28 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. LII. No. 1332 



emphasized by True/^ and that in Jefferson's 

 mind at least, political radicalism and interest 

 in higher education were clearly joined may 

 be judged from the epitaph he himself pre- 

 pared. 



Here was buried Thomas Jefferson, author of 

 the Declaration of Independence, of the statute of 

 Virginia for religious freedom and father of the 

 University of Virginia.is 



If this subject were pursued into the field 

 of state and local history much relevant data 

 could be presented. Merrill^'' traces " the 

 beginning of the work which resulted in the 

 establishment of the State survey " in l^ew 

 York to a course of lectures on natural his- 

 tory delivered by Amos Eaton before the 

 State Legislatiu"e in Albany during April, 

 1818, on the invitation of Governor DeWitt 

 Clinton. Clinton, while best known historic- 

 ally for his work in behalf of the Erie Canal, 

 was active in securing the abolition of slavery 

 in New York state and in perfecting a system 

 of free public schools and was the author of a 

 series of letters signed " A Countryman " in 

 reply to the " Federalist." 



Edward Hitchcock's Survey of Massachu- 

 setts (1830-1833), which Merrill refers to" as 

 marking " an epoch in American geological 

 work, since it brought to a successful conclu- 

 sion the first survey of an entire state at 

 public expense," was also a result of the 

 interest of a radical governor, Levi Lincoln, 

 (son of the Lincoln mentioned above) who 

 recommended the survey and Professor Hitch- 

 cock's appointment. Governor Lincoln is 

 known in the history of his state as the first 

 governor to exercise the veto power, and as 

 the leader of the minority in the Massachu^ 

 setts State Legislature who protested against 

 the Hartford convention of 1814. 



"Not was the fostering of science and edu- 

 cation wholly the concern of individual 

 radicals at this period. For hardly had the 

 Democratic majority in Maine effected the 

 separation of the state from Federalist Massa- 

 , 15 True, Bodney H., op. oit., p. 359. 



16 True, Rodney H., op. eit., p. 360. 



17 Merrill, George P., op. oit., p. 234. 

 IS Merrill, George P., op. cit., p. 307. 



chusetts (1820) than the State Legislature 

 made an annual grant of $1,000 to aid in 

 maintaining an institution which was to give 

 mechanics and farmers " such scientific edu- 

 cation as would enable them to become skilled 

 in their professions."^' This institution was 

 incorporated as the Gardiner Lyceum and 

 opened January 1, 1823. 



The greatest radical movement after the 

 Eevolution was that which resulted in the 

 abolition of slavery. Of those whose names 

 have already appeared in this sketch, Jeffer- 

 son and Clinton were conspicuous advocates 

 of abolition. The first prominent opponent 

 in Congress of the extension of slavery was 

 probably John Quincy Adams. One is not 

 surprised to learn that this sturdy individual- 

 ist who changed his political affiliations at 

 will and maintained an influential position in 

 Congress for many years, independent of 

 party and who refused to be silenced by the 

 "gag rule" of 1837 was deeply interested in 

 science and its advancement. As outlined by 

 Goode-" he revived Washington's National 

 University project, worked for a national 

 astronomical observatory, was actively inter- 

 ested in the foundation of the Smithsonian 

 Institution and considered his most important 

 achievement to be the Report on Weights and 

 Measures prepared for Congress in 1818. Of 

 this he was justly proud for it was a very 

 admirable piece of scientific work. He found 

 the presidency of the American Academy of 

 Arts and Sciences so congenial to his tastes 

 and sympathies that he did not hesitate to 

 say that he prized it more highly than the 

 chief magistracy of the nation. 



It was during his term as president that the 

 consuls in various parts of the world were 

 instructed to send to the Department of State 

 rare seeds and plants for distribution, and 

 about the same time a Botanical Garden was 



19 True, A. C, "Agricultural Education in the 

 United States," U. S. Dept. Agr. Yearbook, 1899, 

 p. 163, 1900. 



20 Goode, George Brown, ' ' The Origin of the 

 National Scientific and Educational Institutions 

 of the United States," Rpt. U. S. Nat. Hub., 

 1896-97, pp. 302-311, 1901. 



