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ADDRESS 
 
 DELIVERED BEFORE THE 
 
 TWO LITERARY SOCIETIES 
 
 niVERSITT or lORTH CAEOLINA, 
 
 MAY 31, 1848, 
 
 WILLIAM EATON, Jr 
 
 PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF THE SOCIETY. 
 
 FAYETTEVILLE, N. C. 
 PUBLISHED BY EDWARD J. HALE 
 
 1848. 
 
Philanthropic Hall, August 8lh, 1S48. 
 Sir: 
 
 The undersigned have the honor to express to yon, in behalf of tlie Philan- 
 thropic Society, their grateful thanks for your very interesting and eloquent 
 Address, delivered before the two Literary Societies of the University on the 
 day preceding the Annual Commencement, and earnestly request a copy for 
 publication. 
 
 With great respect, 
 >, Your obedient servants, 
 
 T. M. Arrington, i 
 J. DE B. Mallett, > Committee. 
 C. R. Thomas, ) 
 William Eaton, Jr , Esq. 
 
 Warrento7i, August l2lh, 1848. 
 Gentlemen: 
 
 I have received your note of the 8th instant, requesting for publication a 
 copy of the Address delivered by myself on the day preceding the last Annual 
 Commencement at Chapel Hill. While I am conscious that the Society by 
 which you have been appointed a committee to make this request has too 
 favorably estimated the Address, I have still felt it my duty to comply vi'ith 
 established usage upon occasions of the kind. Permit me to return to the 
 Philanthropic Society, through you as its committee, my grateful thanks for this 
 mark of its favorable opinion ; and accept, yourselves, my acknowledgments 
 for the courteous terms in which you have been pleased to communicate its 
 wishes. 
 
 With great esteem. 
 
 Your friend and fellow member, 
 
 Wm. Eaton, Jr. 
 Messrs. T. M. Arrington, ^ 
 
 J. DE B. Mallett, > Committee, c^-c. 
 C. R. Thomas, ) 
 
ADDRESS. 
 
 Gentlemen of the Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies — 
 
 In appearing before you on this deeply interesting occasion, 
 1 am sensible of my inability to discharge the duty assigned 
 me, with those captivating graces of oratory which have dis- 
 tinguished the efforts of my predecessors. I have been in- 
 duced, however, to accept the invitation with which I have 
 been honored, from a sincere desire to gratify the wishes of 
 that esteemed Literary Society M'hich has made me its repre- 
 sentative here, however humble the tribute which I may be 
 able to bring to this temple of learning. The topic to which 
 your attention is solicited for a few moments, is the literary 
 prospects of our beloved country. Foreign criticism has often 
 observed that our literature does not admit of comparison with 
 that of the most enlightened nations of Europe, in the number, 
 variety, and excellence of its productions. We are not so far 
 blinded by national prejudice or vanity as to deny the truth of 
 the remark, but there is certainly no inferiority of intellect on 
 the part of our countrymen. It would have been a subject 
 which might well excite surprise, if America, under existing 
 circumstances, could have aspired to a literary rivalship with 
 Great Britain or France, or could have risen to commanding 
 eminence in science or letters. If we were to ask one of our 
 transatlantic kindred, who were the brightest ornaments of the 
 literature of his country, he would point to Shakspeare, to Mil- 
 ton, and to the brilliant constellation of geniuses that adorned 
 
the literary firmament of Great Britain during the reign of 
 Queen Anne. Coming down to a more recent period, he 
 would probably mention, with proud satisfaction, the illustrious 
 names of Johnson, Burke, and many others who flourished 
 about the time of the American Revolution. When Shak- 
 speare and Milton wrote their immortal productions, our coun- 
 try was almost entirely in the possession of beasts of prey and 
 Indian tribes. During the reign of Anne, which has been re- 
 garded as the Augustan age of British learning, we had only 
 three colleges, very poorly endowed, and exceedingly deficient 
 in all the means of instruction, and scarcely a single press on 
 this side of the Ocean. A few spots of imperfect cultiva- 
 tion might be seen on the Atlantic coast, but the axe and the 
 ploughshare had never asserted their dominion among the 
 stately forests of the interior. Our country was still an almost 
 unbroken wilderness. Her noblest rivers were only skimmed 
 by the frail bark of the savage, and her lakes and inland seas 
 were sleeping "in the primeval silence of nature." Even at 
 the commencement of the Revolution our population was some- 
 what less than three millions. That population was scattered 
 over an extended tract of territor}^ was struggling with the 
 difliculties incident to the recent settlement of the country, 
 and was very imperfectly supplied with the means of intellec- 
 tual improvement. A people so situated could not be expected 
 to explore the depths of science or to gather the garlands of 
 the Muses. The diligent and successful cultivation of polite 
 literature was still more impracticable during the mighty tem- 
 pest of the Revolution itself. One species of literature might 
 have been expected from the struggle for independence : elo- 
 quence of a high order ; and such was displayed in our deli- 
 berative assemblies and in the political publications of that day. 
 Henry's bold and commanding oratory would have reflected 
 no discredit upon the ancient republics. The memorials and 
 other state papers of the period under review, were honored 
 by the high eulogy of Chatham and Burke. They have been 
 justly admired for force of argument, chaste, manly, and dig- 
 nified eloquence; and fervid patriotism. They contain rich 
 treasures of political wisdom, and noble lessons of civil liberty. 
 
After tlie dark and troubled night of the Revolution had passed 
 away, the attention of our gifted men was for many years de- 
 voted almost entirely to the improvement of our infant insti- 
 tutions, and to the service of our country in legislative, execu- 
 tive, and judicial stations, during the critical and trying season 
 of her early independence. She needed the ellorts of her 
 ablest sons, for the peace of 1783 found her exhausted by the 
 havoc and desolation of a seven years' v/ar ; overwhelmed by 
 debt both private and public, and with an inadequate reve- 
 nue, a crippled commerce, a deranged currency, and an ex- 
 ceedingly defective system of government. The writings of 
 our eminent statesmen during this era of our history are highly 
 distinguished for vigor of thought, profound knowledge of the 
 subjects discussed, and excellence of composition, and prove 
 beyond all doubt that their authors might have enriched and 
 embellished the literature of the age by the productions of their 
 genius, if patriotism and duty had not summoned them to other 
 fields of fame. The pen of Jefferson, jMadison, Hamilton, or 
 Ames, might, under different circumstances, have produced 
 historical performances, to compare favorably with the labors 
 of Gibbon, Robertson, or Hume. During every stage of our 
 existence as a people, most of our able men have been lured 
 from the paths of letters to the theatre of public or profes- 
 sional life. It is believed, however, that literary pursuits will 
 be m(9re favorably appreciated when our rapidly growing 
 country shall afford a fairer field to the scholar and brighter 
 rewards to works of merit. 
 
 An opinion has prevailed among many foreigners, and has 
 been adopted by some enlightened and patriotic citizens of our 
 own country, that the United States will never become emi- 
 nent as regards literary fame. We propose very briefly to 
 review some of the more prominent reasons which have been 
 advanced by persons of talents and information in support of 
 this opinion, which is so well calculated to wound our national 
 pride. 
 
 It has been frequently observed that America furnishes no 
 materials for poetry and romance. Our origin is of such re- 
 cent date when compared with that of other nations equally 
 
6 
 
 powerful, that our history has less variety of incident, and has 
 been less obscured by the mists of fable and tradition, than 
 that of many nations of the old world ; and for these reasons 
 it may be as yet somewhat less susceptible of the embellish- 
 ments of fancy and fiction, than it would have been under 
 other circumstances, and will be hereafter. But the story of 
 the past is by no means dull and spiritless. American history, 
 from the time when the fleet of Columbus first spread its can- 
 vass to the breeze on the coast of Spain until the achievement 
 of our national independence, will be read with a deep and 
 lively interest on both sides of the Atlantic. Our country dur- 
 ing this period exhibited scenes, incidents, and characters, en- 
 tirely novel and peculiar, and opened a wide and various field 
 for real and for fictitious narrative. The manners, habits, and 
 customs of that extraordinary and ill-fated race, the abori- 
 gines of America ; the character of the colonists themselves, 
 those adventurous pioneers in the mighty wilderness of the 
 West ; the deadly conflicts between the Indian tribes and the 
 European emigrants ; the devastating war between the crowns 
 of Great Britain and France for supremacy in North America, 
 which terminated in the surrender of Canada by the latter 
 power, particularly the defeat of Braddock, the tragedy of Fort 
 William Henry, and the siege of Quebec ; and above all, the 
 heroic achievements of the Revolutionary contest, present 
 " mines of literary treasure," themes for the " spirit-stirring 
 song and the chivalrous story." Surely works of imagination 
 might be wrought by a man of genius out of materials like 
 these. We need not look to Europe for all of the subjects of 
 poetical or prose fiction, rich as she is in historical reminis- 
 cences and in legendary tales. Fields of fancy, brightened 
 with verdure and fragrant with flowers, may be found on this 
 side of the broad Atlantic. Cooper, by the exciting incidents 
 and the glowing descriptions of the beauties of nature to be 
 found in his American novels, has proved that a writer of ro- 
 mance will hazard nothing by laying the scene of his story in 
 these bright regions of the West. The wild and picturesque 
 scenery of America, unequalled by that of Europe in extended 
 and lofty ranges of mountains, majestic streams and noble catar- 
 
7 
 
 acts, the thrilling events of our early and indeed oiir recent his 
 tory, and the striking features of the American character, will 
 afford various and abundant materials for national literature. 
 Nor will American authors be restricted to the scenes, events, 
 or characters of their native land, although most of them would 
 be apt to prefer topics which awaken a peculiar and local in- 
 terest at home. British genius has not confined its ilights to 
 the shores of Albion. Addison sung the charms of immortal 
 Italy. Byron, when a young man, resided in Greece, and it 
 has been truly observed by Macaulay, that much of his most 
 splendid and most popular poetry was inspired by its scenery 
 and its history. Campbell did not regard America as unworthy 
 of song, and places the scene of one of his sweetest poems 
 upon the verdant and beautiful banks of the Susquehanna. 
 The author of Waverley, the prince of modern novelists, has 
 not only rendered Scotland classic soil, and erected enduring 
 trophies in England, but he has gathered green wreaths of 
 fame from the " vine-clad hills'' of France, from the mountains 
 of Switzerland, and from the valley of the Rhine. He has 
 even passed beyond the limits of Europe, and rendered the 
 holy land itself tributary to his renown. Other instances might 
 be mentioned of British writers who have signalized their tal- 
 ents on foreign ground, and among them Shakspeare himselfj 
 many of whose best plays have been wrought out of foreign 
 materials, and the elegant historians Robertson and Gibbon. 
 
 The language which we speak, our national descent, and 
 our commercial relations with Great Britain, have been alleged 
 to be unfavorable to originality in the productions of genius, 
 and it has been apprehended that our American writers will 
 occupy the position of mere imitators, who will only shine in 
 borrowed jewels from abroad. It ought not to be a subject of 
 regret in any point of view that we speak the language of 
 Addison and Pope, and enjoy the benefits and blessings of a 
 liberal and enriching commerce with the most enlightened na- 
 tion of the old world. The United States ought to be entirely 
 and perfectly independent of Great Britain, so far as foreign 
 influence in matters of government and political power are 
 concerned, as she undoubtedly is ; but national independence 
 
8. 
 
 and a just national pride do not forbid our people from admiring 
 the truths of her philosophy, the eloquence of her orators, or 
 the beauty of her bards. It is fortunate for our countrymen 
 that they have an opportunity to drink deeply at the pure, re- 
 freshing, and invigorating fountains of British learning, wis- 
 dom, and genius. Our mother tongue has been adorned by 
 many of the noblest productions of the human mind in almost 
 every department of composition, and with American readers 
 their beauties are not dimmed by translation or by an imper- 
 fect knowledge of the language of the original. The litera- 
 ture of Great Britain places before young America high stand- 
 ards of excellence both in prose and poetry, and it is calculated 
 to engender feelings of noble emulation. That literature has 
 exercised an elevating influence upon the mind, the morals, and 
 the taste of the British nation. Its influences and effects have 
 been and will be equally auspicious and favorable within our 
 own precincts. Surely nothing which improves the intellect, 
 refines the taste, and elevates and purifies the moral feelings 
 and sentiments of a people, can be really detrimental to the 
 interests of their native literature. If there be much of force 
 in the argument which we have endeavored to meet, Britons 
 themselves, as well as Americans, must hereafter be imitators ; 
 the career of every nation which has already become re- 
 nowned in letters must be a downward career, and the best 
 libraries will be unfavorable to future excellence in the produc- 
 tions of the mind. We may have some writers whose works 
 will be cold and imitative, and who may draw rather too freely 
 upon the mental treasures of England, but we trust that their 
 feeble efforts will not be considered to be fair specimens of 
 American literature. A man of a high order of talents will 
 profit by the labors of others, but, proudly conscious of his 
 native strength, he will not become the mere copyist of any 
 author, however illustrious. Some of our recent productions 
 have exhibited that superiority of intellect which proves, if any 
 evidence were necessary, that American genius can safely rely 
 upon its own powers, without descending to the task of servile 
 imitation. Whence did Irving borrow that inimitable elegance 
 which renders his lighter productions as well as his more labored 
 
performances the delight of every reader? Whom did Ban- 
 croft imitate in the bold sketches of his vivid pencil, and his 
 eloquent and animated narrative ? After what model did Pres- 
 cott fashion in the formation of his simple, yet dignified, easy, 
 and beautitul style ? These three wa'iters have passed trium- 
 phantly through the ordeal of European criticism. Irving's 
 Life of Columbus, Bancroft's History of the United States, 
 and all of the histories written by Prescott, stand among the 
 very best historical performances of the present age ; and they 
 certainly display those striking peculiarities of style and senti- 
 ment which are so apt to mark the otfspring of true genius. 
 While we have spoken in favorable terms of the general effects 
 of British literature in the United States, we are well aware 
 that there are some of its influences against which American 
 readers ought to be on their guard. The partialities of British 
 writers towards their own institutions render them unsafe 
 guides to us in matters relating to political science, and some 
 of their most admired historical writings have not been distin- 
 guished for justice and candor. It must be admitted, too, that 
 the British press, now prolific beyond all former example, is 
 constantly throwing off numerous works of fiction, many of 
 which are entirely worthless, and others evidently calculated 
 to enervate the mind, vitiate the taste, and deprave the moral 
 principles. You should never abandon the standard literature 
 of Great Britain for these frivolous and mischievous produc- 
 tions. You will find the sublime song of Milton, the charming 
 melody of Pope, the classic purity of Addison, the chaste 
 beauties of Goldsmith, the rich treasures of the moral wisdom 
 of Johnson, and the pure, instructive and fascinating stories of 
 Scott, much more worthy of your attention than the last novels 
 and romances which are now flooding our country. 
 
 Among other causes supposed to be unfavorable to the 
 growth of letters in America, it has been said that we have no 
 great capital like England or France. We certainly have no 
 London or Paris on this side of the Atlantic, and in this respect 
 we labor under some disadvantages, especially as regards the 
 elegant arts and several branches of science and philosophy ; 
 but it is not admitted that these disadvantages are as great as 
 
10 
 
 some have alleged. New York, the great and growing metro- 
 polis of the Western World, has at this time more inhabitants 
 than Vienna, and is probably surpassed by no city in England 
 except London, in population, wealth, commerce, and magnifi- 
 cence, rhiladelphia is very nearly as populous as Glasgow or 
 Dublin, more so than any city in Spain, or indeed any in 
 France with the exception of Paris itself So far as the influ- 
 ence of large cities is concerned in promoting the advance- 
 ment of the arts and of letters, our difficulties must diminish 
 with the lapse of time. Our rapidly increasing trade, and our 
 unrivalled facilities of internal communication both by land 
 and water, must exert the most auspicious effect upon the cities 
 of the United States. These cities must greatly advance in 
 population and wealth, as well as in intelligence, refinement 
 and taste. Our country may not for generations behold any 
 thing within her limits equal to some of the ancient and proud 
 capitals of the Eastern Hemisphere ; but she certainly will 
 have many cities sufficiently large, populous and wealthy to 
 become nurseries of the fine arts, to aflbrd to men of science 
 an opportunity to prosecute their researches to advantage, and 
 to stimulate and reward literary talent. Before the expiration 
 of any considerable period of time the United States must 
 have many cities as populous as Edinburgh, the great focus of 
 Scotch taste, science and learning, and a place almost as famous 
 in letters as London itself The literary institutions of Ger- 
 many have acquired a high and enviable reputation, and have 
 surpassed those of England and France in a profound and ac- 
 curate knowledge of the ancient classics. That country has 
 been called the land of scholars. In relation to the opportuni- 
 ties of improvement afforded by large towns, Germany has 
 now no great advantage over the United States, and in a few 
 years will have no advantage at all. In some respects large 
 cities were more essential to literature in ancient than in 
 modern times. Among the Greeks and Romans books were 
 rare and not easy to be procured. Copies were multiplied 
 slowly and with great difficulty. Valuable libraries were rarely 
 to be found except in places of considerable importance. 
 Much of the information of those days was communicated 
 
11 
 
 orally, and was never placed in a permanent and endurina; 
 form. These are some of the reasons why the learned among 
 the ancients were so much in the habit of resorting to impe- 
 rial Rome and classic Athens to prosecute their studies and to 
 enlarge their knowledge. But the art of printing, in its present 
 high state of improvement, and the steam engine, have con- 
 tributed greatly to the diffusion of letters. Literature in 
 modern times finds its way not only into the splendid capital 
 and the crowded mart, but also into the inland village, and 
 €ven among the silent shades of rural retirement. 
 
 It has been said that a stronger national government would 
 have been favorable to the culture of letters. From this opin- 
 ion we entirely dissent. Ancient Greece has been called " a 
 cluster of little republics," and her literary excellence has been 
 attributed in a considerable degree to the noble emulation 
 which fired the bosoms of her distinguished men. There were 
 certainly feebler ties of connection among the Grecian States 
 before they wore the chains of Macedonia, than there are 
 among the members of the American Union. The Confede- 
 racy of Grecian Republics, associated together under the Am- 
 phyctionic Council, the most intimate political relationship that 
 ever existed between them in the days of their freedom and 
 glory, has been very properly compared by the author of the 
 *Federalist to the old Confederation of the American States. 
 The federal features of our beautiful system are highly favora- 
 ble to virtue, liberty and happiness, and they will exert no un- 
 propitious influence upon the intellect of America. The inter- 
 ests of virtue, liberty and letters are entirely inseparable, as 
 they always have been in every age and in every region of the 
 world. Emulation among neighboring States will here become 
 an incentive to exertion and the parent of excellence, as it cer- 
 tainly was in the ancient cradle of the arts. During the bloody 
 battles of our recent war, the regiments of the different States 
 felt the inspiring influence of a generous and manly rivalship. 
 In the victories of peace, more mild but not less glorious than 
 the triumphs of the field, in the rapid improvement of our 
 
 * Federalist, page 79. 
 
12 
 
 country, and in costly and liberal provisions for the education! 
 of the poor, the same auspicious influences of State competi- 
 tion have been felt among the various members of our happy 
 Union. Similar feelings and sentiments vv^ill exert a salutary 
 effect upon American science and literature. If the States of 
 our Confederacy were melted down into one common mass, if 
 the lines which mark their limits were blotted from the map al- 
 together, or were regarded as of no more importance than mere 
 county boundaries, so that the traveller would scarcely pause 
 to inquire when he left the Empire State and when he passed 
 into Pennsylvania, the scholar would have as little reason as the 
 statesman to rejoice over the ruins of our temple of freedom. 
 The monarchists of the old world have remarked that our 
 i^epublican institutions will never afford that patronage to 
 learning which is requisite to its successful cultivation. The 
 American author cannot expect to enjoy the smiles of court 
 favor, or to bask in the sunbeams of princely patronage. He 
 must rely upon his own merit and the public intelligence. No 
 munificent pension can be expected as the meed of literary 
 excellence, however shining and distinguished. The national 
 government has no power upon the subject of literature, but 
 simply to grant copyrights, and if the State governments have 
 the power to patronize works of genius by generous pecuniary 
 donations, it is a power which they will probably never exer- 
 cise. Indeed, we do not regard such patronage as being with- 
 in the sphere of a wise and judicious policy. The American 
 States ought always to secure to their people the very best sys- 
 tems of popular instruction, and also to provide for their youth 
 seminaries of learning of the first class, where a complete, 
 thorough and finished education may be acquired. Many of 
 the States have already manifested a wise and enlightened lib- 
 erality upon this subject, and others will probably emulate 
 their bright example. But the reading public is the proper 
 tribunal to decide upon the merits of a poem, a history, or any 
 other literary performance, and to consign its author to the 
 shades of oblivion, or to bestow upon him the appropriate re- 
 wards of fame and profit. Public patronage will be dispensed 
 with more justice and impartiality, and more sagacity and dis- 
 
13 
 
 ■crimination, than that of princes or rulers of any kind. What 
 mighty resuhs has patronage from government to illustrious 
 writers accomplished for the cause of literature in ancient or 
 modern times ? The land of Homer and Sophocles was but 
 little indebted to such aid for the admirable productions of its 
 intellect. The author of the Iliad is not much known to the 
 moderns except through the medium of his poetry. It is be- 
 lieved, however, that he was both poor and blind. The re- 
 wards which were sometimes bestowed in Greece upon happy 
 efforts of genius in composition, by public authority, were 
 merely honorary, such for instance as a crown or a garland to 
 the author of the best comedy or tragedy. The entertain- 
 ments of the stage were a source of serious expense to the 
 Athenians, but this expense was incurred in extraordinary 
 theatrical pomp and decoration and exquisite music, and not 
 in any pecuniary compensation from the treasury to the wri- 
 ters of the best dramatic performances. Pericles had more 
 just claims to the character of a patron of genius than any 
 statesman of his country. When at the height of his power 
 and his fame, he embellished the city of Athens with costly, 
 elegant and durable buildings, and with splendid specimens of 
 painting and sculpture, but we are not informed that he be- 
 stowed any considerable encouragement upon that noble litei'- 
 ature which has survived her finest architecture, and which 
 still flourishes in unfading beauty when 
 
 " the palo ivy's clasping wreaths o'ershade 
 The ruined temple's moss-elad colonnade." 
 
 The classic land ov/es much more to liberty than to patronage, 
 so far as its renown in letters is concerned. 
 
 It may be doubted whether the literary fame of ancient 
 Rome was very materially advanced by the smiles of power. 
 The patronage of Caesar Augustus and his favorite Maecenas 
 has been greatly extolled, but even that in some respects ex- 
 ercised an influence unfavorable to Roman literature. It cer- 
 tainly caused Virgil and Horace to degrade their noble genius- 
 es by the niost extravagant adulation of the Roman Emperor. 
 
M 
 
 How far the Imperial Augustus was a proper subject for high- 
 wrought and glowing panegyric, we can best discern, when 
 we remember that he was nothing more than a successful 
 usurper, and that in order to purchase power he bartered away 
 the life of the great statesman, patriot and orator, who, " after 
 having baffled the conspiracy of Catiline, enabled Rome to 
 contend with Athens for the palm of eloquence." The ora- 
 tions of Cicero, which many have regarded as the purest and 
 brightest gems of Italy, were the proud offspring of the repub- 
 lic. The voice of eloquence was hushed on the banks of the 
 Tiber, as it had been previously in Greece, after the downfall 
 of freedom. The poets who flourished during the Augustan 
 age, and who have given such splendor and eclat to that 
 epoch, would probably have composed their excellent works if 
 Rome had retained her popular institutions, and they might 
 have manifested a spirit more worthy of the countrymen of 
 Cato. 
 
 The literature of Great Britain is indebted for its brilliant 
 success, not to the smiles of kings or the favor of ministers, 
 but to its own intrinsic excellence, and to the taste, intelli- 
 gence and liberality of the nation itself The great fathers of 
 British literature were honored by no munificence from the 
 throne. Shakspeare went down to the grave unrewarded, 
 and the author of Paradise Lost spent the sad evening of his 
 blind and venerable old age in poverty and neglect. Butler 
 and Dryden, as we are informed by Hume, lived and died in 
 want. During subsequent periods in the English annals, how 
 often do we find genius neglected by the great, but cherished 
 and fostered by the public, and flourishing under the genial 
 rays of its favor. In the long list of sovereigns who have 
 swayed the sceptre of proud Albion, how many are there wha 
 stand O'n the page of impartial history as liberal patrons of 
 literature ? Royal bount3^ even when bestowed at all, has 
 rarely cheered an author of merit in his early struggles with 
 adversity and indigence, and pensions from the crown have 
 been generally withheld until the individual has to a consid- 
 erable extent established his fortune and his fame by his own 
 exertions. The most ample, the most seasonable, and in every 
 
15 
 
 respect the best encouragement, which has ever been extended 
 in Enghind to productions of genius and taste, has been that 
 of the booksellers and the public at large. This kind of pat- 
 ronage exerts a more salutary influence than that of govern- 
 ment, or even that of illustrious and powerful individuals, and 
 contributes much more to advance the dignity and happiness 
 of a literary life. If a necessity ever existed for government 
 ])atronage in Great Britain, the number of readers is now so 
 large that it certainly exists no longer. In the language of 
 the poet, 
 
 " Pensions bestowed where no Apollo fires 
 Are vain, — superfluous if his breath inspires." 
 
 An author of talents and reputation may nov/ live in Eng- 
 land independently and comfortably upon the productions of 
 his pen. Many have acquired competency, and some afflu- 
 ence, by the profits of their works. A man of letters is now 
 relieved from degrading dependence, and need not violate his 
 feelings of self-respect or sink his personal pride, by obsequi- 
 ously soliciting the countenance and support of some powerful 
 patron. He is not expected to court the favor of the great by 
 flattery, as too many once did, but to merit the approbation 
 of the public by literary excellence. Government patronage 
 is certainly unfavorable to literary independence, and to the 
 accuracy and impartiality of history. 
 
 None of the reasons which have been mentioned as ob- 
 stacles to the intellectual advancement of America appear to 
 us to be sufficient to prevent the United States from hereafter 
 rising to distinction and eminence in letters. Our nation as 
 regards age is still in its infancy. It has been only sixty-five 
 years since our independence was recognized by the parent 
 country, and but little more than two centuries since the com- 
 mencement of our national existence. Many of the causes 
 which have heretofore retarded the growth of American lite- 
 rature are destined to be of temporary duration, and its pros- 
 pects must improve and brighten as our country advances 
 in her rapid career. Her past progress in population, re- 
 
sources and power, resembles the visions of romance more 
 than the realities of history. When American independence 
 was acknowledged it was scarcely imagined that our territo- 
 rial limits would ever extend beyond the Mississippi, nor 
 was it very probable that the United States would ever ac- 
 quire the control over that great channel of communication ; 
 but the " ocean stream," compared with which the Thames, 
 "the river of the ten thousand masts," dwindles into a rivu- 
 let, now rolls on in its gi'andeur through the heart of our coun- 
 try. Our national domain is washed by the billows of the 
 Atlantic and the Pacific. It is indeed a noble country, with 
 its fertile soil and genial skies, its almost interminable line of 
 coast, abounding in the best harbors, its long, deep and navi- 
 gable rivers, and its broad and beautiful lakes. It is a widely 
 extended, lovely and fruitful land, capable of sustaining in com- 
 fort an immense number of inhabitants, and of supplying the 
 wants of Europe from its overflowing abundance. The pop- 
 ulation of the United States, which during the year 1790 
 amounted to something less than four millions, may now be 
 estimated at twenty-two millions, an increase unparalleled in 
 the history of mankind ; and in the course of another half cen- 
 tury, no long period in the life of a nation, it will in all human 
 probability exceed one hundred millions of souls. The popu- 
 lation of this country must at some future time amount to sev- 
 eral hundred millions. Our people are, in general, distinguished 
 for intelligence ; and in perseverance, energy and enterprise, 
 they are nowhere surpassed. What may not be expected 
 from such a country, and such a population, and from the vivi- 
 fying influence of American freedom ? Our literary and sci- 
 entific institutions, many of them already of high standing and 
 extensive usefulness, must greatly improve with the growing 
 fortunes of our country. They must be more liberally patron- 
 ized, and must shed around them a brighter radiance and a 
 more cheering light. The number of intelligent, well educated 
 and reading men in the United States must be immensely in- 
 creased, and the rewards of literary merit will be proportionably 
 augmented. The American author, through the medium of 
 his writings, will address a large and noble audience of his 
 
17 
 
 own countrymen, he will address them in their mother tongue, 
 and not unfrequently upon topics of the deepest national inter- 
 est. He will have as strong incentives to animate him in 
 the pursuit of glory, and to call into action his highest powers, 
 as have ever been presented to the ambition of any writer 
 in ancient or modern times, and as brilliant rewards will 
 crown his success. The spontaneous patronage of the public, 
 which we trust we have shown to be the best kind of literary 
 patronage, but which during the greater part of our history 
 has been entirely inadequate, owing to our sparse population 
 and other causes, will in progress of time become liberal and 
 munificent. And when the American author shall have 
 reached the high distinction to which he has aspired, his 
 works wall commend themselves to the attention of Europe. 
 The eastern sky is now dawning, with radiant light, and the 
 march of freedom and reform on the other side of the Atlantic 
 has been rapid and unparalleled. Recent revolutions will be 
 favorable even to the literary prospects of America. The 
 model republic is constantly gaining more and more the at- 
 tention and respect of mankind as their institutions improve, 
 and as she herself advances onward in the fulfillment of her 
 high destinies. The old world must contemplate with a deep 
 and increasing interest every thing which relates to her 
 history, her institutions, and her literature. American writ- 
 ings are beginning to be more highly esteemed abroad. Some 
 of our very recent productions have been already translated 
 into the French, German, Italian, and Spanish languages. Our 
 national writers, with such advantages, such incentives, and 
 such prospects, cannot be doomed to inferiority to those of 
 Europe. American intellect is certainly equal to that of the 
 Eastern World, as has been triumphantly proved by our splen- 
 did success in war, statesmanship, jurisprudence, and the me- 
 chanic arts, and by forensic and senatorial eloquence of the 
 highest merit. Heretofore political and professional pursuits, 
 and other employments of active life, have drawn into their 
 vortex the best talents of America. But as other paths of 
 fame become more and more thronged, and the rewards and 
 honors of authorship increase, as they certainly must in a very 
 
 2 
 
18 
 
 high degree, the national mind will take a more literary direc- 
 tion, and the dignified pursuits of letters will be more justly ap- 
 preciated. The high degree of civil liberty enjoyed by the 
 people of the United States will be eminently favorable to the 
 full development of their intellectual energies. Liberty has 
 every where been the friend of genius. Flowers of fancy may 
 be more easily culled on American soil when our country 
 o-rows older, and richer in romantic association. Time will 
 lend an attractive interest to the events of our past history, 
 and render them more fruitful and inspiring themes for our 
 native muses. The national pride of our countrymen will 
 cause them to bestow a liberal encouragement upon our own 
 works of merit. The people of the United States are justly 
 sensitive to the attacks of European criticism upon our na- 
 tional literature, and they must be anxious to elevate the fame 
 of America. No enlightened patriot can feel indifferent upon 
 this subject. A home literature such as America ought here- 
 after to produce would purify our national taste, elevate the 
 sentiments of our people, and brighten the golden links that 
 bind the patriot to the land of his birth. It would exalt the 
 reputation of our country abroad, and with posterity, more 
 than the most heroic achievements of the crimsoned field. 
 How little should we have known of the most renowned 
 states of antiquity but for the immortal productions of their 
 orators, their historians, and their poets. These imperishable 
 memorials of ancient genius and glory are destined to instruct 
 and delight the most distant generations. Centuries as they 
 have rolled away, crumbling beneath them the monuments of 
 art and the proud trophies of arms, have only contributed to 
 establish and elevate the fame of the great writers of antiquity. 
 The Greek and Roman classics have been studied and admir- 
 ed in every age and in every land where mankind have been 
 able to appreciate the grand and beautiful in composition. To 
 suppose a time in the history of the world when these finished 
 models of taste shall be forgotten, would be to anticipate the 
 arrival of a period compared with which the sombre gloom of 
 ;the dark ages would be a golden flood of light. 
 
19 
 
 Gentlemen of the Graduating Class — 
 
 You have now completed your collegiate education, and 
 you are about to commence your career upon the active drama 
 of life. I have been placed in the same position which you 
 now occupy, and know well how to appreciate the feelings 
 which animate your hearts. You have looked forward to the 
 interesting occasion which was to relieve you from the re- 
 straints of college life, and allow to you the absolute disposal of 
 your time, with high and exciting hopes. It has often been the 
 subject of your youthful day-dreams and of the bright visions 
 of your fancy. It has often been the favorite topic of your 
 social hours. You have fondly looked forward to the present 
 annual Commencement as a period of unmingled joy without 
 one cloud of care. The occasion certainly brings along with 
 it high gratifications, interesting reminiscences of the past, and 
 cheering hopes of future felicity. Future life, unseen except 
 by the imagination, and entirely untried, now brightens before 
 you in all its richest charms. The prospect must be an agree- 
 able one of a speedy meeting with dear friends and affection- 
 ate kindred, and of revisiting the parental hearth and the home 
 of your infancy, that asylum which has been rendered sacred 
 by the best and purest feelings of the heart. But the fairest 
 scenes of earthly felicity are sometimes tinged with shades of 
 sadness. When you bid adieu to your esteemed and respected 
 preceptors, who have guided your footsteps in the paths of 
 virtue, science and learning, whose duties may sometimes have 
 required them to oppose your inclinations, but who always 
 consulted your good, and whose labors will ever be remem- 
 bered with affectionate gratitude ; — when you bid a long, per- 
 haps an eternal farewell to your friends and fellow-students. 
 the beloved and cherished companions of your youth, who 
 have prosecuted the same improving studies and shared the 
 same delightful amusements, who have heightened all your 
 joys and softened your sorrows, and whose bosoms have been 
 warmed by sympathies entirely congenial to your own ; — 
 when you take your leave of this venerable seat of learning, 
 and the shades of its beautiful and classic grove, endeared by 
 
20 
 
 memory's richest treasures and by a thousand associations of 
 the past, scenes among which you have whiled away so many 
 pleasant, so many happy hours, and have spent so much of the 
 " dewy morning of hfe," — you will find your sensibilities awak- 
 ened, and feelings at once tender and pensive springing up in 
 your breasts. Wherever you may go, or whatever may be 
 your destiny, fond recollection will linger among these cher- 
 ished objects. Amid the pleasures and pursuits of subsequent 
 life, its calamities and its cares, you will turn with unalienated 
 aflection to this lovely and sequestered spot, whei^e 
 
 " The hills and flowers and streams 
 Are woven o'er with golden dreams." 
 
 Fancy will often bring before you the familiar faces of your 
 early friends and companions. Happy, thrice happy will you 
 be, if you shall find among the associates of your manhood the 
 purity, tenderness, and fervor of your juvenile frendships. 
 
 My return to this hallowed spot of my youthful studies and 
 enjoyments has been a source of high though not unalloyed 
 satisfaction. Some sad recollections shade the bright picture 
 which memory presents. More than one-fourth of the class 
 with which I graduated, now sleep beneath the sod of the val- 
 ley, and that venerable apostle of science from whose hands 
 we received our diplomas, has since gmie down to the tomb. 
 The early grave of blooming and promising youth suddenly cut 
 down by the scythe of death, must ever excite the most tender 
 and melancholy sensations ; but the friends of the departed fa- 
 ther of this University need not sorrow over the monument 
 which covers his remains. 
 
 " Weep not for him, who closed with placid ray 
 The tranquil evening of a well-spent day. 
 And, all life's lienors earned, its duties done, 
 Sank in full radiance, like a cloudless sun." 
 
 The studehts of this institution have frequently been ad- 
 dressed upon occasions like the present by gentlemen of ta- 
 lents and of high distinction, from whose lips you have heard 
 the precepts of virtue and the lessons of wisdom recommended 
 
21 
 
 by all tlie charms of eloquence. No admonitions of mine can 
 merit the same serious consideration, or be calculated to pro- 
 duce an impression equally strong and vivid. My solicitude, 
 however, for your future welfare, must excuse a few sugges- 
 tions, which, if duly remembered in after life, may not be 
 entirely destitute of some good effect, Few, very few are 
 the persons in North Carolina who have been blessed with the 
 superior opportunities of intellectual improvement which you 
 have enjoyed, at least when we look at her entire population. 
 The well-educated youths of the State ought to be impressed 
 with a high sense of the importance and responsibility of their 
 position in society. North Carolina must rely upon her most 
 enlightened sons to sustain her reputation abroad, and ad- 
 vance her best and dearest interests at home. They should 
 not be insensible to the suggestions of patriotism and a becom- 
 ing State pride, nor disregard the wishes of that honored mo- 
 ther. She has a right to expect most from those who have 
 enjoyed the best opportunities of mental improvement, and 
 who are most able to render her brilliant and useful service. 
 Those of you who reside beyond the borders of North Caro- 
 lina, and it affords me pleasure to be able to say that every gra- 
 duating class contains young men from a distance, wall doubt- 
 less feel under obligations equally strong and imperative to- 
 wards your native States. 
 
 Be not hasty, however, to embark in political pursuits. A 
 premature commencement of public life is certainly unfriendly 
 to the prosecution of literary and professional studies, and is 
 sometimes fraught with perilous consequences to the morals of 
 our young men. Let the ambitious youth have a little patience. 
 He should be content to remain in the shade of retirement for 
 a few years, in order that his talents and acquirements may 
 shine in the legislative councils of his country with a brighter 
 lustre and a more genial w-armth. Let him wait until his cha-' 
 racter has been formed, his habits of virtue, morality and in- 
 dusti-y firmly fixed, his intellect sufficiently cultivated, strength- 
 ened and adorned, and his knowledge enlarged. Let him 
 check his desire for preferment until he has become thoroughly 
 acquainted wath the history, the institutions, and the varied 
 
22 
 
 interests of his country. He will thus bring into the public 
 councils more moral and intellectual strength, and more dignity 
 of character, brighter displays of talent, and greater capacities 
 for usefulness. He may not rise so speedily in the political 
 world, but he will at last gain for himself a more enviable dis- 
 tinction, and establish a fairer title to the public gratitude. A 
 feverish thirst for political fame in early life has rendered many 
 of our leading men mere sciolists in literary and scientific at- 
 tainment. When engaged in the service of your country, 
 you will find in the characters of many of the departed states- 
 men of the republic, as examples for your imitation, the most 
 beautiful models of disinterested and devoted patriotism, un- 
 bending firmness, and spotless purity, models not surpassed by 
 those of antiquity. If you should pursue the noiseless tenor 
 of your way among the peaceful shades of domestic retire- 
 ment, even in that secluded situation a man of intelligence and 
 worth may accomplish much good. He may set an example 
 of probity for the imitation of others, impart a healthier tone 
 to public sentiment in the circle around him, lend his influence 
 to the cause of social order, and purify the moral atmosphere 
 of society by the sweet incense of his virtues. 
 
 Probably some of you may devote your time and attention 
 to the liberal professions. If so, never rest satisfied with a dull 
 mediocrity, but press forward with zeal and energy to distinc- 
 tion and eminence. Master the peculiar learning which be- 
 longs to the profession which you may select, however forbid- 
 ding some of it may appear to minds fresh from the classics. 
 Do not, however, bid farewell to the charms of elegant litera- 
 ture. Cultivated taste and literary accomplishments will adorn 
 and dignify professional skill. and talent, and afford a delightful 
 recreation to cheer and enliven the leisure hours of the physi- 
 cian or the lawyer. Be not over-sanguine as to speedy suc- 
 cess in your efforts to reach the honors and rewards of your 
 profession, nor too easily dispirited by those disappointments 
 and difliculties which many of the most gifted and eminent men 
 have had to encounter in the commencement of their career. 
 
 In every situation of human life, and in every relation of 
 society, you should discharge all of your duties with scrupu- 
 
23 
 
 lous fidelity. Endeavor to form a cliaracter which shall com- 
 mand universal respect, and present to the shafts of calumny 
 an impenetrable shield. Let high honor, inflexible integrity, 
 and ingenuous frankness, distinguish your conduct at all times. 
 Abstain from every act as to the moral propriety of which the 
 least difference of opinion can be fairly entertained among 
 men of understanding and worth. The honor of a gentleman, 
 like a soldier's courage, should be very far beyond suspicion. 
 Let your morals be pure and unexceptionable. Shun not only 
 odious and disreputable vices, but also those which may be 
 tolerated by the public sentiment of the neighborhood in which 
 you may reside, and which are apt to present more dangerous 
 allurements to the young. Practice the virtues of temperance, 
 moderation, and strict self-control. Amiability of disposition 
 and urbanity in your social intercourse will be equally essen- 
 tial to your usefulness in society, and your own happiness. 
 Be careful in the selection of your intimate associates, and 
 faithful to your friends, particularly in their adversity. Culti- 
 vate feelings of generous benevolence towards your fellow 
 man of every color and every condition. Sad would be human 
 existence if the sorrows of afflicted humanity should find no 
 cheering sympathy in the breasts of the intelligent, the edu- 
 cated, and the refined. Let all of the influence which you 
 may be able to exercise in society, be exerted for purposes 
 which are dear to the patriot, the philanthropist, and the Chris- 
 tian. In conclusion, my young friends, permit me to express 
 my anxious desire for your future welfare and happiness. May 
 your ways be " v/ays of pleasantness," and all your paths be 
 peace. ^.-^ 
 
.^.