46 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



roll of fame are dearer to human hearts than those borne upon 

 thy roster — what nobler pursuit is open to man than that of pene- 

 trating the mysteries of earth, air, fire, and water in thy service, 

 sweet goddess of invention ! mother of peaceful industry and 

 companion of liberty ! 



''While the apple grows on the apple tree. 

 And the wild wind blows over the wild wood free, 

 Aud the deep river flows to the deeper sea; 

 And they cannot help growing, and blowing, and flowing, 

 Turns the heart of the world to thee." 



The elements of our national wealth are far from their full de- 

 velopment. Greater changes than we have yet experienced will 

 occur, and individual fortunes more gigantic than any yet accu- 

 mulated will be suddenly rolled up, to be as suddenly dissipated. 

 Nature does not encourage gigantic accretions of power in States 

 or men. Ponderous empires find their solvents, and overgrown 

 individual fortunes their proper distributors. In this country, as 

 in England, mechanical industry, so essential to the development 

 of the vast mineral resources of the continent, and to the con- 

 sumption of agricultural products, cannot fail to reward its agents 

 with the wealth that follows successful enterprise. But it has a 

 higher claim to our encouragement, in the fact that while it does 

 not shut out the accumulation of such fortunes as will satiate 

 ambition, it affords a more certain guaranty for the equable dis- 

 tribution of its profits among all its disciples. While we cannot 

 but rejoice in the highest prosperity of our country, we ought 

 not to forget that happiness springs rather from general distribu- 

 tion than from great accumulation of wealth in single hands j and 

 that those pursuits which embrace the greatest numbers, and dis- 

 tribute most equally the profits of industry, are the only sources 

 to which we can look for the happiness of the people, for just 

 government, and for a stable national prosperity. 



