105 



United States. Old Essex County ! what had it not done for theology, 

 art, science and the great business of life ! 



He then adverted in earnest and eloquent terms to the many men 

 of mark and eminence born in Essex County, specially mentioning 

 Peters, Stewart, Woods, Timothy Pickering, Rufus Choate, Jonathan 

 Jackson, Pickman, Peabody, Hawthorne, Prescott, and others. It 

 was these men who had given Essex her distinction, and it was these 

 men whom the present generation were striving to follow, although 

 with unequal steps. Their influence, however, still lived and stirred 

 the rising generation. Essex County, too, had established, for the 

 first time, the plan of Field Meetings. Let not scientific men smile ; let 

 them rather come down from their high pedestal of science, and open 

 their treasures of learning to the people, so that science might be- 

 come practical as well as theoretical, and thus elevate the people, 

 improve the art of living, and perfect the system of government. It 

 was the union of the practical with the scientific which really educated 

 mankind and made the man of science useful. In regard to farming 

 he would say that agriculture in Massachusetts would never be devel- 

 oped to its proper standard until science shed its light upon it. Sci- 

 entific men should not argue, as he had noticed in one of the finest 

 papers read at the late meeting, that the reduction of science to prac- 

 tice was what no scientific man could bear. Rather let scientific men, 

 if they dare do it, put their facts before the people, and let the people 

 sit in judgment on them. Then science would render its full and per- 

 fect service to mankind, and the people would then follow their great 

 scientific leaders. For this Institute and for its self-sacrificing presi- 

 dent, he claimed all the honors which science could bestow, for in 

 them science had been joined to the popular heart. He concluded 

 with an allusion to Professor Peirce, who was a son of Essex, and 

 who, as the great American mathematician, had rendered his name 

 and country illustrious. 



Mr. EDWARD S. MORSE of Salem, followed in a statement of the 

 peculiarities of the locality of the meeting, and of what living speci- 

 mens could there be found. He said that one of the main objects of 

 collecting specimens was to elucidate the principles of classification. 

 It seemed to him that if the church three hundred years ago had been 

 as honest as science is to-day, the world would not be so blinded with 

 superstition as it is. Science, by basing its deductions on facts and 

 on the nature of things, and by making predictions which came true, 

 had removed many of the dogmas of ignorance and superstition. He 

 denounced the practice of apologizing for the study of science, by say- 

 ing that it would pay, and enable us to raise better crops, etc. That 

 was merely a bread and butter argument. Science and nature should 

 be studied for the sake of truth. He then alluded to the importance 



ESSEX INST. BULLETIN. 14 



