AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 81 



Ronaldson, the Philadelphia type founder, was the first i:)resi- 

 dent. 



In 1791 a few patriotic men, such as R.R.Livingston, Mitchill, 

 Kent, Dewitt, Jay, and others, founded in New- York a society for 

 the advancement of agriculture, arts, and manufactures. This 

 was in operation for but ten years, and at the close of its incor- 

 poration expired. 



The American Institute originated twenty-eight years ago, in 

 the far-sighted efforts of a few individuals, among the most active 

 of whom were the late secretary, Thaddeus B. Wakeman, and the 

 present secretary, Hon. Henry Meigs, and many of the founders 

 have lived to see their bantling grown to manhood. The officers, 

 committees, and clubs of the institution are ever active in the 

 affairs of agriculture, commerce, manufactures, and the arts, to 

 promote which they were incorporated. The annual volume of 

 transactions, published with commendable liberality by the State 

 of New-York, contains, besides the report of the progress of the 

 institution itself, those of the judges of the fair, of the commit- 

 tees of arts and sciences, addresses, and useful papers on subjects 

 within the wide scope of the Institute. 



The members are, to use nearly the language of the venerable 

 Secretary, the kind of men by which republics can be made and 

 maintained — making and maintaining themselves, they always 

 have surplus power to maintain the State. 



The wants here represented were intellectual improvements of 

 the cultivators of the mechanic arts, and improvement of the arts 

 themselves. 



The Franklin Institute was, in part, for the education of youths 

 and adults, in part for the advancement of the arts. Regular 

 courses of lectures on natural philosophy and chemistry, and 

 their application to the arts, mining and metallui'gy, geology, and 

 occasional courses in various branches of science and art; schools 

 for mathematics, for architectural, mechanical and miscellaneous 

 drawing fulfilled the first object. The second was reached by 

 means of exhibitions. The first exhibition of the Franklin Insti- 

 tute was held in the Carpenters' Hall, in 1827, the last overflowed the 

 largest building which the city of Philadelphia could furnish to it*. 

 [Am. Inst. J O 



