1864.1 295 [?"<=«• 



He was at a place in the State of Delaware, on the night of 

 the great explosion at Yorktown, Va., and one hundred and 

 fifty miles distant from that city. The windows of his house 

 were shaken in so remarkable a manner, that he could assign 

 no other cause, but that of the explosion of the Yorktown 

 powder magazines. Prof. Cresson mentioned an instance of 

 a similar nature, which had come under his own observation, 

 and, apparently, confirming Dr. Emerson's views. 



Mr. Price read part of a paper entitled, " The Family, as 

 an Element of Government." 



THE FAMILY AS AN ELEMENT OF GOVERNMENT. 



" God settetli the solitary in families." — Psalm 68 : 6. 



It is with hesitation and misgiving that I bring this subject before 

 you; fearing to detain your attention too long, and apprehensive that 

 it may not be thought strictly appropriate for our discussion. That 

 the subject most nearly relates to man and his well-being, and is to 

 disclose the design of the Creator in regard to him, should not make 

 it the less one, it seems to me, of philosophical inquiry and interest. 

 And if from the physical we should rise, in our investigations, to the 

 moral and social welfare of man, still the subject will retain all its 

 philosophical fitness, and deserve our attention. Permit me, then, to 

 confess at the outset that I cherish the design to do a moral good, 

 in my limited ability, and the better to do it, I wish to borrow your 

 prestige. I have thought that if you would listen with approbation, 

 others will think it worth while to read, and that ideas deemed salu- 

 tary to society, though familiar to you, may thus more favorably reach 

 those to whom they are less known. I cannot promise you novelty, 

 for in constantly observed human nature, law, and morals, there is not 

 so much opportunity to discover anything new, as there is a duty to 

 insist upon what is already known for our good; and as law and morals 

 have for their object but to state and impress a sound rule of conduct 

 in life, sound practical sense is the highest merit that a writer upon 

 these subjects can hope to attain. 



I am conscious of addressing some, who, as naturalists, are accus- 

 tomed to study the nature and habits of living creatures lower in the 

 scale of beings than man. These are studied with a laborious care, 

 minuteness, and skill, and an exactness of classification, that is abso- 

 lutely surprising to others who are differently occupied. And for 



