.  Without
such efforts, they cannot well be established. Here
and there, individual taste and munificence may gather
within the private mansion, a well selected Family
Library-but a collection of books at all adequate to
the wants of an extended community can be made only
by Societies or Corporations, who come to the work
sustained by mutual sympathies and a generous co-operation.
Public Libraries are specially adapted to the wants
of our people and to the genius of our government.
We are, to a great extent, without amusements to
diversify the forms of life in our American Society.
There is danger, therefore, lest multitudes who are




ATITENFf7rT.                47
fatigued by excessive action of mind and body in the
round of common occupation, should, in the absence
of innocent recreations, lapse into torpor, or engage
in bitter strife, or sink into debasing sensuality. To
all such, and in our' country they cannot be numbered, a
Public Library offers the best sources of healthful
excitement-the most grateful refuge from the din of
theological and political controversy —the truest relaxations from the cares of business-and, next to the
influences of religion, the strongest safeguard against
the seductions of pleasure.
We have said that a Public Library is suited to the
genius of our government. We mean, that our institutions pre-suppose and demand an extensive diffusion
of knowledge and virtue among the people. In the
judgment of intelligent minds, these institutions are
hostile to no superiorities, whether owing to wealth,
or talent, or the distinctions of moral character. It is
their design to place within the control of every man
the means of bettering his pecuniary fortunes, of cultivating his intellectual powers, of improving his
moral nature. An important instrument in effecting
purposes like these, is to be found in Public Libraries,
founded, like our own,  upon liberal principles, and
having for their aim the general good. These establishments are not intended, as many mistakingly or
perversely think, for the more especial benefit of the
rich, and the learned, and the unoccupied. Under
restrictions which are essential to secure their permanence, they are accessible to all classes of men. They
address themselves to the sympathies, and tastes-the
opinions and principles of the whole popular mind.
Sustained by considerations like these, let us, one and




248      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
all, seek to promote, by every means in our power,
the welfare of the Institution which has been entrusted
to our care. Its infant destinies are in our handslet us take good heed that those who, in the order of
Providence, are so soon to enter into our labors, shall
have no cause to say that we were unfaithful to our
high trust.
These statistics indicate a gradual increase, from
year to year, in the number of those who desire to
obtain for themselves and for their children a share of
the intellectual, and in sonne sort, imperishable wealth
which has here been accumulated. It is not for this
Board to prescribe to their fellow citizens how they
shall spend their money, or in what manner they
should seek happiness and honor for themselves and
their children; but when they reflect how rich and
varied are the benefits of a generous intellectual culture, and at how small a price this Institution offers
to impart these benefits, they cannot abstain from an
expression of regret that comparatively so few should
come up hither to buy knowledge, and wisdom, and
virtue. The cost of a share which admits a Proprietor
and his family to the privileges of a well selected
Library, containing more than seven thousand volumes, is only fifteen dollars, and the annual tax which
the current expenses of the Institution require, cannot
exceed five dollars. Look abroad over this whole
population of nearly twenty  thousand people, and
behold, how many, in every condition  of fortune,
expend, every year, in some frivolous, or perchance
in some vicious indulgence, more than enough to purchase the privileges of access to this Institution!




ATHENIEUM.                 249
These privileges, it should be remembered, are of no
mean value. Is it nothing to escape, for a while,
from the hot pursuit of gain, or the exasperated strife
of politics, or the wearisome round of pleasure, to
these serene retreats where Science invites to the
study of her noble truths, and Taste and Genius,
Imagination and Art, reveal fair portions of the boundless realms of beauty?  Is it nothing to anticipate
the stern discipline of calamity, by listening to oracles
who will lead us to happiness through other paths
than those of suffering?  Is it nothing for those who
are preparing for the business of life, to learn, in the
best society and under the best teachers, the true
conditions and the solemn responsibilities of life? Is
it nothing for creatures, destined like ourselves to live
forever, to cultivate, in communion with the wise and
good who have gone before us, our capacities for the
sublime and passionless enjoyments of the immortal
life?
*>  *    *    *    *    *    * 
We have commenced, under favorable auspices, a
noble enterprise. Thus far, our efforts have been
eminently successfill. If, however, we should be betrayed into the delusive notion that little now
remains for us to accomplish, we shall lapse into a
state of languor which will be fatal to all progress.
The literary wants of this community will continue to
multiply, and we must endeavor to anticipate them.
Our Library demands that important accessions be
made, whenever our resources will permit, to its various
departments. We are invited to enrich our collection,
yet more and more, with the treasures of Anglo Saxon
Literature —a literature, be it remembered, eminently
32




250      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
suited to our social condition and habits-allied to a
pure faith, and instinct with the spirit of an exalted
freedom. We ought, moreover, to be animated to perseverance in our work by the impulse which  has
recently been imparted to kindred institutions in this
city. Our system of popular education is about to be
improved and extended. The scientific association,
which shares with us the accommodations of this
edifice, is pushing, with unostentatious diligence, its
liberal inquiries; and our University, recently endowed with larger means for conveying instruction, is
destined to labor with increasing success in the cause
of all good learning. In the midst of this generous
strife, let us not remain inactive. Seeking the favor
of no sect, political or religious, let it be our aim to
make these halls the dwelling place of all good influences, so that the men and women of our city who
resort hither, may here learn something of what constitutes the true dignity and the lasting pleasure of
thinking beings.
In concluding this Report, your Board Imust turn,
for a moment, from themes of grateful interest to an
event of sad significance. For the first time since the
establishment of the Athenoeum, death has bereaved
us of one of our associates. Only a few weeks since,
and William Butler stood among us, in the midst of
his years-full of health and buoyant in spirit-sustaining important relations to his friends and to the
public-and destined to enjoyed yet larger capacities
for useful and honorable action. From all these
scenes of enjoyment and of promise, he passed, with
fearful suddenness, into the state of untried being!
Influenced by a sentiment of respect for the memory of




ATHEN-UM.                  251
our deceased associate, as well as by a desire to leave
to the Proprietors the unembarrassed choice of his
successor, your Board have forborne to fill the vacancy
which the death of Mr. Butler has created. IHe is
now neither of us nor amonJl us, but from his fresh
grave there comes a voice which admonishes us all to do
with our might whatever our hands may find to doassured that, howv numerous soever may be the
chances of failure to which most human enterprises
are exposed, nothing can finally be lost of that which
is done for VIRTUE and for TRUTH.
A retrospect of the past year furnishes ample evidence of the continued prosperity of the Athenaum,
and a substantial pledge that the public favor will
never suffer this prosperity to decline. It is now four
years, since our Library was first opened.  During
that time, its privileges have been accessible, not only
to the individual proprietor and to his immediate
family, but, under proper restrictions, to all strangers
introduced by proprietors. Our country, it is believed,
contains no Library, of equal value and extent, which
is established upon so comprehensive principles, or
which is conducted, in all respects, in so liberal a
spirit.  A share can be obtained at an expense which
places within the reach of a large majority of our inhabitants the rich intellectual stores here collected.
In all the regulations, likewise, which have been
adopted for the government of the Library, the convenience of the proprietors have been studiously
regarded; and no practicable means have been left untried, to render these halls an attractive resort; to cultivate, more especially in the young, a desire for mental




252      WRITINGS OF WVILLIAM G. GODDARD.
culture; and to elevate, by all the refined influences
of such an Institution, the taste of this whole community. The Board of Directors are not without the
belief that, to some extent, these valuable results have
been accomplished. They rejoice to believe that numbers daily come up hither, to refresh themselves at
pure fountains; that some of the youth of both sexes
here find a most grateful substitute for amusements
which exhaust the spirits, if they do not corrupt the
heart; and that few leave these walls, without a sentiment of deeper reverence for learning-without a
stronger conviction that too mnuch cannot be done for
the edcaction of that mind which constitutes the man,
and which, in weal or in wo, is destined to live forever.
Ni:-.   *     * X        *   
In the prosperity of the Athenaum, your Board
have no other interest, and they can have no other
interest, than what is felt by every citizen who is
anxious that this Institution and other kindred institutions should be made effective instruments in cultivating a taste for liberal studies-in imparting a right
direction to public opinion-in winning for our city
and for our State, a name and an influence which can
be put at hazard by no fluctuations in politics, and by
no vicissitudes in trade. They would fain impress
upon the mind of every parent in this community,
that, amid the changeful destinies of human life, circumstances are comparatively insignificant, and that
character-a well formed character-is the only sure
foundation of happiness, usefulness, and honor. They
would fain quicken parents to a true perception of the
best interests of their children —to a tranquil but




ATHEN.EUM.                253
unyielding conviction that wealth, without just views
of the responsibilities which it involves, and of the
noble enjoyments which it may be made to create, is
a treacherous blessing; and that there can be no surer
provision for the welfare of every human being, than
a conscience responsive to the claims of duty, and a
taste alive to the pleasures of intellect.
*    %    *    * X    X    *        % *
Before closing this Report, the Board of Directors
beg leave to offer a few remarkis, in relation to the
extent to which the Library of the Athenmeum should
be increased; and, also, in relation to the principles
upon which it should be selected. At the present
stage in the progress of this Institution, the first topic
needs no extended discussion. Our Library, although
embodying much that is valuable in science and in letters, is yet exceedingly imperfect. Some departments,
essential to every public Library, remain as yet to be
created; others require that their deficiences should
be supplied; and all will need to be recruited by
accessions from the multitude of books which are constantly issuing from the press in this country and in
Europe. Considering how active is the intellect of
the age-how  versatile the forms in which genius
clothes its creations-how profound and various the
researches of science-it would be unwise now to anticipate any limit at which we, the friends and proprietors of the Athenaeum, should pause. Among all the
experiments, successful and unsuccessful, by which
our sagacious countrymen have essayed to promote
the public interest and their own, the experiment of a
public Library, on a grand scale, has never yet been
made.  Without extraordinary aid from munificent




254     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
in-lividuals, we can never venture to embark in so
noble an enterprise. We trust, however, that the day
is not far distant, when the reproach of being lamentably deficient in public libraries worthy of the name,
will no longer rest upon our country. Although, with
our humble means, we cannot accomplish what we
would, let us not fail to do what we can. Let us be
faithful, in our day and generation, to the trust confided to our hands-solaced by the hope that those
who are to come after us, will emulate our fidelity,
and rejoice to share the triumphs which we can only
anticipate.
Concerning the other topic-the principles upon
which the Library of the Atheneum should be
selected-your Board do not purpose to enlarge.
Although they deem this topic to be of great practical importance, yet they advert to it, now, only for
the sake of expressing their opinion that it ought to
be the principal aim of this Institution to collect,
within its walls, all works which may illustrate the
truths and exhibit the progress of science; and, likewise, all works which have won, or which may promise
to win, for themselves the rank of standards in literature. The lighter and more graceful forms of literature, if obnoxious to no moral objection, should not
be systematically excluded; but, in the main, preference should be given to those graver and more costly
productions which many cannot afford to purchasewhich all ought to read; and without which no public Library can be deemed complete. Those who feed
exclusively upon ephemeral literary novelties, should
be left to seek them in circulating libraries and in the
bookseller's shop. Those, too, who pervert both their




BROWN UNIVERSITY.            255
taste and their morals, by a familiarity with publications which obtain a baleful ascendency over the passions and the imagination of the young, should be
admonished that this is no dwelling place for the
exaggerated descriptions, the vicious sentiment, and
the varnished impurities of modern fiction.  The
Athenueum should invite the public to a healthier and
more substantial repast-to the perusal of works
which are in harmony with truth and virtue; which
have stood the test of criticism and of time; and which,
in the memorable language of Milton, "the world
will not willingly let die."
BROWrN UNIVERSITY.
AT the last annual meeting of the Corporation, this
Committee was requested to prepare a revised code of
the laws respecting the Library, and to report the
same to the Corporation at the present meeting.
To this duty, the Committee have not been inattentive; and the result of their deliberations in
the premises will be found among the documents
accompanying this Report. In framing these Regulations, the Committee desired to accomplish two
important objects;-the preservation of the Library
from  the effects of wanton or careless use, and the
extension of its privileges, under proper restrictions,
to a larger number of persons than have hitherto been
permitted to enjoy them. In this matter, the Committee are unanimously of the opinion, that the policy




2 D 6    WWRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
of the University has been, hitherto, needlessly restrictive; that it is a policy not in harmony with the
public sentiment; that it frustrates one of the grand
designs for which  Libraries are established-the
wider diffusion of a taste for knowledge, and of the
facilities by which knowledge may be acquired. The
Regulations applicable to this point, reported by the
Committee, are cautious and guarded; they are denianded by the just expectations of the public, who
have, for soime time, anticipated the adoption of a
mnore liberal policy in regard to the Library; they
will, it is believed, be found eminently conducive to
the growth of the Library, and to the best interests of
the University..>~   -?i:-,.F  %   -x-   %     --   X
In reviewing the year which has closed, the Joint
Library Committee find ample cause for congratulation. The fund  for the purchase of books and
apparatus having  become fully available, a new
epoch has opened upon our University; a new
aliment has been supplied to recruit her strength; a
new principle of life has been in operation to accelerate her progress.  After having, for a long course of
years, remained stationary, the Library, at last, gives
token that the spirit of change and improvement has
entered its portals. Within the past year, something
has been done; but, it should not be forgotten, that
much remains to be done, ere our Library can be made
at all adequate to the just expectations of the public;
to the necessities of Instructors, who look to it for
nmeans to render their instructions more valuable;
or to the wants of pupils, who seek, in a rich collection




BROWN UNIVERSITY.              25 
of books, those impulses and aids which are essential
to generous scholarship.
Without wishing to be understood to  underrate
the value of any of the departments of the University,
the Library Committee cannot forbear, in closing this
Report, to commend to the Corporation the Library,
as worthy to be deemed one of the great interests of
the University. It addresses itself to the public sympathies, with a power of impression and attraction not
belonging, in an equal degree, to other departments;
and it communicates to every other department the
spirit and the means of progressive improvement.
And yet more, it sends abroad upon society influences
fitted to chasten and to exalt its tastes, habits, and
principles. It elevates the standard of scholarship
and it increases the veneration for learning. It helps
to rescue men fiom the dominion of the senses; to
withdraw them from the too eager pursuit of interests,
exclusively material; and to attract them  to the contemplation of those higher truths and duties which
affect, most intimately, and for the longest duration, the
character and the destiny of thinking beings.
*:-   *,.   *:   *     K    K    *
As Mr. Jewett is now in Germany, where he will
continue till he visits Italy, the Committee have authorized the Treasurer to remit to him the sum of two
hundred pounds sterling, to be invested, at his discretion, in German editions and illustrations of the ancient classics, and likewise in works, which will help to
familiarize to the minds of our students the rich and
varied literature of that land of authors and scholars.
The expediency of this investment requires no vindication. Such is the intrinsic value, and such the wide
33




258     WRITINGS OF WILLIAIM G. GODDARD.
celebrity of German literature, that a knowledge of
the language which embodies it, and to a considerable
extent, exclusively embodies it, has come to be considered, in the United States, as an essential part of a
liberal education. The Committee rejoice that such is
the fact-they welcome it as an indication that our
country is beginning to demand of our literary and
scientific men a more generous culture, and that a
higher standard of scholarship is about to be established in all our institutions of learning. While they
would be the last to underrate the wealth of our own
language and literature, they believe that the scholar
who is familiar with the German may command access
to rich mines of thought and research, in which the
English mind has hardly begun to work. They are
aware that the German imagination loves to deal
sometimes in what is wild and fanciful, and sometimes
in what is mysterious and terrific. They are persuaded, howexTer, that its creations, full as they are of
beauty and of power, will fail to pervert the sedate
and genuine impulses of English thought, and fancy
and feeling, and that our scholars, and all, indeed, who
cultivate the German tongue, will exercise a genuine
eclectic spirit-that, fascinated neither by the false
philosophy nor by the extravagant fictions of Germany, they will extract from her sterling literature
the means for more extended and accurate research in
every department of learning; the elements of a truer
and less exclusive taste in letters-the materials of a
more profound and expansive generalization of the
principles which govern human action.
In concluding their Report, the Committee commend
anew the Library to the favorable regard of the hon



RHODE ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY.      259
orable Corporation, as one of the commanding interests
of the University. They are solicitous that its importance to the other interests of this Institution-to the
cause of sound learning —and to the highest welfare
of this community, should not be undervalued. This
Institution was founded eighty years ago, for the
purpose of promoting, in the language of its charter,
" the liberal arts and universal literature."  It is mortifying to reflect, how little, till within a few years,
has been done to make the Library to correspond, in
any sense, to the comprehensive design of the venerable fathers of this University. They were true to
the great trust which they undertook to discharge.
At an early day, and with limited means, they did
what they could to lay broad and deep the foundations of this Institution. Faithful to the high trust
committed to our hands, let us, then, in our turn, use
the more ample means with which we are endowed,
not only in promoting the prosperity of the Library,
but in enlarging, in all respects, the capacities of this
University to diffuse the blessings of sound learningto elevate the standard of American scholarship-to
invigorate the tone of social morality-and to spread,
far and wide, the transforming influences of Christian
truth.
RHODE ISLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
YOUR Board rejoice to recognize, in every section
of our Union, manifestations of increasing interest in
those studies and researches which relate to the history




260      WRITINGS OF WILLIA3M G. GODDARD.
of our country. An Historical Society, with which
your Board will lose no time in commencing a correspondence, has just been established, under the most
favorable auspices, in the State of Georgia. Similar
Societies are multiplying, not only in the old, but in
the new States; and, amid the bitter strife of our
domestic politics, it is refreshing to behold political
champions of every denomination  cordially co-operating in efforts to extend the serene triumphs of
historical truth.
In conclusion, your Board would i'emember, and
they would exhort their associates likewise to remember, their privileges and their duties. The history of
Rhode Island, rich in incident, and full of instruction,
is yet to be written. If written with impartiality and
in a spirit of comprehensive wisdom, neither we nor
our children would have cause to blush at the record.
Our fathers lived not in vain. Inl the conflicts of the
American Revolution, they contended manfully, in
the council and in the field, for the great principles of
popular right. To them belongs the merit of the first
public suggestion of the General Congress which
assembled in 1774; and to them, likewise, belongs the
credit of imaking the first movement in behalf of our
national system of naval defence. Not to enumerate
other unquestioned titles to our grateful recollection,
they bequeathed to us, in the spot which we now inhabit, a goodly heritage; and, let it never be forgotten,
they also bequeathed to us, and they first proclaimed to
the world, THE TRITE PRINCIPLES OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOMI!
Let us not slight the noble inheritance. Let us at least
strive, in this our day and generation, to collect eyery
memorial of these forefathers which time may have




BROWN UNIVERSITY.             261
spared. Having rescued these memorials from oblivion,
let us place them, as far as may be practicable, beyond
the reach of accident. In this work, let us labor,
unceasingly, till it be accomplished. Give the future
historian of our State no cause to reproach us for having left him naught but arid chronicles of events; but
let him find, among the fruits of our humbler toils,
materials, not only for faithful narrative, but for a
philosophical exposition of the conduct, and principles, and institutions of our ancestors.
BROWN UNIVERSITY,
A LIBERAL AND CATHOLIC INSTITUTION.
PUBLISHED IN 1835.
BROWN UNIVERSITY was founded by the Baptistsand it is under the control of the Baptists. Thus far,
and no farther, may it be considered as a Sectarian
Institution. To the grand principles of religious toleration, on which it was founded, it may not be deemed
improper briefly to advert. These principles are unequivocally recognized in the Charter, and through
every stage in the history of the College they have, it
is believed, been preserved inviolate.
The Charter provides that the Corporation shall
consist of two branches-the Board of Fellows and




262      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
the Board of Trustees-the former comprising twelve
members, the latter thirty-six.  Of the twelve Fellows,
eight must be  Baptists-but the  remaining four
must be chosen from other denominations of Christians.
Of the Trustees, twenty-two must be Baptists, five
Episcopalians, five Friends, and four Congregationalists.  In determining these proportions, originally,
reference, it is supposed, was had to the existing state
of the principal religious denominations at the time of
the granting of the Charter. Of the Officers of Instruction, the President alone is required to be a Baptist. The College is more than once denominated by
the Charter as "a liberal and catholic institution."
That this noble appellation is not undeserved, the following extract from  that Instrument will plainly
show:
"It is hereby enacted and declared, That into this liberal and catholic institution shall never be admitted
any religious tests: but, on the contrary, all the members hereof shall forever enjoy full, free, absolute and
uninterrupted liberty of conscience: and that the
places of Professors, Tutors, and all other officers, the
President alone excepted, shall be free and open for
all denominations of Protestants: and that youth of
all religious denominations shall and may be freely
admitted to the equal advantages, emoluments and
honors of the College or University; and shall receive
a like fair, generous and equal treatment, during their
residence therein, they conducting themselves peaceably, and conforming to the laws and statutes thereof.
And that the public teaching shall, in. general, respect
the sciences; and that the sectarian differences of
opinions shall not make any part of the public and




BROWN UNIVERSITY.            2963
classical instruction: although all religious controversies may be studied frieely, examined and explained,
by the President, Professors and Tutors, in a personal,
separate and distinct manner, to the youth of any or
each denomination: and above all, a constant regard
be paid to, and effectual care taken of, the morals of
the College."
In the following paragraph from the existing Laws
of the College, the same broad principles are recognized.
" The right of Christians of every denomination to
enjoy without molestation their religious sentiments,
is fully allowed; nevertheless, as the public observance
of the Sabbath is a moral duty, at the beginning of
each term, every student shall designate to the President or other officer named by him, some place of
public worship which he chooses to attend, and he
shall attend such place of worship on the forenoon and
afternoon of every first day of the week."
The Statutes of the College, passed in 1783, clearly
evince, that, on the subject of religion, its founders
were animated with the most liberal and catholic
spirit. According to these statutes, those students
who regularly observed the seventh day as the Sabbath, were exempted from the operation of the law
which required " every student to attend public worship where he, or his parents or guardians, shall think
proper."  Those who statedly attended the Fyivends'
meeting, were expressly " permitted to wear their hats,
within the College walls," &c. And " young gentlemen of the Hebrew persuasion" were formally exempted from the law which commanded, on penalty of
expulsion, that no student should deny the divine




2 64     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
authority of the Old and New Testaments. Furthermore, at their annual meeting, in 1770, the Corporation passed a resolution appointing the President and
the Chancellor to inform a distinguished Jew in the
city of Charleston (S. C.) that " the children of Jews
may be admitted into this Institution, and entirely
enjoy the freedom of their own religion, without
any constraint or imposition whatever!" These are
curious and valuable memorials of by-gone times.
They indicate on the part of the founders of the College, a delicate regard to the rights of conscience, and
a generous attachment to the principles of religious
toleration, for, which it is believed, no parallels can be
found in the history of similar Institutions.
Every College in New England, and most of the
Colleges in the Middle States, are under the control of
some particular religious denomination. The Charter
of no one of them, except that of Brown University,
SEcunRES to several leading sects of Christians the
RIGHT FOR EVER to share in the administration of their
affairs.
With many of our American Colleges, Theological
Schools are connected. Brown University is, and
always has been, without one. That Institution is,
in the language of its Charter, "a seminary for the
education of youth in the vernacular and learned languages, and in the liberal arts and sciences."
In many Colleges, the students are compelled to
attend public worship, on the Sabbath, at some par.
ticular place, which is designated by law. In this
matter, the students of Brown University are, by law,
allowed an uncontrolled choice.




3tOSEs BROWN.               265
Finally, with confidence may it be asserted, that, in
Brown University, no Officers of Instruction and no
students, who happen not to be Baptists, and of the
latter there are many, are ever made to feel that
"sectarian differences of opinions," diminish, in any
degree, their privileges, their usefulness, or their happiness.
OBITUARIE S.
MOSES BROWN.
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 15, 1836.
WITHIN the past year, Death has been busy in the
ranks of our aged and influential citizens. One after
another has passed into the world of spirits, and the
places which once knew them, shall know them no
more. The individuals to whom I allude, were useful
and honorable men; for they mixed themselves largely with the interests of society, and they never failed,
even in these latter days of social perversity, to uphold
the grand conservative principles of moral right.
Leaving to the pen of familiar friendship the grateful
task of commemorating the virtues of that excellent
person, who so long presided over our University,
and who so recently was the joy of his own fireside,
34




26 6       WRITINGS OF WILLIAM  G. GODDARD.
I have collected  a few  memorials of the late MosEs
BROWN, which cannot be without interest, especially
to those who were no strangers to that venerable man.
He was the youngest son of James and Hope Brown,
and  was born  in  Providence, September 23, 1738.
He long survived his three  elder brothers, Nicholas,
Joseph and John-the first having died in 1791, the
second in 1784, and the third in 1803.*   At the early
age of tllirteen, he left school, and, his father being
deceased, he passed his early years in the family of
his paternal uncle Obadiah,t at that time an eminent
merchant of Providence, who, from  the first, extended
to him the care and the affection of a father. In the
year 1764, he married Anna Brown, the daughter of
his uncle, and he subsequently inherited, by Will, a
portion of his large estate. Thus was strengthened,
by  an intimate alliance, in manhood, the friendship
which had brightened his early years.  This marriage
was blessed by the birth of three children, a son and
two daughters.  One of the latter died in infancythe other, Sarah Almy, a truly estimable woman, and
wife of the late William  Almy, in  1794.  His only
son, the late Obadiah Brown, of honorable memory,
died in the vigor of manhood, in the year 1822; and
* The four brothers, as they were familiarly termed, were remarkable men,
for the times in which they lived. They could command few of those opportunities for instruction which are now within the reach of the humblest individual; but so largely were they endowed with practical sagacity-so exemplary were their habits of industry and economy-and so generous their spirit
of enterprise, that, notwithstanding their imperfect means of education, they
won for themselves a substantial influence in society-and they have left behind them enduring memorials of an enlarged public spirit and a wise beneficence.
t A son of the Rev. James Brown, Pastor of the First Baptist Church, who
died in 1732, just ninety years after his grandfather, Chad Brown, was ordained
to the same office.




MOSES BROWN.                     267
his son-in-law, William Almy, upon whose society and
wise counsels he greatly relied, at the commencement
of thle present year. Thus was he a Patriarch, without
children.*  Those who, in the order of nature, should
have gone after him, went before him; and he was left to
feel all that dreariness, which belongs to what Burke,
in his eloquent grief for the loss of his only son, calls
" the  solitude  of an  inverted  existence."   In  the
course of his long journey, Mr. B. was three times
married, but he was companionless many years before
he reached its end. These successive trials were sustained with that serene fortitude which only Christian
faith can impart.  To his most familiar friends it is
known, that he regarded these melancholy bereavements, with  no  stoical apathy.  In some of those
private records of devout gratitude which, till within
a few years of his death, he was in the habit of making, upon the recurrence of his birth-day, there may
be found frequent and touching references to these repeated visitations of domestic sorrow.  In commemorating the goodness of his Heavenly Father, when he
had reached his eighty-seventh year, {Mr. Brown alludes
to his "1many trials," especially to the death of his son,
of whom, in  language  of simple  pathos, he thus
speaks:-" My beloved son, in my old age, on whom
I was looking to lean."  These chastisements, to use
his own expressive and modest phrase, "tended to my
humiliation."  They took away from the aged pilgrim
his staff and the companions of his journey, but they
* His only grandchild is Mrs. Anna A. Jenkins, wife of William Jenkins,
]Esq. of this city. To the only son of this grand-daughter, Moses Brown
Jenkins, Mr. Brown bequeathed his mansion house and lands. near the banks
of the Seekonk, formerly belonging to Mr. Merritt, an English gentleman of
fortune. Here, in rural quiet and simplicity, he lived for the period of sixtyfive years-and here he breathed his latest sigh.




268     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
taught him to lean, with more confidence, upon an
Almighty arm, and to look forward, with a more
sustaining hope, to a communion with the society of
Heaven.
In the year 1763, MIr. Brown engaged in commercial
pursuits, in partnership with his three brothers. He
continued in active business for about ten years, when
he withdrew from the bustle of trade to that retirement to which his feeble health invited-and which
was so much more congenial to his early formed taste
for intellectual pursuits. From his favorite seclusion
he never emerged, except for an interval of about two
years which he devoted to the establishment of his son
and son-in-law in the business of the cotton manufacture. He early foresaw the advantages which domestic
nlanufactures promised to this section of our country;
and, in the year 1789, he was instrumental in inducing
the late Samuel Slater, Esq. to employ his skill in
working the first water frames in America.  These
frames are now in the original mill at Pawtucket.
From May, 1764, to October, 1771, Mr. B. was a
Representative of his native town in the General Assembly of the then Colony of Rhode Island. He was
an influential member of the House, and, although the
strife between Ward and Hopkins was then extremely
ardent, and Mr. Brown, with his friends, espoused the
interests of the latter, yet, such was his personal popularity, that he was always re-elected without opposition. It is not known that he ever occupied any other
public political station. Though decided in his views
of political questions, he abstained, habitually and
conscientiously, from partisan strife; but he never
neglected to exercise the right of suffrage, when any




MOSES BROWN.                2 69
grave public interest or any commanding principle of
ryight seemed to be involved in the issue.
In 1764, Mr. Brown warmly co-operated with several of his enlightened cotemporaries in the project of
founding, on highly catholic principles, an institution
for liberal education in the Colony of Rhode Island.
This project was eminently successful. In the year
1770, the corner stone of the first edifice for the use
of Rhode Island College, was laid by John Brown.
Agreeably to a provision of the charter, the institution has since changed its name, but it has parted
with none of its power to benefit the citizens of Rhode
Island, by whom and for whom, mainly, it was established.
Moses Brown was originally a Baptist-and he
continued a Baptist till 1773, when, at the age of
thirty-five, he became a FRIEND. At this distance of
time, and with imperfect means of information, it is
impossible to assign, with particularity, the causes of
this change in his religious sentiments and connexions.
That it was the result of conscientious convictions of
duty, it would be uncharitable to entertain a doubt.
His mind, it would seem, had, for some time, been
deeply impressed by the solemnities of religious
truth-and, in humble dependence on the eternal
source of all spiritual illumination, he cultivated within
himself those sentiments of reverence and submission
which Christianity challenges for its unchangeable
verities. From the time that he became a Friend to
the close of his protracted life, he exerted a predominating influence in all the concerns of the Society, both
secular and religious. He sustained many of its most
important offices, with Christian dignity and acknowl



0270          WRITINGS OF WILLIAM  G. GODDARD.
edoged usefulness-and, till arrested  by  his last sickness, he was seldom  or never absent at its appointed
seasons of worship.
Mr. Brown was among the founders and munificent
patrons of the Yearly  Meeting  Boarding  School* in
this city.  He was its first Treasurer, and continued,
for about fifty-three successive years, to discharge the
duties of that office, till the present year, when, at his
request, another individual was elected.   From  the
commencement of the School, till the close of his life,
he watched over its various concerns, with  paternal
solicitudem-nanifesting  the  deepest interest in  the
moral, literary and religious improvement of its pupils.
I-Ie regularly  attended  the  meetings  of the  School
Conmmittee, and  was uniformly  punctual at the  appointed hour.  He presented to the Institution, in the
vear 1817, the land, measuring  forty-three acres, on
which the edifices are erected, and, as a final evidence
of his desire to promote its welfare, he bequeathed to
it a house  and lot, and  the  sum  of fifteen thousand
dollars.
Consistently with the principles of the religious Society to which he belonged, MIoses Brown was opposed
to slavery in all forms. Convinced that he could not
rightfully  hold  any  of his fellow  men  in  bondage,
he, in  the  year  1773, manumitted  all his  slaves;
* For the information of distant readers, it may be proper to state, that the
Yearly Meeting Boarding School, as it is unostentatiously termed, was established in the year 1780, upon Rhode Island. After a few years, the School
was suspended till the year 1819, when it was revived in an extensive building erected for its accommodation on the land presented by Mr. Brown. The
original building has since been enlarged by spacious additions. The number
of pupils, male and female, is about one hundred and fifty; the number of Instructors, eight.  In this seminary, are taught not only the elementary
branches of learning, but the ancient and modern languages, mathematics,
natural philosophy, chemistry, physiology, &c.




AIOSES BROWN.              271
and he subsequently exercised over them the care of
a benevolent guardian and firiend. He was among the
founders and, for many years, an efficient member of
the Abolition Society of Rhode Island; and when it
was proposed to erect, in this city, a house of worship
for the exclusive accommodation of people of color, he
presented to them the land on which it now stands.
An earnest advocate of the rights of the African race,
he devoted much time to effect every practicable
melioration in their condition. He visited Philadelphia, when Congress was in session there, for the purpose of procuring some legislative enactment for the
abolition of the foreign slave trade. Accompanied by
his son-in-law, the late William Almy, he also went to
New Haven, to present an address to the Legislature
of Connecticut, soliciting them to interdict the slave
trade within their jurisdiction. Till the close of life,
he continued to be the unswerving advocate of UNIVERSAL EMANCIPATION; and, in his last Will, he bequeathed five hundred dollars to be appropriated to
the accomplishment of this great object.
Having mentioned the religious denomination to
which he belonged, it were almost superfluous to add,
that Mr. Brown was an earnest friend to the cause of
Universal Peace. He assisted in the establishment of
the Rhode Island Peace Society; contributed liberally
to its funds, and, in his Will, bequeathed the sum of
four hundred dollars for the promotion of its humane
and noble objects.
He entertained a profound reverence for the Holy
Scriptures, and he not unfrequently expressed his
regret that the reading of them in our schools is so
generally discontinued. He regarded them  as the




2 T 2   WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
only test of christian faith and practice, and he contributed liberally to promote their circulation throughout all lands. Of the Rhode Island Bible Society, he
was an early and influential member.
In early life, he made several journeys on business;
and, at a later period, a few for objects of philanthropy.
During his advanced years, he remained quietly at
home-devoting his time to the care of his property, to
his favorite intellectual pursuits, and to the service
and society of his friends. Of Chemistry and Natural
Philosophy he was particularly fond, and he often interested himself and the younger class of his visitors
with experimental illustrations of these subjects. His
long and accurate observation, together with some
study of medical authors, had familiarized to his mind
many of the most important practical directions for the
cure and prevention of disease. This knowledge he
always cheerfully imparted to all those who needed
it-especially to the poor, who may be supposed to
understand, very imperfectly, the conditions under
which health may be preserved, or the means by which
it may be restored. When at home, and not engaged
with company, he devoted nearly all his time to reading and writing, and though he maintained an extensive correspondence, and was, for other purposes, somewhat assiduous at the writing desk, he rarely employed
either a clerk or an amanuensis.
When it is known that, although Mr. Brown's constitution was originally so feeble as to give no promise
of long life, yet that he lived to be almost ninety-eight
years of age, the physiological inquirer may be anxious to ascertain what were his ordinary habits of life.
I regret that my limits compel me, on this topic, to be




MOSES BROWNr.               273
more brief than its importance perhaps would wTarrant. In respect to diet, he furnished no illustration
of the precepts of Cornaro. He practised no rigid
abstemiousness-but was uniformly regular and moderate in the use of food. Every day he partook of four
repasts, and he always retired to rest at ten o'clock
in the evening. When the weather was not stormy
or inclement, he exercised daily in a close carriage.
His drives, however, were seldom taken merely for the
benefit of air and exercise-and much of their effect
in prolonging his life, may be ascribed to the fact,
that he combined, with this necessary refreshment of
mind and body, a variety of either useful or engaging
occupations. Of his own business he took the sole
care  and he was accustomed to interest himself in
the business of those friends who might be benefited
by the sagacity of his counsel.
His last Will and Testament he made at the age of
ninety six. This instrument is very long, containing
a great variety of provisions-many of which, exemplify, in an interesting manner, his attachment to his
friends, and his desire to promote the cause of education, religion, and philanthropy.
He lived and died in the belief of the primitive
doctrines of the Society of Friends. He was indeed
the patriarch of that Society, and, being so regarded,
few, if any of its members fi'om Europe or from the
different sections of our own country, who visited this
vicinity, failed to call and see him. This evidence of
respectful attention was not, however, confined to individuals of his own religious persuasion, for strangers
of various religious denominations, who chanced to visit
Providence, were accustomed to seek an interview with
35




274     WRITINGS OF WVILLIAM G. GODDARD.
him, that they might witness an extraordinary example of mental vigor and activity amid the decay of
the outward man, and that they might pay the respect
due to his venerable years, his elevated standing and
his acknowledged virtues. On these and on all similar
occasions, his deportment was not only dignified, but
kind and " civil beyond the forms of breeding." Such
was his knowledge both of men and books, that he
always was enabled to accommodate himself, with
graceful facility, to the age, condition and capacity of
his visitors. In the society of young people, he manifested much interest, and he sometimes observed that,
without a grateful interchange of thought with his
juniors, he should be left almost in solitude, as he had
long survived all contemporary relatives and friends.
His hospitality was proverbial, and the great numbers
who have partaken of his cordial and unaffected kindness will long and gratefully bear him in remembrance.
Notwithstanding his undeviating adherence to the
peculiarities of his sect, so expansive was his charity,
that he cordially united with individuals of every
religious persuasion, in furthering plans of general benevolence, and in promoting the best interests of the
community. His mind seemed to keep pace with the
improvements of the age, and, what is not common
with the aged, he was prompt to approve of any
changes which promised to better the moral and physical condition either of individuals or the community.
BWhen a few years since, our municipal government,
under which Moses Brown had lived for nearly a century, was about to be abandoned for a more efficient
organization, he gave to the project the influence of his
opinion and of his vote.




MOSES BROWN.               275
On the 23d day of August, he was attacked with
Cholera AMorbus. The disease was soon subdued, but
it so exhausted the powers of life that no skill in medicine and no assiduities of friendship could impart either
vigor or elasticity to a frame which had been exposed to
the vicissitudes, physical and moral, of nearly one hundred years. Throughout his last illness, he was able to
sit up a part of nearly every day, and to converse with
many of his friends who called to see him. On several
occasions, he alluded to the uncertain issue of his illness, and, with prophetic forecast, he arranged whatever business of a temporal nature demanded his
attention. This done, he awaited, with  Christian
equanimity and with an unclouded intellect, that
summons which was to set his immortal spirit free
from every earthly shackle. On the 6th day of September, this venerable man, was gathered to his fathers,
aged ninety-seven years, eleven months, and fourteen
days.
That Moses Brown was no ordinary man, these imperfect records of his life are, of themselves, sufficient
to show. Much of his acknowledgeged weight of character may be ascribed to his clear and vigorous
intellect-his indefatigable industry, and his untiring
zeal in the performance of what he deemed to be his
duty. He was remarkable for firmness of purpose
combined with unaffected humility. Though his temperament was naturally ardent, yet his habitqal equanimity was seldom long disturbed by those collisions
of interest, which, in the'intercourse of life, are next to
unavoidable. He not only forgave injuries, but, as if
wrought upon by the noble spirit of the Gospel of
Jesus Christ, he seemed almost to forget them. No




276     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
exemption from  the imperfections of mortality is
claimed for him, but it is given to few men to live
thus long, and- thus free from reproach.
I never could read the prayers and meditations of
Dr. Johnson, without being strongly impressed with
the conviction, that, into whatever temporary errors of
conduct he might have been betrayed, his heart was
right in the sight of God. And I am quite sure that
no one could read the birth-day confessions and
prayers of Moses Brown, full as they are of humility
and penitence, and gratitude and submission, without
a grateful confidence that, throughout the stages of his
long probation, he was faithful to his God-that he
lived under the prevailing influence of Christian principle, and that he has passed to the rewards of Christian obedience.
At the hazard of becoming tedious, I must be allowed
to add one or two remarks which the subject naturally
suggests. Mr. Brown, at the time of his death, was
the oldest man in Providence, and he could have had
but few seniors upon the face of the whole earth.
Nearly all of the millions of human beings who entered upon life, contemporaneously with him, had gone
to swell the congregation of the unnumbered dead.
To him was allotted a probation so long, that he stood
out, as it were, from the ranks of living men, as the
solitary representative of a departed race. To how
few is old age granted, with so many blessings to cheer
its inevitable solitariness, and to relieve the pressure
of its accumulated sorrows! Around his fireside, he
could, it is true, summon neither wife, nor children,
nor early fiiend, but there were not wanting those,
who, year after year, watched over him with unwearied




NICHOLAS BROWN.                   277
and affectionate assiduity-and who, in some sort, compensated him for the loss of friends, whom, "though he
less deplored, he ne'er forgot." And yet more, Time,
in a most remarkable degree, spared his affections and
his intellect-for, though nearly a century old; yet he
was rarely betrayed into querulousness, and he never
lapsed into vacuity.  On the contrary, his cheerfulness
was habitual, and his intellectual faculties were instruments of usefulness and happiness to the last. To what
cause may his extraordinary longevity and the remarkable exemption of his mind fiom the usual consequences
of age, be ascribed?  Need I assign any other than his
uniform  obedience to those physical and moral laws,
which God has seen fit to impose, as rules of conduct,
upon every human being?
NICHOLAS BROWN.
PUBLISHED OCTOBER 4, 1841.
AN eminent citizen and Christian philanthropist
has passed from the scenes of this mortal life, to the
unchanging destinies of that life which knoweth no end.
Nicholas Brown, the last of.the immediate male representatives of either of " the four brothers,"" has been
gathered to his fathers. To another generation must
now be committed the responsibility, not merely of
using aright the fruits of their successful toils, but of
* John, Joseph, Nicholas and Moses Brown were familiarly designated, in
their day, as " the four brothers." For the times in which they lived, they
were all uncommon men-remarkable for broad views, and for the active and
efficient prosecution of public aims.




278     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
preserving, unimpaired, the yet nobler patrimony of
their name and virtues. The records of a good man's
life are full of instruction and consolation, for those,
more especially, who, repelled by the meannesses
of the little, and the depravities of the great, are
tempted to think that the triumphs of perverted
talent have come to be deemed as more precious than
the'birthright of truth and honor. It may not, therefore, be amiss to pause, amid the bustle and heat of
worldly interests, at the grave of Nicholas Brown, and
to look at those passages in his history, and those
lineaments of his moral being, which now cause that
grave to be wet with honest tears. We purpose no
extended biography of this man of genuine worthno elaborate analysis of the elements of his character.
To abler hands this gratefill office has been confided,
and to abler hands it should be left. We seek,
mainly, to commend his example to the young men of
the present generation; that they may behold how
much purer and more enduring, is the distinction
which follows MORAL EXCELLENCE, than the homage
which is paid to wealth, or the fleeting renown which
waits upon power.
Nicholas Brown was born in Providence, April 4,
r769 —and was the only surviving son of the late
Nicholas Brown- once an eminent merchant of this
city, and a truly wise, benevolent, and pious man. In
the year 1782, he entered Rhode Island College, now
Brown University, over which the venerated Dr.
Manning had long presided. Of this excellent man,
Mr. Brown always spoke with enthusiasm; and, a few
years since, he exhibited an interesting proof of his
love and reverence for his early instructor and friend,




NICHOLAS BROWN.              279
by giving to a beautiful edifice, which he erected, at
his own expense, for Brown University, the name of
Manning Hall. He graduated in the year 1786 —and
before he had reached the age of eighteen years. Of
his Classmates, originally fifteen in number, not more
than three are now alive; and, of the officers then engaged in the business of instruction, none survive,
except the Hon. Asher Robbins, of Newport, and the
venerable Dr. Waterhouse, of Cambridge, Mass.
At the early age of twenty-two, Mr. Brown, inherited from his father, who died in 1791, an ample patrimony; and, in connexion with the late Thomas P.
Ives, who married his only sister, he embarked, at
once, in the business of commerce, on an extensive
scale. The operations of that house, of which, for the
period of fifty years, he was the senior partner, were
extended to every clime-sharing alike in the successes
and disasters incident to American commerce, during
the storms of the French Revolution, and the continuance of those restrictive measures, long the favorite
policy of our own government. Seasons, so prolific of
danger and change to all the pursuits of the merchant,
served rather to stimulate than to repress the enterprise of a man, who, like Mr. Brown, was endowed
with an ardor of temperament, and an activity of mind,
which led him to calculate, not so much the chances
of failure, as the chances of success. For more than
forty years, the house of Brown & Ives was steadily
and extensively engaged in foreign commerce, conducting its business upon safe principles, and, hence, enabled to survive, with a credit, not only unimpaired,
but unsuspected, multiplied shocks from war and from
the elements. Although, since the death of Mr. Ives




280     WVRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
in 1836, Mr. Brown has participated, with an interest
somewhat abated, in the concerns of the house; yet,
till within a few months of his decease, such was his
activity of body and mind, that he was found, daily,
at his counting-room, and in those walks of business
which he had been accustomed to frequent.  Illustrating what, it is not too much'to say, is the general
characteristic of merchants, in every land, he was
governed, in all his transactions, by the highest sense
of commercial honor. He believed that, in the order
of Providence, integrity, industry, economy, and a
wise caution, are the surest pledges of mercantile success; and that, come what may, it is far better to part
with the prospect of gain, than, by a resort to equivocal expedients, to confound the distinctions between
right and wrong.
For a long course of years, up to the year 1836,
when he withdrew almost entirely from all concern in
foreign commerce, no man, it is believed, possessed so
extensive and accurate a knowledge of the commercial
marine of the whole country.  This knowledge he
owed to the animated interest which he took in the
matter, and to the remarkable readiness and retentiveness of his memory.
The structure and habits of Mr. Brown's mind were
somewhat peculiar.  He had no relish for general
reading, or for prolonged conversation, or for mixed
society. On paper, he expressed himself always with
freedom and clearness, and somnetimes with force. His
power of observation was singularly quick and search.
ing; and he seemed to reach his conclusions, generally
sagacious, without the aid of intermediate processes,




-NICHOLAS BROWN.             281
or without being able to communicate such intermediate processes to others.
His temper was remarkably even and kindly; and
such was his habitual control of his passions, that he
seldom or never uttered a harsh judgment, or was betrayed, by any provocation, into an angry retort.
In politics, Mr. Brown was a federalist of the old
school-in youth and in age, an unwavering adherent
of the principles of Washington, Hamilton and Jayprinciples which have stood the test of experience and
of time, which are eminently conservative of our popular institutions-and upon which alone this government can be successfully administered, or this Union
long preserved. Before the platform of the old federal party was broken up, he engaged, somewhat
warmly, but always without acrimony, in the political
contests which agitated his native State. For many
successive years, he was a member of the General Assembly, at one time occupying the post of first Senat6r;-at another, that of a Representative from the
town of Providence.  He ultimately declined a reelectioni to the General Assembly, and, till the late
canvass for the office of President of the United
States, when he was chosen one of the four Electors
to which Rhode Island is entitled, he remained in honorable and unambitious retirement. The vote which
he cast for the lamented Harrison, was the last political function which Mr. Brown performed. Throughout,
he was faithful to his country. He gave his support to
the patriots who ushered this republic into bleing, and
he gave his voice for the Patriot, who sought to arrest
her decline.
Although, for many years past, he might easily have
36




282     WRITINGS OF WBILLIAnM G. GODDARD.
been distanced, in the race of popularity, by the noisy
politicians who traffic with their own consciences and
with the credulity of their dupes, yet he was, in the
best and only true sense, a man of the People and for
the People. He had a deep stake in the general welfare; he wanted no official emoluments; he sought no
political power;-he was tempted to promote no interests hostile to the interests of the masses around
him. What he wanted, and all that he wanted, was
to live under a government of laws and not of mento behold a just and wise administration of our national affairs upon the principles of the illustrious
founders of the republic; to witness, under the reign
of peace and of law, the yet wider expansion of the
immlense physical resources of the country; and, above
all, to welcome the universal spread of the benefits of
education and of the blessings of the Gospel. Iie
believed these benefits and these blessings to be matters of paramount concern, in a land where the people
are the ultimate depositories of the sovereignty. This
belief was in him something more than a barren speculation.  IIe gave his time, and influence, and money,
most liberally, to the support of every institution or
enterprise, which was adapted to exalt the condition
of the general mind, or to win reverence for the great
principles of individual and social morality.
Throughout all.the stages of his mature life, Mr.
Brown was alive to the distresses of the poor. Not
only did he respond, with ready sympathy, to appeals
addressed to his compassion; but he was accustomed
to search out the wretched; to visit their abodes; to
administer to their necessities; and, by words of kindness, to cause a smile of languid joy to play upon




NICHOLAS BROWN.                283
many a wan and dejected face. In the midst of his
abundance, be remembered the poor; and the blessings of the poor were scattered in his path.  It was
not alone in behalf of desolate and bitter poverty,
that Mr. Brown put forth the energies of his practical
benevolence.  He lent, in many cases, both his money
and his credit, in aid of those who were striving, by
honest enterprise, to arrive at competence, and of those
too, who were struggling to retrieve their losses, and
to repair their shattered fortunes.
In Institutions for the promotion of Literature and
Science, Mr. Brown took a deep interest.  He was
among the principal founders of the Athenmeum in this
city. He contributed liberally to several Baptist Colleges and other academical seminaries of a kindred character, situated in different parts of the United States.
But the Institution which has enlisted his warmest sympathies, and which has been the object of his larg.est
benefactions, is the University in this city, which
bears his honored. name. For the term of fifty years,
he sustained intimate official relations towards this
University, and, in every stage of that protracted term,
he has sought, by his munificence, his counsels, and his
prayers, to advance her truest welfare.  In the year
1791, he was elected a member of her Board of Trustees; and, fiom  1796 to 18'5, a term of twenty-nine
years, he was the Treasurer of her Corporation.  In
1825, he was elected a member of her Board of Fellows, and, in this office he continued till his death.
In 1804, he gave to the University five thousand dollars, for the establishment of a Professorship. He
erected, at different times, solely at his own expense,
Hope College and Manning Hall, and presented themt




284      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
in a very unostentatious manner, to the University. He
also contril)uted ten thousand dollars towards the
erection of Rhode Island Hall, and of a new mansion
for the accommodation of the President-and the like
sullm  of ten thousand dollars towards the fund of
twenty-five thousand dollars, raised for the benefit of
the Library, and of the Chemlical and Philosophical
Deplartments. The whole amount of his donations to
his Alma. Mater, including his bequest, does not fall
short of one hundred thousand dollars. lie lived to
rejoice in the conviction that what he had done, in this
instance, had not been done in vain. He lived to behold the University placed, mlainly by his instrumentality, on stalle foundations-supplied with means of
instruction largely i-nlcreased;-endowed with impulses
which insure her continued progress. He loved her
venerable halls, fill, as they are, of the associations
and melmories of other days; —he loved them as the
place whence the instructions and the prayers of Manning and of Maxcy, had gone forth to many a listening
ear; —he loved them, not the less, because, in matters
of religion, they are consecrated to the exercise of a
liberal and catholic spirit.
AMr. Brown lent cordial and substantial aid to most
of the important religious charities of the times, not
only to those whose sphere of operations is limited to
this city and country, but also to those which embrace,
in their wide extent, every land sitting in darkness and
in the shadow of death.
Mr. Brown was a constant and devout worshipper
in the First Baptist Meeting House in this city. To
the adornment and accommodations of this noble
edifice, he was always prompt to contribute; aid over




NICHOLAS BROWN.               2 8 5
all the concerns of the Society, both secular and religious, he watched with a fiiendly interest which knew
no decline. The fine toned and powerful organ which
beautifies the sanctuary, where, Sabbath after Sabbath,
he had worshipped for so many years, is only one almong
the fruits of his spontaneous liberality towards a Society, with which he had long been associated in close
and solemn relationship.
Mr. Brown was sincerely attached to the distinctive principles and usages of the Baptists.  Hie frequented their worship; he helped to sustain their
institutions; he welcomed, with the most generous
hospitality, their clergy.  In matters of religion, however, no sectarian attachments were suffered to fetter
the exercise of his truly liberal and catholic spirit.
He loved good and true men, wherever found; and,
in the genuine spirit of the Gospel, he cared not so
much that people should become good Baptists, as that
they should become and act like good Christians; he
cared, not so much to reconcile all differences of
opinion, as to unite all hearts in love.
Mr. Brown, it is somewhat remarkable, never made
any public profession of that faith in Christ which,
from the tenor of his life, was seen to be the animating
motive of his conduct, the fountain of his highest consolations, the ground of his everlasting hopes. What
withheld him from the discharge of this duty, it would
not now be pertinent to inquire. It ought, however,
in this connexion, to be added, that few mnen exhibited, on all occasions, a profounder reverence for Christianity, a more devout attention to its simple and venerable forms; a more fervent desire that himself and
others might be filled with its life-giving spirit. lIe




286      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
read the Holy Scriptures with pious diligence,-and
he was extensively familiar with works on didactic
theology and practical piety. He read, moreover, in a
thoughtful mood, the lessons of mortality, which are
taught by the daily experience of life-and, foreseeing
that the days of darkness, which had come to others,
must also come to him, he looked, beyond himself,
for light to cheer the path of his pilgrimage-for an
almighty arm to sustain him  amid the swellings of
Jordan.
Mr. Brown was married twice; in the year 1791, to
Anne Carter, daughter of the late John Carter, Esq.,
and in 1801, to Mary Bowen Stelle, daughter of Benjamin Stelle, Esq. The first wife died in June, 1798the second, in December, 1836. He has left only two
children-both sons, and five grand children.
The disease of which he died was dropsy of the
chest. His friends, fromn the first, were admonished
that it would eventually prove fatal;-and he, too,
was not slow to foresee the momentous issue which
awaited him. He bore his long sickness, with all its
sad varieties, with the patient dignity of the Christian
-grateful for the tender assiduities of his family and
friends; and looking to the end, with peaceful hopes
of a better life.
He died on Monday the 27th ult., in the seventythird year of his age; and, on the afternoon of the
following Thursday, after religious services by the
Rev. Dr. Pattison, his remains were interred, amid impressive tokens of sorrow, respect and affection.
Some of his friends may be gratified to know that,
a few years ago, he was persuaded, at the formal request of the Corporation of Brown Uliiversity, to sit




NICHOLAS BROWN.                 8 7
for his likeness, which was taken, at full length, by
Harding, one of the most celebrated American artists.
Now that the original is forever withdrawn from our
eyes, the visitors of Rhode Island Hall will gaze upon
this portrait, with renewed interest. We take satisfaction in adding, that a bust of Mr. Brown may
shortly be expected from the hands of Mr. Brackett,
a young artist of great promise. If, in this case, he
should equal some of his recent efforts, we may hope
to look upon the "express image" of our lamented
fellow citizen and friend.
Since the above was written, the last Will and Testament of Mr. Brown has been made known. It bears
date August 1st, 1838, and has two Codicils-the second made in July, 1841. It will be seen, by the following extract from one of the Codicils, that he has
bequeathed the sum of thirty thousand dollars towards
the erection, in this city or its vicinity, of an Asylum
for the Insane:
" And whereas it has long been deeply impressed
on my mind, that an Insane, or Lunatic Hospital, or
Retreat for the Insane, should be established upon a
firm and permanent basis, under an act of the Legislature, where that unhappy portion of our fellow citizens who are, by the visitation of Providence, deprived
of their reason, may find a safe retreat, and be provided with whatever may be most conducive to their
comfort, and to their restoration of a sound state of
mind: Therefore, for the purpose of aiding an object so desirable, and, in the hope, that such an establishment may soon be commenced, I do hereby set
apart and give, devise and bequeath the sum of thirty




288      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
thousand dollars towards the erection or endowment
of an Insane or Lunatic HIospital, or Retreat for the
Insane, or by whatever other name it may be called,
to be located in Providence, or its vicinity; and I do
hereby ordler and direct my said Executors to pay the
said sum of thirty thousand dollars in the promotion
and advancement of an Institution for that object;
trusting and fully confiding in my Executors, that they
will carefully examine and be satisfied that the Establishment is placed on a firm and legal basis, and that
the payment of the above amount be made, at such
times, and in such sums as will best promote the desired object, and be least prejudicial to the settlement
of my own estate; hoping that my sons and other
friends will co-operate in the humane and benevolent
design, that the benefits of the Institution may soon
be realized."'
TtHOMAS POYNTON IVES.
PUBLISHED MAY 5, 1835.
YESTERDAY afternoon, all that was mortal of THOMAs
POYNTON IvEs,  was committed to the earth. Ere the
impression which his death has made upon the public
mind, shall have faded into indistinctness, let us look,
for a moment, at the record of his eminently useful
and honorable life, and seek to embody, for the benefit
of the living, some of the principal elements of his
well-formed character. Successfully to delineate that
character, would not be easy, for Mr. Ives was alike
* Butler Hospital.




THOMIAS POYNTON IVES.           9 8 9
distinguished for the variety and the harmony of his
powers. Disproportion may quickly be discerned, and
eccentricity seldom fails to captivate attention; but,
in moral portraiture, it is difficult to paint what is
symmetrical, or to attract notice to what is regular.
Mr. Ives was born in the town of Beverly, Essex
county, Mass., April 9th, 1769. When he was only
four years old, his father died, leaving him to the care
of his mother. As she did not long survive, he was
committed to the charge of relatives, then residing in
Boston, who were interested in the welfare of a child
thus early exposed to the perils of orphanage. In one
of the public schools of that city, he acquired the rudiments of an English education. And here it may be
adduced, as an example of successful self-cultivation,
that, although Mr. Ives enjoyed in early life but imperfect opportunities for the acquisition of knowledge,
yet he was, not only a well informed man, but was
accurately acquainted with several branches of elementary learning, with which he could hardly be
expected to be familiar. Few men, few liberally educated men, were more habitually observant of the
niceties of orthography and of syntax. And yet more
may, without exaggeration, be added. Few practised
writers, disciplined by the rules of the rhetorician,
clothed their thoughts in language more pure and
terse, or arranged them in a more luminous order. In
writing upon subjects of business the most complicated,
he was seldom or never obliged to amend his original
draught.  His style, both of conversation anid iwriting,
seemled, indeed, to be the natural expression of a clear
and direct mind, of a mind never confused bly imperfect conceptions, and never diverted fromn its tract by
37




290     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
what is either subsidiary or irrelevant. The spirit of
Quintilian's injunction, he fully exemplified:  "We
must study not only that every hearer may understand us, but that it shall be impossible for him not
to understand us."
In the year 1782, and when only thirteen years of
age, Mr. Ives was withdrawn from school, and placed
by his friends as a Clerk in the Counting-House of
the late Nicholas Brown, Esq., then an enterprising
and opulent merchant in the town of Providence. So
exempt was he from what are deemed the pardonable
levities of youth, and so faithful and intelligent was
he in the discharge of his duties, that he soon won the
perfect confidence of Mr. Brown, who assigned to him,
when quite a lad, the most responsible trusts, and ultimately gave him the almost exclusive direction of his
mercantile affairs. Mr. Brown deceased in the year
1791; and, in the year 1792, Mr. Ives married his
only surviving daughter, and became associated in
business with his only surviving son, Nicholas Brown,
Esq. Both of these individuals are still living-the
one, to mourn, with no common sorrow, the death of
a friend and brothel, known and beloved by him for
more than fifty years-the other, to sit solitary, in
brokenness of heart, amid the wreck of her most precious joys.
The remainder of Mr. Ives's history is familiar to the
public. For the period of forty-three years, he has
been engaged, unremittingly, in commercial pursuits
— various, important, and often complicated-demanding thie employment of large capital and the exercise
of extraordinary skill. In the season of our commercial prosperity, the house of Messrs. Brown & Ives




THOMAS POYNTON IVES.           291
pushed its enterprises in every quarter of the globe,
and it is not too much to say, that its uncompromising adherence to the principles of high mercantile
probity has contributed, in no small degree, to elevate,
at home and abroad, the character of -the American
merchant.
Mr. Ives, through life, was remarkable for patient,
untiring industry..lHe performed, year after year, an
amount of labor which would have tasked severely
the powers of almost any other man. In the conduct
of business, he never betrayed either the flutter of
haste or the weakness of indecision; he was neither
oppressed by weight-nor confised by variety-nor
vexed by interruption. Methodical in the employment of time, he was never compelled to adjust the
claims of interfering duties. Singularly exact in perfecting details, and endowed with the rare power to
grasp the comprehensive, as well as to descend to the
minute, he was enabled to avoid the mistakes of heedlessness and the omissions of inadvertence. Though
thus devoted to business and thus patient of toil, Mr.
Ives was a stranger to the sordid love of accumulation.
He felt his grave responsibility as a moral being, and
he believed that the sphere of action in which he was
accustomed to move, was the only sphere in which he
could be extensively useful. Let it not be said, that
this round of common occupation cost him no sacrifice.
He had relishes for purer and nobler things. Gifted
with a quick perception of the beautiful and the true,
he loved to refresh his spirit amid forms of material
and moral loveliness-he loved, in others, the exhibition of manly and modest sense-the airy frolic of
fancy, and the bold excursion of intellect. More than




29 2     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
all, he yearned for those placid joys with which the
stranger intermeddleth not-for that fireside, around
which were centred the richest sources of his happiness and repose.
Mr. Ives was actively and unostentatiously benevolent.  His kindness, though prompted by a strong
impulse from within, was always regulated by principle.
Hence it was never either capricious or extravagant.
" His bounty, like a streanlet, flowed unseen, freshenillg and giving life along its course."  Counsellor and
fiiend of all in trouble, lie found time, however great
was the pressure of his own business, to attend to the
numerous applications made to him, for pecuniary assistance, and for his advice as to the best mode either
of escaping embarrassnment or of retrieving loss. No
applicant for his benevolent interposition, however
hulble that applicant may have been, was ever repulsed. He entered, with all the warmth of personal
interest, into the concerns of every one who sought
his counsels, and he was singularly successful in the
adjustment of difficult affairs  in disentangling what
is complicated, and in restoring order to what is confused.  His advice, in such cases, was always dictated
-by a benevolent sagacity, and, if necessary, was generally seconded by pecuniary responsibilities.  His performance even outstripped his promises, and the reply
"I will think of it," was hailed by the applicant as
almost equivalent to a cheering assurance of aid. He
never turned, with weariness, from the path of beneficent labor, and though keenly alive to unkindness, he
was never diverted firom the exercise of his benevolence by the ingratitude with which benevolence is
too often repaid. IHe understood the nature of man,




THOMAS POYNTON IVES.           293
and he did good to the unthankful and to the unworthy, looking for his reward only to the answer of
a good conscience.
Mr. Ives's intellect was of no common order. Its
most prominent traits were a sound and comprehensive knowledge of men and things-and a sagacity
which, in all matters coming within his range, and
that range -was far from limited, seemed almost prophetic. While others, by slow and laborious processes
of reasoning, arrived at conclusions, he darted upon
them, with the accuracy of instinct, and announced
them with the confidence of intuition. This power,
combined with his untiring industry, was the secret of
that executive talent which contributed so largely to
his success in life.
There was about the character of Mr. Ives an elegant simplicity which imparted itself to his manners
and modes of life.  He was hospitable, without
parade; dignified, without being stately;- and courteous, without an effort to be condescending. Around
his liberal board, he loved to gather, not only his family and friends-but the intelligent, the learned and
the pious-the fellow  citizen whom  he had long
known, and the stranger from far-off lands. Upon
such occasions of chastened festivity, he well knew
how to shape his discourse, so as to draw forth the intellectual resources of those around him.  Though
sometimes sportive in conversation, he was never frivolous, and, what is yet more to his honor, he was never
betrayed into a remark which could offend the delicacy
of the purest mind.
Mr. Ives well understood the duties of an American
citizen. He early embraced the principles of Wash



294     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
ington, Hamilton and Jay, and upon those principles
he stood firmly to the last. He cared not so much
WHO administered the government, as that it should
be administered WELL-that its policy should be just
and liberal-stable and pacific.
Respecting all subjects connected with his personal
feelings, he was singularly incommunicative. It is not
strange, therefore, that upon the subject of religion,
which of all others awakens, in thoughtful minds,
the profoundest interest, he should manifest his constitutional reserve. Aside, however, from the testimony of his life, enough was expressed and enough
implied, to leave the full assurance that he was a sincere Christian. He was a devout and constant attendant upon the public worship of God, and he always
strenuously enforced the importance of this duty and
privilege upon his household. Notwithstanding the
engrossing cares of business, it was his daily habit to
read the Holy Scriptures. How far his will and affections were sanctified by the influence of divine truth,
is best known to those who had the best opportunity
to observe him, and who alone possessed any of the
clues to his inner spirit. His friends claim for him no
exemption firom  the imperfections of our common
nature, and it is certain that he built not his hopes of
Heaven upon any merits of his own.
At the time of his decease, Mr. Ives sustained oflicial relations to several public institutions. For the
last twenty-four years, he had been the President of
the Providence Bank; and, in the conduct of its affairs, he evinced not only financial ability, but that
stern integrity which refuses all compromise with
equivocal expedients. In the prosperity of the Provi



TEHOIAS POYNTON IVES.          295
dence Institution for Savings, of which, from the
period of its organization, he had for fifteen years been
the President, he felt a peculiar interest; and its unquestioned stability and extensive usefulness may, in no
small degree, be ascribed to his vigilant and wise supervision. Of the University in this city, he has been,
through all the vicissitudes in its fortunes, a constant
friend and a liberal benefactor. For forty-three years,
he has been a member of its Board of Trustees, and
this honorable trust he discharged with exemplary
fidelity-always lending his aid to uphold the authority
of law, and to advance the progress of learning. From
the narrow prejudices respecting learning and literary
men, which merchants sometimes imbibe, he was entirely exempt. He respected the dignity of true science, and he estimated correctly the importance of
thorough intellectual discipline. Though eminently a
practical man, he put far from him the vulgar notion
that scholars and divines are visionaries -lost in the
mazes of abstract speculation, and unfit to conduct
with discretion the business of life. On the contrary,
he cultivated the society of such men, and he revered,
in them, the high and prevailing superiorities of PIETY
and of LEARNING.
A  conmmanding intellect hath suddenly departed
from among us! One of " our strong rods is broken
and withered!" How pathetic the admonition which
such an event addresses to the living —how eloquent
is the fresh grave of him who but yesterday was treading the walks of business, in the fullness of his intellectual powers, and enjoying the privacy of his home,
with the tide of his affections warm and unchecked!
To the community with which he was so long identi



2 9(]    WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
fled, he leaves an example of unblemished honor and
of faithful service for the good of others. To his
children, he bequeaths, as their richest inheritance, the
record of a father's worth-the simple dignity of his
NAIME and CHARACTER.
P ARDON  BO O    V E   M 3. D.
PUBLISHED OCTOBER 25, 1826.
TITIS accomplished physician and excellent man
was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on the 22d of
March, in the year 1757. His remote ancestors were
useful and highly respectable members of the society
in which they lived; and the irreproachable name
they left behind them  several of their descendants
have signalized in the medical history of Rhode
Island, by no ordinary attainments in professional
science, and by a diligent, successful and honorable
practice. Richard Bowen, the ancestor of this family,
emigrated to this country about the year 1640.
The subject of this notice was the fifth son of Dr.
Ephrainz  Bowen, an eminent physician of Providence,
whose valuable life, protracted to near a century, terminated in the year 1812.  During the professional
career of this venerable patriarch, the character of the
prevailing diseases in Providence and the adjacent
region underwent material changes, produced, it is
not unreasonable to conclude, partly by the gradual
melioration of the climate, and partly by those habits
of life which accompany a progressive advancement




PARDON BOWEN.               297
in the comforts and luxuries of social existence. Of
these changes it is unnecessary to produce more than
two examples. Fever and ague, and dysentery were
formerly extremely prevalent in and around Providence. A case of the former, it is believed, has not
originated in that town for more than half a century,
and the latter, which is seldom epidemic, has parted
with much of its former malignancy, and yields generally, except in the case of children, to judicious
medical treatment.
The incidents of Dr. Pardon Bowen's early life, we
have been unable to collect with sufficient accuracy to
warrant us in committing them to the pages of an
authentic memoir.  The companions of his youth
unite their testimony in praise of his singular exemption from the vices and the follies of youth. They
speak with unchecked complacency of his amiable
conduct and manners in the different relations of life,
of the disciplined enthusiasm of his heart, and the well
directed energies of his understanding.  His academical
education he acquired at Rhode Island College, now
Brown University, under the presidency of the Rev.
Dr. Manning, receiving in the year 1775, at the age of
eighteen, the honors of that institution. After the
usual course of preparatory study, under the direction
of his brother, Dr. William  Bowen, he in the year
1779 embarked as the surgeon of a private armed ship,
fitted out for the destruction of British commerce. He
was soon destined to experience the fortune of war,
the ship being captured and carried to Halifax, where
during an imprisonment of seven months he endured
no common privations and sufferings. After being
regularly exchanged, he returned home, and with ardor
38




298      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
undiminished by the disastrous issue of his first cruise,
he in the course of the two subsequent years engaged
in several enterprises of a similar nature. Capture
and imprisonment were the result of two of these
cruises, and a third was signalized by an obstinate engagement for more than two hours with an enemy's
vessel, which was finally captured, though not without
bloodshed. After experiencing a variety of perilous
fortune, he reached home some time in the year 1782,
and never again committed himself to the chances of
war or encountered the storms of the ocean.
In all his domestic connexions Dr. Bowen was blessed
and happy beyond the common lot of man. Early in
life he was married to Miss Elizabeth Ward, daugh.
ter of Henry Warcld, Esq., for many years secretary of
the state of Rhode Island. This lady, who participated
with him largely in educating an interesting family,
still survives.
Resolved to establish himself in his native town, he
in the year 1783 repaired to Philadelphia, for the purpose of perfecting himself in the knowledge of his
profession.  In the distinguished medical school of
that city he was a diligent student, and profited
largely by the instructions of its eminent professors.
Accomplishing the laudable object of his temporary
residence in Philadelphia, he returned to Providence
and immediately commenced the practice of his profession in its different branches. He did not escape
the lot of nearly all young physicians at their outset
in professional life.  Entering upon a field already
preoccupied by more experienced practitioners, his
early practice was far from  extensive, and several
years elapsed before his persevering endeavors were




PARDON BOWEN.               299
adequately rewarded. He continued, however, to advance steadily in the confidence and favor of the community till ample success filled the measure of his
hopes. For a long series of years prior to the lamented calamity which terminated his usefulness, he
was almost incessantly engaged in professional duty,
his reputation as an eminent physician and surgeon
being extensive and undisputed, and his character as
a man composed of such pure and bland elements,
that love and veneration mingled for him their spontaneous tribute. Dr. Bowen was devoted to his profession.  He perceived its important relation to the
comfort and happiness of society; and faithful to his
high trust, he indulged no complacent toleration for
the arrogant pretensions of ignorance and empiricism.
To his patients of every description, he was invariably
faithful, and, though devotedly fond of domestic satisfactions, and alive to the pure relishes of social converse, he never postponed the wants of the sick to the
joys of his own fireside or to the attractions of general
society.
During the prevalence of the yellow fever in Providence, when dejection and dismay sat upon many a
brow, and the sense of personal danger threatened to
absorb the sympathies of our common nature, and
death mocked at the expedients of human science to
avert his blow, Dr. Bowen shrunk not from the perils
in his way. More than once was his life endangered
by an attack of that fearful malady, but God preserved him from thus becoming a victim to his noble
intrepidity in the service of humanity.
Dr. Bowen confined his attention to no particular
department of his profession, but aimed at excellence




300     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
in all. For his skill in operative surgery he was
highly respected; and during many years most of the
surgical operations in and around Providence were
performed by him. In medical surgery he was thought
to be extremely judicious; and his uncommon science,
experience and success in obstetrics left him without
a superior in that difficult branch of his profession.
In the treatment of fevers and of chronic affections
generally, he was excelled by no one within his sphere
of practice. Wedded to no system, he followed the
indications of nature and the directions of true science, avoi(ling a timid caution on the one hand, and
unauthorized experiments on the other, never dogmatizing in support of a favorite opinion, but seeking to
establish the truth by sound analogies and cautious
induction.  For much of his skill and success as a
practitioner he was indebted to his nice philosophical
discernment of the moral, intellectual and physical
idiosyncrasies of his patients. HIe regarded man not
simply as a machine, but as a being mysteriously compounded and organized, exposed to morbid influences
from the combined operation of moral and physical
agencies.
Dr. Bowen contributed occasionally to the medical
journals of the day, and in the fourth volume of
IIosack and Francis's Medical and Philosophical Register may be found an elaborate account from his pen of
the Yellow Fever, as it prevailed in Providence in
the year 1805. Desirous to keep pace with the progress of his profession, he was diligent in reading
those periodical publications which treat of new phenomena in diseases and improved modes of medical
treatment.




PARDON BOWEN.                301
Dr. Bowen was an active member of the Rhode
Island Medical Society, and for some time its presiding
officer. He was also a fellow of the American Antiquarian Society, and a member of the Board of Tr-ustees of Brown University.
In the winter of 1890, the professional usefulness of
this eminent and beloved physician was terminated
by an attack of hemiplegia, which seized him without
premonition, and threatened the immediate extinction
of life. The worst fears of his friends were not, however, thus suddenly realized; he partially recovered
the use of his limbs, and not long afterward retired to
the residence of his son-in-law, Franklin Greene, Esq.,
at Potowomut, Warwick, about fifteen miles from
Providence. This spot had been for many years his
favorite retreat from the toils of professional life, and
was destined to receive his last sigh. There, in the
bosom  of an affectionate family, he passed years of
suffering, which, though sometimes relieved by intermission and cheered by the hope of restoration, was
but too often exasperated to agony, in spite of every
alleviation which the instinctive promptitude and
ingenuity of affection could administer. These, however, were not years of melancholy vacuity, of hopeless
dejection, or of monotonous anguish. The exercise of
benevolent affections, the reciprocation of domestic endearments, and the pleasures of a cultivated intellect,
brightened the path of the sufferer with intermittent
gleams of tranquil enjoyment-while Christianity,
with its train of gracious influences, purified him. for the
joys, and comforted him with the hopes of heaven. In
his hours of health and ease, he had an eye for Naturehe loved her selectest influences-he observed her




302     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
mighty energies-her wonderful operations-her varied
appearances of sublimity and beauty-and he delighted
to refer these glorious things to the wisdom and benignity of the Parent of the Universe. But it was in the
page of revealed truth-it was in the life giving energy
of the doctrines, precepts and promises of the Bible,
that he found the only adequate support and solace,
when pain and anguish came upon him, and his way
upon  the earth looked  dark. Death at last approached, kindly commissioned to relieve' him from
protracted suffering, and, sustained by the promises of
that Saviour in whom alone he trusted, he cheerfully
resigned his being on the 25th of October, 1826, aged
sixty-nine years.
We cannot close this imperfect sketch, without again
adverting to the personal character of Dr. Bowen;
and, happily, such were the gifts and graces of his
moral being, that in dwelling upon these, there is no
hazard of incurring the charge of exaggeration. By
his friends he was, indeed, a man to be ardently lovedfor they daily witnessed the benignity of his naturethe engaging suavity of his manners-the variety and
richness and clear intelligence of his conversation-the
generous expansion of his sensibilities, and the inflexible rectitude of his principles. The pressure of business never made him careless of the feelings and interests of others. Indeed, he was remarkable for that
moral cultivation which respects the rights of all, and
few showed a nicer discernment of the essential peculiarities which distinguish one being from another, and
a more benevolent and delicate adjustment of conduct
to all in every class. Notwithstanding his elevated
reputation as a Physician, and the opulence of his in



JAMES DAVIS KNOWLES.            303
tellectual attainments, he was, on all occasions, a pattern
of engaging modesty; seeking rather to promote the
happiness of others than to win their applause. Singularly exempt from that feverish thirst for distinction,
which is allayed by the cheap honors of society, he
was happy in his walk of revered but unobtrusive
usefulness; ministering to the comfort of his fellow
creatures, when bereaved of health, or oppressed by
poverty, or sinking in death. Though for nearly half
a century engaged in the active discharge of profes.
sional duty, his heart retained its original purity, uncorrupted by an undue attachment either to wealth or
to fame. His fortune was never ample, but the stream
of his beneficence flowed with an equal and unchecked
current. Such were some of the prominent characteristics of Dr. Pardon Bowen. He had high capacities, and
he exerted them for the good of his kind. His life, in
all its stages, was a beautiful exhibition of the virtues, and, at its close, an example of Christian holiness. His pure spirit, while on earth, took a wide and
lofty range; and now that it has ascended to its
Maker, the belief is not presumptuous that it is gladdened by the joys of Heaven, and sublimed by the
contemplations of immortality.
REV. JAMES DAVIS KNOWLES.
PUBLISHED MAY 19, 1838.
THE sudden death of the Rev. JAMES DAVIS KNOWLES,
one of the Professors in the Baptist Theological Institution, at Newton, Mass., has already been announced.




304      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
It is not often that the records of mortality are
signalized by an event so mysterious and impressive. The particulars, and many are interested to
know them, may be soon told. On Thursday, the
3d inst., he arrived in this city* from New York,
whither he had been for the purpose of attending an
Ecclesiastical Convention, and where, it is supposed, he
contracted the disease which hurried him to a premature grave. He remained in this city, to enjoy the
society of his family friends and to renew ancient fellowship, till Friday morning, when he returned to his
home in Newton, which he reached on the evening of
the same day. It was remarked by his Providence
friends, that, up to the very moment when he exchanged with them what proved to be a last farewell,
his health seemed unusually vigorous, and his spirits
unclouded by a shadow of coming evil. Saturday he
passed in Boston, returning to Newton in the evening.
On Sunday he became somewhat indisposed, too much
so to attend public worship, but without any symptoms to awaken the least solicitude. On Monday, it
was thought best to summon a physician. He saw, at
once, the eruptive character of the disease, and, from
the appearances which it then exhibited, he pronounced it to be the varioloid. Although indications
of danger were observed by the medical attendant, on
Tuesday, yet it was not till about two hours before
Professor Knowles's death, on Wednesday afternoon,
that his friends felt the slightest alarm. Delirium
then supervened, and, with brief lucid intervals, continued till three o'clock, when the sufferer gently
breathed his latest sigh. In his case, it is not perhaps
* Providence, R. I.




JAMlES DAVIS KNOWLES.            305
to be regretted that he passed, unconsciously, from the
scenes of his probation to the unchangeable allotments
of immortality. He needed no preparation for death,
and he was spared the pang of parting from the wife
and the children to whom he was very tenderly
attached; and who now grieve, most of all, that they
shall see no more the face of the husband and the sire.*
The disease of which Professor Knowles died was
ultimately pronounced to be genuine Small Pox.
Against this formidable malady, he considered himself as protected, having been vaccinated in childhood.
Unhappily, however, he never placed his exemption
from danger beyond all reasonable doubts, by causing
himself to be vaccinated a second time. To avoid the
dangers of contagion, and for other more cogent reasons, the remains of Professor Knowles were laid in
the grave at midnight.  How touching the spectacle!
He who had comforted many a weeping throng; he
who had poured forth devout supplications at many a
scene of domestic sorrow, was consigned to his grave,
amid the stillness and the gloom  of midnight-followed by no mourning group, and hallowed by no
voice of prayer!
Professor Knowles was so extensively known and so
highly respected, that a cursory notice of such passages of his life as may serve to illustrate his character, would seem to be no more than a decorous response to public expectation. This is all which I shall
attempt. To other hands must be confided the grateful task of perpetuating, in a less perishable record,
the memory of his name and virtues.
* Professor Knowles married, about twelve years since, Miss Susan H.
Langley, the eldest daughter of Mr. Joshua H. Langley, of this city. She is
suddenly left a widow with the undivided care of four young children.
39




306     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
Mr. Knowles was born in Providence, in the month
of July, 1798. He was the second son of Mr. Edward
Knowles, a respectable mechanic, and a worthy man.
At the early age of twelve years, he was left, in consequence of the death of his father, to the care of his
mother, who yet lives to rejoice that her maternal solicitudes have been rewarded by such a son, and to
mourn, in meek submission, that the light of his presence is withdrawn from her forever. The elements of
his English education he received at the First District
School in this city. While a pupil, he was remarkable for diligence and exemplary conduct; and he generally distanced his juvenile competitors for the superiorities of scholarship.
Soon after his father's decease, he was placed by his
surviving parent in the printing office of the late John
Carter, Esq., a Printer and a gentleman of the old
school, and at that time Editor of the Providence
Gazette. Young Knowles was not slow in acquiring
a knowledge of the mystic art, and I have reason to
know that his unwavering fidelity and his ready apprehension of his duties commended him to the best
regards of his venerable superior. Even while an
humble apprentice, he made numerous contributions,
in prose and poetry, to the newspapers of the day.
Several of his juvenile productions, transcribed by his
brother in order to avoid detection, were sent to the
office in which he was employed, and published in the
Gazette. Young Knowles enjoyed, in secret, the satisfaction of hearing his first fruits of authorship warmly
commended by competent judges, and by them ascribed to some of the practised writers of the day.
After the death of Mr. Carter, he remained for a short




JAMES DAVIS KNOWLE S.          307
time in the office of the Gazette, and continued to
write frequently for its columns.
At the age of twenty, he was engaged by the Proprietor of the Rhode Island American to become the
Foreman of his printing office. The duties of this
station, which demanded, in an especial manner, man:
liness and gravity of deportment, he discharged to the
entire satisfaction of his employer. On attaining his
majority, in July, 1819, Mr. Knowles became co-editor
of the AmerJican. In this capacity, he contributed his
full contingent to the columns of that journal. His
articles, though unavoidably written in haste, were
chaste, manly, and sometimes elegant-always moderate in their tone and truly conservative in their tendency. He wrote with extraordinary facility, and he
sometimes embodied his thoughts without the intervention of either pen, ink or paper. On one occasion,
I stood by his side, and saw him arrange his ideas in
the composing stick with as much rapidity as he could
select the types and adjust them. The article thus
comnposed was so distinguished for vigor of thought
and beauty of expression, that it was transcribed into
the columns of the National Gazette, then edited by
our celebrated countryman, Robert Walsh, Esq.
Although Mr. Knowles always expressed a profound
reverence for religion and for religious institutions, yet
it is not believed that he felt the necessity of any deep
personal interest in the subject, till he had reached the
age of manhood. At this period, his deeply meditative spirit was excited to a devout and humble contemplation of his duties and destinies as an immortal
being; of his condition as a sinner in the sight of
God, and of the gracious plan of reconciliation offered




308      WREIITINGS OF WILLIAM G. -GODDARD.
to every penitent in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It
falls not within the scope of an imperfect sketch like
the present, to dwell, with particularity, on the
change which his religious opinions and feelings underwent. Deriving his notions of truth and of duty.from  the Bible, he always preserved a chastened
sobriety in his manifestations of the Christian character, never sinking, on the one hand, into a frigid and
lifeless frame of spirit, and never betrayed, on the
other, into the excesses of an equivocal and transient
enthusiasm.
In March, 1820, he was admitted a member of the
First Baptist Church in this city, then under the pastoral care of the Rev. Stephen Gano; and in the
following November he was licensed by that Church
to preach the Gospel.
While co-editor of the -Amlerican, he established, in
this city, a religious newspaper which he conducted
for several months, and until a change of residence
compelled him to relinquish it. Having determined
to prepare himself for the Christian ministry, he
withdrew, in the autumn of 1820, from all connexion
with the political journal which he had assisted in
editing. He immediately repaired to Philadelphia,
and entered the Baptist Theological School of which
the Rev. Dr. Staughton was the Principal. Having,
in the intervals of mechanical toil, made himself
well acquainted with Latin, he defrayed, in part, the
expenses of his theological education while at Philadelphia, by teaching that language to the youthful
members of a private family. Dr. Staughton having
been elected President of Columbian College at
Washington, the Theological School was transferred




JAMES DAVIS KNOWLES.           309
to that city. Thither, in 1821, Mr. Knowles proceeded,
and there he was induced to suspend his theological
studies, and to avail himself of the opportunity of
acquiring a thorough collegiate education. Entering
one of the advanced classes, he was graduated, at
the end of two years, with the highest honors of
his Class. He was immediately appointed one of the
College Tutors, and he continued to discharge the
duties of that office, and at the same time to prosecute
his theological studies, till the summer of 1825.  He
then returned to New England, and, on the 28th of
December, he was ordained, and installed Pastor of
the second Baptist Church in Boston, in the place of
Dr. Baldwin, deceased. Here he remained for nearly
seven years, performing, as Pastor of a Church, and as
a participant in the counsels and operations of the
Baptists in and about Boston, an amount of labor
which would soon have prostrated any man less industrious, and less disciplined by previous training for
extraordinary effort. Ultimately, even he faltered
under such varigous and incessant toils. His health
becoming delicate, he resigned his pastoral charge in
the autumn of 1832, having previously been appointed
Professor of Pastoral Duties and Sacred Rhetoric in
the Theological Institution at Newton. This Institution, from its origin, was the object of his special
regard; and he remained usefully employed in its service, till his life closed. Besides performing his duties
as a Professor, he conducted the Christian ]?eview, a
respectable periodical publication under the more immediate patronage of the Baptists. Within three
hours of his death, he calmly dictated a note to his
Publishers respecting the forth-coming number.




310       WRITINGS OF WILLIAM  G. GODDARD.
As an author Mr. Knowles was favorably known to
the public. His Memoir of Mrs. Judson was published
in 1829.  Few  religious biographies have acquired a
more extensive  popularity.   His Memoir of Roger
Williams, published  after he became a Professor at
Newton, evinces research, taste and talent; and is a
truly valuable contribution to the materials of history.
This work he dedicated to the citizens of Rhode Island,
in token, it is believed, of the deep interest which he
always felt in the character and institutions of his
native State.
Mr. Knowles sometimes struck  the lyre.   In his
early days, he often amused his leisure hours by poetical effusions on various themes-some indited in a pensive, and some in a satiric vein.  As life passed on, and
his powers ripened, and his responsibilities accumulated,
he more rarely indulged this captivating propensity.
There now lie before me several of his fugitive pieces
which have never met the public eye, and which would
not dishonor the most gifted of the living bards of England.  Among the most felicitous efforts of his muse
may be ranked the stanzas by which he proposed to
supply the melancholy deficiency in Gray's Elegy in
respect to the subject of religion.* These stanzas were
*-The following are the stanzas to which Mr. Goddard refers. Professor
Knowles thought that "they might, with great propriety, have followed the
stanza beginning":" Farfrom the madd'ning crowd's ignoble strife."
No airy dreams their simple fancies fired,
No thirst for wealth, nor panting after fame;
But truth divine, sublimer hopes inspired,
And urged them onward to a nobler aim.
From every cottage, with the day arose
The hallowed voice of spirit-breathing prayer,
And artless anthems, at its peaceful close,
Like holy incense, charmed the evening air.




JAMES DAVIS KNOWLES.                         311
originally published in the Rhode Island American, and
though written, probably, currente calamo, they need
not fear a comparison, in point of elegiac beauty and
tenderness, with the exquisite gem which Gray so
carefully  elaborated.    Latterly,  so  laborious  have
been his professional duties, and so exclusive his devotion  to  higher pursuits, that fact, and  not fancy,essential truth, and  not imaginative  decoration, has
constituted the chief nutriment of his intellectual
being.   The  commanding  interests to  which  he had
dedicated  his life, perhaps  demanded  this  exclusive
Though they, each tome of human lore unknown,
The brilliant path of science never trod,
The sacred volume claimed their hearts alone,
Which points the way to glory and to God.
Here they from Truth's eternal fountain drew
The pure and gladdening waters day by day;
Learned, since our days are evil, fleet and few,
To walk in wisdom's bright and peaceful way.
In yon lone pile, o'er which hath sternly pass'd
The heavy hand of all destroying Time,
Through whose low mouldering aisles now sighs the blast
And round whose altars grass and ivy climb;
They gladly thronged, their grateful hymns to raise,
Oft as the calm and holy Sabbath shone;
The mingled tribute of their prayers and praise
In sweet communion rose before the throne.
Here, from those honored lips, which sacred fire
From Heaven's high chancery hath touched, they hear
Truths which their zeal inflame, their hopes inspire,
Give wings to faith, and check affliction's tear!
When life flowed by, and, like an angel, Death
Came to release them to the world on high,
Praise trembled still on each expiring breath,
And holy triumph beamed from every eye.
Then gentle hands their " dust to dust" consign;
With quiet tears the simple rites are said;
And here they sleep, till at the trump divine,
The earth and ocean render up their dead.




312     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
appropriation of his time and talents. Could it, however, have been otherwise,-could he have permitted
himself to range, fearlessly, in the regions of poetical
life and beauty, it is not too much to say, that he
would have acquired no mean celebrity, as a pure, and
vigorous, and graceful Poet.
Mr. Knowles was endowed with some of the best
attributes of genius. Little however, would they have
availed him, without these habits of industry, and
order, and economy for which he was so remarkable.
To these habits may be ascribed the various acquisitions, elegant if not profound, which he was able to
make during hours either stolen from sleep or forced
from toil.  As a linguist, he was somewhat distinguished. Before commencing his collegiate course, he
was more familiar with Latin than are most graduates
of our American Colleges. The French he read with
the utmost readiness. When quite a lad, he began to
study this language, without an instructor; and, what
is more to be noted, without any knowledge of the
grammar, he acquired the ability to translate it with
freedom. While co-editor of the Ameirican, he commenced studying the Greek, and had mastered many
of its difficulties before going to reside in Philadelphia.
So carefully did he husband every fragment of time,
that he was accustomed to have his Greek grammar
upon the table at his meals, that he might study a lesson to ponder on during his long walk to the printing
office. He subsequently studied the Hebrew and German languages, and, it is believed, was a respectable
scholar in both.
Mr. Knowles was fond of elegant letters, and, so far
as his duty permitted, he indulged his tastes. His




JAMES DAVIS KNOWLES.             313
reading from boyhood had been various and extensive;
and few probably of his professional brethren were
better versed in the literature of the day.
Such are some of the most interesting passages in
the life of JrAMES IDAvs KNOiLES.  In formin.g a just
estimate of his character, of his intellectual acquisitions, and his siuccess in life, the difficulties which he
was obllioed to combat should not be disregarded.  It
should be remembered that lie owed nothingc either to
station, or wealth or patronage, but that he rose from
obscurity to (listinction by the elastic energies of his
own genius.  Ile made no eager pushes after notice.
Ile was not impatient of concealment, though h]e must
have felt that he wars not born for concealment.  He
pursued, with undeviating aim, his onward course,
never stepping asidle either to propitiate the equals
whom he outstripped in the race, or the superiors
wvho1m he was destined to overtake.
Though far removed from whatever is sordid, he was,
in the use of money, strictly economical.  He had too
just a sense of his own dignity and personal independence to peril them  by any habits of extravagant expenditure.  With the scanty wages which he earned
while an apprentice, not only did lie clothe himself
respectably, and purchase some books, but he saved a
small amount for the express purpose of defraying the
expenses of his future education. Another illustration of his character deserves, in this connexion, to be
mentioned.  He refused to comply with the wishes of
his friends who urged him to pursue a course of collegiate study, until assured that a religious newspaper
was to be established in Washington, by editing which
he could gain for himself an independent support. The
40




314     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
Columbian Star was accordingly established. He conducted it, while an Undergraduate, and, from his salary
as Editor and as Superintendent of the Printing Office,
he defrayed the expenses of his collegiate education.
His moral character was from boyhood singularly
pure. Not a profane or impure word was ever known
to escape his lips. He seemed, even in his early days,
to be filled with a generous ardor for universal truth,
and with a calm and sedate perception of the all pervading elements of beauty. He proposed to himself
high aims, and he vigorously pursued them, neither
seduced by the blandishments of pleasure, nor discouraged by the difficulties which repelled his advance. Results have vindicated the wisdom of his
course.
Towards strangers and casual acquaintances, his
manners were somewhat formal and frigid; but those
wvho knew him well have not now to learn that he
was truly affectionate in his intercourse with his family
and friends. Constitutionally prone to indulge in a
sportive mood, he deemed it wise to restrain a propensity which sometimes exposes clergymen, perhaps unjustly, to the imputation of levity. His wit was, at
times, brilliant and playful; and his powers of satire,
had he not restrained the exercise of them, would have
been the terror of dullness and conceit.
Of his christian character, little need be said. His
religion was not a fugitive impulse, but a profound
sentiment; it manifested itself, not in paroxysms of
zeal, but in a course of consistent piety; not in bustle
and ostentation, but in fixed principle and conscientious obedience.
The life of Professor Knowles is before the world.




MOSES CURTIS.                 315
It is full of instruction, more especially for the young
and ambitious student. To point the moral of his
death, is perhaps unnecessary. A few days since, and
he stood among us in the full maturity of all his powers. He looked-ah he looked for the last time!upon well remembered scenes, and he grasped, with
renewed cordiality, the hands of those who had shared
or who had cheered his early toils. Where is he now?
In the death of such a man, however, there is glorious
hope. With his last moment upon earth were ended
all his trials; with his first moment in eternity, began
his song of everlasting triumph.
MOSES CURTIS.
PUBLISHED APRIL 24, 1835.
THE recent sickness and death of Mr. MosEs CURTIS,
a member of the Sophomore Class of Brown University, excited no common interest in the literary community to which he belonged.*  In the midst of a
College term, an ardent and successful student, who,
at its commencement, came hither in his usual health,
is suddenly smitten by a disease, which, after a few
weeks of suffering, consigns him to an early grave.
All around him, instructor, classmate and friend, pause
in sadness over the lifeless form of one who but yesterday was their companion in the pursuit of academic
#E The event owed somewhat of its impressiveness to its rarity-for it is not
recollected by the oldest graduates of the University, that the death of a
student ever before occurred within the walls of College,




316        WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
learning, and who looked, with a chastened hope, to a
long career of usefulness in that world from which he
hath been thus prematurely withdrawn.
It has pleased the Almighty Disposer of events, by
this dispensation of his providence, to bereave a widowed mother of her only child, and to summon away
fi'om  the service of the church and the world to a
nobler service in heaven, an excellent young man and
an intelligent and earnest Christian.  A  sketch, however' illperfect, of his early history, and a few recollections of his last hours, may perhaps be read with
interest by those who are never tired of witnessing,
in the lives and in the deaths of Christians the prevailinr efficacy of faith in Christ.
The deceased was a native of Maine, and, at the
time of his death, was in the twenty-ninth year of his
age. In childhood, it would seem, he gave promise
of uncommon moral excellence.  He was rem arka1ble
for his sincerity of speech and for his exemplary reverence for truth.  At a very early agoe, he was fond of
reading the Holy Scriptures, and was very strict in the
observance of the Christian Sabbath.  "He seemed,"
in the languaYge of his mother, "to act more from
principle than children in general."  At the age of
fourteen, he became an apprentice to a respectable
mechanic.  While learning his trade, he, in connection
with his fellow apprentices, subscribed for a religious
paper which was devoted to the inculcation of unscriptural doctrines.  Iis mother remonstrated with
him upon the guilt and the danger of his continuing
to support and to read such a paper. To these remonstrances of maternal love he yielded, with that amiable
docility of temper for which, in after life, he was, in




MOSES CURTIS.               317
no commlon degree, distinguished.  Such was his devotion to study that, before he commenced learning
his trade, he had almost completed his preparations for
admission to College. As a child, he was often deeply
reflective; but it is not kn'wn that the truths of the
Gospel made upon his heart any distinct impression,
till, through the grace of God he experienced their
transforming efficacy, and was brought to confess,
with humble gratitude, their power to purify and to
save his soul.
Perhaps the most eventful period of Mr. Curtis's
short life was spent at the literary Institution at New
5hampton, AN. H., of which Professor Benjamin F.
Farnsworth was then the Principal.  Of this period,
Professor Farnsworth is enabled to furnish several interesting particulars, as will be seen from the following passage of a letter addressed by him to the writer
of this sketch"In the spring of 1832, Mr. Curtis entered the Institution at New Hampton, and commenced a preparation
for College. In reply to inquiries made by me at his
admission, he gave the following among other particulars. After naming Wells, in the State of Maine, as
the place of his residence, he stated that he had, when
a boy, commenced preparation for College, and that at
the age of between twelve and thirteen, he had come
within a few months of completing his course of preparatory study. From  some cause which I am not
now able to explain, he became an apprentice at a
mechanical employment, (I think that of a tanner and
currier,) and in this employment he continued till he
was twenty-one years of age. He was, soon afterwards, a sub.ject of deep religious impressions, and of a




318      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
joyful hope in Christ. From this period the object of
his life was changed. A desire to be instrumental in
the salvation of his fellow men was paramount to every
other; and he sought opportunities of being thus useful. It was not, however, till nearly two years afterwards, that his attention was specially directed to the
ministry. Mr. Curtis was, at this time, about twentyfive years of age.
" Having spent one term in the Institution, during
which he made unusual progress in study, he was
afterwards employed as an assistant teacher. In this
capacity he acted for more than two years, at the
expiration of which he became a member of Brown
University. It is worthy of remark that, while thus
occupied as an Instructor, his attainments during the
first year were equal to those of most others. He, at
the same time spent two hours a day in vigorous exercise, which was always so directed as to be subservient
to the purpose of defraying his expenses or of contributing to the aid of others. By this means, while he
suffered no hours to be lost, he effectually preserved
his health, and the ability to exert himself most successfully in study. Nor ought I to omit to mention
that, during the progress of a religious revival at New
Hampton, he almost always found time to be present
at the numerous meetings for prayer, as well as to
fulfill the more private duties of Christian faithfulness
and devotion."
In May, 1834, Mr. Curtis was admitted a member of
the Freshman Class of Brown University.  He was
enabled to pursue his studies without interruption,
till the first Term in his Sophomore year, when alarming symptoms of pulmonary disease admonished him




MOSES CURTIS.              319
to return home for the purpose of regaining his lost
health. Relaxation from sedentary toil, healthful exercise, and the watchful assiduities of maternal affection, were not without their usual effect. The progress of his malady seemed to be arrested; and at
the commencement of the last Term, he rejoined his
class, cheered by his recruited health, and exhilarated
by the hope that he should be able to devote himself,
without further interruption, to the prosecution of his
collegiate studies. This hope, to which an academic
invalid clings with a fond tenacity, was destined to
prove fallacious.  The partial improvement of his
health which had induced him, contrary to the advice of
his physician and friends, to return to College, was but
a suspension of the disease which was soon to prostrate him on the bed of death. Onl the night of February 5th, he was violently seized with hemorrhage at
the lungs. On several successive days, he experienced
renewed attacks till the powers of life were well nigh
exhausted, and immediate death seemed inevitable.
He was not, however, destined to die thus suddenly.
The trial of rude and joyous health he had sustained
without faltering in the path of obedience. HIe was
now summoned by his heavenly Father to a far different trial. He was reserved to exhibit, amid the
pains, the languor, and the restlessness of disease, that
tranquil and uncomplaining submission which human
philosophy in vain essays to teach. Day after day,
and week after week, he lay prostrate in helpless debility. Wearisome nights were appointed unto him,
and he looked only to death for relief from suffering.
Yet these days and nights were not spent in vain. In
the season of health and of ease, he had trodden the




320      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
path of sincere though imperfect obedience to the will
of his heavenly Father; he was now to tread, without
a murmur, the path of suffering.  "Looking backward
upon the Cross and forward upon the Crown," he was
now to be courageous amid the swellings of Jordan,
anld undismayed by the gloom  of the dark valley.
Hie read and he listened to the reading of the Holy
Scriptures; he prayed fervently that he might be
mLa(lde meet for the inheritance of the saints in light;
and he united in every prayer offered by his Christian
friends for the more perfect sanctification of his will
andl his affections.  All who visited him durinog his illness felt that,
"The chamber where the good man meets his fate,
Is privileged beyond the common walk
Of virtuous life, quite in the verge of Heaven."
"At the several interviews which I had with him,"
says Professor Farnsworth, "he manifested the most delightful serenity.  IHe always spoke of his trust in God
and in Christ."  On one occasion, speaking to President Wayland of the professors of religion in College,
he observed — " Methinks, if all who profess the name
of Christ here were to pass through the furnace of affliction in which God is trying my faith, we should
soon see who are Christians and who are not.". Being
asked, on another occasion, by President Wayland, for
what he wished him more especially to pray-" Pray,"
said he, " for my sanctification-for my entire submission to the will of mly heavenly Father."  The following remark made to a friend exhibits an example of
that profound self-ablasement which the best Christian
is perhaps the most likely to feel, when he is about to




M1OSES CURTIS.              321
come into the presence of that God who chargeth his
angels with folly, and in whose sight the heavens are
not clean: "When I look upon my past life, my
greatest sins and my holiest acts appear all alikesinful, exceedingly sinful. My only hope is in Christ.
Oh! what a refuge-what a rock-what a Saviour!"
He always evinced deep solicitude for the spiritual
improvement of those within the sphere of his influence; and as a member of this Institution, he contributed, not only by his prayers and exhortations, but by
all the graces of a genuine piety, to elevate the standard of Christian attainment and to quicken a relish for
the enjoyments of Christian fellowship. In accordance
with this habitual desire for the good of others, he
remarked to a classmate-" Do you think my death
will promote your sanctification? I know that if God
should now take away my life, it will remain for the
living to lay it to heart; then,-indeed, will my death be
gain. But if I live, Oh, brother, if I live-it shall be
for Christ. Will he not say to me, if he spares my
life,' Have I not now a claim upon every breath?'
Tell my classmates to live near to God-to strive after
holiness.  Oh! this vain conversation! It unfits the
soul for heaven. I have considered, since I have been
in College, that if I could find no time for devotion,
for religious conversation, for communion with God, I
had no business here. Nor do I believe this is the
place for any man who cannot find time to engage in
these exercises."
It is not known to the writer of this sketch that the
spirit of this excellent youngc man was moved to rapture at the prospect of that future blessedlners which,
through the eye of faith, he rejoiced to behold. But
41




32-2)   WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
his conversation at various times during his illness
furnished abundant evidence, that he looked forward
with " a reasonable and holy hope," to the rest, and
the purity, and the happiness of heaven. Once he
remarked to a friend-" Heaven is a more glorious
place than earth. I know not why I may not die now,
if it be the will of God, as well as hereafter. I have
sometimes a desire, if it consist with God's will, to be
restored to health, that I may go forth among the people, and testify to his goodness, and speak of his great
mercy.  Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be
done." Again he said- "if there be a heaven-and
I know there is-how delightfully happy it must be!
There is no morning, no evening, but unclouded, eternal
day. There is no sorrow, no sickness, no death. From
that glorious place there is no going out."
Similar passages from his death-bed conversations
might be given; but the preceding, it is believed, are
sufficient to show with what unearthly composure he
awaited his summons into eternity, and to evince the
victorious energy of a living faith in the blood of
Jesus Christ.
On Wednesday night, the 11th of March, he entered
into his rest. " God-even our God, will save us "*were the last words that trembled on his tongue.
On the Saturday following, his remains were committed to the earth. His funeral was conducted with
a simple and quiet solemnity, more touching than any
proud array, and well befitting the obsequies of a
Christian scholar. His remains were removed from
the room where he died to the Chapel, and there de-:wThese words are inscribed on the monument erected over his grave by
his mother,




MOSES CURTIS.                   323
posited on the stage usually appropriated to the purposes of collegiate declamation.  They were enclosed
in a plain coffin —which was covered by no pall, and
the lid of which was left unsealed. At the tolling of
the bell, the officers and students assembled in the
Chapel.  Many a fellow  student 12aused to look, for
the last time, upon that face which they were soon to
behold no more forever.  After the singing of an appropriate hymn by the Choir, and the reading of St.
Paul's sublime declaration to the Corinthians concerning the resurrection of the dead, President Wayland
addressed to the students a series of eloquent and
solemn remarks enforcing upon them the incalculable
importance of immediate preparation to meet the retributions of eternity.  A fervent prayer was then offered
by the Rev. President, and another hymn was sung by
the Choir. The Benediction closed the religious services of the occasion.
The lamented Curtis was followed to his grave by
his venerable mother, who had come hither from her
distant home to soothe his dying bed —by the officers
of  College, wvho  regarded  him   as  an  exemplary
pupil-and by his fellow  students * who entertained
for him sincere respect and affection.
May his bright exanmple in life and in death, not be
lost upon youthful scholars who are preparing themselves for a course of elevated usefulness in the world.
May they be convinced, now  in the  days of their
* The members of the Sophomore Class adopted a series of resolutions expressive of their deep regret for the death of their classmate and friend, and
of their respect for his intellectual, moral and Christian character. A copy of
these resolutions, together with a letter of condolence, was transmitted to Mrs.
Curtis as a token of regard for the memory of her son, and as an expression
of sympathy in her sorrows.




324     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
youth, that the fear of the Lord is wisdom, and that
to depart froml evil is understanding. Thus, and thus
only, wtill they live to a good purpose,-for the life
which is not spent in God's service is spent in vain.
WIr LLIA   B OWEN, I.. D.
PUBLISHED JANUARY 23, 1832.
BEtOIRE the grave hides forever from our sight the
form of this venerable man, who has so long stood
among us to adorn and to benefit society, it were a
grateful office to rescue from oblivion a few imperfect
lnemorials of his life and character.
I-ow eloquent are change and death! The young
are cut down ere they reach the spring-tide of their
beings-the aged sink into the grave under the burden
of accumulated infirmity.  It is fit that for both the
tears of sorrow should flow. Who does not mourn
when the aged die-when the props to which we have
long clung are falling around us —when the landmarks
which for years have guided our course, are withdrawn
from. our view! Who does not mourn, when those
who have participated largely in the interests of a
colllmunity, and whose long continued presence has
lent a charm even to its localities pass away forever!
Those who are familiar with the history of this town,
cannot fail to associate Dr. Bowen and his few surviving contemporaries with those manners, opinions and
habits, which have imparted whatever of individuality
belongs to our social character. And as these patri



5WILLIAM3 BOWEN.                3 25
archs, one after another, are gathered to their rest, let
us hope that their successors may be men of a kindred
spirit, who will scatter around them  the light of a
wise and virtuous example.
Dr. William Bowen was born in Providence, March
8th, 1747 (O. S.)  He was the third  son of Dr.
Ephraim Bowen,* who, for a long time, practised physic in this town, where he died on the 21st of October,
1812, at the age of ninety-six years. Dr. William
Bowen was the fifth generation in descent from  Dr.
Richard Bowen, who emigrated from  England, A. D.
1642, and settled in Dorchester, Mass.  Dr. Bowen's
father, grandfather, great grandfather, as well as the first
settler, Richard, were physicians.  His son, MTilliam C.
Bowen, was also a physician, making the sixth generation devoted to the medical profession.  These are curious facts, which, it is believed, have few parallels in
this country.  Of Dr. Bowen's early life, we can collect
but scanty memorials, as he was unaccustomed to
record events, however they might have affected his
feelings or shaped his ends.  The first two years of his
collegiate life he passed at Harvard University, and
the remaining two  at Yale College, where he was
graduated in the year 1766.  In 1770, he received the
degree of Master of Arts, from  Rhode Island College,
then recently established at Providence.  Of his college classmates, thirty-seven in number, only one is
now living, the Rev. Dr. Andrew Lee, of Connecticut.
Immediately after leaving College, Dr. Bowen commenced the study of medicine, under the direction of
* Dr. Ephraim Bowen was the father of fourteen children, of whom twelve
lived to mature age, and eleven were married and had families. Out of the
fourteen four are yet living, three daughters, and one son, Col. Ephraim
Bowen, of Pawtuxet.




326        WRITINGS OF WILLIAMR   G. GODDARD.
his father.  He subsequently repaired to Philadelphia,
where he diligently improved the advantages afforded
by the only medical school then  existing in the country.*   In May, 1769, as we learn from  the Providence
Gazette of that date, he returned  to  his native town,
having " received diplomas from the different Professors, certifying the proficiency he had  made in the
healing art." He immediately commenced the practice of
his profession, which he continued uninterruptedly, till
within a few months of his death-embracing a period
of more than  SIXTY YEARS.  His professional career
was honorable to himself, and most beneficial to the
community.  He was not long  in acquiring  an eminent rank among his brethren, and this rank he maintained, undisputed, to the last. The confidence which
his fellow citizens early reposed in his skill, and which
they never withdrew, he repaid  by unceasing and laborious devotion to professional duty. His success
was commensurate  with  his diligence  and  abilities.
IHe acquired, not only a high professional repute, but
the means of independent support and liberal enjoyment.  Although nature seems to invite the Octogenarian to repose, yet so extraordinary was Dr. Bowen's
activity  of mind  and  body, and  so  fixed were his
habits of business, that he could not be persuaded to
* Medical schools, though now greatly multiplied and liberally provided
with the means of instruction, are of comparatively recent origin in this country. The first mnedical Lectures, delivered in New England, if not in America,
were delivered in Newport, 1754-5 and 6, by Dr. William Hunter, father of
the Hon. William Hunter, and a near relation of Drs. William and John
Hunter, so celebrated in the history of medical science. The first regular
medical school was established in Philadelphia, by Drs. Shippen and Mlorgan,
in 1762, and was composed of only three Professors till 1769, when Dr. Rush
was added to their number. At this school, and during the period of its infancy, Dr. Bowen received the most valuable part of his early medical education.




WILLIAM BOWEN.               3 27
relinquish his practice, and to sit down to inactive enjoyments. Even within the last year, he has suffered
neither the inclemency of the weather, nor the darkness of midnight, to detain him at home, when he
felt that his patients needed his personal attendance.
We have hazarded only a general estimate of Dr
Bowen's professional character-leaving whatever of
delicate analysis the subject may require to those
whose discernment of his merits is quickened by
kindred studies and pursuits. Without, however, invading the province of his professional brethren, we
may be permitted to remark, that his person and manners were most felicitously adapted to the circumstances of a physician. Numbers in this community will
long remember his ministries of kindness and of skill,
in the chamber of sickness, and around the bed of
death.  Often has the dejected invalid confessed his
power to charm away the gloom which had settled on
his heart-often has natulre, almost fainting in the
struggle with disease, been stimulated to fresh resistance, by his cheering and sympathetic tones-and in
the sad and fearful extremity of our being, when the
expedients of medical science are exhausted, gratitude
for his kindness has beamed from the eye and trembled
on the tongue.
In the intercourse of social and domestic life, Dr.
Bowen was remarkably engaging.  His unaffected
urbanity, his almost unvarying cheerfulness, and his
diffusive kindness endeared him, in no common degree,
not only to his immediate connexions, but to an extensive circle of fiiends. Upon no one could be lost the
charm of his polished, dignified, and yet truly affable
manners, which, while they invited the most unreserved




328     WRITINGS OF WILLIA3I G. GODDARD.
intercourse, repelled all approaches to unbecoming
familiarity. His colloquial powers, rendered him always an acceptable companion. He loved to indulge
in the more sportive graces of conversation,-but amid
his pleasantries, he manifested the most delicate regard for the proprieties of life, and an instinctive
tenderness for the peculiarities of individual feeling.
Exempt from all ambition for display, he never interrupted the natural flow of his conversation to indulge
in prolix disquisition, or elaborate embellishment.
With him, conversation was not an art to be labored at
-it was rather, the unpremeditated effusion of the intellect and the heart —animated, versatile, and instructive. In the narrative of by-gone events, and in the
description of external scenery, he discovered a truly
graphic power, no less rare, than enviable.  This
power, which imparted delight to others, he seemed
entirely unconscious of possessing. He was a man of
genuine modesty; he never obtruded scientific subjects; but when others introduced them, for the purpose of drawing forth the treasures of his mind, he
neither obscured explanation by needless technicalities, nor discouraged inquiry by mysterious concealment.
In 1815, the paternal sensibilities of Dr. Bowen
were deeply wounded by the death of his only son,
the late Dr. William Corlis Bowen. After receiving a
thorough medical education in the most celebrated
schools of Europe, this amiable man, and most accomplished physician, died at the early age of twenty-nine
years-at the moment when his life seemed rich with
promises of happiness to his friends, and of usefulness
to the community. This afflictive event doomed the




J.MIES BROWN.              329
subject of this notice, in some sort, to the " solitude of
an inverted existence-sie who ought to have succeeded him, went before him "-the long cherished
hopes of the father were buried in the grave of the
son!
Dr. Bowen was married in 1770, and resided, from
that time till his death, in the same house. During his
last illness, lie deluded himself with no hopes of restoration, but submissively awaited the issue. In the truth
of the Christian Revelation, he fully believed-and
its promises of mercy and the voice of supplication
soothed his dying bed.
JAMES BROWN.
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 18, 1834.
DIED, in this city, on Friday evening last, James
Brown, Esq.  Although for several months, his
friends had been admonished that the powers of
his vigorous constitution were declining, yet the
illness which terminated his life was of short duration. He was not confined to his chamber for a
single day, and, till within a few hours of his death,
he was not thought to be in danger. Mr. Brown was the
only surviving son of the late Hon. John Brown. He
was born in the year 1761 - and, at the age of seventythree years, he finished his course with an unclouded
intellect, and a heart warm to the last. In the year
1780, lie was graduated at Harvard Universityand was a classmate of the late Judge Barnes, of this
42




330     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
city, and of the Hon. Thomas L. Winthrop, recently
Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts. Of his classmates, originally twenty-nine in number, only five are
now living. In the year 1789, he was elected a member
of the Board of Fellows of Brown University, and, till
his death, lie regularly attended the meetings of that
body. Mr. Brown having no relish for active pursuits, never engaged in any business. His ample patrinlony he did not care to expose to the hazards of
trade-and, to his credit, be it added, lie squandered
no part of it upon expensive or corrupting pleasures.
lie began life at a time when the standard of personal
character in this country was elevated-when it was
deemed no matter of reproach to be a gentlenian;-and
the style of character and manners which marked the
gentlemen of the old school, he maintained to the last.
Although he never boasted his familiarity with distinguished men, yet it is known to many of his contemporaries that few individuals have shared more
largely in the familiar converse of that band of noble
spirits, who, with Washington at their head, were
once the living ornaments of this land, and, in patriotic
recollection, are now its selectest glory. Mr. Brown
never sought public distinctions of any sort; and was,
therefore, never tempted to flatter the people, in order
that he might dupe them. To the principles of social
order le was always true, and never was he infected
by that epidemic firenzy, which, since the French
Revolution has now and then, menaced every principle of healthful subordination in society and government. In the relations of private life, he was upright
and pure mllinded —attached to his friends, and alive to
every manifestation of kindness. He had a taste for




HENRY S. NEWCOIB.             331
books, and at intervals in his life, he devoted much of
his leisure to their society. Although he lived and
died a bachelor, yet so far from indulging any narrow
prejudices aogainst the other sex, he uniformly treated
them with unaffected gentleness and dignified courtesy.
In peace with all men, this only living son of a noble
sire has gone down to  the grave. Around that
hearth, but yesterday animated by his voice, are now
gathered the few near kindred Who are left to mourn
for him. Besides these, there are friends who will remember him in much kindness  who were cheered by
his wonted presence, and who are sad to think that
the familiar communion of years is ended forever.
LIEUTENANT HENRY S. NErWCOMB.
PUBLISHED IN 1826.
THE family and friends of Lieut. HENRY S. NEwcoisB, are no longer permitted to cheer themselves with
hopes of his safety. Intelligence received by an arrival at Philadelphia leaves them to the melancholy
conviction that he perished, during a storm at sea, together with all the crew but one, of the vessel on
board of which he had embarked as a passenger. In
this town where Lieut Newcomb had resided for several years, the tidings of his fate has excited sincere
expressions of sorrow and sympathy-but words would
fail to paint the desolation of the dwelling once animated by his presence-and the still more touching
desolation of the hearts which were knit to his by




332      WVRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
the ties of endearing relationship-hearts but lately
panting at the prospect of greeting his joyous return
— but now sending forth, from their depths, sighs of
anguish that he will return no more forever. That he
was thus loved, and that he is thus mourned, may
justly be ascribed to the influence of his character
which left upon the minds of others no slight and
fugitive impressions of its excellence.
We abstain from a more than cursory allusion to his
merits and fame as an accomplished officer in the naval
service of his country.  On more than one occasion, as
our naval history will evince, he won for himself the
praise of skillful conduct and perilous enterprise. His
bereaved friends, in the moment of fresh sorrow, find a
mournful satisfaction in contemplating his character as
a MAN, in dwelling upon the rich and intermingled
graces of his moral and intellectual nature.  Those
who knew hiim intimately, felt that there was something peculiarly noble and attractive in the original
frame of his spirit-a moral elevation of thought and
feeling —the profound sensibilities of genius-the exalted aspirations of a heart, whose capacities for enjoyment earth could not satisfy. Lieut. Newcomb was
indeed too largely gifted with intellect and passion, to
be a superficial and unconcerned observer of this
shifting scene of things. He mused, with a deep and
thoughtful spirit, on the life-consuming cares, the unreal pageantry, the sad vicissitudes of human existence; and with unaffected reverence he contemplated
the sublime and immutable connexion existing between
the Creator and his creatures destined for immortalitythe solemnities of the inevitable hour-and the indefinite relations of the future world. When such a man,




DEWITT CLINTON.              333
rich not only in moral but intellectual accomplishment,
passes away from the earth, friendship mourns his death
with no common sorrow. In the instance before us, it
mourns that an heroic being has prematurely found a
grave in the bosom of that element, which was the
field of his glory, and, most of all, it mourns, that the
face of the husband and the sire will be seen no more.
DEWITT CLINTON.
PUBLISHIED FEBRUARY 20, 1828.
DEWITT CLINTON now sleeps in the tomb of his
fathers! His transition from life was awfully sudden.
In an interval of relaxation from official care, and
while surrounded by the objects of paternal love,
Death came upon him, and changed in a moment the
condition of his being. The note of public sorrow
and the wail of domestic anguish, in sad union, proclaim the affecting reality, but it is difficult, notwithstanding these faithful tokens, to regard it otherwise
than as the representation of a dark and troubled
dream. Truly, a great man has fallen in our land! a
mighty spirit has passed away from the community of
living minds! Since the days of Hamilton, perhaps
no individual has arisen in this country, who can sustain a comparison with Dewitt Clinton, in those points
of character, conduct and circumstance, which decide
the fame and the fortunes of a public man. That he
was born in a central and powerful State, and that his
intellect was trained for future triumphs under the




334     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
auspices of an illustrious kinsman, may be considered
among the felicitous accidents of his life.  But Genius
scorns a reliance on fortuitous aids, and Clinton sought
advancement in the career of public usefulness and
honor, mainly by the assiduous cultivation of his own
powers and the wise direction of them to virtuous and
noble ends. Having neither leisure nor materials for
a formal review of his public life and character, we
shall indulge in the grateful office of noticing a few
only of his most prominent claims to the grateful
recollections of his countrymen.
His conduct while mayor of the city of New York,
at a delicate crisis in the affairs of the nation, was a
signal illustration of his patriotism, force of character
and attachment to the principles of social order. The
popular mind, it will be recollected, was at that time
fearfully exasperated; in a neighboring city atrocious
excesses had been committed; and in lNqew York and
elsewhere were observed indications of a disposition
to imitate those excesses.  Under circumstances of
peculiar trial to the man and the magistrate, Dewitt
Clinton was undismayed by the approaching storm,
and his intrepid purposes and conduct checked the
malignant spirit which threatened to spread disorder
and consternation throughout our country.
As a Statesman, Governor Clinton has, it is believed,
left no superior behind. Happily for him and for his
common country, the State of New York furnished an
ample sphere for the operation of his vigorous and
comprehensive intellect. The people gave him generous proofs of their confidence, by repeatedly electing
him, in one instance almost by acclamation, to the
highest station within their gift; and although, amid




DEWITT CLINTON.               335
the fluctuations of political party, his fortunes occasionally experienced a reverse, yet, it may be said with
truth, that neither the temporary abandonment of
office, nor the capricious alienation of popular favor,
affected the general estimation of his character and
services. The reason is obvious.  His commanding
reputation he owed neither to the possession of high
place nor to the plaudits of a factious people, but to
the potent energies and the successful application of
his own genius. Thoroughly conversant with  the
physical and intellectual resources of the State of New
York, and relying on the future to vindicate the wisdom of a prospective policy, he planned and pressed
into execution a comprehensive and beneficent system
of measures-a system  of measures which is rapidly
endowing New York with the faculties of an empire,
and sending a pulse of lofty enterprise throughout the
land. The immense chain of Canal Navigation, projected and executed under his auspices, is a proud memorial of his statesmanlike views, his scientific information and his moral intrepidity.
His unaffected reverence for the institutions of religion, his zeal in the grand cause of education, his
sympathy for the struggles of genius dejected by poverty and impatient of obscurity, and his unabated
efforts to keep in activity all the elements of moral
regeneration, challenge an enduring sentiment of gratitude and veneration. These things present him  in
refreshing contrast with that pestilent race of public
men who are not ashamed to proclaiml their contempt
for religion by levelling flippant sarcasms at the
devoted mi.s'sioia;'ies  of the cross  who,   while affecting  a supreme love for the people, are fertile in




336      WRITINGS OF WVILLIAA G. GODDARD.
machinations to withhold from  them  the benefits of
education, and who prostitute their wealth and talents
and influence to the purposes of a selfish ambition.
We forbear to speak of Governor Clinton as the
chief of a political party, or to express our unqualified
dissent from some of his political doctrines.  Now that
the grave has closed over him, we are forbidden to
stir the waters of strife, or to animadvert on differences
of opinion which have been thus solemnly terminated
forever.
Governor Clinton's devotion to politics was by no
means exclusive.  A diligent and enthusiastic student,
he cultivated an acquaintance with the various topics
of scientific investigation,   and stored his mind with
the riches of miscellaneous literature.  In fine, no
branch of speculative and scientific inquiry, bearing
on the interests of society, escaped the notice of his
inquisitive and laborious intellect.
In contemplating the death of Governor Clinton,
under circumstances of such impressive solemnity, a
multitude of thoughts crowd upon the soul. A few
days since, how eager and how lofty were his aims!
how warmly engaged was he in the spirit-stirring controversy of this land! how splendid his visions of
prospective eminence and renown! And what is still
more affecting, while meditating the praises of a kindred spirit,* recently arrested by death in a brilliant
track of professional excellence, the energies of his own
laboring intellect were palsied in an instant, and the
light of his genius was extinguished forever! Dewitt
Clinton is no- more; but he has left behind him imper* It will be recollected that Governor Clinton had consented at the solicitation of the Bar, to pronounce a eulogy upon the late Thomas Addis Emmet.




JOSEPH L. TILLINGHAST.           33 7
ishable records of his name and character, and posterity will not fail to number him with the illustrious
benefactors of the age.
J O' S E P H L. TILLI N G IAST.
PUBLISHED JANUARY 7, 1845.
OuR eminent fellow citizen, the late Hon. JOSEPH
LEONARD TILLINGHAST, who has so suddenly been removed from all earthly scenes and connexions, was a
native of Taunton, Mass. In early boyhood, however,
he commenced his residence in Rhode Island, and here
was the chosen seat of all his labors, interests and enjoyments. He was emphatically the architect of his
own fortunes. Inheriting none of the advantages of
wealth, and owing nothing to the influence of family, he
carved his own way to distinction, sustained by a noble
reliance, and illustrating, year after year, the triumphs
of genius and application. Mr. Tillinghast was no
stranger to the pursuit of knowledge under difficulties, but he suffered no difficulties to dishearten him,
or to quell his indefatigable ardor in the work of selfcultivation.  His rich and varied acquisitions in different departments of literature and science, were the
fruits of midnight toil, or of intervals of relaxation
from severe and exhausting professional pursuits.
Before Mr. Tillinghast attained his majority, and while
he was pursuing the study of the law, he was, for
some time, engaged in the instruction of one of our
most respectable academies; and it is his yet higher
43




338      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
praise that, while thus occupied, he watched, with
paternal solicitude, over the welfare of a numerous
family, who, in consequence of the death of his
father, had been bereaved of their natural protector
and friend.
Mr. Tillinghast was, at one time, a professional pupil
of the Hon. William Hunter. The literary tastes and
the varied intellectual accomplishments for which that
gentleman is distinguished, established a strong sympathy between himself and his pupil, and helped to confirm the latter in that love for elegant letters, which
neither the toils of his profession nor the fascinations
of politics ever had power to conquer.
No man in Rhode Island wielded a more vigorous,
elegant and brilliant pen than Mr. Tillinghast. Of
late years, he has given to the world none of those
fruits of intellect and of imagination which, in the
early stages of his life, attracted such general admiration and applause. Even when a boy of eighteen, he
published in the Providence Gazette, under the signature of "IDion," a series of political essays, which
were written with so much elegance and power, that
the youthful author could not long elude detection.
Hlis contemporaries yet freshly remember his youthful
effusions under the signature of " Carrol," which decorated the poet's corner in the journals of the dayand which indicated that, had he courted the Muses,
he would not have swept the lyre in vain.
For thirty years, Mr. Tillinghast has resided in this
city, constantly occupied in the practice of a laborious
profession, except when withdrawn by the performance of such high public trusts as his fellow citizens
have, from time to time, placed in his hands. As a




JOSEPH L. TILLINGHAST.        339
member of the Legislature of Rhode Island, he rendered to the State exalted service. To him, more
perhaps than to any other public man, should be ascribed the enduring honor of effecting a most valuable
reform in the judiciary, and of establishing on a more
liberal foundation a system of popular education
throughout the State. These were great measuresand for these great measures, Mr. Tillinghast battled
manfully, against an array of talent and of partisan
influence, which would have driven from his purpose
a less intrepid man.
For six consecutive years, Mr. Tillinghast was a
Representative from this State in the Congress of the
United States. Few men in that body were better
qualified, by previous study, for a statesmanlike examination of all the great questions of public policy
which from time to time agitated the passions of the
people, and affected deeply the welfare of this extensive confederacy. He was exemplary in his attendance upon the sittings of the House-always in his
seat, and always attentive to his duty.
In the year 1819, the Board of Fellows of Brown
University conferred upon Mr. Tillinghast the honorary
degree of Master of Arts; and in the year 1833, he
was elected a member of the Board of Trustees of
that venerable institution of learning.
It may be interesting to the numerous friends of Mr.
Tillinghast, at home and abroad, to learn that the results of a post mortem examination leave no doubt
that his death was caused by a disease of the pulmonary organs, which was beyond the reach of medical
skill; and that the sad issue could neither have been




340     WRITINGS OF WILLIAIT G. GODDARD.
averted nor postponed by any ministry of friendship
or of affection.
In the midst of buoyant hopes and unaccomplished
plans, he passed, as is believed, without a pang, into
the world of spirits. An event of such startling suddenness, and which has wrought in the home of his
affections so touching a change, addresses the profounder sensibilities of our nature. It admonishes us
what shadows we are, and what shadows we pursue;
it bids us look, in humility and in awe, upon the mysterious wisdom which appoints our trials; it teaches
us whither, in the hour of darkest calamity, to flee for
succor and support.
WILLIAM3I  WARD BO WEN.
PUBLISHED OCTOBER 21, 1839.
ArMONG the gifted men who have recently fallen
victims to the treacherous climate of the South, we
lament to record the name of WILLIAM WARD BOWEN,
Esq., a distinguished member of the Bar of Louisiana.
He died at his residence in Opelousas, on the 24th
ultimo, after only four days' illness of the fever epidemic in that region. Mr. Bowen was born in Providence, R. I., and was the only surviving son of the
late Dr. Pardon Bowen, whose professional skill and
varied private excellencies are still unforgotten. In
the year 1802, he graduated at Brown University,
over which the late Dr. Maxcy then presided. After
completing, with honor, his academical education, he




WILLIAM WARD BOWEN.            341
studied his profession at Albany, under the superintendence of that eminent jurist and most accomplished
advocate, John V. Henry, now no more. Mr. Bowen
subsequently established himself in the village of
Ogdensburgh, N. Y., where, for several years, he resided, enjoying the confidence of his fellow citizens,
and reaping the just rewards of an elevated professional reputation. Although Mr. Bowen was exempt
from all feverish thirst for political preferment, yet he
was, on one occasion, induced to accept a seat in the
New York House of Assembly. He soon, however,
retired from political life, and returned, with augmented
relish, to the practice of his profession, and to the pursuit of his favorite studies.  About twenty years
since, with a spirit characteristic of New England
men, he emigrated to the State of Louisiana, where,
with the exception of occasional visits to his family in
his native State, he resided till his death.
Mr. Bowen was no ordinary man. He was without
startling eccentricities, but he nevertheless stood out
from the ranks of common men, and he never failed to
leave upon the minds of others what is now so seldom
found-the impression of a distinct individuality. IHe
had rare endowments, and he superadded to those endowments rich and various acquisitions. He regaled
a taste of great natural refinement, not only with the
choicest productions of the English mind, but with
the beautiful and captivating literature of France. He
fed his fancy, whose ardors survived even forensic
toils and competitions, at the fountains of high thought
and pure inspiration-and he invigorated his understanding by a familiarity with those grand and immutable principles which lie at the foundation of the




342     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
science of law. His success in Louisiana was ample.
He established, and he preserved unimpaired, a reputation for unblemished private and professional honor,
and so undoubted were his legal acquirements, that
the Governor of Louisiana recently proposed him for
one of the highest judicial offices- in that State. His
impulses were noble. He scorned those mean compliances-those petty subterfuges, those pusillanimous
compromises with principle-which have come to be
deemed almost as the necessary conditions of success
in professional and political life. Among his warm
personal friends, he numbered some of the most distinguished men in Louisiana, and their confidence and
attachment he retained to the last.
Mr. Bowen lived and died a Bachelor; his warm
and generous affections were, therefore, expended upon
his natural kindred, and it is not too much to say that,
as a son and a brother, he manifested kindness the
most delicate, disinterested, and unwavering. He died
far from the home for which he never ceased to yearn,
and from the relatives whom he loved, with unfaltering ardor, even in the trance of death; but it is grateful to know that his dying bed was not untended,
and that he was mourned and honored by strangers
whom his virtues had converted into friends.
SAMUEL WARD.
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 5, 1839.
DIED, in the city of New York, on Wednesday, the
27th ult., SAMUEL WARD, Esq., senior partner of the
House of Prime, Ward, King, & Co., in the fifty



SAMUEL WARD.                343
fourth year of his age. For several years he had been
a stranger to vigorous health, and, during the past
summer, he was so prostrated by disease, that his
friends saw, but too clearly, the danger which threatened his life. From this state of depression, however,
he partially recovered, and the melancholy presages of
the summer, it was hoped, were destined to prove fallacious. This hope, however, was not long permitted to
cheer his friends. The powers of life, which had been
summoned to a short and deceitful rally, were, at the
last, overpowered by a sudden and violent attack;
the silver cord was loosened, the golden bowl was
broken, the dust returned to the earth as it was, and
the spirit unto God who gave it. The death of Mr.
Ward produced, in the. community where he had long
lived, sensations of no common sorrow.  Even in those
circles in which the eager competitions of business
yield to reflection but a transient pause, many seemed
to feel that a just man had been taken away from a
sphere of action which he had illustrated by the exercise of rare sagacity; by memorials of disinterested
beneficence-by evidences of most devoted attachment to his family and friends —by devout religious
affections, and by unswerving religious principle.
In Rhode Island, Mr. Ward was somewhat extensively known, and here he has left numerous relatives
and friends. He was a native of East Greenwich, and,
for several years he had been accustomed to reside,
during the heats of summer, at Newport. His ancestors were among the distinguished men of this State.
He was the second son of the late Col. Samuel Ward,
whose services, as a Patriot of the Revolution, and
whose accomplishments as a gentleman and a scholar,




344     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
it is unnecessary to recall to memory. He was a
grandson of the late Governor Ward, and, in the maternal line, a grandson of the late Governor Greene,
men who were elevated by the people to high and responsible trusts in days when such elevation meant
something-when high and responsible trusts were
conferred rather on those who deserved than on those
who meanly sought them. The accidents of birth,
however useful they may sometimes prove as incentives to honorable conduct, constitute no fund of
personal merit, and affect not the estimate of personal
character. Though Mr. Ward reverenced the virtues
of his ancestors, and was grateful for their bright example, yet he rested his hopes of advancement in life
on himself alone-on his own clear head, and on his
strong right arm-on his own inherent ability to plan
and to execute-on sagacious enterprise, and laborious
diligence, and unwavering integrity. Most truly was
he the architect of his own fortunes.
After obtaining in his birth place the rudiments
of an English education, he left, when quite a lad, the
home of his fathers-and, with no other wealth than
his good name, became a Clerk in that extensive Banking House of which he was destined ultimately to become the head. When he had attained his majority,
he was admitted into the House as a partner, and it is
not too much to say that its elevated reputation at
home and abroad, and its unsuspected stability in the
midst of vicissitudes the most perilous, may be ascribed, in no humble measure, to his financial ability,
and to the high moral principle which he carried into
all the relations of business.
In the management of his extensive concerns, Mr.




SAMUEL WARD.               345
Ward, it is well known, was eminently successful. He
amassed an ample fortune, and, what is still better, he
established a character, which, aside from the adventitious influence of wealth, commanded general confidence and respect. Firmness of purpose, promptness
and energy in execution, and independence of the
vague and fluctuating opinions of others, when he had
once deliberately formed his own, were among his predominant characteristics.  To these characteristics,
fitted rather to secure the suffrages of the understanding than to win the sympathies of the heart, he added
those warm and generous affections which delighted
in the intimacy of personal firiendship, and which
found solace and joy amid the endearments of home.
Mr. Ward, though habitually attentive to business, was not a slave to business. He could live and
breathe in a purer atmosphere than that of traffic. He
could open his mind and heart to impressions from far
different scenes, and he could busy his thoughts with
contemplations on nature and on the eternal principles of truth and duty. In a letter to a friend, written during a visit to Newport, he in a strain almost
prophetic, thus remarks, "I wonder if Della Crusca
ever had a view of the Ocean? It would have improved his poetry. There is, as has been often said,
something soothing in a moonlight view of the great
waters, and ever as wave succeeds wave, do events
succeed each other in life, until we pass away and our
places are filled by others. The good, the brave, how
soon are they forgotten! and though each and every
one of us knows this, each hopes for an exception in
his own case. There is nothing strange in this, but it
seems marvellous that we know not how to profit by
44




346      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
the lesson, and to give to temporal pursuits their true
estimates. 0, if man knew how differently he is
viewed in the sight of his Creator,-if he could but
realize the tender compassion, the infinite mercy, which
exists in the great Father of all, how much would he
prefer communion with God to the vain and ephemeral
affections of his fellows!"
Few men better understood than Mr. Ward the
responsibilities which wealth imposes, and the true
uses to which it should be appropriated. His mode
of living was suited to the taste of a christian gentleman, endowed with ample means. It was without
ostentatious splendor, and it was unfettered by the
tyranny of fashion. He felt himself to be a stranger
and a pilgrim, and it was in the spirit of a stranger
and a pilgrim that he refreshed himself at the wells of
the desert. While he responded, on all occasions, most
cordially and effectively, to the calls of christian benevolence, he deemed it no sin to recognize, in the arrangements of his domestic economy, man as a being
endowed with intellect, and taste, and imagination.
He disdained that strife for vulgar pre-eminence which
mars the repose of metropolitan life, but, with commendable liberality he patronized the fine arts, and he
collected, within his own dwelling, works in science
and literature surpassing in number and value those
which are to be found in most of our public libraries.
Mr. Ward, as may be inferred from what has already
been said, was an earnest and devout christian. In a
letter to a friend, he thus emphatically speaks of the
power of Christianity:  "The more I reflect on
Christianity, the more am I struck with its all pervad



WILLIAM GODDARD.              34'7
ing influence. It is every thing-it is motive; it is
conduct; it is action."
It is, perhaps, unnecessary to add that religion was
with him a most operative principle. It prompted
him to the work of humble self-culture; it summoned
him to noble deeds of christian benevolence; it hallowed his joys and sustained him  amid trials; it
taught him how to estimate the world aright, and,
more than all, it taught him to look beyond it with
peaceful hopes of a better life.
Mr. Ward has left three sons and three daughters.
Their richest patrimony is his honored name; the undying memory of his good deeds, and of his humble
faith in God.
WILLIAM GODDARD.
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 22, 1817.
DEPARTED this life, on Tuesday evening last, after a
long illness, WILLIAM  GODDARD, Esq. He was the
first Editor of the Providence Gazette, which paper he
established, and commenced the publication of October
20, 1762, there being before that period no printing
press in this town. He published newspapers, successively, in New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore,
which he conducted with much ability, closing in the
latter city his professional- labors. The first years of
his long life were passed amid the turmoil of useful
activities-the last in the bosom of domestic quiet.
He had just completed his seventy-seventh year, and




348      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
the fine threads which bound him to mortality gave
way without a struggle. His family sorrow not without the hope, that through the merits of the Saviour
in whom he trusted, he has found pardon and acceptance. His memory will long be treasured in grateful
recollection by all to whom he was acquainted;
more particularly by his family, who have sustained
by his death the loss of an affectionate husband and
tender parent. His remains were respectfully interred
yesterday afternoon, in the North burying-ground, attended by a numerous train of weeping relatives and
fiends.
CHRISTOPHER GREENE.
PUBLISHED JANUARY 25, 1831.
AFTER a long life of virtuous activity, this venerable man is gathered to his fathers. Grateful to surviving friends must be the reflection, that he was
spared to them so long, and that the Supreme Disposer
resumed the gift of existence, without visiting him
with the pangs of protracted sickness. As he belonged to the race of Revolutionary worthies, now
almost extinct, a brief notice of his life and character
can be deemed neither inappropriate nor uninteresting.
The deceased was the son of Nathanael Greene, of
Potowomut, Warwick, a Preacher in the Society of
Friends. In the faith and discipline of that Society,
he and his five brothers, (all of whom he survived)




CHRISTOPHER GREENE.                349
were strictly educated; but embarking actively in the
cause of the revolution, they all forfeited their connexion as members of the Society.  The faith which
Mr. Greene received from the lips of parental wisdom
and piety, he never deserted, but adhered, through
life, to all the principal tenets of the Friends, except
that which interdicts the bearing of arms. Though
attached to the peculiarities of his own sect, he was
entirely exempt from a narrow and exclusive spirit.
An earnest and practical Christian, he believed that
charity is the crowning grace of the Gospel, and that
we should strive, "not to reconcile all differences, but
to unite all hearts."
In the controversy between Great Britain and her Colonies, he zealously espoused the cause of his country;
and so strong was his conviction that reconciliation was
neither practicable nor desirable, that he was in favor
of hazarding an early declaration of independence.
During most of the Revolutionary War, he was an
efficient member of the Committee of Public Safety,
which committee, it will be recollected, was invested
with extensive powers, and charged with highly important duties. The patriotic ardor of the deceased,
prompted him to yet more spirit-stirring enterprises in
the great cause of American freedom. Anticipating a
resort to arms by the colonies, he assisted, in the year
1774, in organizing the Kentish Guards,* and was one
of the earliest commanders of that corps.  In Sullivan's expedition on Rhode Island, he was a volunteer,
* This ancient corps is still in existence. General Greene, the distinguished
brother of the deceased, belonged to it, when he was appointed to the command of the Rhode Island Brigade, and marched to Cambridge, in 1775-and
it is worthy of remark, that all the members of the Kentish Guards, who entered the Continental Army, became officers of the line.




350     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
and an honorable command in that service was
assigned to him.
Mr. Greene was, at different times, a member of the
General Assembly of his native State. He was a member of the State Convention which adopted the Constitution of the United States. Justly appreciating the
blessings of good government, he earnestly advocated
the adoption of the proposed Constitution. He had,
however, no ambition for public honors, and, after
Rhode Island came into the Union, he never accepted
any public office.
The remainder of his life passed not uselessly away,
in that sequestered spot where it was his delight to
dwell, and where he breathed his earliest and his latest
sigh. In the intercourses of social and domestic life,
he was an example of inflexible principle, and of
amiable affections.  He maintained on all occasions
an undeviating attachment to truth and justice; and
he was never slow in defending them as the only sure
foundation of individual right and social happiness.
Singularly exempt from selfish feelings and aims, he
cheerfully sacrificed his own convenience for the good
of others-serving his friends with as much zeal as
other men serve themselves. As a husband, few men
were more uniformly affectionate and attentive, and
his venerable widow will fondly cherish the memory of
that kindness which never failed her, through all the
lights and shadows of her long day. The father of a
numerous family, he discharged the duties of that relation with signal fidelity and success, blending the
tenderness of a friend with the authority of a parent,
and always practising that firmness, so rare yet necessary, by which a parent denies a present indulgence to




CHRISTOPHER GREENE.            351
his children, that he may render them respectable and
happy in future life. He was hospitable not only
from principle, but from feeling. The cordiality with
which he received and entertained his friends, will now
be recalled by many who were accustomed to visit his
dwelling, when it was brightened by the presence of a
numerous family. How changed the aspect of that
dwelling! In the circle of that family, death has
been fearfully busy, and the survivors sit sad and solitary around a once cheerful fireside!
Of the intellectual qualities of the deceased, it remains briefly to speak. He possessed quick perceptions-a solid and discriminating judgment-promptitude in decision, and great energy and practical talent
in execution. So temperate and active were his habits
of life, and so faithful was he in the offices of affection,
that age, in his case, seemed to forbear its wonted
triumph over the intellect and the heart.
The last brother of General Greene now sleeps in
the grave. Our fathers, where are they! The worthies
of the revolution, where are they! Soon will the last
of a noble race of men be numbered with the dead.
Let the men of this generation never forsake the
counsels of moral and political wisdom which their
fathers have bequeathed to them, and, with the blessing of God, this fair land shall be carried, unhurt,
through every impending danger.




352     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
CAPTAIN NATHANAEL GREENE.
PUBLISHED JANUARY 23, 1841.
THE late Captain NATIIANAEL GREENE was summooned from the earth, in the fullness of his strength,
and in the midst of his unfinished labors. He lived
not, however, in vain. He lived long enough to mature within himself principles and affections, which,
while they rendered him a useful and an eminently
happy man, made all around him to feel that the light
of a most guileless and benevolent spirit was upon
them. Captain Greene was known somewhat extensively to the public as a skillful nautical commander;
and, during the latter years of his life, as the efficient
and obliging Agent, at the Depot in East Greenwich,
of the New York, Providence and Boston Railroad
Company.
His opportunities for seeing the varied forms of
human society had been unusually extensive. He
had visited several of the most celebrated capitals in
Europe. No stranger was he to the ice-bound coasts
of Norway, or to the spicy lands of the east; to the
crowded marts of Germany and Holland, or to the
classic shores of the Mediterranean; but he returned
to his home, whether from regions of tropical ardor,
or of hyperborean frost, always with an untravelled
heart; with habits which foreign manners could not
deprave; with principles confirmed by the trials to
which they had been subjected; with affections to
which absence had imparted only a warmer glow.
Whithersoever the purposes of business carried him,
there he was sure to find friends. He enjoyed, in sev



NATHANAEL GREENE.             353
eral instances, opportunities of familiar intercourse
with distinguished individuals. They were attracted
towards him, at the first, by his near relationship to
an illustrious General of our Revolutionary Army;
but they subsequently discovered in him positive
merits, which, aside from  any alliance, commended
him to their confidence and regard. His opportunities of varied observation were not lost upon him.
He treasured many interesting facts, and his native
good sense and intuitive sagacity conducted him to
sound practical judgments upon life and manners.
One of the most interesting passages in the history of
his numerous voyages, was his connexion with Colton,
the celebrated author of " Lacon."  This unhappy man,
whose melancholy perversion of a brilliant genius, and
whose yet more melancholy death by his own hand, are
yet fresh in'the public recollection, accompanied Captain Greene, in one of his last passages from Gottenburgh to Newport. He travelled under an assumed
name, and, after his arrival, visited Captain Greene, at
East Greenwich, where he passed several days.
Allusion has been made to the benevolent spirit by
which Captain Greene was animated. This was the
distinctive charm  the crowning excellence of his character. It was no transient or capricious impulse, fitful
in its origin, and partial in its operation. It was the
all-pervading element of his moral being-the salient
and living spring of thoughts, and words, and deeds,
which sought to make all around him happy. Captain Greene was not, like multitudes, benevolent only
upon great occasions, and only towards selected individuals. The fount of kind and gentle affections, was,
in him, always unsealed, and the quiet streams which
45




354     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
issued from it diffused freshness and verdure along
their course. While hi loved his friends with unfailing ardor, and devoted himself to their service, he
embraced within the circle of his sympathies, the
humble and the forsaken, who had naught but their
gratitude and their prayers to offer him in return.
This benevolent frame of spirit manifested itself in the
manners of Captain Greene. Few men were more uniformly cheerful, more quietly joyous. He was never
betrayed into levity, and he never lapsed into gloom.
His joy was a habit, not a mood; it never mounted
into obstreperous mirth; and, springing from perennial fountains, it flowed on without signs of exhaustion.
This man of genuine worth, has been gathered to his
fathers. The voice of gladness, which broke upon us,
by the way side, and at the place of concourse, is
hushed; and still is that heart, which, but yesterday,
beat responsive to the impulses of affection and of
duty! Long, however, and freshly, will his friends
remember the man-and the spirit which moved the
man-the good deeds which he delighted to perform
-the happiness which was reflected upon himself by
the happiness which he created for others.
GEORGE CANNING.
PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 18, 1827.
GEORGE CANNING is dead! The ornament of the
British senate, the champion of a temperate and intelligent freedom, the chief of a high order of living in



GEORGE CANNING.              355
tellect, is no more! While his conflict with disease
was doubtful, a whole people was agitated by intense
solicitude, and when suspense was terminated by sad
reality, a burst of deep and generous sorrow went up
from the public heart. Who does not mourn that Canning is dead! that a commanding genius is withdrawn,
in the midst of its high and eager aspirations! that a
bright and glorious spirit is extinguished forever!
The living fountain of his own excellence, he owed
nothing to ancestral honors. Deserving the confidence of
his Sovereign and the affections of the people, he obtained the one without subserviency, and won the
other, without dissimulation. Confidence and affection, thus richly merited, were largely bestowed. After a long course of brilliant and honorable service in
the British Parliament, and in elevated political stations, this illustrious Commoner was selected by his
sovereign to animate and to guide the counsels of the
British empire. Postponing the arrogant pretensions of
birth and disregarding the clamors of malignant competition, the King confided the direction of public
affairs to the gifted mind of Canning; and, when the
magnitude of. British power and the complications of
British policy are considered, it is not extravagant to
add, that the interests of freedom and the fortunes of the
human race were deeply concerned in the royal choice.
The elevation of Mr. Canning to the head of the ministry, was hailed by the people at home as the triumph
of a friend, and by the champions of popular rights
in distant lands, as an event of most cheering augury.
Portugal, struggling for regeneration, joined in the glad
acclaim; and Greece looked to the new Premier for
sympathy, and for more than sympathy, in her " agony




35-6    WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
of glory" and of strife. He entered upon office in
opposition to powerful antagonists, but he sustained
himself nobly and gathered strength, though birth
and talent were in array against him. Tracing thus
far his triumphant and fervid course along a luminous
track, it is affecting to think of the melancholy contrast. Where are now his matured purposes, his lofty
and pregnant aims, his profound and versatile powers
of intellect, the gushes of his warm and pure spirit?
Oh! where are they! He has fallen, while grasping
the goal of his ambition! he has passed, suddenly,
from the service of an earthly sovereign into the presence of the King of Kings!  A nation has evinced
its gratitude and admiration, by the rites of a pompous
sepulture, and all that was mortal of Canning sleeps
beside kindred dust in a spot consecrated to genius
-and virtue. But his immortal spirit still lives in other
worlds, and, oh! how changed its capacities and sphere
of existence! Beyond the boundaries of time, it becomes not a frail and darkened intellect to follow the
departed statesman, or to hazard a rash presumption
concerning his destiny. We cling to the hope that
Canning was a christian. Situated as he was, sure
we are, that no man more needed the supporting and
refreshing influences of the christian faith. The oppressive toils of office, tasking to the utmost the
powers of body and mind-the strife of ambitious
rivalry-and the consciousness of being the depository
of a momentous trust, demanded for him foundations of
hope and objects of repose, which belong only to
eternity.
The sad fate of illustrious compeers could not have
escaped the notice of his thoughtful mind. How




GEORGE CANNING.                 357
touching must have been the recollection of Percival,
of Whitbread, of Romilly and of Castlereagh.*  In
musing upon the history of the latter, a shade of deeper
sadness must have gathered around him.  The companion and the counsellor of sovereigns, a conspicuous
actor in the drama of mighty revolutions, the successful Minister of a powerful realm, Castlereagh sunk
under the life-consuming cares of state-his proud
intellect bereaved of its light and strength! It is
strictly philosophical to believe, that christianity, cordially received, might have averted the awful consequences of his exclusive devotion to public duty. His
dark and disquieted spirit might have been cheered
and tranquillized by prayer to the eternal source of
illumination and repose; and the burthen of official
care, which exasperated him  to the phrenzy of selfdestruction, oh! how might that have been lightened
by the exercise of humble confidence in God! Far be
it from us to say, that this distinguished statesman, in
his hour of awful depression, did not seek unfailing
refuge and strength.  But it is greatly to be feared,
that amid the distractions of a life knowing no alternations but those of business and pleasure, he neglected the due cultivation of those christian graces,
which, when entering largely into the composition of
character, are the most healthful motives to human
action, and the best security for the efficient and undisturbed operation of the human intellect.
To return friom  this digression.  Who  does not
mourn that Canning is dead?  Shall any cold and sordid calculation of national advantage from an event so
l It will be recollected by the reader that Percival, then a minister of State,
was assassinated-and that Whitbread, Romilly and Castlereagh, each in a
state of mental insanity, died by their own hands.




358       WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
deeply affecting be interposed as a check to the generous flow of American sympathy in the sorrows of a
kindred land?  Because the great mind of Canning
was not exempt from unworthy prejudices against this
country, shall the American scholar withhold his
tribute of regret, that the first of British Statesmen
and Orators no longer lives to illustrate the rare and
beautiful union between politics and letters-no longer
lives, to electrify and control public sentiment by the
power of eloquence, or to scatter around him  the
lighter graces of learning and of wit. Above all, shall
any American citizen who prizes personal desert as
the only genuine distinction, and who wishes well to
the cause of universal freedom, refuse to participate in
the general mourning for the death of such a man?
He was emphatically the architect of his own fortunes,
and the honors of the peerage would have encumbered
the simple dignity of his name and character. At a
critical period in the moral history of man, it was his
lot to direct the counsels of Britain, and if his principles and feelings have not been strangely mistaken, he
was resolved to act upon the belief that the interests
of his country and his kind were identified with the
preservation and progress of popular institutions.
As citizens of republican America, let us not then
from any narrow spirit of resentment, stand unmoved,
when the able and intrepid chanlpion of European freedom is taken away forever. As men, let us cherish
the sympathies of our common nature, and yield ourselves to the impulses of sorrow fitted to make us
wiser and better.




OLIVER HAZARD PERRY.            359
COMMIODORE OLIVER IHAZARD PERRY.
PUBLISHED OCTOBER 5, 1819.
THIS accomplished officer and amiable man has paid
the great debt of nature, bequeathing to his country
the glory of his naval achievements, and to his friends
the legacy of his private virtues. By one of those inscrutable providences of Heaven which seem intended
to test the confidence of finite mortals in the wisdom
of its appointments, Commodore Perry, who had often
encountered death and peril amidst all the varieties
of professional service —who had escaped unhurt the
thunders of battle dealing destruction around him
-was reserved to be a victim of the terrific disease
which in several of our cities is now " walking in darkness and wasting at noon day."  We are told that at
his final hour, his characteristic fortitude did not desert him; that, notwithstanding the malignity of his
disease, he was blessed with mental serenity; and that
he was resigned to the decree of Heaven, which
abruptly severed, in a foreign clime, all the endearing
ties which bound his heart to his country, his family
and his friends.
Our country mourns for the loss of a favorite hero,
who has vindicated, in her defence, his claims to all the
distinctions of valor and of skill; and RHODE ISLAND,
his birtkplace and his home, laments that he whose
deeds ennobled her character, now sleeps in the bosom
of a foreign soil, and that the places which once knew
him shall know him no more forever. But it is in the
narrower circle of private friendship and domestic endearment that sorrow for his loss will be felt in all its
force and sacredness. The bright halo of glory which




360      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
encircles the fame of Perry may beguile his country of
some portion of its unaffected grief; but what light
can it shed on the gloom of those faithful hearts, who
have cherished him for the distinctive excellencies of
his individual character, and who, in their devotion
to the unobtrusive virtues of the man and the citizen,
have almost forgotten that they had ever admired the
imposing qualifications of the hero. So amiable and
engaging were the qualities of Commodore Perry,
that he conciliated the affectionate interest of numerous personal friends; and who will not consider it exalted praise, that amid the loud echoes of well deserved renown, he sought and found his chief happiness in the sympathies of social hearts and the
blandishments of domestic love?
The gallant and true hearted Perry will not sleep
forgotten in the dust; and sculptured memorials can
never be necessary to emblazon, through the mists of
time, the recorded honors of his name. In the proud
and grateful recollections of his countrymen, his fame
will be sure of an indestructible repository, and his
private virtues will long be garnered up in the memory
of affectionate hearts.
JAMES BURRILL.
PUBLISHED JANUARY 2, 1821.
AT a moment when undissembled and pervading
sorrow for the death of a distinguished fellow citizen
would seem to interdict the language of compliment,
our readers will readily excuse us for disregarding the




JAMES BURRILL.               361
established courtesies of the season. Our columns
exhibit faithful though imperfect tokens of the general
gloom, and, at this crisis of awakened sensibility, there
could perhaps be no manifestation of respect for the
character of Mr. BURRILL, or of regret for his death,
which would be discordant with the sympathies of
the public mind. He was born among us, and, till the
period of his translation to the national councils, he
was unremittingly engaged, for a series of years, in
the service of his native State, blending himself not
merely with the paramount political concerns of the
day, but with the various and minor interests, which
occupy the feelings and fix the aims of an intelligent
and enterprising people. At the early age of seven,
teen, Mr. Burrill received the honors of the University in this town, and after completing the routine of
professional studies, under an eminent jurist, he commenced, when only nineteen years old, the practice of
law in the Courts of this State. Such was the almost
unprecedented rapidity of his advancement, that he
was elevated, at the age of twenty-five, to the responsible office of Attorney General, which station he continued to hold, amid the vicissitudes and competitions of party, for about seventeen years, when bodily
infirmity, induced by the disease which has since
proved fatal, compelled him at once to relinquish his
office, and his practice at the Bar. Having withdrawn
from the turmoils of an active professional life, he was
elected a member of the General Assembly, and the
distinguished ability with which he discharged the
duties of Speaker of the House of Representatives
and of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, amply
tested the powers of his vigorous and comprehensive
46




362      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM[ G. GODDARD.
mind, and the extent and versatility of his acquisitions.  In the year 1817, he was elected to the elevated station which, till within a few days, he has occupied in the national councils. That station was
probably the goal of his ambition, and it is an impressive consideration that he perished there, while his
heart was still warm with the animation of a fixed
and honorable endeavor. It would be superfluous to
enumerate with greater precision the numerous public
services Mr. Burrill has performed. They are fresh in
the recollection of his fellow citizens, who have ever
been prompt to acknowledge his distinguished ability
for every task which he assumed.  On his election to
the Senate of the United States, his constituents anticipated for him a career of elevated usefulness and
enviable distinction. The flattering presage was fulfilled.  lie entered the councils of the nation, at a
moment peculiarly favorable to the -development of
his powers, and to a just estimate of his character, by
the illustrious men with whom he was associated, and
it is no ordinary praise, that they have been proud to
assign him an elevated station on the list of useful
legislators and practical statesmen. The deceased was
indeed the pride of our little Commonwealth, and we
all felt that he had won for it an estimate, which, on
the score of its territorial extent and numerical importance, it could never have extorted.
We are not competent to a graphical portrait of
the intellectual and moral character of our deceased
fellow citizen; for we are enabled to speak of him
chiefly from an imperfect observation of his public
career. It is refreshing, however, to pause on the example he has bequeathed to those who in the order of




JAMES BURRILL.             363
nature must succeed him.  Let it be rememblered
then, by youthful aspirants, that the distinctions
which he obtained were owing almost exclusively to
his exemplary morals, combined with the energies of
a highly gifted and cultivated mind, trained to habits
of laborious research, by the requisitions of an arduous
profession.  It was impossible to have intercourse
with the mind of Mr. Burrill without being convinced
of the opulence of its resources, and of his power to
command them at pleasure. In the operations of his
mind, there was no indication of caprice, of feebleness or of confusion  he was always prompt, luminous,
forcible and exact in the application of the various
facts and principles with which he had become familiar. But we are venturing on an analysis for which
we have professed our incompetency. We are not
without hope, however, that the grateful office of delineating the character of the deceased, in its minute
shades and just proportions, will be performed by
some kindred mindl, and we know of no one who
could do more justice to the subject than his accomplished colleague in the National Senate.
The event which has so deeply affected the public
mind, has carried desolation and anguish into the circle of kindred affection. The dwelling of a happy
family has been suddenly transformed into the abode
of unprotected orphanage. The hopes of a venerable
father are low in the dust.'" He lives in an inverted
order. Those who ought to have succeeded him are
gone before him-they who should have been to him
as posterity are in the place of ancestors."
Our accomplished fellow citizen has passed away in
the fullness of his intellectual power-in the mid




364     VlWRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
career of his usefulness-in the freshness of his accumulated honors. His orb has sunk from our vision
with fearful abruptness, but his name will long be associated with the proudest recollections of Rhode
Island.
HENRY WARD BOWEN.
PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 17, 1819.
DIED, in Providence, R. I., on Wednesday evening
last, after a few days' illness, Mr. HENRY WARD BOWEN,
youngest son of Dr. Pardoli Bowen, in the twentieth
year of his age. It can be no intrusion on the sanctity
of private sorrow, to dwell for a moment on this affecting instance of mortality, which seems to tell us, with
an admonitory voice from the world of spirits, what
"shadows we are and what shadows we pursue."
Scarce a week since, the deceased was exulting in the
pride of youth, and health, and gay anticipation; surveying life as a wilderness of sweets; surrounded by
the generous pleasures of companionship, and happy
in the midst of social and domestic endearments.
From scenes of such attractive brilliancy, he has passed
away with fearful abruptness, and it is difficult to
realize that he is no longer one of the gay and busy
inhabitants of the world. He had recently commenced
the study of law, and his acute and versatile powers
of mind, aided by the warm and amiable sensibilities
of his heart, presaged a career of usefulness and honor.
But death, as if envious of the blessings which thick



MRS. SARAH F. MALLETT.         365
ened around him, selected him for a victim, when he
was just ripening into manhood, and preparing to reward the elated hopes of his friends.
On an occasion like the present, vain would be the
effort to hush the voice of lamentation, which will
make itself heard front the depths of bereaved hearts;
and the lesson of holy resignation can be learnt only
by communion with that Being, who in the midst of
judgment remembers mercy, who was himself " a man
of sorrows," and who " does not willingly afflict or
grieve the children of men."
MRS. SARAH F. MALLETT.
PUBLISHED MAY 24, 1841.
ON Thursday last, the remains of Mrs. SARAH F.
MALLETT, wife of Edward J. Mallett, Esq., and daughter of the Hon. James Fenner, were committed to the
earth, amid the tears of bereaved kindred, and the
gentler sadness of those who mourned an early friend.
She died on Monday last, at the age of forty-four
years, in the city of New York, whither she had gone
a few days before, cheered by a faint hope that the
progress of her disease might there be arrested.
Vain, however, was that hope! The Sovereign Disposer, whose wisdom, even in the most mysterious dispensations of his Providence, it becometh us not to
question, had determined to reclaim his gift, and to take
away from this earth one for whom life had many attractions, and in whom many hearts, now breaking in




366      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
anguish, had found their chiefest joy. After an illness of several months, not unmarked by those alternations of despondency and hope, so incident to protracted sickness, she sunk at the last, into the arms of
death, with unclouded consciousness, with unchilled
affections-with a tranquil and resigned spirit. Thus
has she passed away, in the maturity of her powers; in
the midst of her usefulness;-before life had given token
that its brightness had begun to wane! What impressiveness do such considerations impart to the simple fact
of death; and how does even Nature, at this season
of vernal loveliness, deepen the sadness of the bereaved, who feel that the blight of a hopeless sorrow
has come upon them! She has passed away from the
earth; but not soon will she pass away from the
memory of the friends who best knew and most loved
her. She was the connecting link between two generations;-between  her parents, in companionship
with whom she had lived for years, and the children
of her love,-who now weep that they can know the
blessing of a mother's love no longer. Around that
hearth, once enlivened by the play of her quick
and bright intelligence, her smitten friends may again
gather; but long will they lament that she who scattered gladness over their path, had ceased to be of or
among them; that she who poured out in their presence, the tides of her strong affections, and presided
over many scenes of friendly converse and social elegance, is beyond the reach of earthly sympathies; that
she, who was the light of their dwelling, hath left that
dwelling in darkness.




MRS. ELIZA WARD.             367
MRS. ELIZA WARD.
PUBLISHED MARCH 3, 1845.
DIED, in this city, on Saturday last, Mrs. ELIZA
WARD, relict of the late RICHARD WARD, Esq., and
daughter of the late Hlon. Joseph Brown, in the seventy-sixth year of her age.
The long probation which it pleased the Giver of
Life to allot to this excellent woman, was not spent in
vain.  With all fidelity did she discharge her high
trust, always obedient to sympathies the most generous and comprehensive, never weary of the work of
benevolence, and never suffering the good she did to
others to exalt her estimate of herself: To the sorrows of others she was most tenderly alive. Upon
the impoverished, the bereaved and the forsaken, she
looked with the gentlest pity. She never mocked the
sufferer with an expression of barren sympathy. Her
hand was as open as her heart was warm. To the
sharp ills of poverty she administered substantial relief. The solitude of the bereaved she cheered with
the voice of christian consolation. The gloom of the
forsaken she lit up by her friendly counsels, and by
the implied assurance that she would not leave them
desolate. For a long course of years, Mrs. Ward was
the centre of a large circle of relatives and friends
who loved her for her many virtues, who were refreshed by the spontaneous overflow of her kindly
symnpathies, who felt how warm was her welcome to
the hospitalities of her home, and how attractive that
home was made by the animation, and sagacity, and
vigor which she discovered in conversation.  Mrs.




368     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
Ward had no children, but she watched, with rare
fidelity, and with maternal tenderness, over those who
stood to her in the relation of children. Even the
humblest members of her household felt that she included them within the circle of her benevolent interests, and that she regarded, with a sort of patriarchal
solicitude, those dependents whom  Providence had
committed to her care. Protracted was her sickness.
Many wearisome months of pain and anguish were
appointed unto her. Her Heavenly Father, however,
in the midst of his corrective discipline, remembered
her in mercy. He spared, and spared to the last, her
unusually clear, and inquisitive and vigorous intellect;
and he permitted the tide of her warm affections to
flow out till her heart began to grow cold in death.
It pleased him, likewise, in the course of her long
disease, to confirm her faith in Christ as the Saviour
of all those who put their trust in him, —to convert
into a serene and humble confidence that trembling
hope to which, in her hours of health and ease, she
had never ceased to cling.
PRS. ABBY FRANCIS.
PUBLISHED MARCII 9, 1821.
DIED, in Providence, R. I., on Monday last, after a
short illness, Mrs. ABBY FRANCIS, relict of John Francis, Esq., and daughter of the late Hon. John Brown,
in the fifty-fifth year of her age. In an extensive acquaintance with the world, and in the various relations of domestic life, the character of this amiable




MRS. ANN CARTER FRANCIS.        369
woman exemplified, in harmonious combination, many
of the finest virtues of our nature. Her unaffected
courtesy and genuine hospitality were the natural
fruit of that law of kindness which dwelt in her heart;
and which indicated itself in a watchful regard to the
happiness of those around her, and in the exemplary
discharge of those unobserved and less prominent
offices of benevolence which help to smooth the rough
corners of life.
Warm and faithful in her attachments, her friends,
to whatever mutations time and calamity might have
subjected them, still found her prompt to obey the
generous impulse, and solicitous, by her kind participation in their concerns, to "keep the chain of concord bright." Bereaved hearts will long contemplate,
with the devotion peculiar to sorrow, the chilling
vacancy her death has occasioned in what was so recently the sphere of her affectionate solicitude and
useful assiduities. Her daily ministrations of kindness will long be remembered with grateful emotion;
and now that the voice which was ever modulated by
gentleness will be heard no more upon earth, affection
will hope to catch its accents in a state of holy and
unchangeable existence.
MRS. ANN CARTER FRANCIS.
PUBLISHED MAY 6, 1828.
AT Spring-Green, Warwick, on Thursday morning
last, Mrs ANN CARTER FRANCIS, wife of John Brown
Francis, Esq., and only daughter of the Hon. Nicholas
47




370     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
Brown, of this town, in the thirty-third year of her
age. The death of this young and truly excellent
woman, severs the most endearing ties of domestic
life, and dooms to the pangs of a rooted sorrow hearts
but lately throbbing at the thought of her safety and
happiness. She has gone down to an early grave;
not, however, without having lived to accomplish the
highest purposes of a rational existence. Coveting
none of the unsubstantial distinctions bestowed by
fashion on its transient favorites, she sought to improve her capacities for intellectual, moral and religious happiness. This exalted aim, humbly and earnestly pursued for years, she was graciously permitted
to accomplish. The powers of a strong mind she improved by much practical observation, and by extensive acquisitions in solid and elegant literature. In
the varied intercourse of home and of general society,
her amiable disposition was ever a distinctive charm;
and from a benevolent regard to the happiness of
others, she acquired that simplicity of manners which
admits of adaptation to the multiform  varieties of
character and condition in actual life. Rare, indeed,
were the felicities of her lot-but, it was by none of
these, that the love of her friends and the respect of
society were drawn towards her. No, it was character,
not circumstances, which commanded these blessings
for her, and it is character, which now awakens a profound and general sorrow for her death. The grace of
her moral being on which bereaved affection will
longest delight to dwell, was her intelligent and un.
pretending piety-in life, the informing spirit of her
principles and conduct-in death, the source of her
exemplary resignation to the will of Heaven-and the




MRS. CATIIARINE CELIA GREENE.      371
foundation of her peaceful hopes of a better life.
Though her friends can never cease to mourn that
she is put far from them, their sorrow will be without
bitterness, when they reflect that she still lives in other
worlds-rejoicing in those manifestations of holiness
and joy which are reserved for a purified and immortal vision.
MIRS. CATHAARINE CELIA GREENE.
PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 21, 1826.
IN our paper of Tuesday last, was briefly announced
the death of Mrs. CATHIARINE CELIA GREENE, wife of
General Albert C. Greene, of East Greenwich, R. I.,
and daughter of Colonel William Greene, in the thirtysecond year of her age. The disease which terminated
the earthly existence of this amliable woman, made such
gentle and insidious approaches, that her friends were
cheered, till a short time prior to her dissolution, with
the hope of her ultimate recovery. Not so the uncomplaining sufferer. For months, she had been persuaded
that the shadows of death would gather around her, ere
the coming of those vernal influences to which the victim of Consumption is wont to look for relief from the
pains and languor of sickness. The sad premonitions
of her approaching fate, which solicitous affection was
slow to recognize, she heeded well, but from motives of
tenderness to her friends, she abstained from imparting
her melancholy anticipations. As the world, that world
to which she was bound by so many endearing ties,
receded from her view, she surveyed in quiet and hum



3'72    WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
ble hope the everlasting life upon which she wvas about
to enter.
The character of a young and timid woman devoted
almost exclusively to the discharge of the duties of
domestic life presents no imposing traits to arrest the
general observation. To Mrs. Greene this remark is
particularly applicable.  The habitual reserve for
which she was distinguished veiled from all but the
eye, of familiar friendship, many excellencies of her
character, but it was obvious to every one around her
that her unwearied and affectionate assiduities and her
quiet energy in the performance of her relative duties
were prompted and sustained by the impulses of a
warm  heart and the decisions of a judicious understanding. Her smitten friends while they mourn the
extinction of a mild light about their path, must be
soothed by the reflection that her short life was filled
up with duty and that her last end was peace.
3MRS. ABBY M ASON BROW N.
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 11, 1822.
BEFORE the grave closes over this early victim of
its power, it may not be thought either useless or obtrusive to pause in contemplation of so touching an
instance of mortality, and to dwell for a moment on a
few of those characteristic traits which gave her a
strong hold on the affectionate interests of her friends.
In the careless play of her versatile and inquisitive
intellect, she discovered capacities which, under even




MRS. ABBY MASON BROWN.           373
more desultory habits of cultivation than her taste led
her to adopt, would ultimately have developed themselves in ripe and brilliant fruits. Her taste and her
temperament, marked by some of the besetting peculiarities of genius, sought indulgence in those elegant
accomplishments, which, in hours of health and ease,
throw rich and enticing hues over the passing scenes
of existence.
Buoyant with the hopes of youth, and attached to
life by many strong and affectionate ties, she passed
along, till sickness overtook her and "told her of
change and death."  The dreadful lassitude, the indefinable anxieties, the spirit of dark foreboding, with
which sickness, however gentle and insidious in its progress, occasionally visits the sufferer, were not, it is believed, lost upon her. Her mind, constitutionally prone
to speculation, was directed to serious and profitable inquiries for the means of Christian hope and consolation. Before her departure for New Providence, she
was received into the Communion of the Episcopal
Church, and her tranquil submission to the will of
Heaven, and the tokens of a subdued and chastened
spirit, which she discovered, leave her friends the
precious trust that she found grace and peace at the
last-that grace which comes from God alone-that
peace which the most attractive natural gifts and the
choicest temporal blessings could not bestow. Thus
has she faded from the earth, like a pale autumn
flower before the coming blasts of winter. Let youth,
and health, and intellect, and beauty, approach and
contemplate her fresh grave —for it speaks to them of
the instability of human hopes-of the true uses of
life-of the solemnities of death and of judgment.




374      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
M ISS  IOPE BR O WN I V E S.
PUBLISHED APRIL 30, 1837.
DIED, in this city, on Saturday last, Miss IHOPE
BROWN IVES, youngest daughter of the late Thomas
P. Ives, Esq., aged thirty-four years.
Sickness had long severed her from the pleasures of
general intercourse, and from the duties of active virtue. But it is known to some, and it may be profitably known to others, that her hours of seclusion were
passed in the exercise of every pure and gentle affection, and in the consecration of her cultivated intellect
to the service of her God. Although disease prematurely blighted the brilliant promises of her youth,
yet so harmonious were all the powers of her moral
and intellectual being, and so deep and practical were
her Christian principles, that she was never betrayed
into impatience, and never lapsed into melancholy.
Habitually grateful for the many blessings which refreshed her weary way, and looking with serene and
humble piety to the rest which awaited her, she passed
through years of suffering, till it pleased God to summon her from the trials of human virtue to the scene
of its everlasting triumphs.




TOLERATION.                            3 75
PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, JANUARY 28, 1834.
TO THE PEOPLE OF RHODE ISLAND.
NO. I.
FELLOW  CITIZENS:-One of your number, who is
neither a Priest nor a politician, invites  your  candid
attention to a few   strictures upon  the  Report of the
Committee on Religious Corporations, which their
Chairman, the Hon. JAMES D'WOLF, has just submlitted to the General Assembly.   This Report, it will be
recollected,  was accompanied  by  a  bill*  which  now
awaits the action of the Legislature, and which, should
it become a law, will entail reproach  upon the charactel, and disaster upon the most precious institutions of
the State.   Although it is proclaimed that the Report
* The first section of this Bill provides that " no Religious Corporation shall
impose any tax upon any pews in any meeting house in this State, for any
other purpose than that of keeping the house in suitable repair, and to pay
for insurance on the same. Section 2. That all devises to Religious Corporations, societies or church, or to any persons for their benefit, shall be utterly
void. Section 3. That such Corporations shall take no gift or grant from any
person unless by deed duly made and executed in due form of law one year
at least before the death of the donor; all others are declared void. Section 4. That all pastors shall be chosen by the legal voters of such Corporations only. Section 5. That no church, as such, shall take or hold any estate
whatever. Section 6. That no Religious Corporation shall hold any greater
amount of property than twenty thousand dollars value of personal, and ten
thousand dollars of real estate, exclusive of their house of worship and the lot
on which it stands. Section 7. Repeals so much of all laws and acts of incorporation as is inconsistent with this act."-Ed.




3 76    WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
was "unanimously agreed to by the Committee," yet
the I-Ion. Chairman and the Hon. B3ENJAMIN  hAZARD
must excuse me for assigning to them the exclusive
honors of paternity. With the other members of the
Committee, I shall have no concern. I fly at a higher
quarry. Their position in society is not so conspicuous as to render them puissant champions either of
truth or error. Thus far, " they may have made themselves public, but they have not made themselves
known."  With Messrs. D'Wolf and Hazard, the case
is far otherwise. Both of them are veteran politicians
and legislators-both have been honored with high
civic trusts-and, having long served the State, both
now seem desirous to benefit the Church! Mr. D'Wolf,
moreover, has especial claims to notice. In an incidental debate, the other day, he avowed himself to be
not only " a friend to religion, but a religious man! "
What but humility restrained Mr. Hazard, his coadjutor in the work of ecclesiastical reform, from advancing a similar pretension? In their Report, the Conmmittee not only " disclaim all hostility to real religion,
but affirm their belief that no man feels a more deep
and sincere respect for it than they do!"  This is
strong language. We hope that, in this matter, Messrs.
D'Wolf and Hazard labor under no delusion. It cannot be concealed, however, that the topics and the
temper of their Report, the provisions of the accompanying bill, and sundry passages in the legislative
history of these gentlemen impart to their emphatic
declarations the air of a somewhat startling paradox.
In reviewing what can hardly fail to be deemed strange
incongruities, the thoughtful will grieve-the unthink



TOLERATION.               377
ing may laugh-but it is impossible that the least discerning should be duped.
Before proceeding to the discussion of the main subject, allow me, fellow citizens, briefly to animadvert
upon the manner in which certain prominent members
of our General Assembly have, for several years, been
accustomed to treat the institutions and the ministers
of religion. If neither the rules of debate nor the
rules of decorum be adequate to restrain the license
of these gentlemen, is it not time that puiblic opinion,
interposed its grave rebuke? By public opinion, I
would not be understood to mean the opinion of the
herd of politicians who infest both town and country,
and who cluster in dram shops, bar-rooms, and caucuses-but the opinion of the great mass of moral and
intelligent citizens, who, in their customary places of
business and around their own fire-sides, are ambitious
only to maintain the great conservative principles of
individual happiness and social order. To this class
of my fellow citizens, powerful in numbers, and yet
more powerful in character, I appeal. Is it not time,
let me again ask you, that you visited the transgressors
in question with a rebuke which they would be as slow
to forget as you to apply? You revere the institutions and the ministers of religion. Strive, then, to
shield them from flippant sarcasms, from profligate
levities, and from Gothic rage. That Elisha R. Potter, B. Hazard and James D'Wolf, are old offenders in
the premises, the records of legislative debates will incontestibly prove. If, however, the recent avowals of
the latter be sincere, some hopes may be entertained
that, like Henry VIII., of pious memory, he may ultimately win for himself the title of Defender of the
48




378      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
Faith! These gentlemen cannot complain that they
are dragged before the public.  They have placed
themselves in an unfortunate position-and, however
they may deprecate, they must abide the consequences
of their own acts. -They seem to think it belongs to
them to caution the people against the Priests. As
was wittily said on another occasion with regard to
Purgatory, the people may go fuilther, and fare woerse!
They may escape the priests, but a " severer wo"
awaits them, if they fall into the hands of the politicians.
I shall resume this subject, at my leisure, and pursue it in a graver tone. In the mean time, I invite
my fellow citizens, whether attached to any sect or to
none, to examine the provisions of Mr. D'Wolf's " r'eligioms" bill. It aims, as will be perceived, a fatal
blow at existing institutions for the support of public
worship in this State; it is immoral in its tendencies;
and, in flagrant contempt of the true principles of religious freedom, it usurps the power to interfere with
the consciences of the people in religious concernments.
TOLERATION,




TOLERATION.               379
PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, JANUARY 29, 1834.
TO THE PEOPLE OF RHODE ISLAND.
NO. II.
FELLOW CITIZENS: I am for " a full liberty in religious concernments." It is on this broad basis that
I take my stand. Entertaining a profound veneration
for the principles of Roger Williams, as embodied in
the Charter of Charles II. and in the noble " act relative to Religious Freedom," I cannot sit at my ease,
while the civil power of Rhode Island is aiming to
trample those principles in the dust. They constitute
the richest patrimony of civic renown, which our
fathers hlave bequeathed to us, and God forbid that
the children of such fathers, and the inheritors, in the
order of Providence, of such a patrimony, should suffer it in aught to be diminished!-God forbid, that our
Legislature should be suffered to usurp a jurisdiction over the consciences of the people, or to injure
the cause of Christianity by their attempts to patronize it!
Roger Williams, were he alive at this day, would
indignantly  disown the doctrines, which Messrs.
D'Wolf and Hazard have broached, and which they
ask the Legislature to confirm. How would he have
regarded an attempt on the part of the civil power to




380      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
direct in what manner religious Societies shall choose
their Ministers?  These doctrines, fellow citizens, cannot plead the sanction of his venerable name. They
are of less illustrious origin; they are destitute of
soundness; and no legislative enactments can long
perpetuate them.
What, let me ask, fellow citizens, were the opinions
of Roger Williams on the great question of religious
liberty? He shall answer for himself. In one of his
polemical works cited by Professor Knowles, his intelligent biographer, he says, " I desire not that liberty
myself which I would not freely and impartially weigh
out to all the consciences of the world beside. And,
therefore, I do humbly conceive, that it is the will of
the Most High and the express and absolute duty of
the civil powers to proclaim an absolute freedom in
all the three nations, yea, in all the world, (were their
power so large) that each town and division of people,
yea, and each person may freely enjoy, what worship,
what mninistry, What mnaintenance to afford them their
soul desireth."  In a subsequent page he adds, " All
these consciences, yea, the very consciences of the
Papists, Jews, &c., ought freely and impartially to be
permitted their respective worships, their ministers of
worships, and what way of mnaintaining them  they
freely choose."  Thus comprehensive was the toleration of Roger Williams-it embraced all religions, and
assumed not to determine what religion was " real" and
what was not.
Upon the principle of a complete and perpetual divorce between Church and State, was this commonwealth founded-" it being," says the Charter, "much
on the hearts of our fathers to hold forth a lively ex



TOLERATION.                 381
periment that a most flourishing civil State may stand
and best be maintained with a full liberty in religious
concernments." The Charter moreover expressly declares, that "all and every person and persons may
from time to time, and at all times hereafter, freely and
fully have and enjoy his and their own judgments and
consciences in religious concernments."
In entire harmony with these truly wise and catholic
principles of Roger Williams and the Charter, are the
principles and provisions of the "act relative to Religious Freedom."  To this act, fellow citizens, let me
direct your attention. For my present purpose, it is
unnecessary that I should quote largely from this admirable exposition of the primitive Rhode Island doctrine of toleration. The preamble to this act declares,' that to suffer the civil magistrate to intrude his powers into the field of opinion and to restrain the profession or propagation of principles on supposition of
their ill tendency, is a dangerous fallacy, which at
once destroys all religious liberty, because he, being
of course judge of that tendency, will make his opinions the rule of judgment, and approve or condemn
the sentiments of others only as they shall square
with or differ from his own; that it is time enough,
for the rightful purposes of civil government, for its
officers to interfere, when principles break out into
overt acts against peace and good order." The act
provides against the cozmpulsory support of public
worship, and ends with this emphatic declaration:
"no zman shall be enforced, restrained, molested or
burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise
suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief;
but all men shall be free to profess, and by argument




382      WRITINGS OF WVILLIAM G. GODDARD.
to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion, and
that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge or
affect their civil capcacities."
I have quoted, fellow citizens, thus liberally from
the early documentary history of Rhode Island, for
the purpose of showing to you that Messrs. D'Wolf's
and Hazard's Report and Bill on the subject of religious corporations contain doctrines and provisions
which are in gross and palpable violation of religious
liberty, as we, in Rhode Island, understand it.
The Committee have very truly said that "the only
prudent course is a recurrence to first principles." I
thank them for the suggestion, and will very willingly
pursue it.
First. I begin with the Declaration of American
Independence. You all remember, that it commences
with the following immortal words-" We hold these
truths to be self-evident, that all men are created
equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with
certain inalienable rights; that among these are life,
liberty, and THlE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS."  I presume
that even Messrs. D'Wolf and Hazard will acknowledge that there is no priestceraft in this.
I assert then, with the authors of the Declaration of
Independence, that this right to pursue our own happiness is inalienable, and therefore universal.  The
only limitation of which, in a free government, it is
susceptible, is to be found in the provision that a man
do not pursue his happiness in such a manner as to
violate the rights of his neighbor. If he only keep
himself within this limit, he may do what he will, and
as he will. In plain English, it is nobody's business
what he does.




TOLERATION.                383
One man chooses to pursue his happiness by the
manufacture of cotton; he has an inalienable right to
do so. Several men choose to pursue their happiness
by uniting in this business; they have an inalienable
right to do so, and also to conduct their business as
they think will add most to their happiness. And
here, let me tell you, fellow citizens, that when your
General Assembly grants charters for such purposes,
it is no indulaence, as they would have you suppose;
it is your inalienable right. It is only doing what
you sent them to do, and what you pay them for doing; and, if they do not do your work as you direct,
you very well know what is the remedy.
Again; another man chooses to pursue his happiness by engaging in the whale fishery; he has an inalienable right so to pursue it. Several men have a
right to associate for the same purpose, and to all necessary facilities for so doing. It may, in them, be wise
or unwise; it may be profitable, or unprofitable; that
is their concern. If they choose thus to pursue their
happiness, and if, in so doing, they do not violate the
rights of their neighbors, it is no indald,gence to allow
them to do it; it is their inalienable right, for which
they thank no one, and least of all their legislators,
whose only business it is to execute their will according to the Constitution.
Again; one man chooses to pursue his happiness in
religion, or the worship of God. I assert that he has
an inalienable right to do so. Several men choose to
associate for this purpose, and to conduct their religious concerns in just such manner as they think
will best promote their own happiness. I assert that
they have an inalienable right to do so. It makes no




384      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
difference whether their religion be " eal " or unreal;
whether it be that sort of religion to which Messrs.
D'Wolf and Hazard entertain an hostility, or that to
which they entertain no hostility; whether it be that
of Friends, Methodists, Episcopalians, Baptists, Unitarians or Calvinists; whether, in fine, it be that of
Protestants or Catholics, Christians or Jews, Pagans or
Mahometans. A man has an inalienable right to pursue his happiness in this matter, just as he pleases;
and he has the same right to every facility for so doing,
not because his religion is " real " or unreal religion,
but simply because he chooses, in this way, to pursue
his happiness.
I have not done, fellow citizens, with " first principles;" but, as I have transcended my limits, further
discussion must for the present be deferred.  The
gravity with which Messrs. Hazard and D'Wolf have
advised " a recurrence " to them, is somewhat amusing.
The sagacity of such advice on their part, I leave you
to determine.                        TOLERATION,




TOLERATION.               385
PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, JANUARY 31, 1834.
TO THE PEOPLE OF RHODE ISLAND.
NO. III.
FELLOW CITIZENS:-I again recur to "first principles," for the purpose of showing to you how grossly
the Committee on Religious Corporations are aiming
to violate them. In my last, I attempted to satisfy
you that, low as the spirit of independence has fallen
since the times of Roger Williams, you have yet remaining to you some rights, most solemnly asserted in
the Declaration of American Independence-rights,
which you have never yet surrendered to your Legislature, and which, so long as a Rhode Island heart
beats in your bosoms, you never will surrender; and
that among these rights was the liberty to pursue
your own happiness in the way of religion, just as you
please, and to associate for that purpose in what manner you please. But you, fellow citizens, are not left
to the Declaration of Independence alone. The " act
relative to Religious Freedom " is the glorious patri.
mony left you by the Fathers of Rhode Island; and I
shall now beg you to follow me in an attentive examination of that act.
The principle that every man has a right to the pursuit of happiness in any manner he chooses, has always
49




386     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
been recognized as the fundamental article of civil liberty. But while it has been acknowledged in theory,
it has, in the case of religion, been frequently violated
in practice. Of this, our forefathers were apprised by
their own sad experience. They, therefore, in the act
relative to Religious Freedom, intended expressly to
make known to the world how they applied this principle to the case of religious concernments. How they
understood it, we shall presently see.
There has been much said, in later days, about the
union of Church and State. It is' a vile alliance, and
it is your glory, my fellow citizens, that you set the
world the first example of having from the beginning
despised it. But let me ask you, whenever this connexion has existed, who made the first advances, the
Church or the State? Has the Church desired to interfere with the State, or the State to interfere with
the Church?  What Church has ever sought the alliance of the Hon. Benjamin Hazard or the Hon. James
D'Wolf?  And now, has the proposition to decide
what is "real religion" proceeded from any of our
numerous sects, or from a Committee of your own
Legislature?  My blood boils while I record it. If
we bear this, we deserve to bear it.
Now, it was precisely against such interference that
the act concerning Religious Freedom was intended to
guard. It was designed to exclude every thing which
had to do with perfect freedom in religious concernments front being a matter of legislative enactment.
It was intended to tie the hands of the legislator, so
that he should not interfere with religion, either for
good or for bad, whether that religion were real or
unreal. You have only to read the act, which I have




TOLERATION.                 387
requested the Printer to publish entire, to be satisfied
that every word I have said is true.
The act begins by asserting that Almighty God
created the mind free, that he never propagated religion by coercion, and that therefore for the legislators,
civil as well as ecclesiastical, to assume dominion over
the faith of others, setting up their own opinion as the
only true and infallible (or rleal, as the Report of the
Committee calls it) and endeavoring to impose them on
others is presumption, and has established false. religions over the greatest part of the world, and through
all time. This is the fundamental article. You perceive, it asserts that legislators have no right to enter
at all upon the question what opinions are true, infallible, or real, nor have they any right, in any manner, whether in smaller matters or greater, to impose
them upon others-in a word, that the whole subject
is wholly and forever removed by this act beyond their
jurisdiction.  I know not, fellow citizens, whether it
is with pride or with shame, that I ought to add, that
this is the first instance in the history of Rhode
Island, that a public and deliberate attempt has been
made to trample on this magna charta of our liberties.
But our forefathers did not stop here. They knew
that there were several ways in which legislators had
formerly attempted to interfere in matters of religious
concernment. For each of these they proceeded, in
the remaining part of this act, to make every possible
provision of exclusion. One of these ways was to
attempt to help religion, by selecting that form-which
legislators thought 1real, and make every citizen pay
for its support, or else to force every individual to




388     WRITINGS OF WILLIAMI G. GODDARD.
pay for some religion, only leaving him the choice of
that to which his tax should go.  Against both of
these forms of domination, they have therefore protested. They assert " that to compel a man to furnish
contributions of money for the propagation of opinions
which he disbelieves, is sinful and tyrannical; that
even the forcing him to support this or that teacher of
his own religious persuasion, is depriving him of the
comfortable liberty of giving his contributions to the
particular pastor whose morals he would make his
pattern."  They therefore enacted, that " no man shall
be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place or ministry whatsoever." In this way, therefore, did they exclude legislators from  hepi~ng religion.
But the legislator may interfere with religion in
another way; instead of helping, he may attempt to
iv1jue it. lie may forbid the exercise of religious
ordinances altogether, or, in particular sects, he may
deprive a religious man of some of his rights, by making distinctions between the privileges and immunities which one man enjoys and those which another
man enjoys. Against this usurpation also has the wisdom of our fathers protected us. They proceed to
declare, that or civil -yights have no dependence on our
religious opinions,; that is, that as a man acquires no
civil right by becoming religious, so also he parts with
none, and that as a man parts with no civil right by
becoming irreligious, so on the contrary, he acquires
none. In other words, that every religious man or
body of mefi has just the same right to the pursuit of
acppiness, in his own way, and is as much entitled to
all the facilities for so doing, as any other man, or any




TOLERATroN.                 389
other body of men. And, though these men may dare
to sneer at you in your own Legislature, and to hold
you up to scorn in bar-rooms, yet let me tell you, fellow citizens, that the humblest of your religious
teachers, whom they contemptuously call priests and
parsons, holding this glorious act in his hand, may look
the most arrogant of your slanderers coolly in the face,
and tell them  that you are yet entitled to the same
share of the civil liberty of the State of Rhode Island
and Providence Plantations as the most purse-proud
aristocrat or the most blaspheming legislator.
And again; our forefathers foresaw, with prophetic
sagacity, that politicians might attempt, in a more insidious way, to lay their unhallowed hands upon the
act of religious liberty. They might profess a " deep
and sincere respect for real religion," but yet, pretend
to fear that some forms of christianity might " obscure
the brightness of real religion by bigotry, and want
of charity; " and, therefore, that it might be necessary
for the civil legislator to approve or condemn (that is,
be favorable or hostile to) the sentiments of others, as
they squared with, or differed from  his own.  Or
again, our forefathers knew that politicians, professing
great respect for christianity, might tell you that it
was a very obscure system, which the Apostles themselves " could with difficulty understand;" that a
much better religion, however, was some day to come
out of it, and therefore it was necessary to lay some
judicious restraints upon the rights of every man to
propagate his present opinions as he pleased-: I!say,
our forefathers, as though they had foreseen that this
very report was to be written, met these very sentiments with the following grave rebuke: —" To suffer




390     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
the civil (not the ecclesiastical) magistrate to INTRUDE
his powers into THE FIELD OF OPINION, and to restrain
their PROFESSION or PROPAGATION, on supposition of
THEIR ILL TENDENCY, is a dangerous fallacy, which at
once DESTROYS ALL RELIGIOUS LIBERTY, because he, being of course judge of that tendency, will make his
opinions the rule of judgment, AND OPPOSE OR CONDEMN (just as this committee have done) the sentiments of others only as they shall square with or differ from his own."  Now, in virtue of this immortal
declaration, I, in your name, tell this committee that
they have insulted you, they have disgraced their constituents, they have trampled on the charter of your
religious liberty; they have tarnished the honor of
the State; and they have shamed the memory of our
illustrious ancestors. And, I tell you that, without any
thanks to them, and notwithstanding all they may say
about the tendency of your various systems, you have a
perfect right to profess any religion or no religion, just
as you please. And you have a right to propagate
what you believe, as you please, provided you do not
interfere with the rights of others, and to appropriate
any part of your money, yes, and to fund it, if you
will, for this very purpose. You have just the same
right to invest it in this manner, if you choose, as to
invest it in a cotton factory, or a whaling voyage.
Remember one thing, however, fellow citizens, I do
not advise you to fund your money in this manner. I
believe funds to be an injury to a church, a religious
society, or a religious charity. I advise you, therefore,
never to fundl a cent in this manner. This, however,
is one question. It is a very different question whether
the legislators of your own creation, placed where




TOLERATION.                 391
they are by your breath, shall dictate to you what you
shall, and what you shall not do, with your own hardearned money.
And, finally, to set this question in all its points
forever at rest, they assert that "it is time enough for
the rightful purposes of civil government, for its officers to interfere, when principles break out into overt
acts against peace and good order." This settles at
once the whole case.  When peace and good order are
violated, the transgressors are punished by ordinary
laws, not because they are religious or irreligious, but
simply because they are breakers of the peace.  As
the civil magistrate is not to interfere until this
event occurs, and as this event is provided for on
other principles, it is manifest that, in the case of religion, he is not to interfere at all. And yet, here is a
series of acts, all of them interfering most palpably in
religious concernments, without one shadow of accusation of overt act to justify such interference. It is
all a tissue of most atrocious usurpation, without the
color of justification. It is just as gross a usurpation
of power, as though they had proposed for it to be
enacted that you and I should be transported to Cuba
to labor on the honorable gentleman's coffee plantation.
Fellow citizens, I have done for to-day. One thought,
however, has occurred to me, and, as I feel disposed to
speak plainly to you, as men who are engaged in a
common and important cause should do, I will suggest
it, and close.  You have observed, as I have examined
this act in relation to Religious Freedom, how exactly
all its principles and provisions are, step by step, opposed to all the principles and provisions of the Report and Bill now before your General Assembly.




392      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
This coincidence has struck me as a most remarkable
fact. I know not how to account for it, but upon one
of two suppositions. The first is, that our forefathers
were endowed with the gift of prophecy, and knew, to
the letter, just what these gentlemen were going, at
this late day, to propose, or else, that these gentlemen
minutely studied every provision of this act, in order
purposely to construct an act which, at a single blow,
should prostrate your religious liberties at their feet.
Which supposition is most probably true, you, who
know the character of these gentlemen, can judge as
well as I. So much for the prudence of recurrence to
"first pr'inciples."  "I thCank thee, Jew, forl teaching me
that woo-d."
TOLERATION.
PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, FEBRUARY 1, 1834.
TO THE PEOPLE OF RHODE ISLAND,
NO. IV.
FELLOW CITIZENS: —I have not yet done with the
Report and Bill on the subject of Religious Corporations. They furnish abundant materials for grave and
indignant commentary. In gross and palpable violation of your great Charter of Religious Freedom, the




TOLERATION.               393
Committee have dared to "INTRUDE their powers into
the FIELD OF OPINION; and, as if in contempt of your
understandings, they have also dared to style their project "an act to CARRY INTO EFFECT the principles declared in the act relative to Religious Freedom!" If
the spirit of Roger Williams be not dead within you,
you will resist, resolutely and pertinaciously resist,
this unhallowed intrusion. If I do not mistake you,
fellow citizens, you will never surrender an inch of the
ground upon which this Committee, with the proverbial
modesty of squatter-s, have planted themselves. They
have no business there; and if they do not retract,
you must drive them off. What if your Legislature
sustain this Committee? What if they do?  If they
pass that bill, they will transcend their powers; they
will trample on your dearest rights; they will be
guilty of the most atrocious usurpation.  I have
known you long, fellow citizens, and I know you
well.  You will NEVER SUBMIT to a deliberate and
flagrant violation of your RIGIITS.  You will never
suffer any Legislature to prescribe to you in what
manner you shall choose your religious teachers, or in
what manner you shall support them.
During a temporary absence from the city, this discussion must be interrupted. I shall, ere long, resume
it. In the mean time, I leave with you, fellow citizens,
this pregnant exhortation:-" When your RIGHTS are at
stake, contend for THE NINTH PART OF A HAIR."
TOLERATION




394     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, FEBRUARY 13, 1834.
TiO THE PEOPLE OF RHODE ISLAND.
NO. V.
FELLOW CITIZENS:-The General Assembly has adjourned, without passing the bill for the subversion of
religious freedom. As, however, it was permitted to
lie on their table, it is evident that our liberty is yet
in danger. I shall, therefore, continue the subject.
As this Committee have referred frequently to the
power granted to religious corporations of taxing
pews, for the support of a minister, and as they have
directed all their logic, and most of their eloquence, to
the mystification of the subject, I will endeavor to
place it before you, in its true light-and, let me tell
you, it is a subject on which you and I are just as
well qualified to judge as any of your legislators.
Feiaist.-The grant of incorporations, in itself, is no
act of indldgence, it is merely the acknowledging of a
i~g]ht. I have shown you, that every -man has a right
to pursue his happiness as he pleases, provided he
do not interfere with the rights of his neighbors. If
the object of pursuit require the establishment of an
association, men have a right to associate, and to govern themselves, as they agree among themselves, only
not interfering with the rights of others, Now, I say,




TOLERATION.               395
that granting men power to do this, is no inldulgence,
it is only acknowledging a rigat, and, still more, for
the purpose of aiding, not of hindering, such pursuits,
of securing (not taking away) such rights, " care Governnents instituted."  And the moment a government,
in any manner, intermeddles with that pursuit of happiness in the humblest individual, which does not interfere with the rights of others, that moment such
government becomes a tyranny. It assumes a power
which was never confided to it.
Second.-The very notion of a corporation, involves
the power in the members to govern themselves, in the
way which they think will best promote their object,
provided, as before, they interfere with the rights of
no one else. This is a fundamental principle. It is,
in its nature, universal. If it be granted to one corporation, it must be granted to all; if it be denied to
one, it must be denied to all. Neither a legislature,
nor a community, has any right to make any distinction. The only questions to be asked are, is the object
innocent, are the means free from interference with the
rights of others. Within these limits, the corporators
have an inalienable right to pursue their own happiness in their own way. Their arrangements may be
wise or unwise, judicious or frivolous, that is their concern. If they agree among themselves, the community has no business to interfere.
1ihi d. — And hence, whenever any expense is incurred in the prosecution of the object of a corporation, they have a perfect right to agree among themselves, how this expense shall be met, and how the
dues shall be collected. It makes no difference how
this matter is arranged. If they agree among t#hem



396      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
selves, and voluntarily enter into contract on these conditions, this is enough. If they are satisfied, it is the
business of no one to interfere.  It is a matter of simple voluntary contract which every corporator knowingly enters into, and he holds his share of the common stock, subject to conditions, to which he has himself assented.
Fcttih,. —If these conditions are not fulfilled, it is
then a breach of contract, which civil society is bound,
in all cases, to enforce.  When we enter into civil society, wve surrender up the right of enforcing our own
contracts and avenging our own wrongs, on the universal condition, that society will, inll all cases, perform
that service for us.  It makes no difference with whom.
the contract is made, with a company or an individual;
if the object be innocent, and the obligation be voluntary, the language of law  invariably is, the contract
must be fulfilled.  And from the operation of this invariable rule, no man, or body of men, can, without
the grossest oppression, be excluded. It is not, then,
a violction of liber'ty to oblige men to fulfill their contracts, but it is a violation of liberty, to exchlde any
man, or any class of men, from the benefit of using
this power of society, whenever they may need it.
And again, it is not oppression, to oblige a man to fulfill
a contract which he has voluntarily made, but it is oppression to say, that he shall, or that he shall not enter
into such a contract.
Fifthl.-Now, Religious Corporations come under
precisely these rules: —lst.  The object is innocent;
men have a right to pursvue theijr happiness in this mctnner.  2d.  If they see fit, they have a right to associate for this purpose, and to make for themselves




TOLERATION.                  3 97
such regulations as they think best adapted to accomplish their object. 3d. As the purposes of the association involves expense, they have a right to agree
among themselves, as to the manner in which these
expenses shall be defrayed.  4th.  Any man has a
right to join such an association, or to let it alone. If
he join, he enters into a conztavct with the other corporators to act according to the rules which have been
established, and, in cases of failure, to suffer the consequences in the manner that these rules have set
forth. It is then precisely of the nature of a simple
contract: and a religious corporation has just the same.
ryigit to the power of society to enforce this contract,
as a merchant, when he collects a debt, or a Bank,
when it sells shares to pay an assessment. And of this
right it cannot be deprived, unless it be singled out
fromn every other corporation, to be made the object of
atrocious oppression.
And still further, not only is it at variance with the
first principles of civil liberty, thus to deprive a religious corporation of its common right of enforcing contracts, it is in direct violation of the Act for Religious
Freedom. In that act it is declared that civil rights
shall not be dependent upon religious opinions, and
that a citizen's rights shall be neither increased, nor
diminished, nor affected by his religious belief.  Now,
if on account of his religious belief, or in any one of
his religious concernments, he is deprived of the cornmom i~gidt of enforcing contrctts, his rights do depend
upon his religious opinions; and they are affected and
diminished, on account of his religious belief.  Thus,
fellow citizens, the fundamental principle of your
noble Charter of Religious Freedom is violated.




398       WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
The fact, fellow citizens, plainly is, that, when a
contract has been made for an innocent purpose, the
civil authority has no reason for inquiry beyond the
simple fact of contract. It has no right to say, this
is a manufacturing contract, we will not enforce it, or a
commercial contract, and we will not enforce it. If it
be a contract, that is enough. The parties have bound
themselves, and they are to be held to their obligation.
And, I contend, that the civil authority can not deny to
religious corporations the right of enforcing contracts
-a right common to the meanest citizen, nay to the
slave and the alien, without distinctly selecting religion, and making it a subject for legislation, for the
purpose of depriving of a portion of their rights, all
this class of persons. Now, every one must perceive
that this is as much legislating on the subject of r-eligion, as if they, on the other hand, should vote to excuse religious men from taxation, or give them ten
dollars apiece from the common treasury. Both are,
by the act of Religious Freedom, totally and forever
out of their power. Fellow citizens, you have never
confided to them such authority, and, until you are
willing to become their bondmen, you never will.
And now, with these incontrovertible facts full in
your memory, I beg you seriously to observe the consummate art with which this legislative committee
have attempted to steal from you this heritage of your
fathers.
In the first place, they tell you that the yreater jpart
of your religious charters have been granted within a
few years, just as though the principle were settled by
numvber. I would ask them'whether charters have not
always been granted whenever they have been wanted,




TOLERATION.               399
and whether any other men, before themselves, ever
doubted your right to them, whenever you wished for
them? This, however, is merely the entering wedgqe.
The committee proceed, in the next place, to tell you
that it is only within a very short time that any societies have been " INDULGED with the power of assessing
taxes on pews for the support of a minister."  I have
before showed you, that this power is merely the
power common to the alien and the slave, of enforcing contracts which have been voluntarily entered into;
and the granting of this they call indulgence! In the
face of the act for religious freedom, which declares
that a man's rights shall not be affected by his religion, they dare to tell you that it is an inldulygence for
a religious man to exercise a right which every other
man enjoys, and of which he can not be deprived,
without affecting his rights in one of the most important respects for which society is organized.
Their next step is to inform you by whom this indulgence has been granted. It is by tkzeir honorablle
selves. They tell you "WE have begun by incorporating religious societies, have next empowered them to
tax, for repairs," &c. The antecedent to we, is " our
predecessors in legislation."   And they tell you
gravely, that it is prudent for them to "retrace their
steps, and be more cautious for the future." That is,
they first, very modestly, assert that the power of rlegulating your religious concernments is in their hands,
and then, that they have thus far indulged you in too
much freedom, and finally with great coolness inform
you, that they are now about to take away that freedom which you have thus fajr owed to their inzdutlgence!
I have never seen but one state paper, which could




400     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
compare with this, in the arrogancy of its assumptions,
and that one contains precisely a similar sentiment. It
is the declaration of the Holy Alliance at the congress
of Laybach. The allied Sovereigns there declare, that
" all useful and necessary changes ought only to emanate from the free will and intelligent conviction of
those whom God has made responsible for power."
That is, these tyrants, in common with this legislative
committee, declare that the people are to be indulcged
in the possession of such of their rights as may seem
best to their rulers.
But this is not the only coincidence of sentiment
which this Report presents with European notions.
The Committee at the close of their Report, beg leave
to recommend to your particular notice, the present
condition of Germany; and to tell you that you will
be much happier by adopting the sort of freedom conferred by the Emperor of Austria and Prince Metternich. They tell you, that men have much more religious freedom in Germany than here, and the inference plainly is, that you had better exchange your
present condition for that which they so highly approve. If you feel disposed to do so, you will doubtless follow their advice. The two first offices of State
could be very easily filled. The Chairman of the
Committee would, I doubt not, serve you as Emperor,
and the second member, no dull pupil in the school of
Metternich, would not refuse to be his Minister. Although, as I remarked to you, at the beginning of this
address, the General Assembly adjourned, without
passing the bill for the subversion of religious freedom, yet I beg you to remember that the bill only
sleeps upon the table of the House; at the next ses



TOLERATION.                401
sion, its zealous patrons may awake it to life and
action. This you cannot be slow to believe, when you
recollect of what " stuff" the leaders of your General
Assembly are made, and what bland and gentle
guardians of your religious concernments the Committee on Religious Corporations have, thus far, approved themselves.  Recollect, fellow citizens, that,
within the last year, a very respectable religious society in the city of Providence, having acyeed armony
themnselves that their pews should be taxed for the support of a minister, asked of the Legislature the customary provisions for enforcing this simple contracta contract, beneficial to themselves, and entirely innocent with respect to others-a contract, which they
had the most unquestionable right to make, and which
the Legislature were in duty bound to furnish them
the ordinary means to enforce. But what did they
do?  What, fellow citizens, did they dare to do?
With the tolerant doctrines of Roger Williams in
their mouths, with the act for Religious Freedom before their eyes, they deiied to this respectable body of
their constituents, not a questionable proiviegye, but an
undoubted right. I lament that this act of atrocious
usurpation was not indignantly and perseveringly resisted. I advert to it, now, for the purpose of warning
you against still more flagrant encroachments upon your
freedom  in religious concernments.  The work of
usurpation is in progress, and, if you sit with folded
hands, its authors will not want the hardihood to consummate it. Believe me, fellow citizens, infidel spite
does not soon exhale its venom; Gothic rage does not
quickly spend its fury. Keep, then, a vigilant eye
upon this great subject, and raise, should the occasion
51




402         WRITINGS OF WVILLIAM  G. GODDARD.
seem  to demand it, the note of indignant remonstrance.
Your legislators, let me tell you, however contemptuously they may presume to speak of your institutions
and ministers of religion-however they may recklessly trample on your rights, never will be found to
undervalue your fcavor.*   They love their places too
well for that. They may have no respect for consciences, but they are tremblingly alive to consequences.
They may affect to despise you as Chr'istians, but they
will be slow  to offend you as citizens.   They may care
naught for the awful denunciations of the Bible, but
they will mend their morals, and their manners too, at
the rebuke of the BALLOT BOX.                     TOLERATION.
*In January, 1869, the General Assembly of Rhode Island, passed an Act
entitled " An Act to incorporate the Bishop and Vicar General of the Diocese
of Hartford, together with the pastor and two laymen of any Roman Catholic
Church, or congregation, in Rhode Island."
This act provided that the officers named in its title, and two laymen, might
become a Corporation, and among other rights, might purchase, hold, and convey real and personal property, to an unlimited amount,-a restriction being
placed on the amount of property that one incorporated Congregation might
possess, over and above its churches, buildings, parsonages, school-houses,
asylums and cemeteries. It is required by the act itself that, the Corporation so created, shall at all times, be subject to the general laws, and discipline of the R6man Catholic Church. —Ed.




LOTTERIES.               403
M EMORIAL
IN FAVOR OF THE PROHIBITION OF ALL LOTTERIES.
PUBLISHED FEBRUARY, 1844.
To TIlE HONORABLE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE
OF RHODE ISLAND:TIIHE undersigned, citizens of Rhode Island, learn
with surprise and regret, that a proposition has, within
a few days, been made to the Honorable General Assembly, by a citizen of another State, which, should it
be accepted, would entail upon the people of Rhode
Island the complicated evils of the Lottery System.
Till now, the undersigned had hoped that no efforts
would be made, either at home or abroad, to evade the
plain and authoritative declaration of the popular
will, in regard to Lotteries, which is to be found embodied in the Constitution of Rhode Island among the
restrictions upon the legislative power. -They had
hoped that the true intent and meaning of that provision of the Constitution, which prohibits all Lotteries, were too obvious to be defeated by a resort to
rules of construction so technical that, if applied to
other cases, they would vacate some of the great constitutional rights intended to be secured to the people. They had hoped that the spirit, if not the letter,
of the Constitution was so adverse to the lottery sys



404     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
tern, in all its forms of mischief, as to repel any man
from approaching the General Assembly with a proposition, which, should it find favor, would, in effect,
give a stranger, and for a pecuniary consideration, the
exclusive right to flood every town and village in
Rhode Island with foreign lottery tickets. Can any
pecuniary consideration, however large, be deemed an
adequate compensation for the injury which such a
measure would inflict upon the morals of the people,
and for the deep stain which it would leave upon the
character of the State? The undersigned deem this
to be a question of very grave moment to the interests
and to the fair fame of Rhode Island. Not for a
single moment, can they tolerate the thought that a
provision in our Constitution, which is specially intended to support the cause of public morals, and to
protect the poor against those who seek to enrich
themselves by experiments on the credulity of the
poor, should be treated as a nullity, almost before the
ink is dry upon that new charter of popular rights
which it has cost the people so much to establish and
to maintain! Not for a single moment, can they tolerate the idea that any financial necessities, however
pressing, should be pleaded in defence of a course of
public policy which can find no defence in the principles of a wise legislation, or in the immutable laws of
morality.
The undersigned respectfully submit for your consideration, that whatever views may have been heretofore entertained as to the policy of encouraging lotteries, foreign or domestic, in this State, the people
have settled this question by that Constitution which




LOTTERIES.                 405
they have ordained as the supreme law, binding
equally the legislature and the people.
The 4th Article of the Constitution of the State,
which treats " Of the legislative power," provides as
follows: "Section I. This Constitution shall be the
supreme law  of the State, and any law inconsistent
therewith shall be void. The General Assembly shcall
pass all laws necessary to carry this Constitution into
effect." The 12th section of the same Article provides that " All lotteries shall hereafter be prohibited in
this State, except those already authorized by the General Assembly."
If therefore our present laws are not sufficient to
prohibit all lotteries in this State, with the exception
of those already granted, it is made the imperative
duty of the General Assembly to provide such laws,
with such penalties, in case of disobedience, as will
carry this provision of the Constitution into effect.
But if instead of passing such laws as may be necessary to prohibit all lotteries in this State, the General
Assembly should pass an act to encourage the introduction and sale of foreign lottery tickets in this State,
the undersigned believe that it would be a sin of
omission and commission against the plain and explicit provisions of the Constitution.
Laws and Constitutions are to be so construed as
may best carry into effect the intention of the Legislature which made the law, and the intention of the
people which made the Constitution. This intent is
to be collected from the words of the law or Constitution; but if the words be dubious, the intent is to
be collected by well known and established rules in
Courts of justice, in the construction of laws and Con



406      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
stitutions. These rules are as obligatory upon the legislature in ascertaining the will of the people by the
Constitution which they have made, as upon Courts in
ascertaining the intent of the legislature, or the will
of the people, when required to decide whether the law
is in conformity with the Constitution.
"The most universal and effectual way of discovering the true meaning of a law," (says Judge Blackstone,) " when words are dubious, is by considering
the r'eatson and spirit of it, or the cause which moved
the legislator to enact it." This rule of interpretation
is more fully stated by Blackstone among the rules
which he gives for the construction of statutes. " There
are three points, (he observes,) to be considered in the
construction of all remedial statutes; the old law, the.misch7ief and the rnemecly: that is, how the common
law stood at the making of the act; what the mischief
was for which the common law did not provide; and
what remedy the parliament hath provided to cure this
mischief. And it is the business of the Judges so to
construe the act, as to sippress the mnischief, and advtncCe the r-enmedy."
Many of the people of this State have long complained of the evil of lotteries, and when the Constitution was formed, a provision was inserted which was
intended to prevent this evil, and to take from the legislature the power of continuing this evil after the
old grants had expired. Now the intent is not dubious,
and if the language of the Constitution be dubious, it
is the duty of the legislature so to construe this provision, as will " suppress the qnischief and advance the
is the misedy.                      Is it the differ
What is the mischief of lotteries   Is it the differ




LOTTERIES.                407
ence between a foreign and a domestic lottery? If it
be so, we should think the nmischief would rather belong to the foreign lottery than to the domestic.' If we
are to have lotteries among us at all, it is certainly better that they should be granted for objects which may
be beneficial to ourselves, and that they should be
regulated by our own laws, so that no more frauds
should be practised upon our citizens than the evil intended to be legalized.
But the mischief complained of and intended to be
prevented by this provision of the Constitution, was
not the somrce from whence the lottery emanated, but
the sale of the tickets to the poor and ignorant, to the
reckless and improvident, who, deluded by the prospect of gain, were bringing upon themselves greater
poverty and ultimate destruction, and the encouragement thereby of a spirit of gambling fatal to all the
pursuits of honest industry, and as injurious to the
morals of the community, as to the permanent prosperity of the State. These were some of the evils
which moved the people of this State to prohibit all
lotteries by that supreme law which has taken away
all legislative discretion upon this subject from the
legislature.  And these evils are equally attendant
upon the sale of foreign lottery tickets, in this State,
as of domestic lottery tickets-besides exposing our
citizens to fraudulent practices by the conduct of those
over whom we have no control.
It is admitted that this General Assembly have no
power to authorize the sale of lottery tickets, connected with lotteries authorized by themselves'and
controlled by themselves, and it would be a very strange
mode of interpretation which could give to this Gen



408     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
eral Assembly the power to legalize the sale of lottery tickets emanating from the authorities of another
State. This would be to give to the authority of a
foreign legislature a greater power than is possessed
by the legislature of our own State.
But we do not see any thing in this provision of the
Constitution which could warrant such a construction,
if we look only at the letter, much less if we only
look at the spirit of the provision. To our minds the
words of this provision are not dubious.
The words, "all lotteries," include foreign as well as
domestic lotteries. If foreign lotteries are permitted
in this State, or the sale of their tickets authorized,
then "all lotteries will not be prohibited," and this
plain provision of the Constitution will be nullified by
the omnipotence of legislative construction.
If " all" does not mean all, we may as welT say that
it does not mean any, or we might with quite as much
propriety say, that it means only Joreign lotteries, as
to say that it means only domrestic lotteries. We believe that the Constitution requires the General Assembly to pass such laws as may prevent the sale of
all lottery tickets, whether foreign or domestic.
When we have heretofore complained of the granting of lotteries by our own legislature, the apologists
for the same have endeavored to reconcile us thereto
by asserting that but a small portion of the tickets
were sold in this State, and that we were deriving a
revenue fionm the sale of the tickets in other States.
This was not very satisfactory to those among us who
believe that we are commanded to love our neighbors
as ourselves, yet this poor apology can no longer be
used in favor of a law which would authorize the sale




LOTTERIES.                 409
of foreign lottery tickets to our own citizens, by which
they will be surrendered to the tender mercies of those
who are beyond our control.
It is to be hoped that this General Assembly will
not, to save the people from fair, honest and necessary
taxation, attempt to obtain a revenue by exciting the
spirit of gambling among the poor and ignorant, or by
surrendering the families of the reckless, to citizens of
other States to be plundered not only to the amount
which they would pay this State, but of as much
more as will ensure those profits which induce them to
carry on such a demoralizing business, and which has
been found so profitable to the vendors, but so ruinous
to the purchasers of lottery tickets.
When it can be shown that the words "all lotteries," do not include foreign lotteries, and that the
sale of foreign lottery tickets in this State may be
authorized, and yet " all lotteries be prohibited," then
may we believe that the letter of the Constitution
does not prohibit the sale of foreign lottery tickets in
this State; but we shall still believe that a law which
shall authorize such sale of foreign lottery tickets, will
be in violation of the spirit of the Constitution, which
is to be obeyed rather than its letter, where they may
seem to be at variance with each other.
If lotteries are beneficial to the State, let them be
authorized and regulated by our own laws, and not by
the laws  of other States.  Let the Constitution be
then amended in this respect, but so long as it remains
as it is, let it be observed in its spirit and its letters unless we mean to render all written Constitutions not
only useless, but contemptible.  Believing, however,
that lotteries are most injurious to the State, and that
52




410      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
the provision of the Constitution is most salutary and
desirable, we pray that the Constitution may be administered in this, and all other respects, in the same
spirit with which it was formed and adopted.
This subject is not now for the first time submitted
to the consideration of the legislature of Rhode Island.
In January 1840, a Memorial adverse to the Lottery
system, was presented to the General Assembly. This
memorial sets forth, so succinctly and emphatically,
the evils of that system, and the sentiments which the
undersigned entertain in relation to those evils that
they take the liberty to present it anew to the consideration of the General Assembly.
" The undersigned, citizens of Rhode Island, have
long regarded the lottery system  with unqualified
reprobation.  They believe it to be a multiform social
evil, which is obnoxious to the severest reprehension
of the moralist, and which it is the duty of the legislator, in all cases, to visit with the most effective prohibitory sanctions. Entertaining these convictions, the
undersigned memorialists cannot withhold them from
the Honorable General Assembly of Rhode Island.
They invoke the General Assembly to exercise their
constitutional powers, promptly and decisively, for the
correction of a long continued and wide spread and
pestilent social evil.  They ask them, most respectfully and earnestly, to withdraw, as soon as may be,
all legislative sanction of the lottery system, and to
save Rhode Island from the. enduring reproach of being among the last States to abandon that system.
The memorialists beg leave to disclaim, in this matter,
all personal or political considerations. They are seeking neither to help nor hurt any political party. They




LOTTERIES.               411
contemplate no aggression upon the rights, or the
character of individuals. They are engaged in no impracticable scheme of moral reform. They have no
fondness for popular agitation. They are what they
profess to be, citizens of Rhode Island, and it is only
in the quality of citizens of Rhode Island, that they
now ask the General Assembly to resort to the most
operative penal enactments, for the entire suppression
of a system which exists, and which can exist only to
disgrace the character of the State, and to injure both
the morals and interests of the people. The memorialists are persuaded that a commanding majority of
the citizens of every political party entertain sentiments of decided hostility to all lotteries. In praying, therefore, for legislative interposition, they feel
that they are not urging the General Assembly to anticipate public opinion, but only to embody it; to accelerate its salutary impulses, and to augment its
healthful vigor. The constitutional power of the legislature to interfere in the premises being undisputed,
the mlemorialists beg leave to submit, for consideration, a few only of the many reasons which have
forced upon their minds the conclusion-that Rhode
Island should lose no time and spare no effort in extirpating the lottery system:-a system which has
already worked extensive evil within her borders;
which is repugnant to a cultivated moral sense; and
which has been branded, both as illegal and immoral,
by some of the most enlightened governments upon
earth. In this connection, it should be stated, that
England, and it is believed, France likewise, have
abandoned the lottery system. Some of the most populous and influential States in this Confederacy have




412      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
abandoned  it.  Massachusetts has abandoned it;
Pennsylvania has abandoned it; New York has
abandoned it. Nay more, so hostile were the people
of the latter State to the lottery system, that in revising its Constitution a few years since, they adopted a
provision which prohibits the Legislature from ever
making a lottery grant. These examples are adduced
to show the progress of an enlightened public sentiment upon this subject, and to exhibit the grateful
spectacle of governments, differently constituted, exercising their powers for the best interests of the people. The evils which the lottery system creates, and
the evils which it exasperates, are so various and complicated, that the undersigned memorialists cannot attempt an enumeration. They are so revolting as to
furnish no motive for rhetorical exaggeration. A few
only of these evils the undersigned memorialists will
now proceed to mention.
"1. Lotteries are liable to many of the strongest objections which can be alleged against gambling. They
have thus far escaped, it is true, the infamy of gambling,
but they can plead no exemption from its malignant
consequences. Like gambling, they are hostile-not
to say fatal-to all composure of thought and sobriety
of conduct. Like gambling, they inflame the inmagination of their victims and their dupes, with visions of
ease, and affluence, and pleasure, destined never to be
realized. Like gambling, they seduce men, especially
the credulous and the unthinking, from the pursuits
of regular industry, into the vortex of wild adventure
and exasperated passions. Like gambling, they ultimately create a necessity for constant vicious excitement. Like gambling, they often lead to poverty and




LOTTERIES.                 413
despair, to insanity and to suicide. Like gambling,
they furnish strong temptations to fraud, and theft and
drunkenness. Like gambling, they work, in but too
many cases, a permanent depravation of all moral
principle and all moral habits. This fearful parallel
might easily be extended. The picture here presented
of the evils of lotteries, however fearful it may seem,
is not overdrawn.  This picture will be owned as just,
by many a bereaved widow and by many a forsaken
wife, who trace all their woes to the temptations into
which this respectable and legalized species of gambling
had betrayed once affectionate husbands.  It will be
owned as just by many a child, who has been doomed
perchance to a heritage of ignorance and poverty, by
a father, for whose weak virtue the potent fascinations
of the lottery were found too strong. In many respects, the lottery system may be deemned even more
pernicious than ordinary gambling.  It spreads a more
accomplished snare; it is less offensive to decorum; it
is less alarming to consciences which have not lost all
sensitiveness; it numbers among its participants multitudes of those who ought to blush and to tremble
for thus hazarding their own virtue, and for thus corrupting the virtue of others; it draws within its
charmed circle men and women who fill up every gradation of age, and character, and fortune.
" 2. The lottery system, as at present constituted, presents the strongest temptations to fraud on the part
of all those who are concerned either in the drawing
of lotteries, or in the sale of tickets. It is not known
that fraud has in any case been perpetrated, though
fraud is suspected. If perpetrated, it would be no
easy matter to detect it. The ignorant and the credu



414     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
lous men and women, who seek to better their fortunes
by gambling in lottery tickets, know nothing of those
mystical combinations of numbers, on which their fate
is suspended. Utter strangers as they are to all the'blusiness transactions' of the  lottery system, if
cheated at all, they are cheated without remedy.
" 3. The lottery system operates as a most oppressive tax upon the community. This tax is paid, not
by the rich and luxurious-but it is paid mainly by
those who are struggling for independence, and by
those who earn their bread by the sweat of their
brow —by the servants in our kitchens-by clerks and
apprentices, and day laborers; by mechanics and
traders; by the men and women who work in our
factories; and, in too many instances, it is to be feared,
by our hardy yeomanry, who, impatient of the slow
profits of agriculture, vainly expect from the chances
of the lottery that which is never denied to the efforts
of industry. The amount of pauperism and crime, of
mental agitation and perchance of mental insanity,
which the lottery system must create among these
numerous classes, it would not be easy to calculate.
" 4. Lotteries are the parent of much of the pauperism which is to be found in this young, and free,
and prosperous land. It entails poverty upon multitudes directly, by exhausting their limited means in
abortive experiments to get rich by'high prizes'and, yet more, by withdrawing multitudes from a dependence on. labor, and accustoming them to hope
miracles of good fortune firom chance. After repeated
disappointments, they discover, when it is too late to
profit from the discovery, how sadly they have been
duped, and how recklessly they have abandoned their




LOTTERIES.                 41 5
confidence in themselves, and in that gracious Being
who never forsakes those who put their trust in him.
They sink into despondency, and seeking to forget
themselves, they bring upon their faculties the brutal
stupor of intoxication, or they exhilarate them by its
delirious gayety.  Suicide is often the fearful issue.
Dupin ascribes a hundred cases of suicide annually
to the lottery system in the single city of Paris.
Many years ago, a lottery scheme, displaying splendid
prizes, was formed in London. Adventures to a very
large amount was the consequence, and the night of
the drawing was signalized by fifty cases of suicide!
"5. Success in lotteries is hardly less fatal than failure. The fortunate adventurer is never satisfied.  He
ventures again and again, till ruin overtakes hlim. After all the tempting promises of wealth, which are
made by those concerned in this iniquitous system,
how very few, except managers of lotteries and vendors of lottery tickets, has it ever made rich! and well
may it be asked, whom has it made more diligent in
business, more contented, and respectable, and happy?
" 6. Lotteries, it is believed, are rendered especially
mischievous in this country by the nature of our' institutions, and by the spirit of the times. Here, the
path to eminence being open to every one —but too
many are morbidly anxious to improve their condition; and by means, too, which in the wisdom  of
Providence, were never intended to command success.
A mad desire for wealth pervades all classes-it feeds
all minds with fantastic hopes; it is hostile to all
patient toil, and legitimate enterprise, and economical
expenditure.  It generates a spirit of reckless speculation; it corrupts the simplicity of our tastes; and,




416      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
what is yet worse, it impairs, not unfrequently, in
reference to the transactions of business, the obligations of common honesty. Upon these elements of
our social condition and character, the lottery system
operates with malignant efficacy.
" The undersigned memorialists are far from thinking
that, in the preceding remarks, they have exhausted
the argument against the lottery system. They have
dwelt, in general terms, upon only some of its more
prominent evils.  They do not allow themselves to
believe that, aside from the ranks of those that have a
direct personal interest in this system, a man of character could be found in Rhode Island to defend it. The
memorialists deem lotteries to be in Rhode Island a
paramount social evil. They entreat the General Assemrbly to survey this evil in all its phases, and then
to apply the remedy. The interposition which is now
asked at the hands of the Legislature has been delayed too long, either for the interests or for the character of the State. It is time we protected our interests, and retrieved our character.  It is time that
the lottery had ceased to be the' lonestic instittion'
of Rhode Island. It is time that we abandoned, and
abandoned for ever, the policy of supporting schools,
and building churches, with the wages of iniquity.
The memorialists are aware that the General Assembly have made lottery grants, which have not yet expired. They seek not in any way to interfere with
those grants; but in concluding this expression of
their views, they cannot avoid repeating their earnest
entreaty that the legislature would come up, without
unnecessary delay, to the great work of reforming an
abuse, which no length of time, or patronage of num



LOTTERIES.                 417
bers, or policy of state, should be permitted to shelter
for another hour."
The memorial which has just been recited, was referred to the committee on finance. That committee,
in their report, held the following decided language:
" After a careful perusal of the memorial, they fully
concur with the memorialists in all their reasoning on
the subject, and they think that strong as is the coloring of the picture which the miemorialists have drawn
of the mischiefs:resulting from lotteries, it is not exaggerated. In the opinion of this committee, it is not
only the duty of the legislature, not to make any
future grants of Lotteries, but to do all in its power
to check the sale of foreign lottery tickets within the
limits of this State."
The committee of finance concluded their report
with the following resolution, which, upon their recommendation, was adopted by the House:
"Resolved, That the evils resulting to the citizens
of this State from the purchase of lottery tickets, are
such that no lotteries ought in future to be granted
by the legislature of this State, and that such laws
ought to be passed, as will most effectually prevent
the sale of foreign lottery tickets in this State, in
future."
In the views of the evils of the lottery system, presented by the memorialists at the January session 1840,
and sustained by the report of a legislative committee,
the undersigned fully concur. Nothing, in their judgment, has occurred which ought to affect, in any manner, the principles upon which that report was founded,
or which ought to induce the present Legislature to reverse the policy which that committee recommended




418     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
In concluding the memorial which the undersigned
have now the honor to present to the General Assembly, the undersigned declare, that they cannot look,
without deep concern, upon any movement which
threatens to bring upon their beloved State the mischiefs and the disgrace of a system which the most
enlightened Christian communities, have, with marks
of decisive reprobation, disowned and abandoned.
They entreat the members of this Legislature to
pause, ere they consent to fasten upon their constituents a system which is prolific only of pauperism and
crime. They entreat the members of this legislature
to pause, ere, by any act of theirs, they lend the least
sanction to the imputation that the people of Rhode
Island dread taxation more than they dread dishonor.
They ask, most respectfully and earnestly, that this
General Assembly would carry out the provisions of
the Constitution, in respect to Lotteries, by passing at
the present session, a law forbidding the sale of foreign lottery tickets within this State, and thus to settle forever a question which, in the opinion of the
undersigned, can be settled but in one way compatible with the interests of the people and the dignity
of the State. The undersigned entertain no romantic
notions of public virtue or of State honor; but as
Rhode Island men, familiar with the past history of
Rhode Island, they are interested to preserve, undiminished, the rich patrimony of renown transmitted
to them by venerated sires. More than all, they desire to purchase no exemption from the burdens of
taxation, at a price which would subject them or their
fellow citizens to the lasting and deadly reproach of
bartering, for a gross pecuniary consideration, the




THOIAS PAINE.                419
sacred obligations of the Constitution, the great interests of social morality-and that chaste sentiment of
honor which is the ornament and safeguard alike of
individuals and of States.
PROVIDENCE COURIER, FEBRUARY 1, 1838.
PASSAGES IN THE LIFE OF THOMAS PAINE.
TiIIS celebrated assailant of Christianity was born
in England, in January, 1737; and was brought up to
the trade of a staymaker. In 1759, he married Mary
Lambert, who died the following year, it is said by
some, in consequence of a premature birth caused by
his ill usage. In 1761, he obtained a place in the
excise from which he was dismissed for some irregularity, but was subsequently restored. In 1771, he
married Elizabeth Olive. In 1774, he was again dismissed from his office on a charge of fraul, and was
not again restored. His affairs became so desperate,
that his property was sold to pay his debts. In May
of the same year, he and his wrife, whose life he is
said to have rendered miserable by neglect and unkindness, separated by mutual agreement.




420     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
In order to repair his shattered fortunes he embarked
for America -arriving at Philadelphia, April, 1775.
Here he wrote his famous political work, entitled
"Common Sense," which produced an extensive and
powerful effect in deciding the public mind in favor of
independence. In 1777, Paine was appointed, by Congress, Secretary to the Committee for foreign affairs.
He was soon, however, ignominiously expelled from
his office for a breach of trust. When the revolutionary war ended, he sunk into obscurity, and for five
years little is known of him.
In 1787, he revisited England, and, during the progress of the French Revolution, became extremely
active in spreading revolutionary principles. In 179192, he published "The Rights of Man "-for which a
prosecution was commenced against him by the governnment. Afraid of the issue, he quitted the kingdom,
and repaired to France. Not surrendering to meet
the award of Court, sentence of outlawry was passed
upon him.
Paine, having been elected a member of the French
National Convention, identified himself with the Brissotine faction.  In December, 1793, he was thrown
into prison, where he was seized with a fever, brought
on, as it is said, by intemperance, and thus narrowly
escaped the guillotine. On the death of Robespierre,
he was released from prison, but he was never again
able to attract the public notice in France. After his
liberation froln prison, he was received into the house
of Mr. Monroe, the American Ambassador at Paris.
But his habits of intoxication rendered him a very
uncomfortable inmate.  He continued to reside in
France, for some years longer, neglected and despised.




THOMAS PAINE.               421
In 1795-96, Paine published " The Age of Reason,"
a work which, as has been well said, "brought down
infidel sophistry from the schools of a perverted erudition to the level of the shop-board and the manufactory;" a work which substitutes abuse for argument,
and enables those to rail who cannot reason.  All
whose perverted tastes lead them to read this pestilent book, are bound, if they are sincere lovers of
"mental freedom," to read Bishop Watson's eloquent
and conclusive reply to it, published in a series of letters under the title of " An apology for the Bible."  I
cannot resist the impulse to quote, in this connexion,
the following celebrated passage which concludes the
eighth letter of the Bishop: —"The Bible, sir, has
withstood the learning of Porphyry, and the power of
Julian, to say nothing of the Manichuean Faustus; it
has resisted the genius of Bolingbroke and the wit of
Voltaire, to say nothing of a numerous herd of inferior
assailants; and it will not fall by your force. You
have barbed anew the blunted arrows of former adversaries; you have feathered them with blasphemy
and ridicule, dipped them in your deadliest poison;
armed them with your utmost skill; shot them against
the shield of faith with your utmost vigor; but, like
the feeble javelin of aged Pream, they will scarcely
reach the mark; they will fall to the ground without
a stroke."
In 1802, on the invitation of President Jefferson,
pair nobile fr;atlrun, he repaired to this country, where
he spent the remainder of his days. He was accoinpanied by a Madame Bonneville. This woman he had
seduced from her husband in whose house he had lived,
and whose hospitality he thus repaid.




422     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
In June, 1809, this unhappy man died in the city of
New York. How he died will be seen in the sequel
of this article!
Mr. Cheetham, the biographer of Paine, was informed by a Mrs. Dean, with whom he (Paine) lodged
for a time, that he was " daily dumnk," and that, in his
few sober moments, he was always quarrelling with
her, and disturbing the peace of the family. She,
moreover, represents him as " deliberately and disgustingly filthy.' AIrs. Dean ultimately prevailed upon
her husband " to keep him in the house no longer."
He then went to live on his farm. Here he engaged
an old black woman, of the name of Betty, to do his
house work.  Betty was, in one respect, a kindred
spirit. Like her master, she got drunk, every day.
Paine would accuse her of stealing his New England
run, and Betty would retort by calling him an old
drunkard.  "Often," says Mrs. Dean "would they
both be prostrate on the same floor, dead drunk,
sprawling, and swearing, and threatening to fight, but
incapable of approaching each other to combat! "
He afterwards lived in different families. His behaviour in all of them was not only disgusting, but
most unprincipled. He paid for his board and lodging, only on compulsion!
Notwithstanding his vain boasts, Paine met death
with terror and consternation. He was nursed in his
last illness by a Mrs. Hedden, a worthy and pious
woman. So offensive was his language to her, that
she would have quitted the house, had not the consideration that she was necessary to his comfort induced
her to remain. Often would he exclaim, " Oh, Lord,
help me! Oh, Christ, help me! Oh, Christ, help




THOMAS PAINE.               423
me!"  Mrs. Hedden sometimes read the Bible to him
for hours together, and he appeared to listen attentively.
Paine was attended by Dr. Manley, a respectable
physician, who furnished among others the following
particulars of his behaviour on his death bed. "He
would not be left alone, night or day; he not only
must have some person with him, but he must see that
he or she was there. He would not allow his curtain
to be closed at any time, and if, as it would sometinles
happen, he was left alone, he would scream till some
person came to him. He would call out during his
paroxysms of distress, without intermission,'Oh,
Lord, help me! Jesus Christ, help me!  Oh, Lord,
help me,' &c., repeating the same expressions without
the least variation, in a tone of voice that would
alarm all the occupants of the house."
The following fact seems to attest, still more strongly,
his distrust of the infidel principles which lie had professed. A gentleman of the neighborhood occasionally furnished him with refreshments from his own
table, of which a respectable female of the family was
the bearer.
"She frequently found him engaged in writing, and
believes from what she saw and heard, that when permitted by his pain, he was mostly so engaged or in
prayer; in the attitude of which she more than once
saw him when he thought himself alone. In one of
the interviews thus introduced, lie inquired whether
she had ever read his "Age of Reason?,"  And on
being answered in the affirmative, he desired to know
her opinion of that book. She replied, that she was
but a child when she read it, and that he probably




424     WRITINGS OF WVILLIA3M G. GODDARD.
would not like to hear what she had thought of it.
On this he said, if she was old enough to read it, she
was capable of forming some opinion concerning it;
and that from her he expected a candid statement of
what that opinion had been. Thus encouraged, she
told himln, that she thought it the most dangerous book
she had ever seen; that the more she read the more
she found her mind estranged from all good; and that,
from a conviction of its evil tendency, she had burnt
it -without knowing to whom it belonged.  To this
Paine replied, that he wished all its readers had been
as wise as she; and added,' If ever the devil had an
agent on earth, I have been one.' At another time,
when she and the benevolent neighbor before alluded
to were with him, one of his former companions came
in; but on seeing them went ]aastily out, drawing the
door after hiln with great violence, and saying,'Mr.
Paine, you have lived like a man; I hope you will die
like one.' On this, Paine turning to the elder of his
visitors said,' You see, sir, what miserable comforters I
have.' Mrs. Bonneville, the unhappy female who had
accompanied him from France, lamented to his neighbor her sad case; observing,'For this man I have
given up my family and friends, my property and my
religion: judge then of my distress, when he tells me
that the principles he has taught me,  will not bear me
out!'"
I have been at some pains to collect these awful
details of the life and death of Thomas Paine. What
an impressive commentary do they form upon the
principles which ruined his own faime and happiness
in life; and which filled with tortures his bed of
death! Beyond that, I forbear to follow him. After




THOMAS PAINE.              425
proposing one or two questions, I shall have done. Is
a creature who thus lived and who thus died, worthy
of grateful commemoration?  What moral man, who
recognizes the everlasting distinctions between vice
and virtue, can consistently honor the memory of an
habitual drunkard, and a filthy blasphemer?  What
woman, not lost to the duties and the decencies of her
sex, can weave a garland for the urn of a 6rutal husband, and a most atrocious seducer.
A FRIEND TO MORALITY.
PROVIDENCE COURIER, FEBRUARY 12, 1838.
THOMAS PAINE AND "LIBERALIST."
MR. EDITOR: —More than a week ago, I collected
from grave and hitherto unquestioned historical documents sundry particulars of the life and death of
THOMAS PAINE. These particulars I published in the
6kurier, for the information more especially of your
junior readers, who might not know how this zealous
apostle of modern infidelity lived, and how he died.
In discharging this duty, I exercised the right of free
inquiry, with honest intent and for a beneficial purpose. Your correspondent " Liberalist," has somewhat
54




426      WRITINGS OF TWILLIA3I G. GODDARD.
gratuitously imputed to me covert designs, and to
serve his ends he has aimed to give to my remarks an
offensive personal application. Let me tell him, I am
not accustomed to shoot firom " masked batteries."  I
need no shelter and I seek none. Of the Birthday celebration to which he refers and of the ladies and gentlemnen.alleged to be concerned in it, I have heard
nothing, and I know nothing. My principles of free
inquiry never suffer me to violate, even by a derogatory insinuation, the rights of individual opinion, or
to quarrel with the eccentricities of individual taste.
I assume to judge of no man's and no woman's morality. I ask no man or no woman, here or elsewhere, to
dance to my pipe, and to forbear dancing to Thomas
Paine's! In all such matters, every one has an un
doubted fight, without let or hindrance of any sort,
to do just what may illustrate his principles or gratify
his taste.
Mr. Editor,-I cannot help admiring the intrepidity
of any man who, at this late day, volunteers as a
champion of the moral character of Thomas Paine!
In his flagrant zeal to rescue this unhappy man from
the "bad eminence " to which, by almost universal
consent, he has been elevated, "Liberalist," not only
loses his temper, but travels out of the record to moot
sundry questions, and to deal in various insinuations
which, comling from one who is at pains to declare that
he is " not a believer in the doctrines of Thomas Paine,"
may well excite surprise.
Your correspondent talks of " kingcraft and priestcraft."  In the palmy days of French infidelity, when
it was deemed a virtue to murder both kings and
priests, this sort of slang was in vogue. It is now




ThOMAS PAINE,               427
deemed obsolete; it has lost its pristine charm over
the popular mind; not even the new-born zeal of a
"Liberalist " can revive it.
Your correspondent, Mr. Editor, flippantly denies
some of my facts in regard to Paine; —the force of
others he attempts, by sophistical reasoning, to impair;
-several of the most important, he has left unapproached-not one of them has he disproved! I have
asserted that Paine "was an habitual drunkard and a
filthy blasphemer-a brutal husband, and a most atrocious seducer."  Does Liberalist undertake to deny
the truth of these assertions? He professes to have examined both sides of the question. Let him produce,
if he can, any evidence to show that history has been
unjust to the moral character of Paine.
"Thomas Paine as firmly believed in God as the
most orthodox christian, and as reverently so)oke his
name'!"  So says the "Liberalist."  Is your correspondent amusing himself with experiments upon the
public credulity?  "As reverently sToke his nane!"
If the subject were not too serious, it would be difficult to read these words without being betrayed into
unseemly mirth.  "As reever'ently.spo)ke his name!"
Why, Mr. Editor, it is notorious that Paine was a most
accomplished swearer; and that in his eruptions of
profanity, he heeded neither God nor man! What an
exhibition of blasphemy and impurity is the " Age of
Reason "-and yet, for aught I can see, its author is in
a fair way to be voted a saint! Such is the march of
mind!
Mr. Editor, I must be suffered to pass by, without
notice, the charges and insinuations which your correspondent has arrayed against christianity, and against




428       WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
those who, in despite of the ribaldry of Mr. Paine,
have chosen to fasten upon its promises all their hopes
of future happiness. I have no fears for the great ark
of human safety. Whatever may be the conduct of
its fiiends or of its foes, I have no apprehension that
christianity is in any danger. I have a sustaining confidence in its rapid progress, and in its ultimate and
universal triumph.
A few words more, Mr. Editor, and I leave this subject, I trust forever. I have had no intention to detract
from. Mr. Paine's reputation as a man of talent-or
from the merit of his services in the cause of American freedom. He was, unquestionably, a man of unusual ability, and his political writings communicated
a vigorous impulse to the cause of our national independence. I mourn to think that he should have perverted, to the worst, of purposes, his rare intellectual
endowments; that he should have lived uninfluenced
by the motives of christianity; that he should have
died, uncheered by its peaceful hopes. He was, indeed, the architect of his own fortunes-and he was,
likewise, the architect of his own ruin. Under the
guidance of right principles, he might have commanded
the loftiest heights of fame-but choosing to listen to
the sophistry of the passions, and, deluded by the conceits of a vain philosophy, he sunk at last into the
drunkard's grave!
Thanks to the idolatrous veneration of William
Cobbett, the bones of Thomas Paine now rest in a
foreign land! God grant that our own country may
long escape the contagion of his principles. God grant,
that, in the filture progress of free inquiry, all men,
here and elsewhere, shall be brought to the conclusion




A ~MAN OF THE OLD:EN TIME.        429
that with christianity are interwoven, the strongest
securities of social order-the most durable supports
of individual virtue;-the only unfailing hope of
everlasting life!        A FRIEND TO MORALITY.
N. B. Paine, it is said, requested to be interred in
the burial ground of the Friends. For reasons which
are not stated, these mild people refused the request.
A MAN OF THE OLDEN TIME.
PUBLISHED OCTOBER 1, 1833.
ON Tuesday last, the venerable MosEs BROWN entered upon his ninety-sixtth year. Though not exempt
from the infirmities of old age, lie retains, to an extraordinary degree, his powers of usefulness and enjoyment. Time has blanched his locks, and spread
paleness and furrows over his visage, but it has passed
gently over his mind and his affections. The former
is still active, acute, and efficient-the latter, kind,
lively and diffusive. For his kindred and friends, he
manifests a prompt sympathy-and seeks, by his mature counsel, to promote their welfare. In the concerns of the Society of Friends, of which he has been,
for more than sixty years, a consistent member, he
participates with almost unabated interest. On the




430     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM3 G. GODDARD.
days when they assemble for the worship of God, his
place in the meeting house is rarely vacant. The
Friends' Yearly Meeting Boarding School, one of the
most extensive and richly endowed Institutions of the
sort in our country, also engages no small portion of
his time and attention. He not unfrequently attends
the meetings of the Rhode Island Historical Society,
and in their transactions uniformly manifests a lively
concern. Add to this, his management of an ample
estate, his interest in whatever affects the prosperity
of the community, and his curiosity respecting current
events, and it will be inferred that age has robbed him
neither of practical efficiency nor of rational enjoyment. The progressive improvements of the age are
among his favorite topics of inquiry-and are.hailed
by him as auspicious to the happiness of the human
race. To that spirit of capricious and reckless innovation, which, under the pretence of reforming, would'prostrate all established institutions, I deem him to be
no friend; but, on the other hand, he wishes success to
every well concerted plan to remove great practical
grievances, and to make the world wiser and better.
On the recent anniversary of his birth-day, I was
one of a number of relatives -and friends, who went to
congratulate him upon his reaching, in so much health
of body and mind, another mile-stone in his long journey; and to express to him the wish, that, after being
spared for further usefulness and enjoyment, he might
arrive at that journey's end in peace. I found him, at
the close of the day, seated by the fire, in the arm
chair of reflective age, —surrounded, not by his children, for they have gone before him — but by his children's children, to the third and fourth generation, and




A MAN OF THE OLDEN TIME.          431
by other connexions and friends, whose ministries of
kindness are the solace of these his latter days. After the interchange of friendly civilities, he engaged
in animlated and various conversation, respecting both
the past and the present. Though truly alive to the
interests of the latter, he seemed more at home when
he spoke of the former —when he spoke of transactions, recorded in few living  lemlories  and of men,
once his companions and friends, who have long since
passed away. As he discoursed of other men and of
other times, I seemed to listen to a witness from the
grave of departed years, and to be summoned to a
communion with forefathers who long have slept.
Beholding this man of ancient days, who enjoys,
after the active scenes of life are over, a patriarch's
rest, and looks, with a patriarch's faith, to the " spirit
land " which lies beyond them, where is he who would
not wish to live long upon the earth if he could thus
live to useful purpose and to placid enjoyment 
Mr. Brown has, in this city, no seniors, except Mir.
Jabez Whipple and Mr. Othniel Tripp. He has, indeed, comparatively few, on the face of the earth.
This is no unimpressive fact. During his protracted
pilgrimage, what millions of human beings have been
withdrawn from the living masses around him, to
swell the congregation of the unnumbered dead!
Each was a free and accountable agent each, subjeeted to no invincible necessity, formed, during his
probationary course, that MORAL CHARACTER which went
with him into eternity, and which will abide with him
forever. Each lived in some sort, as every intelligent
being must live, in a state of solitary communion with
the mysteries of his own nature, and of isolated de



432     WVRITINGS OF WTILLIA3M G. GODDARD.
pendence upon the Father of Spirits.  Each died
ALONE -and each will be judged ALONE. All this is
nomentous, universal, unalterable verity. The dead
may look upon it-but they cannot change it. The
living can look upon it, but they may not heed it.
MR. MAXCY AND HIS DISCOURSE.
PUBLISHED SEPTEMBER 11, 1833.
ON the afternoon of Commencement day, was celebrated in this city, the third Anniversary of the Rhode
Island Phi Beta Kappa Society. The Discourse on
that occasion was pronounced by the Hon. VIRGIL
AMAXCY, of Washington City, a Graduate of Brown
University, in the year 1804, and now Solicitor of the
Treasury of the United States. At no previous Anniversary has there been witnessed a more numerous, and
intelligent audience, and seldom have the literary
transactions of Commencement week been terminated
by a more manly exhibition of talent and character.
As Mr..Maxcy's Discourse is to be published within
a few days, I should not care to anticipate the praise
which awaits it, but for the fact that it has provoked
the whole corps of critics into a chorus of mingled
lamentation and censure. This, however it may fail




MR. MAXCY AND HIS DISCOURSE.        433
to disturb the composure of Mr. Maxcy, or to derogate
from his reputation, is injurious alike to the social
character of our city, and to the interests of science
and letters. What, let me inquire, are the facts of the
case. An accomplished gentleman, a statesman, and a
man of letters, visits the city of Providence, at the
solicitation of a literary fraternity, for the purpose of
pronouncing before them and others, who may be attracted to hear him, one of those annual discourses
which are the richest intellectual entertainments of
Commencement week. After the laspe of more than
a quarter of a century, he revisits, with chastened enthusiasm, the unforgotten scenes of his early days, and
revives, in communion with another race of scholars,
the memory of his academic joys. He is no longer
fresh from the ancient classics, and amid the toils of
professional life, or the cares and vexations of office,
he finds few vacant hours for the cultivation of the
literature of the day. Responding, in the affirmative,
to the invitation of the Society, he selects for discussion topics, which his local position all-d his official
habits have forced upon his attention, and rendered
familiar to his mind. They are grave topics, connected
or deemed to be connected in their bearings and applications, with some of those political questions which
have agitated public opinion in our land. What is
there, in all this, so very wrong-and ill judged, and
indecorous. I cheerfully concede that themes of a
gentler aspect, more congenial to the tastes, and more
level to the capacities of a mixed audience, might
have been selected. But, in making this confession,
let me not be understood to admit that Mr. Maxcy so
far violated the proprieties either of time or place, as
55




434     WRITINGS OF WVILLIAM G. GODDARD.
to forfeit the immunities of a gentleman; and still
less, that an error in judgment or a defect in taste, on
his part, is any excuse for the rudeness with which he
has been assailed, or any alleviation of the reproach
which such rudeness cannot fail to bring upon the
social character of our citizens. Let those who have
been so unqualified in their denunciation of Mr. Maxcy's
Discourse, on the score of its unseasonable gravities
and its rampant heresies-advert to the considerations which I have suggested, and to the undisputed
fact, that he intended no offence, that he came hither,
with the sympathies of a man of letters, confiding
in the sympathies of men of letters, anticipating
not a blind assent to his doctrines, but a candid construction of his motives, a just estimate of his abilities,
and a courteous treatment of his character. Let them
calmly survey these suggestions and facts, and then
ask themselves whether a tone of criticism, somewhat
less harsh and less confident, ought not to have been
used towards a gentleman of elevated character and
cultivated manners, towards a stranger, invited to
come among us, and to bring with him a contribution
from the stores of his intellect for the refreshment and
instruction of our own. I am not seeking to defend
Mr. Maxcy, or to apologize for his Discourse. He requires no champion, and in a contest where the venom
of the shaft is mistaken for the vigor of the bow, he
would accept none. His Discourse needs no apology;
when it is published, let it be read with attention and
criticised with candor-and none need deprecate the
result, except those who seem to think that argument
should be answered by clamor, and that it is indecorous, nay almost treasonable, for an American Scholar




MR. MAXCY AND HIIS DISCOURSE.       435
to deal either in the pure abstractions of the closet,
the fundamental principles of political science, or
even the unvarying decisions, of truth, if perchance
they conflict, or are supposed to conflict, with some
local and temporary interest.
To return from this digression, Mr. Maxcy's exordium was singularly apt and beautiful. It embraced
a modest and touching allusion to his accomplished
brother, who for several years was the presiding officer
of Brown University, and who still lives in hallowed
association with genius, eloquence and learning. Following out the suggestions of President Wayland,
made on a similar occasion two years ago, that by
giving to these annual discourses, the tinge of different professional pursuits, the field for the choice of
topics would be enlarged, and a sufficient degree of
variety secured, Mr. Maxcy selected for his theme, an
inquiry into the causes of our national prosperity and
glory-connecting with this inquiry an examination
into the influence of science and literature, in advancing the civilization of our race to its present elevated
standard, and in promoting the improvement of its
political condition and prospects. In treating his subject, Mr. Maxcy was perhaps somewhat discursive. He
travelled over an extensive field of inquiry, embracing much that was valuable in fact and solid in reasoning. From the practical evils in the administration of
the British Government, he deduced lessons of caution,
for the guidance of our own. He explained what is
deemed to be the true principles of legislation, and
examined, in the spirit of a philosophical statesman,
the theory of our National Constitution. In closing
his Discourse, he indulged in an eloquent exhortation




436.WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
to the Society, to prefer the Union of the States to
any subordinate interest, and to cling to it as the
parent and protector of our multiplied national blessings.
Mr. Maxcy's style was well suited to his topics. It
was pure, unaffected, forcible, animated and by turns
eloquent. It was the simple, unadorned drapery of
truth-without spangle, furbelow or flounce. It put
forth none of the gorgeous dyes of the Occident, to
captivate the vision-but, what is far better, it enabled
all to see the objects which he represented, in the
transparent light of noon-day. In this age of flimsy
and embroidered rhetoric, it is no small refreshment,
to listen to a speaker who seems more careful about his
thoughts than about either his words or himself-who
neither goes in quest of artificial combinations, strains
after prettiness, nor runs to riot amid brilliant conceits.
It is indeed a refreshment to hear, now and then, a,specimen of vigorous and undefiled English-and to
listen to an earnest, simple and undepraved style of
speaking.  In these respects, Mr. Maxcy was exemplary, and had he furnished no other title to commendation, this alone ought to have exempted him
from uncourteous cavils. What, however, is the fact.
Before the last words of his discourse had died away
upon his lips, he is reproached for broaching the
heresy of nullification, and what is a still more damnable heresy, for proclaiming doctrines which are not
popular in _Rhode Islacnd!  The imaginative critics
were scandalized, that a Statesman should deal so
little in fancy, and so largely in fact. The matter of
fact critics could not quarrel with his facts-but were
startled at his conclusions. One blamed him for his




MR. MAXCY AND HIS DISCOURSE.       437
choice of a susbject —another for his manner of treating
it —one cavilled at his truisms, another reproached him
for his pronunciation. Some censured what they did
not hear, and more misrepresented what they could
not understand. Now, I ask, is all this right-is it
kind-is it well bred?  Is the honor of addressing a
Providence audience so transcendent, that gentlemen
and strangers, will come among us for that purpose,
even in spite of the "hunt of obloquy" to which they
are liable to be exposed?  Will they, year after year,
come hither, upon our invitation, to entertain and instruct us, if they are to be treated like stage players,
who are doomed to the tender mercies of stage-box
critics-or like unfledged pupils, who are drilled by a
master in elocution? For Mr. Maxcy I have no special
sympathy, and quite sure I am that in the present case
he needs none. The critics who have assailed him,
whether in print or out of print, I seek neither to
propitiate nor provoke. The range of fair, manly and
gentlemanly criticism, I should be among the last to
circumscribe-but, in common with many of my fellow
citizens, I am mortified that the standard of social
ethics, not to say of good manners, is so low among
us as to furnish no protection to the feelings and character of a stranger and a gentleman, who, without the
least intention of offending us, may chance to broach
an unpopular or an erroneous doctrine. The evil of
which I complain, is not of recent origin. It has been
tolerated for years-and among gentlemen in other
cities, it has been a topic of reproachful remark.
They hold the community responsible for the pressand if the press is permitted, without rebuke, to abuse
its liberty-it is contended, with some plausibility, that




438      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
the community love to have it so-and that they are
wanting in a just perception of the proprieties of life,
and in a sound estimate of the value of character.
In conclusion, I invite the attention of my fellow
citizens to that spirit of prurient and licentious criticism which signalizes the newspaper press, in the
hope that an adequate remedy for the evil may be
found in the action of a rectified PUBLIC OPINION.
BUSINESS OF "CANTING."
PUBLISHED JUNE 14, 1836.
" TIE great cause of mental and moral improvement we wish ever to keep
in view, and to offer every means in our power for its advancement."
IN this extract, Mr. Editor, from your introductory
remarks to the public, I rejoiced to recognize an emphatic avowal of your attachment to the great cause
of mental and moral improvement.  I rejoiced, moreover, in your explicit pledge, to support that cause.
How abruptly were my grateful anticipations of your
future championship terminated, by the tirade which,
in the fourth number of the Jlforning Courier, you let
off upon "Canting! "  This you are pleased to designate as "the great staple of Providence."  The reproach may be just. Canting may be entitled to the
pre-eminence which you claim for it. But what class




BUSINESS OF 4 CANTING. "      439
of the people of Providence deal the most largely in
this staple-whether they be the go-to-meeting folks
or the theatre-going folks, it may not be quite easy to
determine. We must be admitted to have among us
some religion, without any cant. It will hardly be
denied that we have also much cant, without any religion. To recur, however, to your remarks: I am
not alone, sir, in deeming them objectionable, both in
language and in sentiment; in what they plainly assert, and in what they ambiguously insinuate. They
address themselves to perverted sympathies-they
foster unsound opinions, they quicken the seeds of
practical evil. Between them and the popular flash of
the day upon grave subjects, there is, perchance, an
undesigned, but a most notable coincidence. I shall
marvel, sir, if they do not win golden opinions of all
sorts of men, and of all sorts of women too! To
these remarks, I claim the privilege of a brief reply.
Do you not err, Mr. Editor, in assuming that the
"business of canting " is ozonopolized by that class of
people against whom your charges and innuendoes are
levelled. Believe me, sir, whoever, at the present day,
engages in that business will be sure to encounter a
most formidable competition. There is never a scarcity
of the article in question, and there would now seem
to be a glut. Is there not among us somewhat beside the cant of religion and morality? Were you
never annoyed by the cant of those, who, impatient
of the restraints which the moral Governor of the
world has imposed upon his creatures, are resolved to
hedge in for themselves a wider field of indulgence?
They cry aloud, as aggrieved and insulted men, when
they are not allowed, without stint and rebuke, to




440      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
gratify their sensual appetites and their remorseless
cupidity. This is one sect of " Canters." Again, did
you never listen to the cant of the genteel, the graceful, the fashionable voluptuaries, who account all
grave views of the duties of life, all solemn apprehensions of the realities of eternity —as the dreams of
fanaticism, as the fearful apparitions of an intellect
which is passive under the sway of an austere and
gloomy theology?  They love the philosophy of
Epicurus, better than they love the preaching of Paul.
They are alike unwilling to renounce the pleasures of
earth, or to resign all hopes of Heaven. They are ill
at ease, but, instead of becoming reconciled to themselves, they set about applying to their neighbors all
but the judgments of Charity. Righteous overmuch,
too straight-laced, methodistical, puritanical, fanatical,
bigoted, humdrum, and precise! How copious, Mr.
Editor, is the vocabulary from which these convenient
and captivating epithets of reproach are abstracted!
Thus have I described another sect of Canters. Again,
have you never listened to the cant of those who, content to dwell in decencies, do not like to be told that
a decorous and amiable morality will not save their
souls?  They are "furious for moderation, and they
are so bigoted to liberality, that they are ready to
damn a man for the want of charity." This is another
sect of Canters. Lastly, have you never been edified
by the cant of grave and reverend seniors, who, with
pharisaic complacency, seem to think that Rhode
Island is the only spot in christendom, where men do
not require to be made better, and that Providence is
the paradise of Rhode Island, with hardly a serpent
in its paths. How jealous this sect, of every enter



BUSINESS OF " CANTING."         441
prise of christian benevolence; how hostile to priestcraft; how afraid of being priest-ridden! Ignorant of
the fact, or concealing the fact, that Roger Williams
was a man of exemplary piety, they invoke the protection of his venerated name, whenever sanction is
sought for a licentious opinion in religion, or for a
questionable practice in morals. They seem to forget
that Roger Williams strove for freedom of conscience,
not for freedomfr~om, conscience.
The business of canting, you affirm, has been introduced among us by citizens of other States. You appear to dread that a gentile population will contaminate the "peculiar people" of Rhode Island, and
tempt them to forfeit their boasted claim to liberality.
I sympathize in none of these morbid apprehensions.
I dread no such contamination. I care not how often
our ranks are recruited by emigrations from those
States, where the true principles of religious and civil
freedom are as well understood as in our own. I have
no fears of the diluted Puritanism of the present day;
but I cannot dismiss all fear respecting the noisy and
intolerant Radicalism which pervades the whole of
our social life, and which threatens, in its Gothic rage,
to subvert the most venerable institutions, and to reverse the established order of society.
I am not concerned, Mr. Editor, on the present occasion, to defend John Knox, or King James the First;
the Bishops of England, or the Covenanters of Scotland. As, however, you have quoted against the latter the somewhat questionable authority of Juniusallow me, by way of set of, to quote Dr. Johnson's
opinion of the character of Junius: " It is not by his
liveliness of imagery, his pungency of periods, or his
56




442     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
felicity of allusion, that he detains the cits of London,
and the boors of Middlesex. Of style and sentiment
they take no cognizance. They admire him for virtues like their own; for contempt of order, and violence of outrage; for rage of defamation and audacity
of falsehood."
The Puritans, Mr. Editor, may have been cantersand it is certain that the Cavaliers were profligates. I
covet, for Providence, neither the manners of the one,
nor the morals of the other.
I am not behind you, Mr. Editor, in admiration for
the marvellous genius of Shakspeare; but I cannot
join you in reproaching the people of Providence for
what you regard as an unjustifiable indignity upon the
drama. "Shakspeare," you say, " has been obliged to
take refuge in a barn." Do you mean to say that all
who deprecate the impurities and the riots of a
provincial theatre are responsible for this alleged indignity? Has not Shakspeare been driven even from
the parlor, by the Pelham Novels and by the Adventures of Don Juan? Has he not been driven from the
theatre, by Jane Shore, and by Tom and Jerry? Who,
indeed, that delights to revel amid his beautiful, and
gorgeous, and sublime creations, would frequent a
Provincial Theatre to see Shakspeare murdered?
Who that has a genuine relish for his surpassing eloquence-for his far reaching philosophy-for his varied
and maturest wisdom, can. find any attractions in the
modern drama?
You mourn, Mr. Editor, that "the fairest of the
fair are obliged to do salutation to the immortal bard
from a haymow." My grief is, Mr. Editor, that leaving unapproached the varied sources of healthful ex.




BUSINESS OF "4 CANTINGO.)      443
hilaration, and of deep and quiet happiness, within
and around them, they seek for themselves pleasures
which intoxicate the senses, disorder the imagination
and corrupt the heart. My grief is, that mothers, aye,
that Christian mothers, forgetting how necessary to
the protection of the plum is the down upon its surface, trust their daughters to influences which are hostile to the thousand nameless delicacies of female sentiment and female conduct.
I thank you, for your allusion to the age of Pericles
-that splendid era in the history of classic antiquity,
upon which every scholar lingers with enthusiasm.
Allow me, however, to remind you that the example
of Pericles cannot be quoted in favor of the morality
of the Theatre. We are told, on good authority, that
" his manners were characterized by gravity and dignity-and that he shunned festivals and all public
amusements."
You seem to think that the people of the north live
upon manufactures, banking and going to meeting.
Here you have some foundation whereon to stand.
Gainful pursuits are, it must be granted, with us, almost the whole of life. But why not spare your sarcasm, upon those who find a transient refuge from consuming cares, perchance from oppressive sorrows, in
the Temple of the living God. Do they harm their
neighbors-and do you think, after all, that the business of devotion, either in the land of Roger Williams or elsewhere, is in danger of being overdone?
A few more words and I have done. By birth and
in heart, I am a Rhode Island man. In Providence
was my earliest-and in Providence will be my latest
home. Here are the graves of my fathers —and here




444     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
I hope to find my own. Let me not, therefore, be reproached as wanting in sensibility to the character of
my native town and State. Heart and hand I go for
their permanent welfare-for their truest honor. But
never will I consent to peril either-in accommodation
to the tastes and the principles of those who raise a
popular clamor-and, in order to give efficacy to their
clamor, misname it public opinion.
A LAYMAN.
CONSOLATIONS OF CHRISTIANITY.
PUBLISHED IN 1838.
CHRISTIANITY is evidently a restorative dispensation.
Contemplating man as estranged from holiness and
happiness, it offers to his acceptance the means of
moral renovation, and the joys of everlasting life.
This is the grand central truth in that system of
truths which the Bible has revealed. In adoration of
its sublime efficacy, the penitent upon earth pour forth
their voices of thanksgiving, and the unfallen spirits'in heaven touch their golden harps to songs of unending praise. It is, however, not alone for this distinctive characteristic of Christianity, that the tribute of
devout acknowledgment may be challenged. Sorrow,
as well as sin, being the inheritance of our race, we




CONSOLATIONS OF CHRISTIANITY.     445
need not only to be purified, but to be consoled.
Dark and agitated indeed would be our passage from
the cradle to the grave, if Christianity had not unsealed a fountain of eternal illumination and repose;
if, over our heritage of woe, it had not shed the light
of its peaceful hopes, and invited afflicted man to look
for comfort to its never failing consolations. It is not
only amid the overwhelming calamities of life that
these consolations are needed, or that their power to
soothe and to sustain comes to be experienced.
Under circumstances of less aggravated trial, they are
endowed with an unobtrusive but triumphant energy.
Amid mystery and change-in seasons of doubt, and
loneliness, and depression, the worn spirit flees to the
consolations of the gospel, as the oriental traveller
fleeth to "the shadow of a great rock in a weary
land." This latter view of the subject it may not be
unprofitable very briefly to illustrate.
Notwithstanding all the discoveries of science, and
all the revelations of the Bible, how wide is the
dominion of mystery throughout the universe of matter and of mind! The maxim of the schoolmenomnia exeunt inr mysterinm-will not be disputed by
any one who is acquainted with the physical and
moral economies which God has established. However minute and exact may be the observations of
modern science-however expansive her generalizations-and however splendid her achievements, she is
often compelled to the humbling confession that she
can advance no farther; and that, in a multitude of
cases, naught remains to her but the duty of patient
thought, or diffident conjecture, or mute adoration. In
the constitution of the moral world, the element of




446     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
mystery is also to be found. Minds of a peculiar organization, it is to be feared, are sometimes betrayed
into sadness, and doubt, and despair, by a partial contemplation of what is mysterious in the structure and
arrangements of the material world; or in that moral
government which God in his wisdom has established.
They seem to forget that mystery is relative only to
the faculties of created beings; that it is perhaps
necessary to the purposes of our moral probation; and
that, however it may shroud the throne of the Eternal,
it never obscures the path of duty. Such minds are
perplexed, nay, sometimes appalled, by the varied
forms of physical suffering, and by the fearful exhibitions of moral evil which abound in this our world.
In anguish of spirit, they are tempted almost to believe that the Creator has forgotten to be gracious,
and that, in righteous indignation, he hath surrendered
up this revolted province of his empire to the awards
of a cruel and inexorable destiny. Now, to all such
thoughtful and perplexed observers of the constitution
of things, Christianity is fitted to impart the most
grateful consolations. It does not pretend to solve
every moral problem, nor, by irresistible evidence, to
dispel every painful doubt.  Leaving unexplained
many mysteries to exercise our faith, and to humble
our pride, it furnishes such touching proofs of the
wisdom and the love of God-it renders so intelligible the relations which we sustain to him-and it
offers so freely to all, the means of restoration to his
forfeited favor, that it is our perverse choice if we
dwell in the regions of darkness, and doubt, and agitation.
In the season of youth and of health, before the




CONSOLATIONS OF CHRISTIANITY.     447
elastic spirit has lost its light bound, how little do
we dream of the melancholy changes which, in the
progress of life, are destined to befall us. Strangers
to sorrow, and buoyant with hope, we practically discredit the testimony of all human experience; we
virtually refuse to believe that the days of darkness
will soon come over us. With eager step we pursue
the business or the pageantry of life; we are fascinated by varied amusements; we delight ourselves in
the brilliant creations of genius; we revel amid fantas.
tic hopes of superabundant wealth; we look, with
longing eyes, upon anticipated honors. But suddenly
these beautiful apparitions vanish away.  Sickness
impresses upon us its monitory lessons; death bereaves our domestic circle of its selectest ornament;
or calamity, in some other form, blights all the
promises of our being. Then do we ask ourselves,
"  What has become of all those vernal fancies which
once had so much power to touch the heart; " we feel
that we have forever parted with our gorgeous illusions, and that we are summoned to an intercourse with
stern realities. We look abroad upon our contemporaries, and we look outwardly and inwardly upon ourselves, and we mark, in sadness of spirit, the changes
which time has wrought in both. Upon the once clear
brow we detect the shade of pensive melancholy, or
the furrows perchance of some deep and nameless sorrow. From lips once attuned only to the expression
of the lighter thoughts, we now catch the accents of
chastised affection, or the lessons of grave experience.
These changes which we thus note as having passed
upon others, we are admonished have likewise passed
* John Foster.




448     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
upon ourselves. And this is not all. Time never
intermits his work. Year after year robs these bodies
of some portion of their beauty or energy, and takes
from these spirits some sensible evidence of their undying power. It is impossible to contemplate these
changes without emotion. They touch us so nearly,
and they speak to us so eloquently of that other and
final change which awaits us, that, while we ponder
them, we confess how inadequate is all human philosophy to teach us the duty of submission. Amid these
affecting memorials of decay-these mute prophecies
of our end,-we need to be comforted by hopes and
promises which take hold upon immortality. Christianity offers to us the sublimest solace. It assures us
that the changeful and troubled aspects of human life
are designed for our everlasting good; and that this
season of trial, so necessary for the discipline of moral
character, will prepare every sincere follower of Jesus
Christ for the rest and the happiness of heaven.
In closing this imperfect essay, I may be allowed to
advert to the consolation which Christianity imparts
to those who instinctively seek much of their happi.
ness in the loftiest regions of intellectual and spiritual
contemplation. It is the destiny —in some sort, the
sad destiny, of minds of this high order, to live somewhat remote from the sympathies of the beings around
them. They are accustomed to dwell, with consecrated
enthusiasm, upon the varied forms of material and moral
beauty; to study, in the spirit of a devout philosophy,
the sublime relations which the truths of Christianity
sustain towards individual and social man; to look
upon this earth with the eye of a pilgrim and a
stranger, and towards heaven with somewhat of




RELIGIOUS THOUGHTS.              449
yearning for its purity and its repose. Although
they may walk, with unfaltering step, the round of
common occupation, and delight to recognize, in the
humblest man living, the moral image of Christ, yet
so elevated are their intellectual tastes, so enlarged
their spiritual apprehensions, and so triumphant their
faith, that they find imperfect communion even among
the multitudes of the pious who surround them.  To
all who, in the midst of society, are thus lonely, Christianity administers abundant consolations.  It familiarizes to their minds means of activity and enjoyment,
which the many are either unable to seek, or are
prone to neglect; it utters a response to their deeper
sympathies; it invites them  to a yet deeper study of
the economy of nature and of grace, and to yet nobler
contemplations of duty and of truth.
RELIGIOUS  THOUGHTS.
WRITTEN JANUARY 1, 1833.
" WIAT effect should a contemplation of Man as he was before the fall, and
Man as he is now, have upon our hearts and purposes?"
PROFOUND mystery seems to be an element in the
constitution of the physical and moral economies
which God has established.  In discovering and applying the laws which regulate the material Universe,
57




450     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
Science has put forth her noblest efforts, and achieved
her sublimest triumphs. But, after all her efforts, and
amid all her triumphs, how often is she compelled to
the humbling confession, that every where around are
to be observed some subtlety of organization, some
complexity of contrivance, or some combination of
occult power, which admonishes man of his limited
faculties, and impresses upon him the lesson of diffi.
dent conjecture, or of mute adoration. If there be
mystery in the Universe of Matter, is, it strange that
there should be mystery in the Universe of Mind   If
finite beings are unable to comprehend the perpetual
miracle of benevolence and of power which Creation
every where presents, is it strange that they should
find much to humble the pride of human reason, when
they seek to understand that nobler economy which
involves the relations between God and Man, and
which perhaps embraces, in some mode of application
unknown to us, those more exalted intelligences who
delight to yield Him the homage of sinless obedience
and of perfect love? Let not these remarks be misunderstood. Mystery does not pervade the constitution of things —it is relative to the faculties of created
beings-and is among the most significant characteristics of the existence and attributes of that Almighty
Being, whom none can find out to perfection. Mystery never shrouds the path of duty and of happiness. It may veil the throne of the Eternal, but never
does it cloud the prospect of the penitent who, in devout humility, "looks backward upon the Cross and
forward upon the Crown."  God is a mystery-Creation is a mystery-the fall of Man is a mystery-his
redemption, through Jesus Christ, is a mystery. But




RELIGIOUS THOUGHTS.           451
the relation which we sustain to God and to the successive wonders of his Providence and Grace, is no
mystery. This relation the Bible has rendered intelligible to all, and has invested it with solemnities
which should make themselves felt by all. Ah! who
can sever the ties by which God has bound us? Who
can change the conditions of being and of happiness,
which he has established? Who can alter the terms
upon which alone he has condescended to pardon and
to save us?
After this perhaps unwarrantable excursion from the
true limits of the question proposed, let us now, briefly,
inquire what was the condition of Man before the
fall. In this inquiry, Revelation is the only safe guide.
We are told, that God created Man, in his own image.
These words must be understood to import a moral
likeness, since the supposition of corporeal resemblance is excluded by the fact that God exists independently of the elements and forms of matter. Before the fall, the moral character of Man was in uni.
son with that of the Deity. In the exercise of holy
affections, he must have been happy.  But disobedience to the commands of God introduced disorder
into his affections, and filled the earth with the fruits
of wickedness and of woe. Inheritors of a depraved
nature, and defiled by innumerable transgressions, how
incompetent are we to form a true conception of the
condition of Man before the fall?  Surveying the
goodly frame of material things which had sprung
fresh from his plastic hand, the Creator pronounced
that it was " very good."  If he, with whom dwell the
archetypes of all perfection, thus gave utterance to the
language of complacency, what must have been the




452      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
rapture of the beings whom he created, when they
looked abroad upon Creation, and beheld it in its
primeval loveliness and beauty!
That Man is now in a fallen state-that he prefers
evil to good-and that he needs a moral renovation,
which, unassisted, he has no power to accomplish, are
facts which we are content to rest upon the authority
of Revelation, and upon the testimony of individual
consciousness and uniform  experience.  These are
themes of most affecting import to every human being. The contemplation of Man, before he lost the
likeness and forfeited the favor of his Creator, and of
Man as he now is, enslaved by the power and obnoxious to the penalties of sin, should lead us, with humble gratitude, to receive the provisions of the Gospel,
so exactly adapted to exalt us to more than primeval
felicity and glory. How free are its offers of mercy!
how simple, and yet how efficacious, are the means of
moral renovation which it provides! With what fearful solemnity, does it address itself to impenitent transgressors!-with what touching pathos, does it speak
to those who are "truly sorry for their sins!"  To
men of every range of capacity, and variety of condition, and peculiarity of trial, Christianity offers its
quickening influences-its infallible directions-its exhaustless consolations-and its immortal hopes. Could
the intimacies of individual experience be revealed,
what a tale would they tell of the vanity and wretchedness of hearts, which, amid outward demonstrations
of cheerfulness or of repose, are sinking into despair,
or are breaking with anguish! Ah! who can take
gauge and dimensions of Man's capacity to suffer?
Ah! who can tell how multiplied and how profound




RELIGIOUS THOUGHTS.           453
are the sources of his sufferings? Many hide, in the
solitude of their own bosoms, inquietudes and sorrows,
which, though never permitted to cloud the brow with
more than transient sadness, are daily exhausting the
fountains of life and of happiness.
All need the blessings proffered in the Gospel, for
none are without sin-and none are exempt from the
visitations of sorrow. Why then should any neglect
the great work of salvation? Revelation is full of
the language of admonition and entreaty.  "Ho!
every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters"was the sublime invitation of rapt Isaiah, the evangelical prophet who saw, afar off, the light that was to
arise upon the nations. " Come unto me, all ye that
are weary and are heavy laden-and I WILL GIVE YOU
REST." Thus spoke the Saviour of the World, blending the gentlest accents which could flow from the lips
-of the Man of Sorrows, with the majestic declaration
of a power which can belong only to God.
How eloquently do the events of Providence enforce the exhortations of Scripture! The departed
year speaks to us, in tones of warning and of rebuke!
Let it not speak in vain! The fresh graves which are
around us send forth, for our good, the voice of solemn
remonstrance and unearthly supplication! They admonish us of the certainty of death and of the retributions of eternity. They implore us to seek for that
holiness, without which no man can see the Lord, and
which will prepare us for communion with the unfallen and the redeemed spirits, whose high employ is the
ascription of Salvation, and Glory, and Honor, and
Power, to Him who sitteth upon the throne and to the
Lamb, forever and ever.




454      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
THE LOSS OF THE LEXINGTON.
PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 5, 1840.
IN reverting to this theme of harrowing pathos, we
have no design to agitate, afresh, hearts which, exhausted by agony, are now sinking into the calm of a
profound sorrow. We would not, if we could, paint
the condensed horrors of that night, in which -so many
precious ties were severed-so many purposes broken
off-so many vernal hopes blighted forever! Still less
would we approach, with the language of hackneyed
consolation, those whom this calamity hath smitten;
who, amid the manifestations of a pervading sympathy, feel how imperfect a solace is all human sympathy, and how hard it is to pass on in life, without the
friends who gave to life its selectest charms. While,
however, the sensibilities of the public mind are still
alive to the fate of the Lexington, we shall not be
deemed obtrusive in offering to the consideration of
our readers, a few remarks of a somewhat mixed character, suggested by an occasion without a parallel in
the history of this community.
I. No time should be lost, and no effort should be
spared to multiply, by every practicable means, the
securities of human life, so far as their securities may
be affected by the construction and the discipline of
steamboats. The annual waste of life in this country,




THE LOSS OF THE LEXINGTON.         455
in consequence of the various accidents to which these
boats are exposed, is so fearfully great as to demand
the most effective legislative interposition. No legislative interposition, which should be in advance of a
sound public opinion, would accomplish the object.
In this matter, the public, however they may seek to
escape the responsibility, are grievously in fault.
Every body now insists upon travelling with the
speed of a courier; and, as might be shown by various examples, when speed is concerned, the value of
life and limb is comparatively disregarded.  Again,
most travellers study economy, rather than comfort or
even safety. Under ordinary circumstances, a cheap
boat is sure to command the preference even of the
rich; although, generally speaking, a cheap boat is
neither comfortable nor safe. It may be well, therefore, for the public to withhold some portion of that
indignation which they seem disposed to lavish upon
the proprietors of boats, whenever fatal accidents
occur; and to consider, whether the blame imputed to
others ought not at least to be shared by themselves.
It may be well for the public, when they exact expensive accommodations in travelling, and when they
demand all sorts of provisions for the safety of their
lives, to inquire, whether adequate arrangements for
their comfort and safety can be made, unless they will
consent to pay for them.
II. The facilities for travelling in this country have
become so great, that multitudes, whose duty 6ught to
detain them at home, are tempted to seek, abroad, that
excitement which they cannot find in the quiet performance of duty.  This morbid appetite for locomotion
grows by what it feeds on; and, for various reasons, it




4 5 6   WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
ought not to be fostered. It is hostile to the virtues
and happiness of domestic life. It cultivates tastes
and habits which sophisticate the character. It mars
the repose and it disturbs the arrangements of a well
ordered home. Is it too much to hope that the calamity
which has covered so many communities with mourning, will help to reduce this exorbitant love of locomotion within the limits of reason and conscience?
III. Before taking our leave of this topic of sad
contemplation, we cannot withhold, even at the risk
of being thought common-place, one or two reflections
which address themselves more especially to the nature
of man, as a moral and responsible being. The sudden and indiscriminate destruction of so many lives,
under circumstances too- of peculiar aggravation, is
liable to betray unreflecting minds into pairful doubts
concerning the benevolence and wisdom of that Almighty Being who thus afflicts the children of men.
Aside fiom the clear and most consolatory declarations of the Bible, all such doubts may be met by a
simple reference to the ignorance of man, and to the
perfections of God as illustrated in the works of Nature,
and in the ordinary dispensations of His providence.
Mystery, it should be recollected, is relative only to the
capacity of finite beings. Would it not be strange if
in the twilight of our existence, we could comprehend
the counsels of that Being who dwelleth in light which
no man can approach unto? We behold, every where,
around us and within us, signatures of His mercy. It
becomes us, therefore, when " God moves in a mIysterious way," instead of presumptuously questioning His
goodness, to revere His majesty, to supplicate His favor,
to resign ourselves to His righteous disposal.




THE LOSS OF THE LEXINGTON.        457
IV. The fate of the Lexington is worth a thousand
homilies on the brevity and precarious tenure of
human life. She left New York, with one hundred and
fifty souls on board-comprising the variety of condition and of character usually found in steamers which
convey passengers on our main routes. Early in the
evening, they all sat down, with unclouded spirits, to
partake, ah! it was for the last time! the provisions
of a social repast. In less than two hours afterwards,
nearly every one of this joyous and expectant throng
had passed into eternity! The elevated and the humble; the timid woman and the confiding child; the
young man buoyant with hope, and the man of riper
years, chastened by experience; the sailor, hardened
by the toils of maritime life, and just returning from
pestilent climes; the hero of the sock, who had exhilarated multitudes by his mimic art, and the gifted
preacher, who had been wont to reason of righteousness, temperance and judgment to come, were collpanions in that hour of mortal agony, and all passed
together, and in an instant of time, from the scenes of
probation to the awards of immortality! What exhortation can be so eloquent as these simple facts.
How powerfully do they urge upon all the duty of
habitual preparation for that event which no man can
escape, and which no man can know to be distant!
With what unearthly emphasis, do they admonish us
to neglect no warning; to abuse no privilege; to refuse no aids, by which God graciously seeks to renovate and to save us! How do they rebuke the folly
which postpones, from year to year the work of repentance, forgetful that the day of life is short, and
that the day of grace may be much shorter! The
58




458     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
voices of the unburied dead seem to be lifted up to
warn us to do with our might whatsoever our hands
may find to do, since there is no work, nor device, nor
knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave.
MIR. DANA'S LECTURES.
PUBLISHED MARCH 19, 1841.
Mn. DANA will deliver his Third Lecture, THIS EVENING, in Franklin Hall, commencing precisely at halfpast seven o'clock. Of this Lecture " Woman" is the
theme; and many, I doubt not, will be curious to
know what views a man like Mr. Dana will take of
her character, influence, duties and destiny. Especially
eager may this curiosity be supposed at the present
time, when numbers of our countrywomen seem disposed to dart from their sphere of homebred affections and unobtrusive but dignified action, into that
arena heretofore reserved for the ruder passions, the
sturdier frames, and the less sensitive natures of men.
What Mr. Dana will say about "Woman," I pretend
not to conjecture, much more readily would I venture
to predict what he will NOT say. The language of
tiresome commonplace, and of vapid and effete sentimentality, he never utters; and greatly will those be




MR. DANA'S LECTURES.          459
disappointed who expect from him, this evening, any
of those stereotyped extravagancies,-those comipliments of phrase and of insinuation-which are a part
of the stock in trade of hackney lecturers. None of
these things need be expected from a gentleman and a
scholar who aims, not so much to captivate his bearers,
as to leave upon their minds some stronger impression
of the beautiful, the good, and the true.
At this early stage in Mr. Dana's course, he having
delivered only two of his eight Lectures, allow me,
Mr. Editor, to remind all who have not heard him,
that they will wrong themselves, if they miss this opportunity, perchance the last, of listening to the teachings, eloquent and deeply wise, of a man who has held
high converse with Nature, with books, and with
man; who has not, like the multitude, lived so much
abroad as to be a stranger to himself; and who,
though he has scaled many a height, and sounded
many depths, is full of humility and awe in approaching themes placed beyond the limit of finite powers.
For one, I am most grateful to Mr. Dana, not only
for his profound, and graceful, and devout philosophy,
but for the beautiful and undefiled English in which
he addresses his audience. So weary have I become of
the fashionable corruptions of our mother tongue, so
highly do I prize the expressiveness, and beauty, and
vigor of the unadulterated Saxon, that I catch, with
all the enthusiasm of a purist, those words and idioms,
however familiar and homely they may seem to the
taste of the day, which poets and philosophers of the
elder time were wont to use, and which, I trust, are
destined, never to give place to finical novelties, and
to feeble elegance.




460     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
WASHINGTON'S BIRTH-DAY.
PUBLISHED FEBRUARY 22, 1843.
Tins is the BIRTH-DAY OF GEORGE WASHINGTON,
the Father of his Country-and the truest model of a
Christian Statesman and Warrior, which the world
hath yet seen. Other nations and distant ages may
have been signalized by men whom splendid talents,
or vast ambition, or magnificent achievements have
rendered illustrious; but it was reserved for this people and for modern times, to witness the majestic character and to rejoice in the matchless glory of Washington. In no other stage of social progress, could
such a being have found an appropriate sphere of action. In no other stage of social progress, could such
a being have planted himself deep in the hearts of
millions upon millions of his race. To the joint influences of christianity and of freedom, may rightfully
be traced that rare combination of moral and intellectual qualities which was to be found in the character
of Washington. Well may the eloquent Alison exclaim, "modern history has not so spotless a character
to commemorate!"  Look where we may, and we
shall look in vain for a nobler development of the attributes of wisdom, patriotism, courage, and truthcombined with admirable harmony, and carried out
into action with that tranquil energy which, in im



THANKSGIVING.              461
agination, we are prone to ascribe to higher orders of
being.  War may come upon us with its blasting
evils; and, in spite of the counsels of that Farewell
Address, "to which," says Mr. Alison, "there is no
composition of uninspired wisdom which can bear a
comparison," faction may "rend and deracinate the
unity and married calm " of these States, but neither
war nor faction can ever blight the fame of Washing.
ton —or rob temperate freedom of his precious counsels-or diminish aught of his titles to the imperishable gratitude and veneration of his countrymen.
THE DAY.
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 24, 1842.
THIS is THANKSGIVING DAY! Who does not welcome it as among the most interesting of the anniversaries, whether festive or solemn, which come to impart a grateful vicissitude to life in staid yet happy
New England? What day in all the year recalls so
many memories which have power to touch the heart!
What day in all the year summons the young to scenes
more innocently gay! What day in all the year
spreads over age, made thoughtful by the experiences
of life, the light of a more mellowed joy! Around
how many parental hearths, will this day be gathered




462      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
children and friends whom distance may have severed;
children who may have left, but who can ne'er forget,
the old family mansion; friends who, as the years
pass on, lean upon one another with a more unfaltering trust, and a more concentrated affection! Here
and there, alas! the scene will be aught but gay; for
over it will hang the clouds of some recent sorrowsad memories of those who were and are not, and yet
sadder thoughts of those, who, reckless of their duties
and their destinies, have surrendered themselves to
folly and to sin. Such, however, is life; and, by way
of consolation, it may not be amiss to reflect that life,
without shadows, though it would have more of unthinking joy, would hardly win the distinction of consistent,
and patient, and elevated virtue —that, after all, it is
by the trials of earth, men'are made ripe for the happiness of heaven.
Never are we, as men, as citizens, and as Christians,
without abundant reasons for rendering to the giver of
every good and perfect gift, the tribute of devout and
grateful hearts. Specially, however, does it become us as
American citizens, and, more than all, as Rhode Island
men, this day, to enter the gates of the Lord with
thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. During the
year which has passed, health and plenty have, in a
degree rarely exampled, prevailed throughout our
widely extended borders; the fearful dangers of foreign war have been averted; and the ties of friendly
intercourse have been cemented between our republic
and that nation from which we have borrowed the
noblest lessons of freedom, and whose interests and
fame can hardly be severed from our own. The great
measure of conciliation and peace to which reference is




THANKSGIVING.              463
here made, was effected, thanks to the wisdom which
guided the counsels of both nations, in a spirit most
auspicious to the stability of peace between both nations. It left the honor of each unsullied; it left the
essential interests of each uninjured. When the multiform  evils of war are considered-especially the
evils which a war with the most powerful nation in
the world, would inevitably entail upon our country,
it would not be easy to overstate the reasons which,
in this matter, commend to our hearts and minds the
duty of rendering the tribute of devout thanksgiving
and praise unto Him who guides the destinies of
nations.
A review of the internal condition of our country
during the past year, leaves us much for which to be
grateful, in the midst of much which we are constrained to regret and to blame.  Notwithstanding
severe financial embarrassments, affecting the credit of
the government, and, in many cases, prostrating the
fortunes of individuals-notwithstanding strife in our
public counsels, and the exasperation and delusions of
party among the people-notwithstanding the depression of many branches of business, and the ruin which
has overtaken multitudes of our fellow citizens, yet,
after all, we are a happy people, enjoying privileges,
civil and religious, enjoyed in no other land protected by equal laws living in the midst of boundless plenty-each man at liberty to go whithersoever
he willeth-each man born with a perfect right to
better his own condition as he may, so long as he does
not trespass upon the "equal rights" of his neighbor
to better his condition as he may. Here, the appalling
social inequality of England is entirely unknown.




464     WViRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
HIere, no man is born to an heritage of poverty, and
obscurity, and wretchedness. Here, in an extraordinary degree, every man's destiny is in his own hands.
If he belong to the only aristocracy known to our
land,-the great aristocracy of labor,-and if he exercise the necessary frugality, he will seldom mniss of
obtaining that independence which all ought to seek.
He may come to possess that opulence for which so
many strive; but which, if its responsibilities were
better understood, few would be found to envy.
What Rhode Island man, who looks back upon the
eventful history of the past year, will neglect to perform the appropriate duties of this day? 5What true
son of Rhode Island does not repose, with delight,
upon the moral grandeur of the strife for the preservation of law and order, in which we have been engaged; and who will refuse to be grateful to Almighty
God, for the unshrinking firmness with which that
strife was maintained, and for the moral honors with
which it has been crowned?  In the midst of peace,
and freedom, and plenty,-the unchastened ambition
and the morbid vanity of a single man, sought gratification, in stimulating the passions and in deluding
the understandings of men more honest but less informed than himself. Aided by a few confederates in
this wicked work, he lent all the powers of a mind
fertile in expedients for mischief, in persuading a certain portion of our fellow citizens that they were not
freemen but slaves-and that the oppressions wl;ich
they were suffering were so intolerable as to demand
the exercise of the extreme right of Revolution. By
ingenious perversions and misapplications of admitted
truths-and by continued appeals to the worst pas



THANKSGIVING.                   465
sions of those whom he sought to betray, he lashed
his followers into a frantic aggression upon those great
conservative principles of individual and social right,
without which democracy has no protection against
unbridled licentiousness, its natural and its most formidable antagonist. We all know how he and his
followers were met, and how they were foiled. Fresh
in every mind is the recollection of the perils which
we encountered, and deep in every bosom should be
fixed the sentiment of religious gratitude, that those
perils were encountered by men who were resolved to
hazard all to preserve from  violation the "sovereign
law, the state's collected will."
"0  ever thus, dear land of ours,
Be nurse of steadfast men!
So, firmer far than hills and towers,
Or rocky pass and glen!
For peace alone, to dare the fight;
The soldier for the laws;
Thine anchor fast in Heavenly might,
Thy hope, an holy cause."
59




466     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
THANKSGIVING
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 30, 1813.
How many thousands, throughout our loved New
England, will welcome the return of this interesting
anniversary! At the close of the season of Autumn,
after the harvest has been gathered into our barns, and
before the gloom of a northern winter has begun to
touch our spirits to saddening issues, we are invited,
by our civil magistrates, to withdraw one day from
the wearisome toils, and the consuming anxieties, and
the feverish pleasures of common life, and to dedicate
it to the purpose of devout Thanksgiving to Almighty
God, for his bounteous providence and for his protecting care. In all this, who does not perceive a beautiful propriety, which commends itself to the intellect
and the heart? What can be more appropriate than
for dependent beings to confess their manifold obligations to the God who created and who sustains them!
Specially incumbent is this duty upon beings, who
must feel that they are not only dependent but guilty
-that they are prone, in the midst of blessings, to
forget the giver-that they perversely abuse the high
faculties with which they are endowed-that they
madly peril the glorious inheritance of immortality
upon the fashion of a world which passeth away!
Under what different phases does Thanksgiving
Day present itself to different minds! The young




THANKSGIVING.              467
hail it as a season of innocent festivity and of grateful exemption from the tasks of the school room.
Those of riper years, who begin to look pensively
upon the slanting shadows, are less alive to the joys
which move so strongly the spirits of the young, in
whom experience has hardly began to extinguish hope.
The aged welcome, with sober joy, this day as sacred
to devout thanksgiving and to fireside affections.
They delight to gather around them the children of
their love, and to enliven their spirits, over which
many sad experiences have cast their shadows, by a
transient sympathy with the buoyant hopes, and a
gentle toleration of the airy frolics, of the young.
Life in New England is felt to be sufficiently prosaic. Our wretched system of politics, and our almost exclusive devotion to the ordinary pursuits of
business, seem to leave no time or chance for the cultivation of the varied sensibilities, intellectual and
moral, with which we are endowed. The useful-and
not the beautiful-the substantial and not the graceful in thought, sentiment and character —the labors
and not the poetry of life, form, perhaps in consequence of the inevitable conditions of society among
us, the paramount object of concern. They go to constitute the pervading influences which operate upon
character and happiness in New England. They fetter our spirits; they chain us down to a dull, nay, almost servile pursuit of that which gives neither buoyancy, nor vigor, to the immortal mind. They defraud
our tastes, imaginations, and affections of their true
nourishment. They leave upon our habits the impress of a dull, mechanical sobriety, and they render
our manners coldly correct, it may be, but singularly




468      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
destitute of grace, spirit, and variety. If these things
be so, if we here present no exaggerated or false estimates of life in New England, we can readily see
how, aside from its more distinctive religious duties
and associations, TiIS DAY will be hailed by some for
the collateral blessings which it brings in its trainfor the element of poetry which it infuses into our
pursuits and enjoyments; for the appeal which it
makes in behalf of genuine instincts, and gracious
sympathies, and beautiful affections-for the memories
of the loved and lost which it revives in our hearts;
for the spirit of cheerful trust in God, and of devout
submission to his righteous disposal, which it is fitted
to cultivate; and, last of all, for its power to beget, in
some humble manner, that sentiment of profound
adoration and fearful praise-now uttered by mortal
lips in the outer courts of the sanctuary-but destined,
hereafter, to kindle with seraphic ardor the breasts of
the just made perfect, and to wake to rapture the song
of the redeemed within the inner temple of the Lord!




THANKSGIVING.              469
THANKSGIVING.
RESOLUTIONS OFFERED IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
PUBLISHED NOVEMBER 27, 1845.
WHIEREAS, at this season, when the fruits of the
earth are gathered in, and the labors of the husbandman are closed, it hath long been the custom of the
good people of this State, upon the recommendation
of the civil Power, to gather together for the purposes of devout thanksgiving and prayer to Almighty
God; —therefore, to the end that this annual festival,
hallowed as it is by the associations of piety, and by
the genial sympathies and affections of a New England
fireside, may be commemorated with meet solemnity,
Resolved, That Thursday, the 27th day of November,
be set apart as a day of devout Thanksgiving and
Prayer to Almighty God, for those temporal mercies
without number which he hath bestowed upon us his
sinful and dependent creatures, and for those blessed
hopes of immortal life beyond the grave which he
hath been pleased to reveal to us in the Gospel of his
Son our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Resolved, That it be recommended to the good people of this State, that, laying aside, on that day, the
labors of common life, and abstaining from all tumultuous recreations, they assemble themselves together in
their respective houses of public worship, to offer the
homage of grateful hearts to Almighty God, for the




470     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
rich and undeserved blessings of his Providence, during the year which is past; for the goodly heritage
which he hath given us; for the peace which he has
caused to dwell within our borders; for the plenty
with which he has crowned our garners; for the lives
which he has spared in health; for all those means of
moral, intellectual and religious culture which he has
spread around us; for continuing to us the benefits of
equal laws and of constitutional freedom; and for the
yet dearer privilege to worship Him according to the
dictates of our consciences, and, in dependence upon
His grace, to fit ourselves for the services and joys of
the immortal life:
And while, in solemn assembly, thus offering to
Almighty God the tribute of thanksgiving and praise,
humbly to beseech Him to continue unto us and to our
children the blessings, temporal and.spiritual, which
we and our fathers have received at his hand; to smile
upon the efforts now making in this State to extend
the means of popular education; to avert from this
State and from this whole land the evils, political and
social, which hitherto have proved fatal to free governments; to restrain the madness of party spirit throughout this nation; to heal the wounds which social
strifes may have caused; to endow rulers with wisdom, and to fill the people with the love of righteousness and with the spirit of truth; and, finally, with
deep self-abasement, to entreat our Heavenly Father
that he would pardon our manifold sins; that he
would " lead us into his truth, and enable us to love
and fear him, and diligently to live after his commandments."




JOSEPH JOHN GURNEY.           471
JOSEPH JOHN GURNEY.
PUBLISHED IN 1839.
THIS gentleman expects to embark, within a few
days, for his native land. In leaving our shores, probably forever, he carries with him the kind wishes, not
only of the thousands who have listened to his public discourses, but of that more limited number, who,
without reference to their sectarian attachments, have
been permitted to enjoy the converse of his more familiar hours.
Mr. GURNEY is an eminent banker, residing in Norwich, England.  He is likewise a distinguished minister of the Society of Friends, and an author whose
various religious works exhibit sound doctrine, conveyed in a cultivated style, and illustrated by extensive and critical learning. In this connexion, it may
not be uninteresting to add that he is a brother to
Elizabeth Fry, that marvel of modest and yet intrepid
Christian philanthropy, who has travelled over Europe,
not to survey its miracles of art, but " to dive into
the depths of dungeons," that perchance she might
win those who inhabit them to hopes of penitence and
peace. Mr. Gurney was liberally educated at Oxford,
although, owing to his being a Dissenter, he could not
become a regular member of the University.
It is now about three years since, he left his home, on
a visit to this country, bearing with him most satisfac



472     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
tory certificates of approbation from the religious connexion of which he is a member, and whose doctrines
and discipline he is so well fitted to explain. Within
that period, not only has he visited every section of
our widely extended country, but he has sojourned
both in Upper and Lower Canada, and passed several
months in the West Indies. Everywhere has he been
received with cordiality and treated with respect. In
some of our most spacious and beautiful temples of
Christian worship he has proclaimed, again and again
to crowded audiences, the unsearchable riches of
Christ. How hath persecution put aside its bitter
spirit and its cruel penalties! It is not two centuries,
since George Fox, the founder of the Society of Friends,
was imprisoned in Nottingham jail for attempting to
make proselytes to his novel opinions! It is not two
centuries, since, even in this land, Friends were subjected to stripes, to imprisonment and to death! How
refreshing the contrast now exhibited. A follower of
George Fox now comes among us. He meets from all
sects the welcome which is due to a Christian gentleman;-all sects listen to him as to a Preacher of the
common salvation!
While in the West Indies, Mr. Gurney enjoyed the
most ample opportunities of witnessing the effect of
emancipation, concerning which we have been perplexed with such widely varying statements. He is
satisfied that the experiment, wherever it has been
fairly made, has been prodigal of blessings to both
races; that it has enhanced the value of property;
elevated the standard of social morals; and introduced thousands to the rational enjoyments of freedom, and to the blessed hopes of Christianity. His




BROWN UNIVERSITY.           473
views on this subject, it is believed, have already.been
given to the public.
Whether or not Mr. Gurney means, on his-return,
to write a book, descriptive of men and manners in
America, is not known. We are not, however, without hope, that he will, in due time, give to the world
the results of his candid and intelligent observations.
We know him to be a ripe scholar, a man of most
gentlemanly manners, tastes and associations, and an
earnest and enlightened Christian. From such a man
we have to apprehend neither calumny nor caricature.
He surveyed our country and her institutions from
positions which are denied to hackney tourists; and
his opinions of both, I doubt not, would be marked
with that philosophic spirit, which belongs to benevolence and to truth.
TO THE ALUMNI OF BROWN UNIVERSITY.
WVRITTEN JANUARY 1, 1833.
GENTLEMIEN:-A respectable meeting of your number, held in this city, on the day after the last annual
Commencement, appointed the undersigned a Committee to address you in behalf of BIROwN UNIVIERSITY.
Having been established for nearly three quarters of a
century, this Institution is now becoming venerable
60




474     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
for its antiquity.  During this long interval, while
kindred Institutions have again and again appealed to
the public for pecuniary aid, Brown University has
asked of 7he fiiends no other token of interest in her
welfare, than their good will, their sympathies, and
their prayers. She has now reached an interesting
crisis in her history. In the Providence of God, she
is challenged to a nobler enterprise in THIE CAUSE OF
LIBERAL EDUCATION-an enterprise which demands
that, discarding all fastidious repugnance to solicitation, she should invoke to her aid the sons whom she
has nurtured in her bosom, and sent abroad to adorn
and to bless society.
With the plans now in progress for the benefit of
the University, we presume that you are not unacquainted.  A munificent individual has engaged to
erect, at his own expense, another edifice, to be appropriated to the purposes of a Chapel, Library, Philosophical Hall, &c. A distinguished architect has been
consulted, respecting the plan of this edifice, and its
site has been markled out. We confidently anticipate
that, before the next Commencement, the eye of Taste
will repose upon a structure, which, shall signify that,
even in this age of'qtilita-vianism, there are those who
do not lightly prize the beauties of Art, and the dignity of Learning.
Under the sanction of the Corporation, a subscription has been commenced, for the purpose of raising a
PERMANENT FUND OF TWENTY-FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS
-" of which the INTEREST shall be, from time to time,
appropriated exclusively to the purchase of books for
the Library, and of apparatus for the Philosophical
and Chemical Departments of Brown University."  Of




BROvN JUNIVERSITY.           475
the sum proposed to be raised, nearly TWELVE T11OUSAND DOLLARS have been subscribed-TEN THOUSAND
DOLLARS having been pledged by the individual to
whose liberality we have already adverted. The terms
of the subscription require, that the amount subscribed
by each individual, shall be paid, in equal portions, at
three annual installments.
By a vigorous and systematic effort, the remainder
of the contemplated fund can, it is believed, be raised
before the next annual Commencement.  Such an
effort is now to be made. To insure its success, we earnestly and respectfully solicit your co-operation. We
deem too well of your understandings, to attempt an
argument in behalf of those objects twhich it is our
purpose simply to commend to your generous regards.
Many of you have tasted freely of the delights of
elegant Literature, and need not be told how pure and
varied are the relishes which they impart. To the
value of Science, none of you can be strangers. It were
perhaps superfluous to remind you of her marvellous
achievements, in converting to the service of man the
most refractory elements in nature,' and in improving,
by the multiplied application of her principles, the
social condition of the human race.
To enable this University to contribute her cortingent to the great fund of scientific knowledge and literary improvement, she must be provided with a
Library and other means of instruction, corresponding,
in some sort, to the character and wants of a University. If the standard of academical and professional
education in this country require to be elevated, the
object cannot be accomplished, unless our higher
schools of learning be amply provided with the means




476      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
of exact and radical teaching in the several departments of science. To furnish these means to the extent required, the ordinary revenues of our collegiate
institutions, are wholly inadequate.  Hence the necessity of resorting, for pecuniary aid, in sonle cases, to
legislative bodies; in others, to those individuals who
esteem it a privilege to second every effort to diffuse
the elements of science, and to cultivate a taste for
letters. To individual munificence, some of our most
ancient and distinguished literary institutions have,
within a few years, appealed, with signal success. In
somne instances, by a spontaneous movement among
their alumni, they have obtained a sum much larger
than the whole amount of the proposed subscription
for Brown Unliversity.  Stimulated by such examples,
/e;' alumni, it is confidently believed, will be prompt
to engage in the noble enterprise, in which they are
invited to co-operate, and which it remains with them
to prosecute to a successful issue.
In the prosperous condition of Brown University, is
to be found an additional incentive to exertion on the
part of its friends.' Since the last Commencement, not
less than fifty pupils have been admitted, increasing
the  whole nunmber to about one hundred and thirty.
Another Professor and another Tutor have been added
to the corps of instructors, which now consists of four
Professors and three Tutors, in addition to the President, who performs the duties of a Professor. Important improveiments have been made in the course of
study, with a view  to render it more popular and
practical, without, however, abating its just claims to
be considered scientific and thorough.
In conclusion, we appeal to past recollections and to




BROWN UNIVERSITY.            477
future hopes. Not less than one t/housa)cd of the alumni
of Brown University, are supposed to be still living.
Of this number, some can well remember, how they
hung' upon the lips of the accomplished MANNING, to
catch the instructions of Science and the lessons of
Piety. Fresh in the memory of others, are the face
and the accents of the eloquent MIAXCY, when his
imagination revelled amid images of classical beauty,
or his intellect found a congenial element amid the
solemnities of moral truth.  While indulging these
reminiscences of the venerated dead, we are reminded
of the tribute due to living worth.  MANNING and
MAXCY, the first two Presidents of Brown University,
together with perhaps the greater number of their
pupils, have passed to the awards of immortality.
But there yet live hundreds of you who remember,
with pleasure, HIeM  who, in the order of Providence,
was called to succeed the — who presided over the
University, for nearly a quarter of a century, and who
must be intimately associated with the recollections of
your happiest years. Let us hope that those of you,
who look back upon the past, with sentiments of
grateful veneration, and forward upon the future, with
a strong and exhilarating hope, will come up to the
help of your Alma Mater, at this critical period of her
fortunes.  She asks you for some cheering token of
interest in her welfare. She asks you not to sustain
her in her present position which, unaided, she has
won; but she asks you to enable her'to ADVANCE in
the career of improvement, and, in concert with similar institutions, to spread abroad over this land the
elements of intellectual and moral happiness —the
treasures of LEARINING and the light of TRUTtH.




478       WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
THE VISITANT.*
NO. I.
PUBLISHED IN 1811.
WERE the actions of men directed and governed by
the salutary dictates of calm, deliberate reason, there
would be no occasion to remind them  of the perfornmance of their duty, or to guard them  from the
danger of transgression. They then would pursue
the even tenor of their way, uncontaminated by the
allurements of the world, undisturbed by the violence
of passion; and the follies which expose to contempt,
and the crimes which subject to remorse, would be
forever exiled from  their pure and tranquil bosoms.
As the passions were implanted in our nature not to
control, but to be regulated by reason, they should
hold a subordinate station in the government and
guidance of our conduct. But since that pure ethereal principle which was bestowed to serve both as the
guide and controller of our actions, and to be a shining mark of the superiority of our nature, is frequently
extinguished by the ebullitions of ungovernable passion, necessity demands, and expediency requires, that
* Mr. Goddard was seventeen years of age only when he wrote the VISITANT, and was also a member of the Senior Class of Brown University. We
have made a few selections from these essays in the hope that some persons
may be interested in reading specimens of his literary productions while yet a
boy. —Ed.




EARL-Y ESSAYS.              479
this predominating imperfection should be counteracted by repeated and impressive lessons, enjoining the
discharge of the respective duties we owe to ourselves,
our fellow creatures, and our GOD. We should be impressed not only with the danger of transgressing our
duties, but with the criminality of neglecting to perform them.  Vice should be thoroughly anatomized,
and pursued through all its different ramifications, that
it may be exhibited, without a dissembling guise to
conceal its nakedness, andairtue should be painted in
the true and glowing colors of its own native loveliness. While the Messengers of Truth, from their consecrated desks, enforce the observance of the precepts
of Religion, and exhibit to the good and virtuous " the
bow of promise," and wrest from the vicious and impenitent the very visions of Hope, it shall be my humbler task to animadvert on the minor vices, and ridiculous follies of mankind. It is the peculiar province
of the periodical essayist to embrace the discussion of
all subjects which have a tendency to unfold the native
and unfading beauty of virtue, or expose the hidden
deformity of vice. But, in his attention to the morals,
he should not be unmindful of the manners of the age.
A great portion of the felicities of life are derived
from social intercourse-this intercourse, however, will
no longer be productive of pleasure than while the
manners of men are graduated by the scale of virtue
and decorum. One of the advantages attached to
periodical papers is, that they catch the attention and
interest the feelings of those whose avocations, or
whose indolence, pIrevent their diving into the abstrusities of moral science.  Periodical papers, if they
answer no important moral purpose-if they call not




480      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
from the bacchanalian board the debauchee who wastes
his life, and destroys his reputation, in scenes of midnight revelry, serve to amlluse the vacant hours of the
idle, which, otherwise, might be spent with less pleasure and with less utility. In the present age, when
the good old fashioned ways of our Fathers and
Mothers have given place to the froth and flummery
of modern refinement, and genuine hospitality is superseded by the glare of ostentation-when epithets of
kindness greet our ear without a correspondent sentiment of the heart-when flattery usurps the throne of
sincerity, and "the pale of ceremony is broken, and
rudeness has entered the breach "-then a CENsoR
Moonviur is required to lash, without fear of molestation, folly and vice, under whatever covert they may
be hid, and in whatever garb they may be arrayed.  In
discharging the important duties of the office he has
assumed, nothing but the?hopye of success inspires the
VISITANT with the conjfidlenace to expect it. The papers
of the VISITANT shall never be polluted by 2)erYsonal
reflectiows, or pointed strictures on the conduct of individuals; nor shall any cynical or illiberal opposition
be manifested to established customs and fashions,
when the important interests of morality are not affected by their prevalence; "but the creed of Custom
is not always that of Right; and it is the privilege of
a periodical work, as well as one of its chief uses, to
attack the entrenchments of Fashion, whenever she is
at war with Modesty or Virtue."  I shall not bewilder
myself, or my readers, with the subtleties of metaphysics, nor shall I venture on disquisitions of a theological nature. The former I consider too abstruse,
and the latter too sacred a subject for the pen of a




EARLY ESSAYS.                481
periodical essayist, who aims not at elaborate research
or abstract speculations; but who would make the
morals, manners and follies of the present day, the
subject of his animadversion, and, occasionally, embellish his page with the blossoms of literature.
The opinions we form and the habits we contract in
our early youth, give a cast and coloring to our future
years.  In this tender period of our lives, we are
equally susceptible of receiving the stamp of vice or
the signet of virtue. These lucubrations shall therefore be devoted to the rising generation, the sweet
pliability of whose natures will aid the exertions of
the essayist, in eradicating from their minds the seeds
of error, ere they have taken deep root, and reforming
the improprieties of their conduct, ere they have become incorrigible from habitual commission.
I assure my FAIR READERS that their merits, and failings, if c any they have, shall be candidly and impartially exhibited, and that my sensibility of the former,
shall never blind me to the existence of the latter.  In
me they shall find a real friend, as the virtues they
possess I will praise without reluctance, and the improprieties of which they are guilty, I will censure
without reserve; for
" I would not flatter Neptune for his trident,
Or Jove for his power to thunder."
Having exhibited my plan and introduced myself
in the character of a VISITANT, I bespeak the candor
and await the decision of an impartial public, hoping,
that even if my first appearance should not be prepossessing, I shall be allowed an opportunity of repeating my vIsITS, which if they may be unceremoni61




482     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
ous, shall never be obtrusive; and though they may
weary by their dullness, shall never tire by their prolixity.  If I fail in the execution of my plan, the
purity of my motive will operate as a balmy lenitive
to the wounds of my vanity; for I frankly acknowled ge that praise would flatter, and I covet it-censure
would wound, and I deprecate it.
THE  VISITANT.
NO. II.
PUBLISHE.D IN 1811.
As it is a given point, that the attainment of Distiinction and Fame is attended with an exposition of
many virtues, the selection of the subject cannot be
justly deemed inconsistent with the spirit of my Introduction. I shall confine myself, exclusively, to that
Distinction or Fame, which is obtained by a superiority of talents and acquirements.  The lovers of
science and polite literature have promoted exertion,
and allured from the shades of obscurity almost every
individual who possesses an ordinary share of talents
and classical information. Rewards have been proffered to themn wvith liberality and profuseness, while
their productions have not generally passed the nar



EARLY ESSAYS.              483
row pale of mediocrity. Did prizes and rewards ever
influence the transcendent genius of a Homer, a Milton
or Shakspeare?  Did they produce those beautiful
blossoms from which the -Bee of Goldsmith. extracted
a thousand sweets?  In fine, did they ever induce an
Addison, a Johnson, or a Mlarmontel, to luxuriate on
the lite'rary flowers of various fields, and bear their
mellifluous delicacies to delight the taste of contemporaries and gain the plaudits and admiration of posterity?  The trappings of power and the glitter of
gold never could dazzle the eagle eye or direct the
sturdy genius of a Locke, a Bacon, a Newton, or a
La Place. In fact, prizes, rewards and official honors,
have never given origin to a work which is indelibly
marked with the signet of real genius, or which has
gained the lasting applause and admiration of mankind. No, they have never been the means of bringing a work into public view, which has even passed the
boundaries of humble mediocrity. Such allurements
grate harshly on the refined ear of the favorite of the
tuneful Nine, and rather depress than raise the energies of true merit and independent genius. An illustration of the causes may elucidate the seeming paradox.  The mind must have unlimited freedom, in
order to display its faculties. But when rewards are
the only incentive to mental exertion and literary excellence, doubtfulness of the event, and the stratagems
of rivals, produce a frigid caution and a scrupulous
fear of error, so that the daring aspirations of genius
are repressed, and the hopes of pre-eminent excellence
sadly disappointed. The one that rewards, destroys
the freedom of the mind, by proposing the subject of
discussion. Hence the author must confine himself to




484     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
the opinion of his patron: and hence his mind is unlocked by golden keys, and its emanations are directed
by the will of another. The authority of the person
who holds up the alluring prize, terminates the effusions of a refined fancy. The excursive flight of a
bold imagination and the soaring pinion of genius, are
fastened to the " root of evil," the throne of Mammon.
These are the principal reasons that prizes and rewards
have never been the means of giving publicity to works
which have stood the test of time, the true critic, who
"overthrows the illusions of opinion and establishes
the decisions of nature."
What then has given rise to those productions which
have immortalized their authors, gained the admiration of contemporaries, and excited the universal
plaudits of posterity?  Was it an ardent desire of
Distinction, an invincible love of Fame? It was a
desire of Distinction and a love of Fame. These two
prominent traits in the human character, are the most
conspicuous features in the bright escutcheon of genius.
Emulous of universal approbation, real geniuses have
disregarded every impediment and pecuniary allurement, however formidable or resplendent, and poured
the full effulgence of renovating rays upon an enlightened and enraptured world. Having a tendency to
enliven the imagination and interest the feelings of the
heart, their productions are approbated by all readers
of refined sensibility or a cultivated taste. They
paint the loveliness of virtue in colors that fix and
fascinate the eye, while the energies of the soul are
enlisted on the side of justice and truth. Their naked
pictures of deception and vice suffuse with crimson




'EARLY ESSAYS.                 485
the cheek of the delinquent, and frequently frighten
him from the perpetration of more enormities.
"They hold the mirror up to nature,
To show virtue her own feature, scorn her own image,
And the very age and body of the time
His form and pressure."
This love of Literary Distinction and Fame claims
encouragement, and has the patronage of all friends to
merit and an enlightened community. It is evident
that literary works, produced through their instrumentality, enlarge the capacities of youth, refine the
harsher feelings of moroseness and age, create a spirit
emulous of excellence, and tend to make the heart a
"meet temple for the indwelling" of goodness and
virtue.
THE VISITANT.
NO. III.
PUBLISHED IN 1811.
"ETHEREAL Power! whose smile, at noon of night,
Recalls the far fled spirit of delight;
Instills that musing, melancholy mood,
Which charms the wise, and elevates the good;
Blest Memory, hail!" * * *
ALTHOUGH it is the peculiar province of the VISITANT to examine, in a moral point of view, the senti



486     WRITINGS OF WILLIAMS G. GODDARD.
ments and manners of the world, it may not be deemed
incompatible with his character to embrace the discussion of all subjects which have an intimate connexion with the felicity of man. "Memory, or that
faculty of the human mind by which we are enabled
to call up at pleasure ideas which have been long since
lodged in it," is one of the most useful and noble endowments which nature, in the exuberance of her
bounty, has bestowed upon man.  It is the basis of
all our mental powers and intellectual operations, and
the fundamental support of all the other faculties of
the human mind. Memory is the grand storehouse
for accumulated knowledge. Into this intellectual repository are gathered all the collections from the
fields of art and science, all the treasures from the'page of history and the depths of philosophy, and all
the ideas which diversified nature pours upon the
mind. To this repository the imagination must have
access, the treasures of remembrance must be unlocked, and the collections of knowledge laid open,
ere she is able to form those images and representations which command the admiration and enchain the
affections of mankind.
The most brilliant effusions of the imagination and
fancy, and the conclusions of ratiocination and judgment, are greatly dependent on the instrumentality of
Memory. But we must consider Memory not only as
the " pensive portress of the holy cell of Science," but
as the delegated guardian of the vestal fire of Virtue.
Deprived of its assistance, we should be destitute of
the cynosure of our earthly course, and left to traverse,
without compass to direct us, the trackless ocean of
uncertainty



EARLY ESSAYS.               487
" From wave to wave of wild uncertainty,
At random drove, our helm, Experience, lost."
From the evanescent property of present enjoyments,
we are impelled to seek refuge in retrospection from
the numerous vacancies of life, or be left to languish
in the torpor of indolence, or degenerate into the insipidity of indifference. Were all our pleasures confined to the present, were our ideas to make no indelible impression, but glance, for a moment, athwart the
mind, then vanish forever, small indeed would be the
sum of human felicity. This was apparent to the all
pervading eye of our Omniscient Creator, who, in his
infinite goodness, endowed us with the noble faculty
of Memory, by whose magic power we call up the
images of departed joys, to fill the voids which so frequently occur in our minds. Age, rendered venerable
by the exercise of virtue, finds in Memory an alleviation of its sufferings —a panacea for all its concomitant
infirmities. To the man whose life has been blackened
with a series of vices, Memory brings no attendant
pleasures in its train, but presents to his affrighted
imagination a dark catalogue of " crimes unwhipt of
justice."  Gladly would he enshroud them with the
mantle of oblivion, but the horrors of impending punishment appall him, and he shrinks with terror from
recollection, which harrows up his soul, and wishes,
with Themistocles, for an "art of forgetfulness."  The
ghosts of our departed joys are seen through that softened medium, which, though it dims their brightness,
does not diminish their influence.- We experience a
melancholy satisfaction in the recollection even of
those scenes of life over which misfortune has cast a




488       WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
sable hue, if guilt makes no feature in the picturescenes which, when viewed through the medium of
departed years, afford to the mind a soft and pensive
twilight, a composed and tranquil Sabbath.
THE VISITANT.
NO. VI.
PUBLISHED IN 1812.
" How swift are the footsteps of Time,
How transient the dates of the Year!"
NEVER was I more forcibly impressed with the
verity of the old and trite remark, that one extreme
begets another, than on my return, last evening, from
a gay assemblage of youth, wit and beauty, embellished by the "pride, pomp and circumstance," of elegant conviviality. Entering my solitary apartment,
where no glittering taper illuminated a decorated
chimney-piece, no sprightly note met my ear-no airy
sprite entranced my vision, I lighted a dim light, and
kindled on the hearth the expiring embers. I was
alone, and, indeed, enjoyed the "stillness of Nature,
and the silence of Thought." In searching for a book,
I accidentally took up an Almanac, the silent Register
of Time, and, to my surprise, observed that the dawn




EARLY ESSAYS.              489
of another year was at hand! Upon this discovery,
I determined, agreeably to my usual custom, to devote
the intermediate moments to serious meditation.  I
will not describe the retrospective scenes which arose
to my imagination, or the bright anticipations which
flitted before the eye of Fancy, until the sonorous
tones of the town clock, "piercing the night's dull
ear," announced the hour of twelve! It sounded like
the knell of the departed year!
I have ever considered the commencement of a year
as a little era in the life of man-as a short stage in
his earthly pilgrimage, at which he should PAUSE and
REFLECT. We know not through what " new scenes
and changes we must pass." Uncertainty alone, on a
subject which so intimately involves our felicity, saddens and perplexes us.  But ought not this uncertainty to operate as a check to the ambition-an antidote to the vanity of man? "We may often soothe
the pangs of envy, and the pinings of discontent, by
the consideration of that period, when they shall cease
to disquiet, when time shall have unplumed the pageantry of grandeur, narrowed the domains of wealth,
and withered the arm of power." Death does not
confine his triumphs to the palsied hand, or hoary
head of age; but indiscriminately levels the gay hopes
of aspiring youth, and arrests in their career the
potentates of the earth, exulting in the plenitude of
their glory.  The "fine threads of mortality" are
liable, at any moment, to give way; and it is, indeed,
uncertain whether the frosty winter of life will be
again invigorated by the Favonian breeze of another
spring. Before this year has rounded, many will fall
asleep, and be gathered in, and their names will be
62




490     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
found only on the tablet of the grave-their memories
cherished only by the heart of affection.
There are calamities incident to our fragile nature,
which no precaution can avert, from which no elevation of rank can claim exemption. It should be our
endeavor to encounter with fortitude, and bear with
resignation, " the ills which flesh is heir to." But, is
there no medicine to assuage the anguish of a wounded
spirit?  "Is there no bc6am in Gilead?  Is there no
physician there?"  "Yes, there is balm  in Gilead,
there is a physician there."  When the arrows of affliction thicken fast upon us, our minds are strengthened
by the consolations of Religion, and our sorrows mitigated by the kindness of Sympathy. To know that
we are not without Hope, and that our sufferings are
but for the moment, fortifies us in the strongholds of
Resignation. To know that there are human beings
who sympathize in our misfortunes, calms the struggling emotions of sorrow, until the lenient hand of
Time interposes to reduce them to a state of sober,
tranquil sadness.
Since there are so many sources of inquietude in the
real evils we experience, we should not disturb our
tranquillity by reverting to imaginary ones, nor embitter life by repining at the ills which are past, and
cannot be repaired; or sighing in the expectancy of
calamities which cannot be prevented.




EARLY ESSAYS.              491
THE  VISITANT.
NO. VIII.
PUBLISHED IN 1812.
THE classification of works of Literature is comparatively of modern invention; and it was not till
these later ages that the BELLES LETTRES, or POLITE
LITERATURE, has been considered as a distinct branch of
learning; although almost all the works of antiquity
appear to have merited that distinction. Many parts
of the Bible, much of the writings of Aristotle and
Plato, of Xenophon and Thucydides, of Livy and
Tacitus, of Homer and Virgil, with those of the tri'u8s
lugninibusa Romanor-um, and a thousand other authors,
have as perfect a claim to be ranked among the Belles
Lettres, as the most finished performances of Bellenden
or Blair.
The term Belles Lettres, or Polite Literature, has
been vaguely and indefinitely used; but properly it
comprehends all the subjects which relate to man, as
a being endowed with senses, with taste, and with
imagination, which faculties, or modes, or qualities,
were doubtless designed by his Maker to embellish
his mind, and make him capable of receiving rational
amusement and useful entertainment.
PRollin, and other writers on the subject, tell us that
the province of the Belles Lettres comprehends every




492      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
thing that relates to beauty, harmony, grandeur, elegance; every thing that can soothe the mind, gratify
the fancy, or move the affections. They tell us this
description of literature brings to light various springs
of action, which, without its aid, might pass unobserved; and which, though of a delicate nature, often
exerts a powerful influence on the conduct of human
life; and has the peculiar advantage of exercising our
reason, without fatiguing it-leading to inquiries
which are acute, but not painful-profound but not
abstruse-and in this way it strews the path of Science with flowers, keeping the mind bent and active,
and at the same time relieves it from the idea that it
is difficult and burthensome to labor for the acquisition of that erudition which is necessary for us; or to
enter into the investigation of abstract truth. Polite
Literature may be pursued at intervals as a mode of
recreation from more intense studies; or by which our
intervals of leisure may be made to pass away with a
pleasing mixture of the utile and the dulce; and in
this point of view may be highly beneficial to the
morals of men-as by being thus usefully employed,
we may be prevented giving way to an indulgence of
those passions which might prove prejudicial, and deterred from the pursuits of licentious and injurious
pleasures.
In the year 1792, a Lyceum of Arts was established
at Paris; and according to the definition of that institution, the Belles Lettres comprehend-general grammar, languages, rhetoric, geography, history, antiquities, and numismatography; but those parts of learning which are of a more grave, abtruse, or sublime
kind, or more intimately connected with the under



EARLY ESSAYS.              493
standing, such as logic, metaphysics, ethics, the mathematics in their various branches, are, by way of distinction, referred to the Sciences.
Others have considered the Belles Lettres as comprising, even in a restricted sense, the origin, structure
and various kinds of languages, grammar, universal
and particular, criticism, rhetoric, in its whole extent
of composition, style and elocution; history in its
several departments, ancient and modern, general and
special; and all the various kinds of poetry. Those
writers have given the Belles Lettres a latitude which
is sufficiently broad and comprehensive.
But there are some who would comprise, under this
head, all the modern Novels and Romances-which
are a nondescript kind of composition; a sort of
" prose on stilts, or poetry gone lame." For aught I
know, they have reason on their side. Perhaps it may
not injure the lover of Polite Literature, to become acquainted with Pembroke's Arcadia, or the Loves of
Polyarchus and Argennis. If it should not be necessary
for him to be informed of the troubles of the Forsaken
Knight, no polite Scholar would wish to be ignorant
of the vagaries of the Knight of the Sorrowful Countenance; and the various personages which were imagined, or created, by the fertile brain of Cervantes.
He will be desirous of becoming acquainted with the
inimitable wit of Rabelais, Burton, Swift and Sterneit is not necessary that he should be infected by their
vulgarity.  As no Scholar of taste would exclude
Shakspeare, or Racine, from the ranks of Polite Literature, it may be doubted whether the various writers
on chivalry, with the fine but eccentric effusions of
Walpole and Radcliffe, ought not to be stationed




494      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
among the Belles Lettres; undoubtedly De Marivaux
and Fielding, Le Sage and Smollett, ought to have
very conspicuous stations.
Of many of those writers it may be said, that their
works impart pleasure and satisfaction, occupying a
kind of middle place between those of mere sense and
those of pure intellect. They refresh the mind after
severe literary toils, and the labors of abstract study;
they discountenance the attachments of sense, and prepare the mind for the practice and the enjoyment of
virtue. Polite Literature, in general, is favorable to
many virtues; and we may justly form a favorable
presage of those who, in early life, are attached to itbut it is an unfavorable symptom of youth, and furnishes suspicions of their being disposed for unprofitable gratifications, or that they are destined to drudge
in the more miserable and vulgar pursuits of life, if
they are entirely destitute of a taste for eloquence,
poetry, and the fine arts.
-   Ingenuas didicisse fideliter artes,
Emollit mores, nec sinit esse feros.
It will generally be found, that while a cultivated
taste tends to lessen the more violent passions, and
the fierce emotions of the soul, it increases all the
humane and tender passions, by giving them frequent
exercise; and increases all the fine, the exquisite feelings of sensibility. Public spirit, the love of glory, a
disregard of external fortune, and the admiration of
what is illustrious and great, are naturally nourished
in our minds by the elevated and dignified sentiments
which poetry, eloquence and history, are frequently
bringing to our view-and although it must be admit.




EARLY ESSAYS.              495
ted that taste and virtue are not the same, yet it must
be admitted also that persons of refined taste are generally virtuous; for the refinement of taste must,
necessarily, improve and purify the mind; and give it
a bias to adopt the purest principles, and the most sublime morality. Almost every one perceives some good
impressions on his mind after reading the most admired productions in poetry or prose-and these may
be considered as among the best, if not the most durable, means, of disposing the heart to virtue; and it
has, with much reason, been affirmed, that without
virtuous affections, in an eminent degree, no man can
attain eminence in the sublime parts of eloquence.
He that expects to move and to interest mankind,
should be animated by the purest feelings. The boldfeelings of fortitude, the ardent sentiments of honor,
virtue, magnanimity and public spirit, are necessary to
kindle that sublime fire of genius, and call up into the
mind those lofty and towering ideas which attract the
admiration of ages; and as this spirit is indispensable in the production of the most distinguished efforts
of eloquence, it must be necessary also to enable us to
enjoy it with proper taste and feeling.
From these reflections I am led to conclude, that a
knowledge of the Belles Lettres is beneficial to all
who have the means of acquiring it-that they are
beneficial to men of science in their various researches
and operations-and that an acquaintance with them
is indispensably necessary for Statesmen, for the Senate, the Forum, the Pulpit and the Bar,




496      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
THE VISITANT.
NO. XIV.
PUBLISHED IN 1812.
" WORDS learn'd by rote a parrot may rehearse,
But TALKING is not always to CONVERSE."-COWPER.
AFTER my return, a few evenings since, from a social
BABEL, or, in plain terms, a TEA PARTY, I involuntarily
indulged a few reflections on the occurrences which
had passed before me. There was a bustle and confusion in the scene, which disposed me to become an
observer rather than an actor, and I know not how it
is, that, in those circles where the tongue tells of pleasure, and the eye beams with joy, there are many who,
in some retired corner, where the tumultuous din of
the joyous throng is heard, as it were afar off, love to
cherish the pensive pleasure of reflection. I listened,
with silent attention, to the fashionable jargon and incoherent expressions of some, and the measured accents
and potent arguments of others, and methought that
pertness was too often mistaken for wit, and the cant
of nimble tongued nonsense passed current under the
specious guise of unaffected gayety. The subjects
which were introduced, and the manner in which they
were discussed, suggested the necessity of a few cursory remarks on the importance, pleasure and prevailing defects of Conversation.




EARLY ESSAYS.              497
We are incited, by the most imperious motives, to
the cultivation of our colloquial powers. In vain
shall we explore the ponderous tomes of ancient learning, if we neglect to converse in social amity with our
fellow beings, or disregard the study of the great volume of nature. Though our minds be enriched with
classic lore, and refined by taste and cultivation, yet
our acquisitions, confined within the "mental magazine," can afford little advantage and impart no
pleasure.
The pleasures of elegant and refined Conversation
constitute one of the greatest luxuries of a cultivated
mind. An interchange of ideas divests us of that
awkward restraint which incommunicating habits may
have originated, and prepares us to shine, brightly
shine, in the circle of intelligence. So circumscribed
is the sphere of human knowledge, that the most extensive acquisitions, attainable by an individual, are
greatly disproportionate to the sum of information
which mankind have already amassed; therefore no
mind can be unsusceptible of improvements from a
communication of knowledge. The ideas of one man
seldom perfectly coincide with those of another, and
no object is viewed precisely in the same light by any
number or denomination of men. The conceptions of
mankind are as diversified as the variegated scenery
of nature. Hence there arises from colloquial intercourse, an inexhaustible source of amusement and instruction.
Whether Conversation be a sure criterion of intellect, is a question which has divided the opinions of
mankind. Observation and experience incline me to
the negative; for many, by reason of excessive lo.
63




498      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
quacity, will occasionally stumlbe upon a brilliant
thought which is wholly fortuitous, and far from being
the emanation of an exalted understanding. Others,
of transcendent intellect, wear in society the appearance of dull stupidity, because the understanding, in
the language of Ro-UssEAU, is not vpon the tongue, but
in the breain. Men of science, accustomed to a regular
classification of their ideas, and attending only to the
more strict connexions, are incapacitated to excel in
the department of wit and vivacity. They are generally surpassed, in Conversation, by men of ordinary
understanding, whose train of ideas flows at random,
without ever enduring the shackles of scientific restraint; for wit and vivacity, the coruscations of which
are so brilliant, always arise from slight ideal associations. I have often seen the efforts of pert pretenders
supported by superciliousness, and "saucy and audacious eloquence " disconcert the man of mind, whose
intelligent and correct ideas are unknown and unappreciated, because of his inability to impart them;
yes, I have seen the giant of erudition discomfited by
the chirping of a literary grasshopper?
Comparatively speaking, few, very few, converse
with purity and correctness.  In the eagerness for
communicating our ideas, errors will unavoidably
occur; but no circumstances can palliate that palpable and inconsistent application of words which is frequently observable in the most refined society. More
confidence is placed in the vocabulary of fashion than
in the authority of JOHNSON and SHERIDAN.  Every
gentleman whose appearance is prepossessing, receives
in the actional unenthdsiatstic language of the beau
monde, the appellation of " a divine creature!"-every




EARLY ESSAYS.               499
handsome woman is "angelic!" —every note of the
piano forte is " enchanting!"-every evening in which
pale Cynthia shews her face, is denominated " hecavenly!"
Some, in lieu of offering the original productions of
their own minds, retail a set of petty phrases and witticisms, which are the " coin of the world, and pass
current with the fools of it," while others substitute
expressions and  sentiments wrought by mechanic
powers, for the carelessness of vivacity and the playfulness of mirth.
It should, therefore, be our endeavor to attain all
" courtly niceness of speech," to exclude from our Conversation every indecent and extravagant expression,
and never be induced, by the arbitrary rules of custom, to adopt the lingo of fashionable folly.  We
should then enjoy that " celestial colloquy sublime,"
in which the refined and virtuous can alone participate.
THE VISITANT.
NO, Xv.
PUBLISHED IN 1812.
POLITICAL occurrences and political essays have necessarily prevented the regular insertion of the numbers of the VISITANT.  But, since the electioneering
drama has happily terminated, I shall again tread the
stage, for a short sea8on, in moral buskins. My readers may consider this temporary intermission of the




500      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
VISITANT, as an unerring precursor of its consummation, "a consummation," by many, perhaps, "devoutly to be wished."
It is an invidious task to animadvert on prevailing
folly, and to censure men for errors which they are
unwilling to acknowledge: therefore, in future, no
subjects shall be discussed which, in the opinion of
the most fastidious, involve local or personal considerations. For the present, I shall presume to offer my
readers a few desultory observations, which, if read,
may amuse, and if applied, improve.
Our condition will not admit, or our felicity allow,
an unrestrained freedom of action and opinion. Man
is a social, not an insulated, being; the wants to which
he is naturally subjected, and the feelings by which he
is naturally agitated, will indissolubly rivet the chain
of his dependency. Dark and joyless would be the
vista of life, if man were coiled in the contracted circle
of cheerless selfishness, without partaking the hallowed
communion of souls-without tasting the pure joys of
reciprocated felicity. Virtue has scarcely a more potent stimulus, or vice a more effectual barrier, than
the energetic voice of public opinion, a voice which if
exerted will be heard, and if heard must be regarded.
Those who are deaf to the still small voice of conscience, who deride the injunctions of DEITY, and ridicule subjection to civil tribunals, will often shrink,
with awe and timidity, from the inquisitorial eye of
public scrutiny. Those who are undismayed by the
fear of impending judgment, who consider "hell as
the chimera of priests, to bubble idiots," are powerfully depressed by popular censure, and sensibly elated
by popular applause.




EARLY ESSAYS.               501
In my intercourse with mankind, I have frequently
remarked an affected indifference to the opinion and
customs of the world. There are some who, wrapt in
the comfortabsle garb of self superiority, really feel the
indifference which they manifest; but few, very few,
can cast a look of cordial disregard at the estimation
which others form of their characters and conduct.
"After all his blustering and looking big, the heart
of the worst man cannot be at ease when he forces a
look of contempt towards the ill opinion of mankind."
Such was the language of the gay, the dissolute, but
fascinating, Lord Lyttleton, a man dangerous to society from the perversion of distinguished talents-a
man who coveted reformation, without energy to accomplish it. Yes! this peer of matchless brilliancy,
with wealth and hereditary honors to gloze his errors,
emphatically and unequivocally declared the deference
which he felt for public opinion. Though his " coronet could glitter scorn" at the despicable parasite, he
shrunk intuitively from the searching observation of a
world, whose decencies he had outraged, and whose
virtues he had violated. The world is generally correct in its decisions, and the concurring testimony of
numbers will seldom be disputed.
There is a false and spurious species of independency of spirit, which vents itself in an affected superiority to the world, and an apparent reluctance to
conform to the requisitions of society. As the vanity
of men is tenacious, they will not permit the customs
which they have sanctioned, to be treated with neglect, or regarded with contempt. As habits of study
and abstraction have produced in great men a deviation from the rules which regulate our intercourse with




502     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
society, many an intrepcid youth, that he might fancy
a resemblance, has broken over the pales which society
has erected, and defied, in the petty triumph of a little mind, the good or evil opinion of the world.
Error, in its nature, is prolific, and will germinate and
expand, without the invigorating influence of wordly
admiration. It is to be regretted that there are vices
tolerated in civilized society, which a genuine independency of spirit should impel us to despise, and, if
possible, explode. We ought to revolt at the idea
that the despoiler of innocence should be allowed to
bask in the sunshine of popular favor, or the wretch
who has sacrilegiously raised his hand against the life
of his brother, should bloat with the instillations of
fashionable adulation. Yes, we should revolt at the
idea that he who carries the " bold front of unredeemed depravity," should be fondled and caressed on
the lap of dalliance. I am aware that such characters
should be rejected as husbands, and disclaimed as
friends; and I hope, ere long, they will be universally
viewed with the firm aspect of ineffable abhorrence.
Although we should, generally, comply with established usages, an implicit and obsequious submission
should never be paid to customs which are arbitrary
and fluctuating. "The fashion of this world passeth
away," and he who is entirely governed by it, deserves
to pass away with it: but, by an obedience to the
suggestions of conscience, and an adherence to the immutable and eternal principles of right and wrong,
the dignity of man's nature can never be infringed,
and that ennobling pride of soul which is Virtue's
Vestal, can never be diminished.




EARLY ESSAYS.                503
THE  VISITANT.
NO. XVII.
PUBLISHED IN 1812.
ALIT lectio ingenium: et studio fatigatum, non sine studio tamen,
reficit. -SENECA.
THE sources of mental and moral improvement are
multifarious and prolific. Reading, meditation, observation, conversation, &c., combine to enlighten and
polish the mind-to purify and correct the heart.
They are mutual auxiliaries, united for the suppression
of folly and vice, and the establishment of wisdom
and virtue.
As reading is eminently distinguished for the amusement and information it diffuses, I shall not weary the
attention of my readers by descanting on its incalculable importance or calm delights, persuaded that they
correctly appreciate the former, and have frequently
experienced the latter. But a few desultory remarks
on the prevailing mode of Reading, with a brief consideration of the utility and inutility of Novels, may
not be deemed extraneous to my plan, or unacceptable
to my readers. If critics will candidly acknowledge
the truth of the observations, they are at liberty to
carp at their triteness.
There are many actuated by a laudable, but ill directed, eagerness for improvement, who hurry through




504      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
volumes of the most profound research with a rapidity
which must inevitably contravene the object of their
wishes; for the facts which are elucidated, and the sentiments which are inculcated, can make but a feeble
and transient impression upon the mind;-a confusion
of ideas, an indistinct notion of the subject of pursuit,
must unavoidably result from this venial impetuosity
to become conspicuous for literary acquirements.
Vanity frequently stimulates its votaries to read
books without discrimination in their selection, or reflection after their perusal. Satisfied, if they can accurately enumerate the title pages, and repeat a few
striking passages, accompanied with a trite or borrowed
remark on the general merit of their author, these
pert pretenders palm themselves on superficial observers as prodigies of erudition! This erroneous method
of Reading necessarily precludes meditation, and that
digestion of the subjects which alone can render them
permanent or salutary; for few minds have that happy
facility of imbibing the ideas of an author from a cursory glance. These observations will particularly apply to historical readers, who, too frequently, scamper
through voluminous productions without pausing to
methodize, or arrange, the narrations; wherefore the
mind, instead of becoming illumined, is mazed with
indigestible matter. The inferences which we deduce
from facts, and the virtuous impressions we receive
from example, can never be obtained, unless those
facts are distinct and clear, and those impressions indelible or lasting.
Since our style of Reading has an imperceptible
influence upon our opinions and. conduct, it becomes
important that our selections should be confined to




EARLY ESSAYS.                505
books which alike instill the precepts of wisdom and
exhibit the excellence of virtue. As Novels in some
measure regulate the sentiments, and determine the
happiness of society, their authors do not appear sufficiently sensible of the responsibility of their stations.
The feelings and affections of the soul are powerfully
interested in the life and fortune of the creature of
fiction, and how often are these feelings enlisted under
the banner of thoughtless extravagance, or frontless depravity.  Splendid misery, although occasioned by
criminal indulgence, finds the breast of sympathy its
asylum-the tear of pity its defence.
The actions and characters which the generality of
Novels present for our imitation are so far removed
from ordinary life, that the salutary effects they are
intended to produce are infallibly diminished. Nature,
pure simple nature, is entirely neglected, and every
thing is attired in the gaudy vestments which the extravagance and caprice of fancy may prepare. Many
Novels are replete with a redundant richness of coloring, a fascinating brilliancy of character, a wild, unnatural, but attractive, chain of incident, which create
disorders in the imagination that the sobriety of
reason can scarcely counteract. They not ony produce
a painful aversion from the situation in which we are
placed, and must remain, but inspire a restless pruriency to become beings whose nature we cannot partake, to inhabit a region- whose air we cannot inhale.
The page of the Novelist is often sullied with indelicate details, and the refined reader, instead of being
regaled by the effusion of a chaste imagination, is
offended by the gross production of an impure mind.
The habitual recurrence of such impurities, will im64




506     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
perceptibly, but infallibly, destroy that chastity of
thought which is at once the guardian and ornament
of virtue:
I am far from supposing that any Novel, however
wild and chimerical, can distort the powers or destroy
the energies of a well regulated mind. The seductive
influence of splendid and successful infamy is insufficient to allure it from the strongholds of correct principle; but the weak and unstable are liable to imbibe
dangerous opinions, and contract destructive habits,
from an exclusive attention to this species of Reading.
I should be wanting in candor, were I not to admit,
that under the degraded name of Novel, we find many
which exhibit vice in all its deformity, loathing its
own hideousness, and virtue, in all her native loveliness, exalted by her own purity. An acquaintance
with well executed Novels, polishes the style, improves
the colloquial powers, and produces a delicacy of sentiment favorable to virtue. Under their plastic influence, that sternness and obduracy of soul, occasioned
by habits of study and seclusion, are mollified into
gentleness and complacency.




EARLY ESSAYS.                 507
THE  VISITANT.
NO. XVIII.
PUBLISHED IN 1812.
"6 FRIENDSHIP'S the chiefest good, the balm of life,
The bane of faction, antidote of strife,
The gem that virtuous breasts alone can grace,
The sign of patience, and the seal of peace."
As I have remarked that fervent and disinterested
Friendship is sometimes perpetuated without diminution, and frequently- destroyed without an adequate
cause, I shall submit a few brief observations to the
consideration of my readers upon its nature and excellency.
Friendship being a brilliant and beautiful magnet,
that gently attracts the heart to those merits which
are respectable, or to those perfections which are admirable, originates a disposition, between two individuals, to perpetuate and enlarge each other's virtue
and happiness. Community of danger, identity of
interest, and conformity of disposition, are accessory to
the formation of a permanent basis, of a mutual and
perennial sympathy of action and harmony of souls.
Whilst engaged in the same pursuit and employment,
individuals will inevitably contract a more intimate
acquaintance, and increase, in proportion to the dangers and desires of each other, the kindred deeds of




508      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
Generosity and Friendship. Conformity of disposition, and similarity of propensities, ornament and ennoble the reproachless characters of a few with the
lustre of resplendent and disinterested attachmentattachment which enhances our felicity and diminishes
our misery, " by the doubling of joy and the division
of grief."
The heart, ulcerated by nocturnal vice, or by daily
acts of presumption, lasciviousness and profligacy, cannot participate with the mild joys of virtuous Friendship, cannot even comprehend the sublime felicities of
a icDamon and Pytliacs, or the matchless attachment
of the scriptural David and Jonathan. A spirit like
that of Jonathian, was the "nonpareil," the epitome of
human perfection-a spirit well qualified for the most
delicate and generous of all unions; it lost sight of
so trifling a consideration as that of standing a little
higher in the scale of society-for the son and heir
apparent of a throne pressed to his heart a shepherd
from the fold. "The soul of Jonathan was bound up
in the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his
own soul." The obscurity of David's station had not
been able to suppress or hide those extraordinary virtues and accomplishments, which were formed to kindle into a blaze the congenial bosom of the young
prince: and this glorious youth preferred the sweets
of such a Friendship, to all the luxuries of a court, to
the prospect of royalty itself, and to that which human
nature is perhaps least able to resist, a perpetual train
of parasites.
It is but seldom that people, in the higher grades of
life, enjoy much of the sweetness of Friendship, or
have much relish for the charms of being loved. They




EARLY ESSAYS.              509
have not, indeed, esteem enough for mankind to be
touched by their affections. Prepossessed with a conceit that others owe every thing to them, they fancy
that they owe nothing to others. They are not sufficiently acquainted with the value of a heart. Long
accustomed to receive fictitious regards, they become
insensible to real tenderness.  The respect due to
rank, they mistake for that which belongs to merit
only.  They are more solicitous to procure homage
than to engage attachment.  Friendship being more
sincere than adulation, and therefore less eager, less
officious, appears to them a dry and barren thing.
Friendship, that best resource under all the chagrins of
life, that delightful bond of society, is to their feelings
an uneasy tie, and to their taste an insipid pleasure.
Oh! the multitudes who have been fascinated by the
smiles and transported with the professions of men of
"high degree," long courted and long trusted them,
till disenchanted by their treachery or their caprice!
The bold and enlightened, the pious and eloquent
Fiordyce was not, though in the centre of flattery and
dissipation, restrained from advancing opinions similar
in effect, and alike in dress, with those already communicated. "But," he continues, "ye powers of sensibility, what words can paint the attractions -which the
participation, the voice, the demeanor, the very aspect
of a true Friend diffuses on every object, to them that
are formed for enjoying a well timed recess! With
the gayety of heart inspired by the approximation of
a kindred spirit, did you not contract a greater fondness for the places, for the walks, the accustomed retreats where you frequently conversed with the inmate
of your bosom?  Did not the works both of nature




510     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
and art assume in his presence a fresh lustre?  Was
not every thing about you illuminated and touched
into higher perfection by the genius of virtuous
Friendship  "
I have personally known some excellent people, the
evening of whose days seemed, like that of Autumn,
gladdened with a soft, but sprightly gleam, which was
wonderfully agreeable, while they moved on to their
peaceful setting, beloved and venerated by their families, and all about them. How much more happy than
those who, having outlived, or, what is comparably
more calamitous, been forsaken by their natural connexions, have not found the desolation repaired by a
Friend.
" Poor were the friendless master of a world."
THE VISITANT.
NO. XX.
PUBLISHED IN 1812.
"INECEssITY, for Gods themselves too strong," compels me to relinquish the vocation I have assumed, and
to withdraw myself from the quietude of literary pursuits, to mingle in the bustle and feverish turmoil of
active life. The opening prospect saddens and perplexes me; the virulence of party spirit is alienating




EARLY ESSAYS.              r511
the hearts of brothers-the rude trump of war, the
sound of which has hitherto been heard only in echo,
is swelling its discordant note along our shores. At
this momentous crisis, the monitions of the peaceful
moralist must concede to the excited feelings of the
politician and the meritorious exertions of the patriot.
But I cannot suffer a connexion which, for many
months, has amicably subsisted between my Readers
and me to be forever dissolved, without indulging an
expression of the untutored acknowledgments of feeling
for the candor with which I have been received, and
the liberality with which I have been entertained. I
cannot refrain from the avowal that my bosom is agitated with mingled emotions, at the consideration that
this number terminates our intercourse FOREVER.
I have cautiously avoided personalities, and if, perchance, I have dipped my pen in gall to satirize general folly, I exult in the consciousness that it has never
been moistened with the delicious unction of adulation, to flatter or countenance the vanity of an individual.
I frankly confess, that the primary object of this
Paper was self gratification and improvement, connected with the hope that my desultory remarks, as a
moralist, might mark the gradations to vice, correct
the levities of exuberant animal spirits, amuse the
idle, and, perhaps, reclaim the thoughtless wanderer.
I never presumptuously supposed, that, by the effusions of my feeble pen, the adept in depravity would
be reformed, or the devotee to the vanities of the
world radically corrected.
I flatter myself that my productions have never dic



512      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
covered the petulant discontent of a cynic, or the repulsive disposition of an. anchoret, averse from all
those scenes of "joyance and delight" which solace,
sweeten and refine. I would not that Fashion should
be exploded, or Ceremony discarded; for the former,
when graduated on the Scale of Virtue, heightens the
pleasures we enjoy, and the latter, "if it takes from
the fervor of friendship, covers the coldness of indifference."  Thus far I have pursued the " even tenor of
my way," unruffled by the cavils of scholastic criticism, undismayed by the frowns of supercilious beauty.
Commendation, when merited, has been cheerfully
awarded, and censure, when deserved, has been fearlessly bestowed.  Though  success may not have
crowned my exertions, the silent plaudits of an approving conscience are sweet assurances of the rectitude of my intentions.
I know not " through what new scenes and changes
I must pass"-but, "should fate convey me to the
farthest verge of the green earth," I shall ever cherish
an affectionate recollection of PROVIDENCE, its scenes
and its personages-I shall never forget its hill or its
valley-never cease to remember with pleasure the
fcagrant wild flowers of the former, and the delicate
lilies of the latter.
VALE! -VALE!-VALE!




LETTER TO A LADY.            513
LETTERS.
TO A LADY.
NO DATE.
MY DEAR FRIEND:
You will not, I am persuaded, disdain the offering
of an early friend. An early friend! how much is
comprised in those simple words! For me they have
a spell not to be disowned without insincerity, or
broken without sadness. Am I too primitive in supposing that in the midst of enchantments, Oh, how
potent! you are not estranged from pleasant recollections of the days of other years-the halcyon days of
youth, before the heart learns the secret of its wanderings and its wrietchedness-before life is burthened by
the weight of Care, or darkened by the anticipation of
Sorrow. I cannot suffer my humble offering to reach
you, without venturing this imperfect expression of
my interest in your welfare. If I do not mistake your
taste, you will read the " Three Histories," especially
the first, with more than ordinary pleasure. Would
that a fourth had been written to illustrate the perils
and servitude of fashionable life!  Ah! how many
noble natures does Fashion seek to drag down to her
ignoble level. The moth and the butterfly are not
alone her prey-she fain would soil the plumage of
the bird of paradise and stay its upward flight. I am
65




514      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
in love with no pattern of austere morality-I have no
quarrel with the innocent usages of fashion, but it
saddens me to behold beings gifted with exquisite sensibilities to all the forms of material and moral beauty,
wasting their noble endowments upon a treacherous
pageant.  This is not, however, their destiny-and
why should it be their choice? Why should they not
seek, within and without themselves, the sources of
rational and enduring happiness? Why should Youth,
and Beauty, and Taste and Intellect be allowed to
minister only in the bowers of pleasure?  They were
bestowed for a nobler service  to scatter a consecrated
light upon the path of duty-and to win the soul to
a contemplation of the forms of everlasting truth.
Excuse the prolixity into which I have been betrayed,
and believe me,
Faithfully yours,
WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
EXTRACTS FROM VARIOUS LETTERS.
WRITTEN IN 1812.*
*    *    *    *    *-      *    *    *2
As I have ample time and opportunity to cultivate
a love for letters, they shall not fail to be improved.
I have now every inducement for vigorous exertion in
the pursuits in which I am  engaged.  Hope decks
* Mr. Goddard had recently been graduated at Brown University, and was
about to enter upon the study of the law, in the office of the late Hon. Francis
1Blake, of Worcester, Mass.-Ed.




EXTRACTS FRO3M VARIOUS LETTERS.      515
prospective scenes in alluring colors, while a retrospection of former days causes a wholesome and salutary
regret. I am now removed fiom the theatre of juvenile indiscretion and juvenile enjoyments. *  *  *
This is not the ebullition of cynical antipathy or
causeless despondency, but the legitimate offspring
of a sobered mind abjuring the phantoms of folly and,
humbly striving for the realities of wisdom! I hope
to gather into my mental garner, ere the frost of life
sets in, a plentiful crop of wise thoyughts.
WRITTEN IN OCTOBER, 1821.
IT may be gratifying to Eliza to know that my interest in the one t/ting needfl is becoming a deeper
and more habitual sentiment of the soul.  At all
times, I have a powerful conviction of the utter worthlessness of earthly things compared with the enjoyments and the consolations of Christianity. The fruits
of a various experience, the warnings and the chastisements of Heaven, I would hope, have not been lost
upon me-and, amid the trials and the contests of life,
the hopes of my spirit are centred on that peace
which the world cannot give. I have a deep and
abiding conviction of the sinfulness of my nature; but
my conscience often chides me for the languor of my
approaches towards Him, who has given to every sinner the most winning assurances of pardon and acceptance through the merits of His Son. My feelings
never permit me to discourse familiarly on these sub



51(6    WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
jects, but it may cheer Eliza to know that they are not
considered by me as idle tales,-that I do not despair of
attaining, through divine assistance, that hope, full of
immortality, which can alone give dignity to the pursuits of existence, and impart joy and peace at the
hour of death.
WRITTEN IN 1822.
To this I am about to affix the signet of a sainted
sister and friend. Of her I have never spoken. While
I write, " my heart grows liquid " at the sacred memories with which her name is ever associated. Rich, beyond my powers to paint them, were the graces of her
moral and intellectual being.  With a timidity and
reserve, at times almost oppressive, she united a disciplined vigor of principle, which prevented her gentleness either from betraying her heart or from debilitating her understanding. With powers of reasoning
which made her no unskillful Philosopher, she united
an imagination which, without ever overstepping the
modesty of reason, transported her into the loftiest
regions of Eloquence and Poetry. This may seem to
you like the extravagant eulogy with which parted
affection loves to solace its sorrow for the dead. I
have, in no respect, overcharged the picture.  Ask
any one of my surviving sisters, they will tell you, all
this and more, might with truth be said of her. Of
this sister, I have special reasons for thinking with
fondness and of speaking with enthusiasm. In the




EXTRACTS FROM VARIOUS LETTERS.       517
plenitude of all her varied powers, she passed away.
To this rude earth, for which she was, in many respects,
peculiarly unfitted, I have never indulged a selfish
wish to recall her. While on earth, she worshipped
God in the beauty of holiness, and it is delightful to
reflect that she is now reaping the reward of obedience
in the eternal rest and happiness of Heaven.
WRITTEN IN 1822.
You will not impute it to forgetfulness or any less
venial cause, when I assure you that, my grateful acknowledgments have thus long been withheld, from an
utter inability to speak, without reserve, on subjects
over which I am tempted to throw the mantle of a
profound and fearful silence. I have not the power
to make ingenuous revelations of what is passing in
the solitude of the inner spirit. Of one thing, however, be assured, that neither pride nor perversity,
neither constitutional reserve, nor self-imposed restrictions have so far obtained the ascendency, as to beget
an insensibility to friendly counsels intended to make
me wiser and better! Your letter came to me in a
moment of deep and unexpected sorrow-when the
grave had just closed over the sweetest tie that bound
us to earth. We have not ceased to mourn the extinction of the bright intelligence which shone awhile
in our path, and was then suddenly reclaimed by its
Heavenly Father, to live, forever, I trust, in the light of
His countenance. In the brief existence of that pre



518      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
cious babe, there were beautiful revealings of the im.
mortal mind, and, beyond all price is the belief that,
she passed into everlasting habitations ere she could
have known the bitterness of sin and sorrow. It is
not, I hope, presumptuous to think that this babe, to
whom while on earth, an existence so bright and beautiful was given, will live forever in Heaven among the
holy and active intelligences which surround the Throne
of the Eternal.
*    *    *    *    *    X    *   **
WRITTEN IN 1824.
*    * *         *    *    *    *    *
I HAVE long had but faint hopes of regaining that
measure of health and strength which would fit me
for duty and happiness. This conviction is strengthened by every demonstration of the power of disease,
and of my inability much longer to contend with it.
All will be well, however, if I am led to believe with
the heart as wvell as with, the understandinyg, that the
only solid basis of peace and joy, is an humble but
firm confidence in the truths of the Gospel.  That
we both may believe them to our souls' health, is my
sincere prayer.
*    *    *    *   *        *    *    *
NO DATE.*
MY hours are heavy and unproductive, and nothing but a sense of duty reconciles me to the plan of
* Written while on a visit to Saratoga Springs.-Ed.




EXTRACTS FROM VARIOUS LETTERS.       519
remaining till next week. In the midst of a crowd I
am indeed alone. Of this " herding toyether " misnamed
society, I have long been weary-in a drove, you cannot
easily detect a fine animal from an ordinary one-to
drop metaphor, it is only with the mind of an individual, operating with calm might and chastened fervor,
that it is really pleasant to hold converse. It is not
wise, however, to be fastidious, and in every circle
members may be found, who may profitably exercise
the understanding and the heart. I have made no
acquaintances and I do not care to make any, unless
more strongly tempted than I have been thus far.
*.-    *    *          * *X-    *    -
WRITTEN IN 1825.
*-         *           *    * *         *  
I HAVE just returned firom a crowded and brilliant
party, at Mrs. * *. I would that you had been
there to enjoy the rational pleasure of the scene. In
the society of Miss  *  *,Miss  *  *,Mr. and
Mrs. * *  &c., I found sufficient exercise for all
the powers I could command. In truth, for the two
last evenings, I have had much genuine social enjoyment,-such as would not be rejected by a pure, moral
and intellectual palate.  After all, I should dislike,
above all things, to expend much time amid such exhausting excitements. They disturb the order of my
mind and affections,-imparting to each an extraordinary impulse, which cannot be sustained, without a
perpetual recurrence to the same source of exaltation.
Besides, existence is too solemn a thing to be thus ap



520      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
propriated-life is too precious a boon, to be devoted
in any great degree to pursuits and occupations, which
affect remotely, if at all, the grand interests of immortality.
*    *    *    *    X    *    *    *
NO DATE.
X    *    *    *    *    *    *    *
THE sudden death of Miss  *  *  is indeed an impressive instance of Mortality. Even to a soul fortified by religious assurances, it is an awful thing, to
pass in a moment, from life, its activities and enjoyments, to the dread repose of death-and to those immortal destinies which await all the children of men.
" What shadows we are and what shadows we pursue!"  Strange that a reflection so obvious, fails to
make any impression on the heart-it dies away upon
the lips which utter it. I regret that I could not be
present at the funeral, which from a variety of circulmstances, must have been peculiarly solemn. The seclusion of the spot, the quiet and subdued grief of the
Sect to which she belonged, and, more than all, her
sudden transition from the earth, could not have been
lost upon those assembled to witness the affecting
spectacle.
*    * *         *    *    *    *    *
WRITTEN]N I.N,18 40..
*    X*    * *    *    *    *    *    *
I All cheered by no very sanguine hope of ever recovering my health, and I sometimes think that it




LETTER TO A LADY,            521
would be much wiser for me to rest quietly at home,
in earnest preparation for that event, which, notwithstanding all its terrors, is made necessary for the perfection of our natures,-than to be wandering abroad
in a fruitless search for that health which, I doubt not,
is in great mercy denied me. *  *  * I hang my
trembling hope upon the Cross of Christ alone.
TO A LADY.
NEW YORK, August 8, 1828.
MY DEAR * *
I AM truly sorry to miss the imperial bird whose
flight is towards the heavens-and whose song is of
other worlds-to drop my metaphor, it would have
given me genuine pleasure to have seen and heard
Miss C  *  *  once more.  Tired of the brainless
ardors, the perverted energies and the vulgar aims of
ordinary men and women, it is refreshing to find now
and then, an example of peerless truth, and to behold
the human intellect ripening for the joys and services
of an holier state of being. In all her elevated purposes for the good of others, may she be crowned with
abundant success. She has the power and the disposition to do much to render those around her wiser and
happier-the purity of the saint and the attractions
of the woman are on her side-and, strange will it be,
if she do not yet win many a wandering soul to a fixed
love of the imperishable forms of moral beanty, and
66




522     VWRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
scatter around many a darkened path the light of
everlasting truth.
My visit to B. was altogether congenial to my tastes
— physical, mental and moral. Miss C. cannot use her
eyes to much purpose, but she has in no wise lost the
use of her eloquent tongue. The C  -s by a sort of
indirect and unsuspected influence, recommend religion
even to the inveterate worldling.  They reflect its
principles in such an attractive light, that they cannot
fail to be loved, if not for their piety, yet in spite of
their piety. They exhibit nothing like exaggeration,
no straining after peculiar and fallible tests of spirituality, no pharisaical austerities-but along the whole
line of daily life, they show the form and pressure of
commanding religious principles, and of devout religious affections.
Believe me, faithfully yours,
WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
TO A LADY.
PROVIDENCE, October 20, 1843.
MY EARLY FRIEND:BY this title I can never forfeit my right to address
you. Your letter of June 24th has remained thus
long unanswered, not because it was unwelcome, but
because, for a long time, my hand refused to record
what was passing either in my head or my heart.
From this melancholy collapse of the nervous system,
induced by overwrought faculties during our strife to
maintain in Rhode Island the supremacy of 4,w, I




LETTER TO A LADY.             523
have now nearly recovered. My "Address " I sent to
you, as a token of my continued and grateful recollection of a friendship formed when life was young, and
which, let me hope, is destined to shed mellow lights
utpon life's decline. You still seem to think that the
impulse most congenial to my nature is " the impulse
of vanity."  This may be so-but I must be pardoned
for believing better things of myself-for thinking
that truth, and duty, and affection sometimes make
themselves felt, amid the caprices, and excitements and
cravings of that passion which betrays man into so
much of folly and of sin.
I thank you for telling me, holwever imperfectly,
how life passes with you in Carolina.  You have
changed less than many of the friends whom you left
behind. " Spectacles " they may not have "mounted,"
but new experiences may have impressed upon their
minds yet deeper convictions of the vanity of human
wishes. " Up to a certain period," says Lord Dudley,
"hope triumphs over experience.  After that, experience gradually extinguishes hope. One sees pretty
clearly the best that can come of this life, and that
this best is not very good. Errors become irreparable,
and exertion loses a great part of its value, and at the
same time of its motive."  How true is all this; and
one need not pace aristocratic halls to be convinced
that it is true. Common life, in its common aspects,
teaches the same sad lesson.
You speak of your " little A."  Alas, I am told
that he has perished out of your sight! At such a
season, far be it from me to offer you hackneyed and
inadequate consolations. For such trials no human
sympathy can provide adequate supports. One thing




524      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
is certain, that the pangs which now rend his mother's
heart and yours, can never rend his-" the briefer life
-the larger immortality."
I meant, my friend, when I began, to have written
you a long letter, but I am admonished by my trembling fingers to desist.
Faithfully yours,
WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
EXTRACTS —-TO THE SAME.
NO DATES.
CAN gratitude be too fervent for blessings not only
affecting the utility and dignity of an earthly existence, but which, stretching along the whole line of our
moral being, prepare us for the visions and agencies of
an immortal life?
*    X    *    *    *    *    *    *
THE voice of Nature tells of other than earthly
things. It speaks, though in mystic language, of that
other Creation of God, where the sanctified spirit is endowed with celestial purity, and vigor, and, in the unfettered exercise of its noblest powers, is full of the
repose of immortality..*    *    *    *    *    *    *    *4




LETTER TO RICHARD H. DANA, ESQ.     525
WHAT more exalted proof of affection can be given,
than seeking to cultivate in our friends those principles and tastes which will abide the test of Eternity.
If we can suppose that in the solitude of the grave,
we are invested with any consciousness, how grateful
the recollection that we have sought to leave upon the
character of a friend an impress which, she would delight to contemplate in the pure light of Heaven.
TO RICHARD H. DANA, ESQ., OF BOSTON.
PROVIDENCE, June 21, 1833.
MY DEAR SIR:YoUR Note of April 4th, with the Prospectus of the
American Quarterly Observer, did not reach me till
the 8th of May. The cause of delay, I am unable to
explain. I am glad that a publication, conducted by
an able man, on catholic principles, is about to appear.
May its success be commensurate, in some sort, with
the magnitude of the object to be accomplished. Of
isms of all sorts, and of those who love to regale themselves and the public with isms, I am heartily tired.
Give me, in religion, those vital and fundamental
truths to which alone the human soul, in the great
crisis of its destiny, can look for strength, direction,
and repose. The " Observer," I doubt not, will supply
a desideratum-discussing the loftiest themes, not with
that power of subtle analysis which "seraphic Doctors" were wont to exhibit in defence of their theses,




526     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
-but with the power of a sound mind stimulated by
the highest motives to the exertion of its best energies.
It would give me pleasure to contribute to the pages
of the "Observer "-but my health demands an entire suspension of every species of intellectual labor.
Nothing shall be wanting on my part to extend its
popularity and its circulation among those whom it
may be in my power to influence. Annexed you will
find the names of two subscribers.
Faithfully yours,
WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
TO MRS. SUSAN WALLACE, OF PHILADELPHIA.*
PROVIDENCE, February 10, 1837.
MY DEAR MADAM:I HAVE withheld, till now, the expression of my
sympathy, lest I should exasperate the pang which, in
the hour of your severe amazement, must have refused
all earthly alleviation. That hour has passed by; and
now, amid the gloom and the repose of a profound
sorrow, your spirit may find imperfect solace in the
offerings of human sympathy.  Although none of
your friends can enter fully into a comprehension of
the loss which you have sustained, yet all of them
would fain draw near to you, in these days of darkness which have come upon you. They all entertain
a true sense of the exalted worth of Mr. Wallace, as
* On the death of the late John B. Wallace, Esq., of Philadelphia.-Ed.




LETTER TO MRS. SUSAN WALLACE.       527
a husband and a father, who was for so manvy years
the glory of your fireside; as a citizen who knew no
impulse so strong as that of duty; as a man, upon
whom society delighted to bestow its best tributes of
affection and respect. In the administration of that
mysterious economy which is perhaps intended to try
our faith, it bath pleased the Giver of Life suddenly
to withdraw him from scenes of elevated happiness
and honorable activity. While, however, his bereaved
friends sit sad and solitary around the domestic hearth,
so lately cheered by the light of his presence, they
will find it less hard to learn the lesson of resignation,
when they reflect that he still lives, with powers of
thought and capacities of action and of enjoyment, to
which all upon this earth are strangers. The hours of
his probation were not wasted; he was faithful to his
fellow man; and he walked humbly with his God.
So obvious, in this case, are these sustaining considerations, that I ought, perhaps, to apologize for suggesting them to your deeply reflective spirit. But, in the
moment of fresh sorrow, we refuse, if left entirely to
ourselves, to be divorced from the theme of our sad
and absorbing contemplations; we dwell, with an almost invincible tenacity, upon every sensible memorial of out loss; and we mourn, in agony of spirit, the
change which has been impressed, and impressed forever, upon all our plans and hopes of earthly happiness. It is under circumstances like these, that the best
instructed and the most deeply reflective may, for
awhile, be unable to look away from the rod by which
they are smitten to Him who hath appointed it. In
the remainder of your journey through life, now
destined to be, in some sort, companionless,  with




528       WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
how many precious recollections will you be solaced;
in what imperishable hopes will your troubled spirit
find rest! For how many years, was he a blessing to
you and to your children; how pangless to him was
the inevitable hour; how full and strong is the impression of undecayed mental vigor and of unchilled
affections which he has left upon you all! You can
never cease to deplore, that the silver cord is loosed,
and the golden bowl is broken; but with the tribute
which nature exacts from those who thus mourn there
will come, in due time, to be mingled many hallowed
recollections upon which you will delight to repose;
and as grief, year after year, mellows into pensive sadness, you will anticipate with a sentiment of almost
sacred exhilaration that better life upon which he hath
already entered.
It costs me an effort to touch upon any other theme
than that which has called forth this imperfect expression of my sympathy. I should, however, be wanting in kind consideration, did I omit to express my
apprehension that the presence of my little daughter
in your family circle, and the care which she must require, are, under existing circunlstances, somewhat oppressive. In this matter, we place entire confidence
in your frankness. We fully comprehend -bow sadly
changed is the position of things, since she first entered your dwelling; and if her longer continuance
with you add but the weight of a feather to the burthen of your sorrows, you could not give us a stronger
proof of your confidence than to acquaint us with the
fact. I owe it to this dear child to tell you what you
may never learn from any other source, that, in several
of her letters to her parents, she has spoken with sinm



LETTER TO MRS. SUSAN WALLACE.       529
pie and unaffected tenderness of the calamity which
has befallen your house; and of the sweet gentleness
of him who made her almost forget that she was listening to other than a father's voice.
Mrs. Goddard desires me to present to you her affectionate remembrances; and she unites with me in kind
regards to your children.
With every sentiment of respect, I am,
My dear Madam, yours,
TILLIAM G. GODDARD.
TO MRS. SUSAN WALLACE, OF PHILADELPHIA.
PROVIDENCE, April 1, 1837.
MY DEAR MADAM:IT is now a fortnight, since my daughter and myself
left your hospitable mansion-deeply impressed with
a sense of the many kindnesses which we had received
from yourself and your children. * * *
My daughter, though happy to be restored to the
society of her family, will, I am quite sure, be slow
to forget her Philadelphia friends. She will often recur to her residence with you as to a most interesting
passage in her life; and, in riper years, she will come
to see that the calamity which so suddenly changed
all the aspects of your house, was fitted to rebuke the
confidence and to chasten the exultation of her youthful spirit. Her parents crave for her no nobler distinction than that, as she advances towards maturity,
she would show, by her conduct, that in an excellent
67




530     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
school for the formation of character, she has not
passed months in vain; and that those varied manifestations of moral beauty which now hallow your
recollections of the departed have left upon her impressible character some enduring traces. Amid the
buoyancy a.nd exhilaration of youth, a chastened sobriety of thought and feeling is hardly to be expected.
But, when we remember how soon, at best, a change
must come over the spirit of her dream, we cannot be
too solicitous that, even in youth, she should, without
gloomily anticipating the trials of life, in some sort
prepare herself to meet them. We all think that her
visit to Philadelphia has done her good; that it has
familiarized to her mind elevated standards of principle and conduct; that it has widened her comprehension of things; and has quickened her endeavors after
excellence.  We hope soon to place her under the
care of her former instructor, and to see her pursuing
her studies with renewed diligence.
Believe me, my dear madam, I am not without the
most grateful recollections of my recent sojourn under
your roof. You did me a signal favor —you admitted
me to a high privilege, whenever you allowed me to
contemplate those delightful exhibitions of moral
character which won for Mr. Wallace the love and
the reverence of all who had the happiness to dwell
in the light of his presence. It is refreshing to turn
away from scenes and characters which discourage our
hopes of humanity, to forms of excellence which, as
far as human imperfection will permit, embody our
conceptions of the purity and vigor of immortal life.
If, like multitudes of his gifted contemporaries, he had
pursued, at every hazard, some transient and captivat



LETTER TO MRS. SUSAN WALLACE. 5      31
ing pageant, what would it avail you now? Such,
however, was the wisdom of his life, that you are
spared this accumulation of sorrow.  Dark as your
way upon the earth must now seem to you, you
would not barter, for worlds, the delightful solace of
surveying the paths of consistent virtue and elevated
usefulness which he trod; nor the undisturbed and
triumphant conviction that he has passed from the
trials of human virtue to its everlasting rewards.
Since we parted from you, you must, I presume,
have received tidings more than once, from your interesting travellers.* We all feel a genuine interest in
whatever may chance to befall them; and we shall
most sincerely sympathize with Mrs. Binney, yourself,
and your respective families, when, with untravelled
hearts, the precious absentees shall be restored to their
own firesides.
Mrs. Ives, it will give you pleasure to hear, enjoys
her customary health-and her daughter, Hope, is now
quite comfortable. They both think and talk much
of you and yours-and were deeply interested in all
the communications which my visit at your mansion
enabled me to make.
I am reluctant to make any demands upon your
time or thoughts; but I beg you to believe that I
shall always esteem it a high privilege to hear from
you. We are so much interested in your character
and happiness, and in the character and fortunes of
your children, that we hope occasionally to learn how
life passes with you all. My daughter unites with
* The daughter and niece of Mrs. Wallace, then in Europe, with the Hon.
Horace Binney. —Ed.




532     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
both her parents in tending, to yourself and children,
most cordial acknowledgments for all your kindness.
With great respect,
Your humble and obedient servant,
WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
TO JOHN WV. WALLACE, ESQ., OF PHILADELPHIA.
PROVIDENCE, January 21,1837.
MY DEAR SIR:*-    X    X    *    *    *    *X    *
BE pleased to say to your mother that I am deeply
indebted to her for the sketch of her father,* which she
was so obliging as to prepare for my use. She may
be sure that I did not send her manuscript to the
Printer, desiring to retain, in my own possession, this
interesting Memorial of one whom, without any palpable aids to recollection, I should be very slow to
forget.
When the humble Memoir of Doctor Manning which
I have prepared will be published, I am unable to say.
But, whenever it does appear, I shall take the liberty
to send you two or three copies-knowing that, now,
you cannot fail to read it with interest.
I am unwilling, my dear Sir, to trouble you farther
in respect to Doctor James Manning's degree. It was
probably conferred between 1770 and 1780-and as
Elliott states, by the "University of Philadelphia."
The matter is now quite unimportant to me. Am I
*Dr. Barnabas Binney.-Ed.




LETTER TO JOHN W. WALLACE, ESQ.      533
right in stating that your grandfather, your uncle and
your cousin Horace each received the highest honors
of his Class? If I am not right in this matter, please
inform me.
TO THE SAME.
PROVIDENCE, October 17, 1839.
*    *    *    * X        X     X     *
YoUR Uncle Binney's Eulogy on Judge Marshall, a
copy of which you had the kindness to send me a few
weeks since, is a just and eloquent tribute to one of
the ablest and purest men who ever adorned any age
or country.
I send you, in return, several pamphlets-some of
which may perhaps amuse a leisure hour. Read Mr.
Otis's letter-if you have not read it already. How
much vigor, and grace, and spirit, for a man who has
numbered more than seventy years!
Enclosed you will also find a few copies of my
Notice of Doctor Manning. Your very kind estimate
of this literary trifle is not lost upon me.
Last week, I made a short visit to Paterson, where
I had the great pleasure of seeing, and for the first
time, your mother's excellent friend, Mrs. Bradford.
Mr. Collett, I was grieved to find in declining health;
though neither he nor his family seemed to be oppressed by any solicitude in regard to the issue. Mrs.
Bradford gave me many gratifying particulars respecting all your family-and quickened my desire to re



534      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
visit Philadelphia-which, in my humble judgment,
has no rival among our American cities, for physical
comfort, quiet dignity, and social elegance.
Commend me, very respectfully, to your mother,
and present my kind regards to your sisters and to
your brother.
Very truly yours,
WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
TO JOHN W. WALLACE, ESQ., OF PHILADELPHIA.*
PROVIDENCE, May 31,1842.
iMIY DEAR SIR:
NOTHING but repeated attacks of illness, and the
fearful strifet which has agitated this whole community,
has prevented me from returning an earlier reply to
your letter of the 21st ult. That letter was not the
first to inform us of the event which has covered your
house with mourning; which has forever withdrawn
from your family circle, one whom it can be no injustice to the living to style the selectest ornament of
that circle; one upon whom all hearts reposed, with a
confidence unalloyed by doubt, and with a love which
knew neither defect nor change. Aware of the lively
interest which we have ever felt in all that concerns
your mother and her family, our Paterson friends apprised us of the dangerous illness of your sister, and,
likewise, of its fatal issue. Your letter, however, gave
us what, with a painful interest we sought to learn, a
* On the death of a sister of Mr. Wallace.-Ed. t " Dorr Rebellion."-Ed.




LETTER TO JOHN W. WALLACE, ESQ.      535
more particular history of those scenes which changed,
and so suddenly changed, the thoughts of so many
hearts.
Need I assure you, my dear Sir, with what sincere,
and affectionate, and respectful sympathy, we regard
you all, in this season of your calamity, when the earth
must seem a sad and weary place, without her who
was wont to share, with you, its blessings, and to
soften its cares. To most of our family connexion,
your sister was known, only through the reports ot
friends who had enjoyed the best opportunities of beholding the beauty of her daily life; who saw how,
by all the offices of gentle and modest virtue, she
softened the impression of a brilliant and commanding
intellect; and, more than this, how, in the midst of
that admiration which she could not fail to excite, she
remembered, with the best tokens of love and adoration, the Being who had so richly endowed her.
Far be it from me, my dear Sir, to bid you not to
grieve, that such a sister and friend is no more. In
the midst of your sorrows, you must, however, be
grateful that she has lived, and that she lived with so
exalted aims. The faith which was hers in life and in
death, has consolations, even for severest woe; for
every deep want of the human spirit; —for the solitary gloom of bereavement;- for the oppressive consciousness, that life hath lost its power to charm.
When your season of bitter amazement shall have
passed by, you will all, I trust, come to think of her
whom you had so much reason to love, not as one who
has ceased to be; but as a pure spirit, active in the
service of Him who created and redeemed her; with




536      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
all her capacities of thought and of feeling full of the
knowledge and the bliss of Heaven.
Mrs. Ives thinks and speaks much of your mother.
She will avail herself of the first opportunity which
her health, now inadequate to the task of writing, will
permit, to give utterance to her feelings of heart-felt
sympathy in the sorrows of an early friend.
Mrs. Goddard unites with me in every expression of
affection and sympathy for your mourning family.
Be pleased to present my best respects to Mr. Binney, your Uncle.
I remain, my dear Sir, with great regard,
Your friend and humble servant,
WIILLIAM G. GODDARD.
TO MRS. SUSAN WALLACE, OF PHILADELPHIA.
PROVIDENCE, September 17, 1844.
WITH very sincere pleasure, my dear Madam, do we
learn, from your kind letter of the 11th inst., that you
are re-established in your beautiful and comfortable
mansion, after enjoying a summer in Burlington, in the
society of one who must be felt by you to be aught
but a summer friend. I often think how grateful, how
truly sympathetic, must be your communion with your
long tried and affectionate friend, Mrs. Bradford* —
endeared as that communion must be to you by con* For an account of Mrs. Bradford, see " Griswold's Republican Court," last
edition.-Ed.




LETTER TO MRS. SUSAN WALLACE.         537
genial tastes and principles, and by memories, both
joyous and sad, which can never pass away from the
heart. We all rejoiced, likewise, in the implied assurance that your health has suffered no serious interruption, since I had the pleasure to see you in the Spring
— and that, with spirits recruited by your visit to Burlington, you have returned to your customary occupations and pleasures-to the daily cares of home, relieved as they are, in your case, most happily, by the
delightful society of your children, and by a resort,
for refreshment and repose, to your own mind and its
thoughts.
Many thanks to you, my dear Madam, for your very
cordial tender to me and mine of the hospitalities of
your house and home. For myself, I am sorry to say,
that the pleasure of visiting Philadelphia in October,
which I ventured, in the Spring, to anticipate, must
now be resigned. Duties, growing out of the critical
posture of our public affairs, and incident, more especially, to the peculiar and yet unsettled state of
things in my native State, seem to require my presence
at home, at least till the great political contest, now
agitating the country, shall be decided. I have, therefore, felt myself obliged to relinquish my place as a
lay delegate to the General Convention, which is
about to assemble in your city. I do not, without
sincere regret, forego the opportunity of seeing our
Church clothed with the insignia of her corporate dignity and power; and of listening to debates, touching
her highest interests, which may be expected to illustrate the wisdom and eloquenee of some of our most
gifted men. All things, I trust, will be done in the
right spirit, and for the best ends, without the exhibi63$




538      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
tion of ruffled tempers, or the disturbing influences of
mere partisan zeal.  *  *  *  *
Mrs. Goddard is most sensible to all your kind expressions concerning herself. Nothing, I am assured,
would give her more pleasure than to share the gentle and refined satisfactions which a visit to yourself
and family would afford her. * * * * Need I
add, that she has had too much personal experience of
your kindness, not to value your recent expression of
it as she ought-too many grateful recollections of her
intercourse with you, at your own home, not to regret,
very sincerely, that she is forbidden to enjoy so genial
a satisfaction.
As to your no less kind and cordial proposition respecting a visit from my daughter, I am now hardly
prepared to speak with decision. She has just returned with us from the country, and will, of course,
need to be some time at home, in order to prepare for
the season which awaits us: We always spare her
from home, somewhat reluctantly-more especihally in
the winter, when the facilities of intercourse are liable
to serious interruptions. Within a few days, she has
received a very cordial invitation from your brother's
family, similar in its import to the one which you have
had the kindness to give and to repeat. Although we
find it hard to resist these two attractive forces, yet,
for the present, we must keep under advisement, a
matter which, hereafter, we may be able more satis.
factorily to decide.
Mrs. Ives was much gratified by the reception of a
letter from you, for which she charges me to thank
you, in anticipation of the reply she hopes soon to
make.




LETTER TO MRS. JOHN E. HOLBROOK.     539
Mrs. Goddard unites with me in every expression
of kind regard for yourself and family.
I am, my dear Madam, with great respect,
Faithfully yours,
WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
TO MRS. JOHN E. HOLBROOK, OF CHARLESTON, S. C.
PROVIDENCE, November 22, 1836.
MY DEAR MRS. HOLBROOK:
I AM not willing to believe that, after so long an absence, my reappearance in Legare Street, in the shape
of this harmless missive, will be entirely unwelcome.
To tell you the truth, my recollections of Charleston
are so grateful, and with these recollections Doctor
Holbrook and yourself are so intimately associated,
that I feel like one impelled to rehearse what his heart
tells him he is in no danger of forgetting. Besides,
since we parted, you and the Doctor have been roaming over classic lands-conversing with kindred spirits,
surveying the miracles of Art, or lavishing your enthusiasm upon the selectest forms of Nature. And
all this, too, while your friend was comforting himself
with the hope that you would come to interrupt his
processes of vegetation in this land of cog-wheels and
spinning jennies. I am so disinterested, however, that
I cannot blame, however I may have lamented your
choice. Most cordially do I congratulate you both,
and likewise Miss Rutledge, on a safe return to your




540     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
friends. Your family circle, I rejoice to believe, you
found unbroken notwithstanding all the dangers
which, during the last season, must have menaced it.
As you may suppose, I was both shocked and grieved
to hear of the death of Mr. Cross. It costs me a
painful effort of imagination to believe that one of the
friends, to whose kindness I was so largely indebted,
is no longer among the living upon the earth. What
a change has come over one of the dwellings in
Charleston, in which every heart once seemed to be
attuned only to light measures.
Your friend, Mr. Legare, I perceive, has returned to
his native country-and, what gives me sincere pleasure, you Charlestonians have, at last, provided a suitable theatre for the exhibition of his talents. He is
claimed as a Van Buren man. This is the language of
party, and, therefore, proves nothing. I have no apprehensions that, with such powers as he is reputed to
possess, he would consent to wear even the velvet collar of the Magician.
It is now within three days of a year since I left
home for Charleston. Our Autumn has been cold and
unlovely, and we have melancholy intimations of a
long and severe winter. Mr. Bridgham  leaves here
to-morrow, for the South.  Had I as few cares or as
much courage, I should be strongly tempted to adopt
his plan of escape from the horrors of a northern winter. But, under existing circumstances, I must remain
at my post-with a mind, however, clouded by
pathetic uncertainties as to what may be the issue.
I take the liberty to send you one or two specimens
of our northern literature, which may not have fallen




LETTER TO MRS. JOHN E. HOLBROOK.     541
under your notice. We are more prosaic than everso do not expect from us any thing imaginative. * * *
My eyes admonish me to cease my strain. It will
always give me pleasure to hear of you and from you,
but I absolve you from any obligation to answer me
at the expense of either your pleasure or your convenience.
Truly yours,
WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
TO MIRS. JOHN E. HOLBROOK, OF CHARLESTON, S. C.
PROVIDENCE, October 12, 1837.
BY this time, dear Mrs. Holbrook, you will begin to
think, that I have not the grace even to thank you, for
your last and very welcome letter. The truth is, without quartering myself upon the sympathies of my
friends, it often happens that I hardly escape severe
judgment upon similar infidelities. In other words,
for the sake of standing, as the lawyers say, rectus in
curia, I do not care to plead my infirmities, whether
physical or moral; and those, who cannot, without
both testimony and argument, understand the case, are
wont to impose upon me penalties due only to incorrigible perversity. From you, however, I shall venture to hope better things. In your clemency, you
will not doom me to a forfeiture, for the venial offense
of preserving silence when, in breaking it, I might
subject you to a positive infliction. What floats upon




542     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
the surface of thought and feeling, you do not care to
know; and my chivalry will not allow me to speak to
a lady from the depths, unless they be transparent, and
all untroubled.
Will you welcome this as the herald of a longer letter? At no distant day, I would fain speak my mind
freely, touching divers men and things-to say nothing about the woman, who, by her strictures upon
" Society in America," has won for herself a not very
enviable celebrity. In the last North American, she is
reviewed. If the Southern Review were in being, I
opine, some of your caustic pens would deal with her
according to her merits.
I send you a few literary trifles-which may amuse
some of your leisure hours.  From one of your remarks, I infer that you are not familiar with the works
of Dana, who, in my judgment, has more of "the
strange intelligence and mysterious energy of genius,"
than almost any one of our New England writers.
The accompanying copy of his works, the only one to
be found in our book shops, will give you some notion
of the extent and versatility of his powers. If you
do not like the book, I am quite sure you would like
the man. He is a fervent admirer of Wordsworth and
Coleridge, and, in addition to his other gifts and
graces, is a thorough paced Tory. Strong titles these
to your favor! A. H. Everett, I presume, is not unknown to you. With somewhat of the learning and
scholarship of his accomplished brother, he has, in my
opinion, no just claims either to genius or eloquence.
The root of the matter is not in him-and it cannot be
put in him. * * * *
Of Mr. Emerson, I know nothing except that he is




LETTER TO MRS. JOHN E. HOLBROOK.    543
a Unitarian Clergyman, who, for some ultra notions,
was obliged to relinquish his pastoral duties. He is,
as you will perceive, a bold and original thinker, of
the transcendental school-now lost in the regions of
philosophical mysticism, and now emerging into the
realms of clear, and vigorous, and brilliant thought,
Give my best love to the Doctor. What is the
reason, that his " Herpetology " has never reached us?
Five or six copies are necessary to supply the subscribers in this city. * * * * *
My best respects await your mother and sisters.
Truly yours,
WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
TO MRS. JOHN E. HOLBROOK, OF CHARLESTON, S. C.
PROVIDENCE, March 15, 1838.
MY DEAR MRs. HOLBROOK:SINCE the date of my Note by Doctor Manly, my
old enemy has granted me hardly any respite —now
prostrating me entirely-and now leaving to me nothing better than an interval of fitful and ineffective
vigor. So, you see, it is only upon compulsion, that I
have so long abstained from paying you a visit upon
paper. During the past winter, I have often thought,
need I add, with unchanged regards, of Doctor Holbrook and yourself. Imaginary visits to Legare Street
have been among the recreations of my hours of languid convalescence-I say Legare Street, because it is
a familiar name —and a familiar name is not without
its charm,




544     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
You no longer dwell there, I am told-having gone
to decorate "the old family mansion."  How I envy
you-I who, since the days of my boyhood, have
never lived in any but an hired house or in a square,
snug-built, unpoetical brick building-full of modern
comforts, but without a solitary memorial of venerable forefathers-or a single chain of communication
with the mighty past. I have great reason to remember
Tradd Street with pleasure.  Hereafter, it will be
doubly attractive.
Our winter, I must not forget to tell you, was delightfully pleasant-some of the weather so bland and
exhilarating as to remind me strongly of the sunny
South. We are now in the midst of March, with
neither ice nor snow in our streets, and with an atmosphere so brilliant and soft as to verify, in some sort,
the partial descriptions of Spring which the English
poets are wont to give us. Doomed as I am to the
penalties of inconstant health and unbroken leisure,
my great resource is in books. In them, I always find
" good society "-and a more generous exercise for the
higher faculties of our being than is apt to be afforded
by miscellaneous crowds of men and women, who all
seem made after one pattern, and who are accustomed
in verba magistri jurare.
The Sermons of the famous Doctor South have supplied me with the materials of much solid instruction
and with a deal of innocent amusement. If you have
not read this theological classic, do dip into it at your
leisure. South is sometimes coarse and vituperoushe lived at an acrimonious era-but 1 can readily
pardon any excess of this sort, in consideration of his
brilliant wit which flashes upon you in almost every




LETTER TO MRS. JOHN E. HOLBROOK.     545
page of his loyal Sermons; and of his large and discriminating views of truth and duty. As a companion, he probably was somewhat unlovely-but as
a sound Christian Moralist and as a skillful theological
gladiator, he is seldom equalled. If he lived at the
North, at the present era of social reform, social agitation, social perversity and social mischief, I would
be among the first to invoke him to apply his caustic to
the men and women who seem bent upon troubling
the peace of our American Israel. You need not be
told that I have no sympathy with the movements of
this moving age. I reprobate, with unaffected cordiality, all the Ultraism and all the Anti-ism and all
the Radicalism of the day-whether in morals, politics
or religion. Doctor Wayland's book,* a copy of which
I herewith send you, will, I trust, rebuke, if it do not
repel, the malign spirit which is abroad in our land.
If this spirit be not counteracted, not only will the
Confederacy be destroyed, and to what section of the
Union would not this be a fearful calamity? but all
frieedom of thought and action will come to feel the
torpedo touch of the great majority. Do read and
circulate the Doctor's book. You will like it, in the
main, I am quite sure.
Carlyle's French Revolution, I had not the courage
to read-repelled by its forbidding and almost unintelligible style. The Transcendentalists, however, say
that it is a rare book, full of profound thought-and
exhibiting some of the noblest creations of genius.
Talfourd's Life of Lamb disappointed me. Itis style
(Talfourd's) is at times so elaborated and so ornate as to
be somewhat obscure. He writes rather like a skill* "The Limits of Human Responsibility."-Ed.
69




546     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
ful rhetorician than like a man of deep feeling and
vigorous thought.  Lamb disappointed me not less
than his biographer. As a variety of the race, it is
curious to behold him, but his sympathies seemed to
be very confined-his powers of mind far from various
-and his habits of life not specially attractive.
Thus far, I have read only the Life and Letters. Elia
may change my estimate. Talfourd, if I mistake not,
is greatly overrated. I marvel if he be at all equal
to your Mr. Legare, and, in this notion, I am not alone.
IHis faultless polish of style, which pervades even his
parliamentary efforts, is carried to excess. It debilitates impression-when it does not obscure his meaning. By the way-we were all delighted with Mr.
Legare's Speech, at the special session, in opposition to
the Sub-Treasury Bill. It places him  at once, in the
first rank of our American Orators and Statesmen.
It was refreshing to find, in a speech upon an arid
financial question —such profound philosophical views
-such an elevated moral tone-and forms of expres.
sion which betray a perfect familiarity with the best
models. Some of its digressions reminded me strongly
of the "eloquent common-places" with which Burke
and his compeers, were wont to relieve their speeches
in the palmy days of British eloquence.
Has Prescott's Ferdinand and Isabella reached
Charleston?  I have read only the first volume. It is
highly commended-and it seems to me, not unde.
servedly. Familiar as you are with Spanish Literature, you will read it with a relish which all cannot
feel. Dr. IIolbrook, by this time, must be near the
termination of his annual Course of Lectures?  What




LETTER TO MRS. JOHN E. HOLBROOK.    547
else is he about? Can you make him obey orders, or
is he, in some things, impracticable? Tell him not to
overtask his powers, either for Anatomy or for Herpetology. For some unexplained reason, his first volume
has never reached Providence. When is the second
to appear? His health, I know, must require a periodical abstraction from professional labors. Can he
do better with himself than attend you on a visit to the
North, during the approaching summer? I shall rely
upon you to second this motion. You will find us
quite as bustling as ever. We bustle about that which
is our business, and about what is not our business;
we bustle to grow rich, and learned, and devout; we
bustle not only to reform ourselves, but our neighbors.
Do not, therefore, expect to find much of the poetry
of life amid "the din of all this smithery "-commnercial, literary-moral and religious.  Do not expect
that our working men and working women will have
paused from their toils of misdirected and uncompensated philanthropy. They are incorrigible, and must
be left to eat the fruit of their own ways, and to be
filled with their own devices.
Can you tell me any thing about my friend Mrs.
C  *?2  I often think of her with interestdeepened by the recollection of the calamity which
has shrouded her in gloom. If you think I have not
forfeited all claim to your favor by my long silence,
do give me some account of your noble self and of the
friends by whom you are surrounded. When I begin
my book, I shall certainly dedicate it to " Mrs. H. P.
H."  My sister unites with me in kind messages to all
whom we have reason to remember with pleasureand among them, your mother and sisters are promi



548     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
nent in our regards. Mrs. Godcard desires me to present to you her compliments. My love to the Doctor.
Truly yours,
WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
TO MRS. JOHN E. HOLBROOK, OF CHARLESTON, S. C.
PROVIDENCE, December 4, 1838.
MY DEAR MRS. HOLBROOK:A FEW days ago, a numerous flock of migratory
birds passed over my head, in their flight from our inclement skies to the more genial regions of the South.
At this spectacle, beautiful and interesting in itself, I
gazed, not so much in admiration of the infallible
instinct which guides these birds of passage through
the pathless solitudes of heaven to the distant climes
which they seek, as with a heart-felt desire to revisit
those friends who lent to my sojourn in Charleston the
charms of an elegant hospitality, and the yet higher
attractions of congenial sentiments and tastes. This
pleasure, however, must be reserved for the distant
future, and the secrets of that distant future, ah, who
may tell! Meantime, however, I will not perversely
slight the best consolations of absence. Pen, ink, and
paper, are always at my command; and were it not
that my hand is apt, in such matters, to be behind my
heart, I should much oftener exchange thoughts and
sympathies with my friends, after this fashion. As
you are my only correspondent, I can plead but a poor
excuse indeed for inconstancy.




LETTER TO MRS. JOHN E. HOLBROOK.     549
Let me, before I proceed farther, assure the Doctor
that I have restored him to full favor and affectionforfeited, for a time, by his neglect to apprise me of
the time of your return to Providence, last summer.
After all, it will not do to put much confidence in
authors or philosophers-so far as the business transactions of life are concerned. Had I put my trust in
you, I am quite sure that you would not have had the
heart to subject me to so trying a disappointment.
By this time, I trust, you. are enjoying the repose of
home, so grateful to those who are weary either of the
inanities of society or the vicissitudes of travelling.
May I hope that the health of your mother has been
recruited by her excursion to the North?  I have
thought much of you all, during the past summer, so
sadly memorable in the private history of many of
your most distinguished families. Woes have clustered
around Charleston. The elements have leagued with
the pestilence to mar her prosperity, and to consume
her beauty. Many a true heart has ceased to throb,
and many a dwelling, once the abode of homebred
joys, has been smitten with desolation. Your city,
such is the elastic vigor of commercial communities,
will soon repair her shattered fortunes; but upon how
many of her once cheerful homes hath settled the
gloom of an imperishable sorrow! I rejoice, however,
to think that, amid all its sad conditions, life has many
blessings. Its duties make stern demands upon usand it is wisely ordered that, in the performance of its
duties, we are, in some sort, fortified for the enduring
of its trials. X  *    ~X 
Since I had the pleasure of last seeing you, I have
found little leisure for reading. Like the simple lad




550     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
who waited for the river to run by, ere he attempted
to cross it, I have been waiting to be released from a
host of mean cares, ere I sat down in winter quarters,
to an unbroken converse with books-those faithful
comrades who are always at our service-and who
solace, even after they have lost the power to cheer
us. "Home Education "-" Price on the Picturesque,"
and "Gardiner's Music of Nature," are among my recent achievements, in this line.  Home Education,
though grave and didactic, will repay you for reading
it. The author, Isaac Taylor, is without either cant
or commonplace, and this, in an age abounding in
both, is, in itself, no small praise. This man, Taylor,
John Foster, and Archbishop Whately seem to me to
be among the most acute and original thinkers of the
age-so far at least as Great Britain is concerned.
Were I in Charleston, I should like, of all things, to
" happen in," and to talk over with you the merits and
demerits, not only of the men who are candidates for
the fame of authorship-but of the questions, doctrines, theories, &c., &c., which agitate and perplex,
and, in some cases, deprave the public mind. With
politics and with politicians, who that has either taste
or conscience will consent to hold alliance? and if the
spirit of fanaticism, is destined to achieve its malignant triumphs, our religion will be degraded to a level
with our politics. Mr. Legare, I lament to perceive,
has become a martyr to his principles. " King Numbers " may force him from the Halls of Congress-but
he cannot quench the light of his genius-nor tear
from his brow the wreath of civic renown which he
won during the heated debates of the last session.
Tell Dr. Holbrook, that I am delighted with the




LETTER TO MRS. JOHN E. HOLBROOK.    551
appearance of his first two Numbers; but I am quite
too modest to offer to a savant any thing like a critical
estimate of his book. The numbers sent hither have
all been distributed-but I am left unsupplied. * * *
Who is the author of " Stanley "-an American
novel, just published?' It has, it is said, much cleverness. * * * *
Mrs. Goddard desires her compliments-and the
Doctor must take up with my love. Need I add, on
my own behalf, any other words than those of West to
his friend Gray-" Next to seeing you is the pleasure
of seeing your handwriting; and next to hearing you
is the pleasure of hearing from you."
Truly yours,
WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
TO MRS. JOHN E. HOLBROOK, OF CHARLESTON, S. C.
PROVIDENCE, November 2, 1839.
IMY DEAR Mits. HOLBROOK:I DO not intend this as a reply to your truly welcome letter-welcome, not only for your sake, but for
that of the intelligent and cultivated gentleman who
bore it. *  *  *  * You speak of the T-  -s as
being "what are called quiet people." Such people
wear well, and I have learned to love them better
than those who are eager candidates for admiration,
and who make demands upon my faculties, which I am
too old or too inert to answer without effort. You will
not infer from this confession, that I am becoming




552     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
reconciled to those who are quiet because they are
dull —who are strangers to all disturbing forces-living without high impulses and elevated purposesuseful, well contrived and durable machines!
You ask me what I am doing. I answer "Nothing"
-or next to nothing! This is a sad account to give
of myself-but there is no help for the matter, unless
I should become regenerated in all the elements of my
being. Of this I have come to have no hope. Occa.
sionally, I am forced to some transient intellectual
effort-but my productions are all ephemeral. Such
as they are, however, I never fail to send you a copy.
If, therefore, you have not received what I have written
and printed, the Mail is in fault. A few literary trifles
accompany this Note. Chevalier's book is said to be
hardly less able than that of De Tocqueville. If you
have not already read it in French, you have a pleasure in reserve. What wonderful creatures these Frenchmen are! Unsurpassed in the language of graceful
compliment-familiar with all the delicacies of sentiment-venturing, and venturing successfully, into the
depths of speculation and exact science: I prefer,
after all, the Anglo Saxon mind-I deem it, on the
whole, the mind of the truest and most various power
-the mind which has done the most for the morals,
and intellect, and freedom of our race. I utter no interdict against any other literature. Our own, rich
and varied as it is, may be improved by an alliance
with that of Continental Europe. I look to this as
the ultimate result. At present, during the transition
state, we must expect somewhat of servile imitation,
and of ungraceful and elaborate effort to say very
common things in a very uncommon manner. * * * *




LETTER TO MRS. JOHN E. HOLBROOK.    553
And, now, let me ask, what are you doing? Why
don't you write a book-and commit to a record less
perishable than the memories of those who enjoy your
society, thoughts which ought not to die with you?
I do not say this, in sport, or to retaliate the very
gracious exhortation which you have addressed to
me upon the same subject. Were I in Charleston,
perhaps I might attempt to write something. But, in
Providence, the influences around me are dull, and
heavy, and uncongenial —they make my leisure an
equivocal blessing-they seldom draw me away from
the companionship of sad thoughts. It would be a
great comfort to me to abuse the times, now and then,
in the presence of those who could fully comprehend
the causes and the limitations of my abuse.  As
things are here, those who speak freely, do not speak
without hazard.  If they profess to love the saints
not much better than they love the sinners, it would
not be difficult to say to which class they would be
thought to belong.  And so of other persons and
things. I could respire freely in the air of Tradd
Street! X* * * 
I rejoice to perceive that Charleston is no longer
suffering from  epidemic disease.  Death has been
busy in the ranks of your gifted men. Legare, and
others of whom I know less, are yet left behind. It
is a shame that such a man as Mr. Legare should be
discarded from the confidence of his constituents
merely because, in the discharge of his duties as a
Representative of the people, he would not dance to
the Executive pipe. Among all your public men, no
one enjoys so enviable a reputation at the North as
Mr. Legare. The Representative has been put down
70




554     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
-but the democracy of numbers cannot put down the
man.
When I began, I contemplated only a short Notebut I have been betrayed into quite a long letter.
After so long a silence, I am half ashamed to tell you
how much pleasure it always gives me to hear from
you. Remember that we are in the first passages of a
long and desolate winter-and that I shall hail a letter from you, as I would hail the gentler influences of
your native clime.'-*  *  * 
Truly yours,
WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
TO MRS. JOHN E. HOLBROOK, OF CHARLESTON, S. C.
PROVIDENCE, December 25, 1845.
IT is so very long a time, my dear Mrs. Holbrook,
since I have heard aught of or from the inmates of
"the Hollow Tree," that I begin to fear that, in order
to make "a new experiment in living," they have emigrated to "Sleepy Hollow."  Ignorance of their
whereabouts and of the pursuits and interests which
diversify, happily diversify, I trust, their passing hours,
shall not, however, be any longer my fault. What day
so meet as this for my friendly inquiries! this day,
when, all over the Christian world, millions of hearts
are pouring out tides of innocent joy, and interchanging voices of genial sympathy and of sacred love.
May it be a happy Christmas to you and to all of
yours, and may the new year on which you are about




LETTER TO MRS. JOHN E. HOLBROOK.      555
to enter bring with it, in its course, naught but vicissitudes grateful to the memory and the heart.
Doctor Holbrook and Miss Rutledge, it seems, were
at the North last summer; but they took good care to
keep out of my jurisdiction. This, I feel to be hardly
fair. Miss Rutledge has the merit of being a very
agreeable person, but this only serves to deepen my
regret that she is wont to pass by Providence on the
other side. When she travels, you it seems, are a fixed
star-how much better is this than styling you " a fixed
fact!" I must, therefore, insist that, hereafter, she
shall console me for the loss of your society, by permitting me at least to taste the pleasures of her own.
*  *  *  *  Above all-how goes on the book?
Will it require of the Doctor another visit to the
North, next summer, in company with his well instructed scribe?  Greenwich has lost none of that
repose, amounting almost to dullness, which you once
seemed to prefer to the excitements of more tumultuous scenes. Mrs. Updike is still mistress of the Hotel,
and her worthy daughters, who speak often and kindly
of you, continue to ply, with cheerful alacrity, their
daily task. " Miss * * " is no longer Miss * *
With her Lord,, she has gone to reside at
Bucksport, in the State of Maine-a town not unknown to fame on account of its excellent red herrings! Do not, after this, reproach us, of New England, for any deficiency in the matter of those classical
spots around which poets, love to linger in search of
inspiration. *  *  *  *
This letter is destined to take a voyage to Charleston in very good society-accompanied, as it will be,
by what, from a glance at some of its contents, seems




D 56    WWRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
to me to be a book of true poetry.  Mr. Hillard, of
Boston, a man of elegant letters, commended the work*
to my notice. Of the author I can tell you nothing,
except that he is a member of the British Parliament.
In politics, I infer that he belongs to the Whig, if not
to the Radical School. I have cut the leaves for you,
and have marked several passages in which I venture
to think that you will not fail to recognize a strain of
profound philosophy and of touching sentiment,
poured forth in most exquisite verse.
Pray tell me what you have read, since last I had
the pleasure to hear from you. An account of your
"Leisure Hours Improved," would, I fear, rebuke me
for the manner in which mine are sometimes employed
-for the deep sadness with which I too often muse upon
" the Exhaustion of Life "-" the Marvel of Life""the Solitude of Life! "
Smyth's Lectures on the French Revolution are now
amusing my hours of vacancy. If you have never read
them, and if you can bear to renew your familiarity
with those scenes of terrific strife and dark atrocity
which make the French Revolution to stand out as the
most fearful moral phenomenon in the history of the
world, you will, I am persuaded, be repaid by a perusal of these Lectures.  The author is Professor of
History in the University at Cambridge, England.
He is a wise politician of the Whig school; and his
teachings, not less than the daily experience of things
in our own country, have impressed me very strongly
as to the value of moderate counsels, and the great
danger of extreme opinions. *  *  *  *
Mr. Hudson, the Lecturer on Shakspeare, I am told,
* " Poems of Many Years, by Richard Monckton Milnes."-Ed.




LETTER TO A LADY.            557
means to visit Charleston. Do not fail to hear him.
He is a man of no common powers-and, withal, a profound and most philosophical critic upon the works of
the great dramatist. He is a man of high principles,
and did his manners correspond to the character of
his intellect, he would be found, in all societies, a
most instructive and pleasant companion.
Our earth is now covered with snow-and the brief
December days are upon us, with their dark and sullen skies. Send me, therefore, I pray you, at your
earliest convenience, a beam of light from the brilliant
South-in the shape of one of your most welcome
letters. v  X   
Believe me, my dear Mrs. Holbrook,
Your friend, &c.
WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
TO A LADY.
CHARLESTON, S. C., April 4, 1836.
MY DEAR * *
I CANNOT leave this city, without giving you, however imperfectly, my promised impressions of the
South. You are so familiar with its climate and the
general aspects of its scenery, that no description of
either could do more than refresh, in this matter, the
fading recollections of what you once enjoyed. My
observations upon southern life and southern character have been limited, almost exclusively, to Charles



558       WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
ton and Savannah-having passed only about a fortnight in the country-at the Plantations of Messrs.
Clay and Arnold.
In these two cities, I have experienced so many
grateful attentions, that I cannot find it in my heart
to quarrel with what does not happen, in all respects,
to suit my notions of propriety or to please my taste
for enjoyment. Do not suppose, however, from this
intimation, that a sterner critic thran I am disposed to
be, could find more to censure here than at the North.
It is wise always to recollect, that, every where, we
dwell among fallen spirits —and that, every where,
are to be discerned the traces of that inherent and
superinduced frailty which imparts to individual and
to social Man an aspect of sadness, in spite of his original grandeur and his glorious destinies. * * * *
The cordial hospitality and the graceful urbanity of
the South, I need not describe to you who have passed
so much time in this attractive city-where they are so
conspicuously manifested. Of Slavery I have seen no
reason to change my deliberate and long established
opinions. It is a tremendous evil-but it is not without its incidental benefits, and its partial alleviations.
From the efforts of the Abolitionists I anticipate little
beside injury-but I cannot renounce the hope that, in
the progress of time, when Christianity shall have infused its spirit more largely into all the social institutions of Man, Slavery will either be abolished entirely,
or so modified in its character, as to exist comparatively
without evil. In the hands of the Moral Governor of the
Universe, we, his creatures, are privileged to be instruments for accomplishing His purposes. But we abuse




LETTER TO A LADY.            559
our privilege-we irreverently trespass upon His right
to rule, when we recklessly aim to do now, and in our
own strength, what he intends shall be done progressively, and by a series of perhaps mysterious dispensations. Perhaps I am behind the spirit of the age;
but there does seem to me to be, at the present day,
more motion than progress-more of the capricious
impulse of the passions than of the calm might of
reason, or the sustaining energy of faith. People are
now resolved to attempt any thing and every thing at
once-and to precipitate results without calculating
consequences. The more questionable the success and
the propriety of the enterprise-the more rampant is
the zeal by which such enterprise is attempted to be
pushed forward. After all, are we so much wiser and
better than our fathers-as we are wont to think? Is
there now more of the quiet beauty of personal holiness than there was when the honors of saintship
could not be won-without a close walk with God
and a noiseless love for Man? I do not wish to be
captious-but I am not in love with the spirit of the
age. It is rather too bustling and ostentatious for my
taste —but I ought to remember that he who controls
the unruly wills of men, may educe from this seeming
evil —ultimate and permanent good. * * * *
To me, my dear * *, the past year has been one
of frequent and extraordinary, and sad vicissitude.
Death has severed endearing ties-and a long absence
from home, for the first time in my life, has subjected
me to a new species of moral discipline. I cannot
flatter myself that I have profited largely from any of
these changes and trials. I am willing to hope, however, that they have not been entirely lost upon me.




560      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
They ought to have taught me, at least, that here we
have no continuing city-that amid the sorrows of life
there is no adequate support but faith —and, amid its
distracting cares, no repose but in God.
Truly yours,
WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
TO THE HON. JAMES GOULD, OF LITCIHFIELD, CONN.
PROVIDENCE, February 25, 1837.
MY DEAR SIR:
I HAVE also directed to you, through the medium of
the Post Office, my " single Speech," in the shape of a
Phi Beta Kappa Address, delivered by me, last September, and just published. It is more than tinctured with
conservative doctrines, but this will not impair its title
to your favor. I begin to be sick alike of Whig and
Tory. They have both deserted the good old ways.
They are both engaged in a miserable strife for place;
and seem neither to understand what is true policy,
nor to heed what is demanded by true principle. The
times are sadly out of joint; and I should utterly dispair of the Republic, did I not sometimes look away
from rulers and from people to the power and wisdom
of Him who controls the unruly passions of men; and
by a mysterious economy educes good from ill. * * X
Since your last visit, sad changes have occurred in
the little circle in which you were accustomed to move.
Death has summoned one and another, and another
from this changeful scene to the unalterable retribu



LETTER TO THE HON. JAMES GOULD.     561
tions of eternity; and many, who but lately rejoiced
in their strength begin to feel that they now stand in
the front ranks, exposed, in an especial manner, to the
shafts of the Destroyer. Such is life! and how strange
our neglect of the true wisdom which converts into
the richest blessings the inevitable conditions of our
being!
You are aware that I passed the whole of the last
winter in South Carolina and Georgia. From this
change of climate, however, I failed to derive much
benefit-so far as health is concerned.  Since my return, I have not been five miles from the smoke of
my own chimney. Thus far, the winter has not proved
injurious to me. Returning from the South, I passed
twelve days in Washington. I saw and heard most of
the great men of the day. To your quondam pupil,
Mr. Calhoun, I brought letters from General Hamilton,
of Nullification memory.  Mr. Calhoun is, without
doubt, an able man; but he deals too much in abstractions, and, to me, appears, like most of his contemporaries, to want the far reaching sagacity of the old
school of American statesmen. There is nothing in
Washington which offers any temptation to an honest
man and a gentleman to quit his domestic comforts for
what has now become the equivocal distinction of be.
ing a member of Congress. I repeatedly heard Niles,
the vociferous demagogue whom Connecticut has sent
to the Senate to disgrace New England and herself.
Bad as he is, he is probably not without his fellows
even in the same Body. Every time this man opened
his mouth, which was very frequently, my thoughts
wandered back to the days of the Ellsworths, the
Shermans, the Tracys and the Goodriches-to those
71




5 62     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
days when not only Connecticut, but all New England
put forth into public life the breed of noble blood. * *
My post at College, I still retain. It is, however, a
sinecure, and, of course, without emolument. It sometimes makes me feel rather sad to be laid upon the
shelf thus early in life; but I am surrounded by so
many rich and unmerited blessings that it would ill become me to indulge a repining thought.  Gracious
promises are made, not only to those who are actively
obedient-but to those, who, in the right spirit, " stand
still and wait." * * * *
Faithfully and affectionately, your friend,
WILLIAiM  G. GODDARD.
TO MISS HOPE BROWN IVES.
PROVIDENCE, January 4, 1831.
I owE you many thanks, my dear Hope, for your
New Year's gift, and for the affectionate expressions
of regard from which it borrows a nameless value.
Your place at our table, on Saturday, was filledbut your place in our hearts, none can fill. Is it not a
beautiful attribute of human affections that, while
capable of adjustment to every variety of benevolent
interest, they admit no substitutes for objects of peculiar and cherished regard?
During the past year you have known much of sickness. May renovated health be among the blessings
of the year on which you have just entered; but,
whatever may be its issues, may you continue to rely




LETTER TO MISS HOPE BROWN IVfES,     563
with tranquil confidence on the goodness of that Being
who chastens but in love-as a Father chasteneth his
children. And we have his unfailing promise that he
will never leave nor forsake those who put their trust
in Him.
Faithfully, your friend and brother,
WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
TO MISS HOPE BROWN IVES.
PROVIDENCE, July 22, 1832.
THINK not, my dear Hope, that I mean to slight
your offering —least of all, that I undervalue the interest of which it is a token. Once or twice before, I
have attempted to thank you, but in vain. The languor and the oppression of disease still forbid me to
say much, unless I say "multum in parvo."  Believe
me, then, that I shall treasure your gift and. its interesting accompaniment, as remembrancers of almost the
only friendship which is without other than pure and
grateful recollections.  Whether or not the attachments of earth are to be perpetuated in the region of
sanctified affections, it is not given us to know; but
this, I think, is certain, that the friendships of life are
the oases of the desert, intended to refresh the pilgrim
on his journey, and to be hailed by him as imperfect
images of those "green pastures," which are destined
to solace him in the land of everlasting repose.
Truly, your friend and brother,
WILLIAM G. GODDARD.




564     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
TO MRS. HOPE IVES.
PROVIDENCE, July 29, 1835.
I CANNoT leave home, my dear Mrs. Ives, without
expressing my sensibility to the kindness which has
assigned to me a memento but recently worn by one
who is now clothed in the vestments of immortality.
No such memorial was needed to bring him* often before me, for seldom is he long absent from my thoughts.
Wherever I go-whether to his own dwelling or to his
customary place of business, I miss the light of that
presence, which but lately pervaded every thing
within its sphere. To the change which his death
hath wrought in our family circle-in what heart is
the process of accommodation begun 2  The more I
dwell upon his worth-upon his serene dignity-his
unswerving truth-his practical consecration of himself to the service of his Creator and his fellow men,the more deeply do I feel how much we have lost-in
losing such a guide, protector and friend. In the estimate of Christian faith, these may seem like selfish regrets. The Gospel of Jesus Christ bids all his friends
to look away from their rooted sorrow to the imperishable joys upon which he hath entered-to the crown
of life which is promised " to him that overcometh."
I leave you all with deep emotion. May God preserve, and be very gracious unto you-and permit us
all, at no distant day, again to meet in that dwelling
which is full of touching memorials of His power to
wound and to bless us.
Affectionately yours,
WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
* Thomas Poynton Ives.-Ed.




LETTER TO MISS HOPE BROWN IVES,      565
TO MISS HOPE BROWN IVES.
WASHINGTON CITY, April 25, 1836.
I CANNOT return home, my dear Hope, without offering you some special proof, however imperfect, of
my affectionate recollection. Both your mother and
yourself have often been in apy thoughts, during those
hours of absence which, I trust, are now hastening to
a close. Among my most grateful anticipations, is the
pleasure of again meeting you both in that home to
which you are both so strongly attached, and which,
at the present season, must be full of sad memories.
The annual miracle of nature is accomplished-your
garden smiles in verdure and in bloom-but it smiles
not for those who, one short year since, witnessed, with
the joyous surprise of infancy or with the serene delight of a cultivated taste, the expanding glories of
Spring.  While, however, we miss their sympathy,
and can never cease to deplore that they are no longer
with us, it is well for us to take refuge in the beliefthat, though forever removed from our earthly vision,-they are yet living, intelligent and happy spirits.
In that other world to which they have gone, there
is nothing to check the elastic bound of the spirit, or
to disturb its immortal repose. To those who are left
behind, to some of them at least, how sad and how
settled is the aspect of life. But life is rapidly passing away, and if it be passed in securing the great
ends of existence, its progress cannot be without many
blessings-its close can neither be disastrous nor unwelcome. But I do not mean to press this subject
further. When in Savannah, I was betrayed into a




566      WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
promise to write something for a lady's Album. The
enclosed was the contribution* which my promise
compelled me to make. I send it to you-not for the
sake of its merit-for it can claim but little-but because it was suggested by a scene which, in beauty
and impressiveness, is seldom equalled. Bonaventure
is about five miles from Savannah. It belongs to the
Tattnall family, several of whom, including the late
Colonel Tattnall, are buried beneath the shade of the
live oaks which are planted in ranges and form a perfect arcade. The family mansion was burnt down,
some years since, in the midst of an elegant reveland its site is hardly to be seen. These explanations
will enable you to comprehend the allusions in the
enclosed.*  *X  *  *  *.
Affectionately and hastily yours,
WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
BONAVENTURE.
WRITTEN APRIL, 1836.
No stranger should leave Savannah, without visiting this the most interesting of its localities. In a
country like our own, where nearly every object proclaims that utilitarianism is a part almost of the religion of the people, it is refreshing to turn towards a
spot which, like Bonaventure, speaks eloquently to
the imagination and the heart.  It is refreshing to
tutrn aside, even from beautiful Savannah-from  her
stocks and her staples-to a scene where the very spirit
* We give below the article to which Mr. Goddard refers.-Ed.




BONAVENTURE.               567
of sad and gentle contemplations seems to have found
a home-to a scene unvexed by sordid cares or selfish politics-undisturbed by frivolity-unpolluted by
crime. Far be it from me to attempt, even in humble
prose, a description of Bonaventure. The spot is full
of the elements of poetry, and it belongs to a Poet to
describe it. Some lyric Muse, gifted with the inspiration of Gray, should celebrate, in meet strains, its
pathetic beauty and embalm it for immortality. Its
grove of lofty and venerable oaks, garlanded with
gray moss-the sighing of the wind through the
branches, the site of the ancestral mansion which, ill
the days of other years, was the seat of elegant festivity and home-bred affections-the grave of the
heroic spirit who sleeps beneath his patrimonial trees
in social proximity to those whom in life he had loved
-are all fresh in my recollection. But the associations to which such a scene gives rise-the subdued
tone of moral feeling-the evanescent emotions of
Taste-the impulses of the Imagination towards the
regions of the profound and the indefinite-all these
how difficult to recall-and, if recalled, how difficult
to explain! Be it mine, then to pause, for a moment, in
monitory mood, upon the lessons which a spot, like
Bonaventure, addresses to every thinking being. Its
oaks have defied many a fearful blast, and, in melancholy grandeur, may they long survive-but where are
those who once sported in mirth or mused in sadness
beneath their branches? Oh! where are they? Where
is the mansion from which the voice of revelry was
wont to break? Where are the flatterers of the festal hour? In the midst of the grove there is a sepulchre. Where are the immortal spirits which once in



568     WRITINGS OF WILLIAM G. GODDARD.
habited these mouldering bodies?  Who can answer
any of these questions, without being driven back
upon himself-without being compelled to reflect upon
the inevitable conditions of his being-upon the awful
responsibilities resting upon him-upon the solemnities of death-and the retributions of eternity? 
Who can answer any of these questions, without rebuking, in himself, that worse than folly which would
waste in frivolity the hours of a fleeting probationwhich would prefer the wine of Babylon to the waters
of life-which would barter for the tumultuous gratifications of vanity, that peace which passeth all understanding? But I am admonished to cease my strain.
The hour is rapidly hastening on, when I shall quit,
perchance forever; these southern skies. Their genial
influence I cannot soon forget-least of all can I forget those who have thrown over my wanderings somewhat of the kindliness of home. Of all the spots
which I have visited, Bonaventure is the most impressive, and it will be the most freshly remembered.
Long may it be safe from the woodman's axe-and
from the fatal inroads of modern inprovement. May
it never be desecrated by uncouth revelry or bitter
strifes, but, in all its untutored grace,-in all its solemn
and mysterious beauty, may it be consecrated to Serene
Joy and to incommunicable Sorrow-to Taste, Philosophy, and Devotion-to visions of unearthly repose
-to the passionless forms of Immortality!
IEND OF VOL. I.