} ,.

Weizmann unenANics’ L-inn.iuir—~rusi.ic~2_ ‘ ’ if “ '-‘ ' ENTERTAINMENT. ‘ I ' In‘September last, the members and friends of _ the Edinburgh Mechanics’ Subscription Libra: 47, {holidgah entertainment in the Waterloo sitcoms, in order that the principles and objects 'of this excellent institution might be fully laid before the public. As Mr. Macaulay, M. P. for the city,‘ had in the most handsome manner, de- Jayed his departure to enable him to be present, and, as it was generally understood that party ’pélitics would be excluded, the attendance was :M't'numerous, (about 700, we believe,) inclu- ding. persons of all shades of political opinion. .‘Thé chair was filled by Mr. Alexander.Murr’ay, printer of tlioyEdinburg/i Observer, senior mem-

er of committee, and one of the earliest inem- Y

2 bersof the library. .

'I‘heChairman commenced the business ofthe evening by stating, that as this meetinglwas 3called for' the sole purpose of advancing the in- tierests of the Mechanics’ Library, it could not hie-wrong to crave the Divine blessing on their ,efl'orts, and called on Dr. John Brown to perform “that Sacred duty, which the Doctor accordingly

I this. The Chairman then said, that the purpose ‘of the meeting was to lay before the public the nature, objects, and principles of an Institution ‘which, 'it was believed, was well calculated to benefit a large portion of the community of Ed- ‘inhurgh. The Institution w_as formed by. thirty ~ individuals, about fourteen years ago, paying 55. each, and now consisted of between 700 to 800 members, and 6000 to 7000 volumes, with an an- ,‘nual income of upwards of £300. The Chair- man concluded by asking the company to unite in dedicatingthe first bumper to her Majesty, — i“,.The Queen” (cheers)

The Right Hon. Mr. MACAULAY then rose, ‘ amid loud’ cheers. tlemen, I have now often had occasion—consi- derin the shortness of my connexion with this city. % may say often—had occasion to address ‘ audiences in Edinburgh, but I think I never rose .to address any meeting with so much pleasure ; 'for on former occasions I addressed persons who were assembled to discuss topics which it was scarcely possible to discuss without some una- » voidable mixture of bitterness of feeling-jtopics on which honest men necessarily differ—topics on which, the most amiable men, when they do difl'er, will sometimes shat: signs of‘ irritation and acrimony. Happily; "in addressing this :large and respectable audience, 1’ have no such feeling. We are now, I feel, standing on neu- tral ground. It is with the most sincere plea- Iettre that I have heard that persons of all shades tof political opinion belong to this most useful laud valuable association, in whose prosperity all .who are assembled here take an interest; and from my own knowledge I can say that many excellent and honourable men who' are strongly opposed to me politically, look with pleasure on »this institution, as one which tends to promote useful instruction and innocent enjoyment in an eminent degree (cheers) There are certainly— .and I do not know that they are confined to any one political party—there are certainly men 1 whose intentions may be upright, but whose minds I cannot but consider as narrow, who look with jealousy and aversion on any scheme of this description; and their argument—if it deserves the name—is generally this :—They profess to admit the value of knowledge, for no person pretending to rationality would dispute a

point so clear ; but they say that knowledge—if

a man possess the time and opportunity for acqui-

He said—Ladies and Gen-

with the massmt-i‘all that'maybeknowntin the world—when’ircompared' With. thelknowle G d all the great laws with which it hasgpleasgd: to regulate the creationf—w‘hen compare Etch: the complete knowledge of all those laws W t‘ r_ regulate the constitution of society and them; al nature of . man’! (great cheering.) In '3 sense, indeed, all that any of us can know isa mere smattering—a inere pittance of knowledge, and that any man should attempt to shu_t 0L“ from the fountain of knowledge an 'who cannot- quafi' deeply of the spring, while his own known ledge is but as one drop of water in the bthkel, and one grain of sand on the shore—that any man should pretend to say tobis fellowrcreaturesi “ Iknow much; I am deeply read ; but you, ou can only be smatterers ; and therefore I shall withhold from you the advantages of know- ledge”——that has, always seemed to me to be ab» surd and ignorant presumption (cheers) But if, on the other hand, we appeal to the standard —not of what can be known, nor what men might posssibly. have known—but of what men, and greatmen, and eminent men; actually have known, then we shall see still more clearly how absurd these arguments are; for most happily, such is the progress of mankind, of society, of experimental science, and such the accumulation of information, that a man with but small ex- pense oftime, and few opportguities, .may in our age learn far more than any “than with thebest appliances and amplest leisure could in addiffer- ent age. Would it not be thought the height of absurdity if it were maintained that it would have been well had Euclid known nothing of mathe» matics, because he was but a smatterer ; and yet is it not certain that a man with but smalflei- sure, and with a moderate degree of application, may in our age know more in a few years than Euclid ever knew? Would it not be thought the height of absurdity for any man to say that it would have been a good thing if Alfred the Great had not been able to read, because, after all, he had only a smattering of knowledge; he knew very little of geography—very little of history—— very little of any science—lie was but a mere smatterer, poor King Alfred the Great! (great laughter and cheers.) And yet he knew quite enough to accomplish a great revolution in the state of this island, a revolution, the beneficial effects of which we feel to the present day. And. is it not notorious, that by the help of this library, accumulated by the independent and honourable exertions of the labouring men of Edinburgh, any man may, by the application of a few hours in the week, gain more knowledge of history, more knowledge of the state of other countries, more acquaintance with science, than it was possible for Alfred the Great to acquire in the whole course of his life (loud cheers.) I therefore say with confidence, that it seems to me the height of absurdity to withhold from any class of men the advantages of that which can be shown to be good and useful knowledge, because from unfortunate circumstancesthey are not able to devote any very large portion ofleisure to its cultivation. There are many other topics on which I should feel‘great pleasure in addressing you ; but already so many men of eminence, of great eloquence and enlargement of mind, have so fully explained to the people of this country the immense advantages arising from intellectual cultivation, and the spread of education among all ranks of the people, that-it is scarcely neces- sary for me to repeat what must be so familiar to you all. I do most firmly believe—and I am on~ ly going to say what every intelligent Conserva-

ring profound knowledge_is certainly a most” tive and Reformer in this country may say with

valuable thing ; but if men are placed in such a situation of life that in all probability they will only be able to obtain a smattering of know- ledge—if the information they acquire be almost necessarily superficial—if (most of their hours are necessarily employed in labour—if what they can spare for the acquisition of information is but a small pittance of time—the probability is that they will acquire knowledge of that sort which is worse than ignorance ; and those who indulge in this sort of language generally sum up their reasoning, if it deserves the name, with ,1 a line of Pope’s, written certainly with a very rig‘difl'erent view— . “Arlittle learning is a. dangerous thing." Now, I must undoubtedly admit that it is in a high degree improbable that the majority of those who belong to this useful institution will be able to spare sufficient time from their necessary avo- cations, to become deeply informed with respect to many matters of literature and science. Yet, at the same time, I can no more admit that this is a reason for excluding them from the many enjoyments and advantages of literature and sci- ence, than I can admit that because a man is short-sighted he should put out his eyes, or be- cause a man has not a ready utterance he should wish himself deaf and dumb (laughter and cheers.) If, indeed, we consider the weight and yhe force of this argument against “ a smattering of science” and ” a little knowledge,” we shall find that it not only tends to the most pernicious consequences, but is most absurd in itself. For what do we understand when we speak of “ a little knowledge,” and of " asmattering of sci- ence ;” and what standard shall we apply? If we look at all possible, known truth—at the whole vast‘mass of physical and of moral sci-

ence, then, I say, that we all know little, and T

that' all of us are mere smatterers (loud cheers.) suppose a man educated in the best schools of learning that exist ; suppose his. life lengthened to “morethan the ordinary term of longevity ; suppose that to the last day of his life he retains hisfaculties unimpaired ; suppose him, placed in so happy a situation that he is able to devote the whole of his Waking hours to literature, science, andgirt; suppose he spends his life in study, in ljbga'riea, amidst experiments, in galleries of art, in foreign travel, and in conversation with the must, learned and, accomplished men ; still what is all that such a man canTknow when compared

equal sincerity—that the spread of intellectual cultivation among the people does tend to useful \Conservation as well as to useful Reform. I do believe that it tends to the removal of abuses and by the mildest remedies, and at the same time to preserve all that is truly valuable in Government (cheers) I do believe that the spread of intel- lectnal education tends to diffuse in indissoluble conjunction the love ofliberty and the love ofor- der. And even ifI did not think thus highly of the advantages to be derived from the intellectu- al cultivation of the people, I must say that I should look with no common interest and delight on institutions like this ; for let me put its ad- vantages at the very lowest point. How much innocent delight have these 7000 volumes afford- ed, how many hours rescued from listlessness and idleness, some perhaps from intemperance and vice, have been happily employed over them’.I And is the quantity of enjoyment in this world, and, above all, the quantity of enjoyment among the labouring classes, such that we ought to grudge them this? How many painful anxieties, how many distressing circumstances have been forgotten by them in poring over the pages of these works? (loud cheers.) I feel this more strongly perhaps than others may, arising from some peculiarities in my own mind ; for I can say that, as far back as I can remember, books have been to me dear friends—they have been my comforters in grief, and my companions in solitude—in poverty they have more than suppli- ed to me the place of riches—~iii eXile they have consoled me for the want of my country—in the midst of much that was vexatious and distressing in political life, in the midst sometimes ofcalum- ny and invective, they have contributed, Ihope, to keep my mind serene and unclouded (cheers) here is, I may truly say, no w‘ealth——tbere is no power—there is no rank which I would accept in exchange for the pleasure I have derived from my books, for the privilege of conversing with the greatest minds of all past ages, for the privilege of searching after the true, of contemplating the beautiful, forthe privilege of living with the dis- ’tant, in the unreal,- in’ the future, in the past. There are many that hear me who know what it 18.10 enjoy such pleasures. They,'I am sure Will not grudge this enjoyment to those who art; now labouring by honourable, independent, and gallant efforts to obtain those pleasures for them- selves, » For myself, having owed: (so; muehl‘iiai

do ttb 35‘“

dge of should lee-inexcusable were. Ptargmdi‘]: "fished

- at an . mentwhichvxl havessoilssg “ I ,i iiiyselfijéyfieiconcludéd by Pffposlngt”o£;::£§Il w to the-.Mechigicg (area :i :Ml'.'SKENE,; e e re 9 I V :He 'said—-—I have been :epgtgiflpsy bearers to follow out t e .hflor and chairman has already made on the. i y

' ' - (1 especially to state progress of this. Library, an redecessom m the. principles on which our wed in

a well as ourselves have...een gn.

"domnotfuciing- ourInstitution,’ and in selectingiggg books. It cannot be said that we_ have I joJ1 ve witheitlier of thetwo greabpamFS Wh0=bflct receiitly‘iagitated the. community onvvthe .senfljzm of'edncating'the'comrnon people: q‘olyv dn SS 'alli gratitude for their professwnso ind “in t0ivards us ;. but as it couldnot be expecte h . we should wait till they had fought out tt eir quarrel, we have done what we could to put at: end to the strife, andto induce the disputannsb “isheath their swords for lackiof argument, I, y proceeding in our own way and of. ourdown means to educate ourselves (cheers). In ,omg so we have shown no partiality. for. one system over another. ‘ All classes of politics, and all shades of political opinions, have found favour in our eyes. Our aim has been, to cultivate amongst ourselves, and to diffuse amongst others, a catholic taste for works of genius, wherever they may be found, and on whatever subject they might be written. We have been anXious to concentrate as in one focus those scattered rays of genius, of wisdom, and of virtue,-which have made the language of .‘the British people majestic as their story, undying as their renown (loud cheers). We have felt_a.pri.de .in the reflection, that by means of this institution we, the working men of Edinburgh, were placed on an intellectual level with the great and the wealthy; and that on whatever subject a man mi ht wish to employ his leisure hours, he might here find “ ample room and verge enough” to indulge his most extended researches. It is gratifyingto think that these objectsof ours haveyiiearly ceased to be regarded ‘ with sus- picion by any section of the community. All parties are now agreed—though .It may be on different grounds, and with varying degrees of confidence, in the application to'our case of the inspired maxim, “That the soul be Without kiiowledgeiit is not good” (hear). But we did not ask for this universal consent as the sanction to our proceedings, nor did we wait till it had been obtained. We were secured by the very,

from discerning those dangers which other minds, perhaps because placed in more elevated stations, appeared to descry in the universal diffusion of knowledge—the tree was within our reach—its fruits looked fair and tempting—and we knew of no statute which barred our ap- proach (cheers). The highway of life was to us so stony and rugged, that we needed little temptation to make occasional incursions into the flowery and enchanting fields of poetry and fiction; our daily avocations supplied us with continual iricitemr‘nts to inquire into those prin- ciples of science, with the stupendous results of which, in their application to the arts of life, habit had already made us familiar; and the very inconveniences of our lot filled us with an anxious desire to know in what position we stood as compared with the inhabitants-of otherlands. Besides all this, we felt, in the words of the noble lyric which has just been repeated by my friend, so full at once of poetry and of masculine common sense (cheers), that all mankind are but a world of brothers; and we owed it to our brethren more favoured of fortune to show, that in the lowlincss of our lot we had not forgotten the dignity of our com- mon family; nor had we, in the condition ofthe labourer, sunk the man (loud cheers). We felt, poo, Lhaptllliig state of existence was not intended ort e u evelo eineiit ofour as )"r ' -

here ’ p [ii'ttions, that

. “ Our arm was hampered, And had not room enough to do its work ;"

and therefore we gladly availed'ourselves of those works which spoke of another scene, where all the conventional distinctions of this life shrivel upand disappear—where virtue is the sole no- bility—and where the perfecting of their intellec- tual and moral nature is the sole and delightful employment of the blessed inhabitants. These were the principles which have guided us in the selection of our books, and byithese principles we. trust still to abide. We believe that the universal diffusion of knowledge is identified With the best interests, not of ourselves only

but ofthe whole race. We have no fears fof' any acCidental mischief of which it may be pro- ductive. Some people, indeed, affect an alarm lest the spread of education should by possibility prove injurious to our venerable, and venerated

and time-honoured institutions. I know noi how that may be—I am not here to argue the question; but Icountou the consent of every person present to this principle, that whatever cannot keep its feet before the advance of knowledge, does not deserve to have much care taken for its stability (loud and iepeated cheer- ing). Knowledge is truth; and whatever can be overthrown by tru-th must be allied with error; for the nature of truth possesses this quality, that its Weapons cannot be wielded against itself. In proportion, therefore to our confidence in the excellence of our instifutions

ought we to aid in the advancement of truth, that the progress of light and knowledge .may the more test and demonstrate their stability

Even to those who anticipate-revolution and change as the consequence of extended educa- tion, I would submit‘that the "subject is hots

full of evil :as. ut'first view they may be 'diéposefi to apprehend. ' It may be "true that'iknowfed e wyll produce change; it is certain that = g twill: not-prevent it£~ glf changes ‘

reassess

thing {OT poop“; bntitdep'e'ndI.

retamed thanks. '

lowliness of our pos1tion——-we were secured .

ignorance ,

9! heyrfiilivcombpfkhatam ' viourspread‘bf mdncl I 1Ecuador, among them, whether that- k be » accomplished _’bY ‘°" ' :7 , means; whether iii .lhe‘fltm of 4 all existing iguuutiongtgh::léébe;t ' d and in incrimin '_ ." ,j ‘I ,_ r. ,y :2; of thereformer shall be testified-(I ,1 . caution of the-Philom" ‘nd a“ °, , ‘ g Christian, . An. ignorant‘.'pdt_!pli,n II ‘ 1. madness,will makenodiatinetion heinous _ r - Substantially and those billy-am. v , thesame people, educated and’enligh . i . understand toowelltthe nicety i _‘ political mechanism, rashly-Atq pull it it . ‘ they will bear with many things wh . consider evils, rather than risk a some”: may prove worse than the disease; and/3w}; an institution should condemned“? A unanimous voice of an iiidignantypdoph‘? tence willbe carried. into execution it” (M and with the feelings of the noble d . . A Brutus to the conspirators- ‘ : tamer u Gemiavrrienda, . 5

Let‘s kill him boldly but not mlfnflhi. t' Let's carve him as a dish meetyfor tho I Not hew him as a carcass fit for houndmk g, But, however these things may,,be,y' . we are not careful to answer intbo: ., j I at least are giiiltless of any far-reachinga . to bring about change _or revolnhogi is 'V engaged in the construction of, no we may hereafter spring agumat ‘ Our warfare is only with, ignow 1 our aim is, by occasional draugbts springs of immortal truth, to arm v V fresh nerve' to encounter the toak , nicnccs of life, and so to become, uh" A j and happier men. It is upon these ‘ . ,_ that We have acted ourselves; 'it is n_ principles that we wish others to “fir V: regard the multiplication of institutm‘i ‘~ as powerful auxiliaries to the app-do; ' w A undefiled religion—we hail them as. ’ good—as streaks of light in the ’- nshering in the dawn of that day, have been sung in the strains of We, tal music, when “ wisdom and k V. be the stability of the times.” (loud chm Mr. .JAMES- BALLAiv'rins then ' following “ Ode to Kndwledge," the Mechanics’ Library Festival :—

Wlien Art and Science both were young, ' And man’s great teacher was the tongue-av. q When books, tlio’ wrote, were seldom NH 5:;

Arid Thought, tliougli born, lay muiduilf When Error, nursed by Ignorance, Usurp’d the place ofcominon seine——

Dark was the night in which mall lay,

Till knowledge lit his mental day.

a

Ofyore the hard-brovv'd artisan Had nmiglit but might to mark. him R And Labour subbed and sighed in mid}. A‘short respite from toil to gain— For lordly power and feudal might I Were shrouded close in darkest night, And shrunk afl'riglitcd from the ray~—