160 CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS. 



Noble, indeed, it was in every point of view ; noble as 

 coming from a stranger, with whom this _ country had no 

 personal relations ; speaking at once his high sense of our 

 merit, while it proclaimed his own; noble in amount, and 

 may be made effective to its beneficent purpose ; but, above 

 all, noble for its destination" the increase and diffusion of 

 knowledge among men;" leaving it to the wisdom of Con- 

 gress to devise'and provide the institution that should be 

 most effective to this end. It ought to be an institution, 

 whose effects upon the country will make it a living monu- 

 ment to the honor of the illustrious donor in all time to 

 come. Such an institution, I conceive, may be devised ; of 

 which, however, at present there is no model either in this 

 country or in Europe; giving such a course of education 

 and discipline as would give to the faculties of the human 

 mind, an improvement and power far beyond what they 

 obtain by the ordinary systems of education, and far be- 

 yond what they afterwards attain in any of the professional 

 pursuits. Such an institution, as to its principle, suggested 

 itself to the sagacious and far-seeing mind of Bacon, as one 

 of the greatest importance. But while his other sugges- 

 tions have been followed out with such wonderful success 

 in extending the boundaries of physical science, this has 

 been overlooked and neglected. One reason is, that the 

 other suggestions were more elaborately explained by him; 

 there, too, he not only pointed out the path, but he led the 

 way in it himself. Besides, those other suggestions could 

 be carried out by individual exertion and enterprise, inde- 

 pendently of the existing establishments of learning ; or 

 they could be grafted on, and made a part of, those estab- 

 lishments. But this required an original plan of education, 

 and a new foundation for its execution ; where the young 

 mind would be trained by a course of education and disci- 

 pline that would unfold and perfect all his faculties ; where 

 genius would plume his young wings, and prepare himself 

 to take the noblest flights. The idea, however, was not 

 entirely original with Bacon ; for it would be in effect but 

 the revival of that system of education and discipline which 

 produced such wonderful improvement and power of the 

 human mind in Greece and Rome, and especially in Greece. 

 Its effects here, I am persuaded, would be many and glo- 

 rious. Of these I shall now indicate only one ; but that 

 one whose importance all must admit. In its progress and 

 ultimately it would give to our country, I have no doubt, a 

 national literature of a high and immortal character. How- 

 ever mortifying to our national pride it is to say it, it must 

 be confessed that we have not a national literature of that 



