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31 Ult‘. w unrx • .MnwnMn —t • > iw.’ri*ar*x!afc*ii'i
DEMOS i HENEAN SOCIE i Y.
The following ORATION was de
livered on the i fb injl in the Cba
pely to an attentive audience, by
Mr. Richard Jones. ‘The Orati *
on ivas preceded by a folemn and
hnpreffsve prayer from the Rev.
>Dr. tirown.
Rfpe Tied Fellow - Members ,
WITH hearts replete whh
gratitude, and under the protection
of Heaven, we convene this even
ing, for the purpofe of again com
memorating that propitious epochs
which give exiflence to the De
moftbenian Society. Never perhaps
are the reelirgs of men more pure,
or more plcafiig, than when aff n
b’ed on an occaiio.i of this nature.
The foe:a! affections are unquefti
ortably the /ounce of man’s greateft
happinefs, and the power of com
municating our thoughts to each o
ther, and tranlmuting them to puf
reiity, ts the principal means by
‘which theje sff'vftior.s have been
Expanded & called into action. The
faculty of fpeech is one of the moll
liberal gifts of H*aven. It is the
great milriimenr, (as Dr. Blair ex
pire lies liimf if) by which man be
comes beaeficial to man, and aim.id
the ooiv attribue by which he is
diftlng'ffhed, being originally but
litrle lupriior to the bru.e. How
indifpei lablf th*n vs the duty-, and
how vaft the importance to every
Inember of fociety, to cultivate the
art of fpcerh, and by this rrrans
enlarge the f.opeqf the Ibcial pow
ers, and facilitate the intercourfe
b; tween mind and mind. I was for
this my fellow-members, r cwa.i far
this noble purpofe our inft.tudoti
was originally formed, and w s will
dare to indulge the fond hope, that
the praife-worthy ceiign will never
be frufliated. This fociety has un
queftionabiy been conducive to the
iv'at improvement in elocution of
ail its members; though wr are ne
ceflitated to confefs that fame of
rhem have not made that profi :ien
ty which might have been expect
ed. It is well known that in all
ages a id in ail countries young m*n
are too apr to be regirdie/s vf .their
own brm (is, and to nrgleft the
manv golden opportunities off.red
them tor unpr ovrmen', a circum
fiance vre cannot but regard with
for row. In this iriftkucion palpable
inadvertancc alone can entirely ifn
pede the improvement of 1 s mem
bers ir. delivering their fimnments
on any lot j .6t with rale and ft <cncy,
and certainly nothing can be of
wore imp irtance, to a literary cha
racEr, than to fpcak or write with
out hefirarioit.
Our Society, my fellow-mem
bers, has lorn-times tottered on the
brink of and If lution, and there was
every probability that this would be
the ulTmate rcfulr. It ftill, how
ever ex its, and at this moment a
b g iter horiz on lies before us.—
Wc will yield to our vr fnts for its
nrofperity, and rdl confiient that
it has palled the threlh Id cf dan
ger. Where there ex fts fuel) a fpi
nt or emulation as chat which at
prefenc reigns among us, eventual
fu cm mar always be expedted.—*
Had the Collegiate Seminary ft ju
riflied, our Society would h ive par
taken of its profperity, & not have
approached To near as it has done
the fatal cataftrophe of an ex incti
on. Let us then unite and ule our
exertions in order that it may again
revive, again b!mm, and yield co
us and our fucctiTors its natural and
important fruits. l>.e inftitunons
of man, like m*n htmiVlf, are fub
: & to the infljcncc of fimlbr e-
vents. Vo cuefe events thqufands
cf them fall vidtims, partly, Trom
the nature of the events themfelves,
but more from the want of unani
mity, order and energy in thofe who
cornpofc them. Ect this day, my
fellow members, give all of ui new
energy. I. ‘t us hail with joy, the
return of our flnp.iverfary, and make
a determination thsr. the inftitutio.i
fhc.ll not fa I—provided our exertions
can fupporc it. Which of us chies
not fu. i a pride when on looking
over the lift of our predeceff >rs,
members of this Society, he fi-ids
that almoft ai! of them are in fume
way or other ufefuily engaged in
life. Some of them bent fitting
their country, by rearing * virtuous
and manly cfF.pring. Several of
them already eminent in the three
learned profefiions*—and a few even
in the legifluive councils of their
country—confulting for her prof
perity and .guarding her rghts.—
Shall we inftarsce m coi.fiiimrion
of this the efteemed names of B iy
kin, Davis and A kinfon ?
Every thing, rnjr fellow ffudents,
1s to be expedted from American
genius—untrammelled by precedent
—-unfettered by authority—it is
prepared to difeover truth with
more readinefs, and to purfue it
with more psrfeverance. Li this
country—under this governmenf—
if any where, has A m ghty Provi
dence defined chst the greit and
imporant volume of nature Ihould
be read, explained and commented
on. Although fcience feems to
have advanced i] >wlv, her march is
undjubtcdly pr< g-t fiive, and wc
have the pleaßog profpeft before
us, that our de'fceodar u. if not our-
THvta, will be able to z -r< one for
alrn ft a I the phenomena of nature.
Tnai future Chymifis will be able
to anal ze the mo'ft comp mn 1 bo
dies, and to giye a juft idea cf their
concomitant parts. That future
Pnilofophers wiii be able to unfold
the great charts of natural and mo
ral Truth—-and future Allrunomers
explain the hitherto loexpliable
phenomena of the u.iiverfe. Wat
in this will not a century ef
frd ? I contemplate the profpeft
with perul.ar plea lure. I fee fu
peiftiuon, that fi-*nd which has
heretofore caufed fo much
pinefs and mdery,, the
brigot rays of Trurn aud* Sciiencc,
anu abioiu < ly vamfh’ng
penetraung ?< fi .ence.. .Look for
moment at the doleful < of Ig
norance b uh. or, na ions and indivi
duals. In all eounrr.es, and among
all nations, where lrteiaiure is not
cultivated, the m ft fatal confe
qunnees attend their ignorance.-An
important expedition is deferred—
an act of juftne is p<>ftponed—a
battle is put t ff— if it thunders to
the right or to the left; if a poor
black C row happens to fi t acrofs
the hor.zon, or a D g bays the
moon. The rrmnants of luperfti
tion, at the prefent da'>, are neither
fmail nor 1 tnifted. Mare or lefs
of it pervades every clafs of fode
tv, ad attaches itfeif co all agrs.
Hjw often is not tne unimproved
mind filled with trie molt dreadful
apprehenfionß on the occurrence of
any unuiual phenomenon. An r*-
nis fatuus, or as it is moft common
ly called a Jack o * lantern, is fuf
ficient to ftnke their fouls with con
firmation. This phenomenon has
been a moft fertile fcurce of terror
for centuries, and unfortunately it
ftdl continue* to be fb with the ig
norant. But, rny fellow-members,
howdoes all its factitious importance
diffipate before the light of chymi
cai knowledge. Shall we defeend
into an explanation of the pheno-
menon in illuftration ofeufremaike’
Chymiftry, then, teaches us, that
the me ft combuftible of the gales
viz. Hydrogen, is capable of dif
foSvftng a portion of another very
highly combuftible fubftance, phof
phorus, which itfeif undergoes a
fl)w combuftion evn at the com
mtvn temperature of the atmsl
phere. The unifon of thefe takes
fire as foon as it meets with the oxy
gen of the atmoftphere, and in this
ftatc exhibits a blueifh, lambent
flirae. See here, my fellow-mem
bers, the real nature of a pheno
menon, which has been the fcurce
of fear, pain—and even ficknefs,
to thoufands of (as we arc plea fed
to call ourfelves) rational beings.
How many a day, how many an
hour, has been, from this caufe,
fpent in gloomy filence and fearful
dependency, which other wife would
have been a day, r.n hour, of happi
nefs and utility.
Enough of this gloomy fubjedfc,
ict us turn to contemplate, with
m ire pleafure, the delight which
every one ftels on an incrc&fe of
knowledge, and in becoming ac
quainted with the various phenome
na of nature. This dehght Ik a
proof that man was ma le to exer
cife the fatuities which God has gi
ven him, and per&verancc only is
rrquired to furmount ahnofl every
ddicidty, and chat ro enable him
to fu.fil the intention of his Creator.
But alas ! if he nrglefts this duty,
and remains enveloped in the clouds
of ignorance, let him attribute to
bis own inactivity only, the dark
nefs which furrounds him. Noth
ing tends to exire this induftry in
the purluit o. 1, knowledge among
young men, more than ir.ftirutions
fimiiar to ours. Ic is acknowledged
that fom? of the moft brilliant cha
raiters which ha ve appeared in that
country from whence we drew our
origin, have laid the foundation of
their future eminence in polemical
focietirs. Eft tutiuns of this kind
not only infinite its members in
rheto ic, but in the difeufiion of fo
many various fubje&3, they obtain
more accurate ideas of them. By
the exchange of thefe it of
ten happens that fomethirg is add
ed to the rnafs of knowledge, and
even fomething new difeovered, for
as the proverb fays, sx colltfitne join -
tilla. Some objections have been
made to thefe inftituiions, on the
fuppefition that eloquence is noth
ing more than a fophiftic, or para
logical ftiie of reafoning. It is true,
fays the wife Dr. Blair, that corrupt
orators do lo me times employ their
talents to mi (lead people, but when
any intereft attracts their attention,
when any great danger roufes them,
they foon diftinguifti between genu
ine and Bond eloquence. In the
prefent age people are apt to be
influenced by the rhetorical art no
further rhan the orator carries
w;ih him reafonand good fenfe, the
foundation of ail true eloquence.
Oratori may fometimes, and no
doubt often do, make ufe of fophif
try —but let not the abufe of the
arc be received as an a:gument a
gainft the art itleif. Eloquence
may be employed to advantage in
the moft profound reafoning, as well
as in public declamations-—and Lo
gicians when arguing the moft ccn
cife points frequently become them
felves elc quent. In the hands of a
good man it is an inftrument of the
greateft importance; he is enabled
by it to inftruft and perfuade, De
mofthenes, from whom this Socie
ty received its name, as well as Ci
cero, are proofs of this. The for
mer will be ever regarded with ad
miration, as affordUig by his ora
lory a ffiert i.Tjpr. g.ubfc
for the pre/ervation of the Grecia-ff
Republics, again ft the arts cf Philip W
than all their armies; and. Cicero®
who alone can ftand in competitio!®
with him, will be equally regarde®
as the preferver of the Roman lE®
public againft the attempts of Ca.®
tal;ne>—but a further detail of th e ;®
merits, which are io well known t®
you, would be tediouf; fuffiecitj
fay, that their names will be perenM
nius acre, and their characters ;.(■
Tuna inter min ores fellas. ■
[ /he TOAST'S drank on the eveniuM
ef the Celebration, are poftpor.iM
for want of room. They /hall
pear in cur next ] |
“"TT rHENS'TFEBRUAR tUT I
THERE is yet one Northern
PAail due at Athens. By ytftrr.,
day’i ?Aail we were favored by cur
attentive friend, Mr. Hall, with
Wcfhington City papers to the Bth
inft. They contain nothing of im
portance. A letter from Mr. Hall
to the Editorr, contains the follow
ing i
u We are ftill pregreßing with
every mealure which we think ne
ceffary for aft ate of WAR. The
eftabiiftiment of a fund to defray
the expence, ‘prefents the greateft
ci fiiculty sit this time. I truft ws
‘(hall devi/e’fome lefts objedbionable
plan than a rcibrt to ftamp, excift,
or dire<ft taxe?, for that purpofe. ,>
We coincide with Mr. Hall, and
fmcerely wifh that the Representa
tives of the People will refort to
fome left obj :6hor able Tax than a
ftarnpc aeft, or an ex ife law—at the
lame time, we h®pc they are mak
irg every preparation to meet our
enemy, and the common enemy of
the world, in an eft*, dual manner—
provided (lie will not render unto
us, that juftice, to which, by the
-Lawscf Nature and of Nations, we
are entitled.
WE had hoped, that there was
nor, in his Mqtfty’s employ, an
Editor who was fo very a fcoundrei
as co difpute the if juftice of the Or
ders in'Council— out in this hope
we have been ddeppointed—Wag
ner, the advocate of <c Britain’s
faft anchor’d if] ,** in Baltimore,
has had the eff onrery to affert, in
his fianderous vehicle , of the q/h
inft. that he never has believed that
the Orders in Council operated op
prefp.vtly on the American Govern
ment or People. This fame penfi
cried fccundrel has alfo had the har
tihood to deny that the Brit’fn hsd
anv agency in exciting the Indians to
hoftiluies. We are always forrv
when we are obliged to reforc to barfh
language—-but when we fee the e
nemies of Liberty traducing rhe
American Government, we cannot
fupprefs our indignation—nor re
frain from beftowing on them luch
epithets as we ffrioufly believe they
deferve.
Andrew Eliteott Efq. has arrived
in Miliedgevilie. Nothing pcfidve
is vet known—but it is believed no
part of Walton county belongs to
this ftate. Of courfe there will be
no Cotton made in that county the
prelent year.
It were an end lefs labor to relieve
the public ear of all the falfehoocl
with which it is daily abufed; to
retail contradifcieas of every milre
prefentation which dlfgraces the
columns of our federal prints.—*
Thefe are fo numerous, fo palpa
ble, fome of them fo evidently in
tentional, that wc arc tempted cc
