128 
STATE AGEICULTUEAL SOCIETY. 
presiding daily at tbe sessions. Having the honor of membership, and being 
deeply interested in the objects of the Association, I hastened on my tour 
more than I otherwise would, in order to be present at this meeting, which 
will continue some ten days. The Congress is divided into several sections 
—as the Section of Education, the Social Economy Seection, etc.—the meet¬ 
ings of which are held simultaneously in different apartments of Guild 
Hall. Though styled “British,” this noble association is international in 
many of its aims, and is, this year, attended b}^ large numbers of 
the friends of Social Science from every part of the world. In the 
two sections above named, as well as in the Sanitary Section, I have 
felt a profound interest. Am much pleased with the liberality of Lord 
Brougham and other prominent English gentlemen on the all-important ques¬ 
tions of education and social economy. They not only feel, but frankly ac¬ 
knowledge, the backwardness of the British nation in respect of them, and man¬ 
ifest a genuine and most earnest desire for the light, come from what quarter it 
may. * * * Addressed the Educational Section, yesterday morning, on 
the subject of industrial education in Europe and America ; taking the broad 
ground, that the only sure way of making a nation permanently prosperous 
and happy, is to educate, as thoroughly and practically as possible, the 
laboring classes of the people. ****** This morning, in the 
Social Economy Section, a most interesting and spirited discussion 
followed the reading, by the distinguished Miss Frances Power Cobbe, of 
an able essay on the Employments of Women ; Lord Brougham in the chair. 
The majority of the members were emphatically on the liberal side—so much 
so that, in such remarks as I ventured to make upon the question, I couldn’t 
but compliment the noble spirit which prompted the earnest deprecation, 
by almost every speaker of that absurd and selfish exclusiveness of spirit, 
by which, for so many ages, the women of all countries have been prac- 
ticelly narrowed down to the fewest possible number of pursuits, with 
unreasonable and inadequate compeusation for their labors. There is a 
great work to be done in this particular field of Social Economy, and it is a 
most gratifying to find the statesmen of conservative old England already 
alive to its importance. 
During these sessions of the British Social Science Congress, there has also 
been a meeting at Burlington House of a kindred continental organization — 
Le Societe des Bienfaisances—of which the great French orator, M. Berryer, is 
President ; and this evening, the two organizations, having completed their 
labors, held a joint session, at which eloquent speeches were made by the two 
presidents and others. Lord Brougham, now nearly 90, showed the fire of 
his palmier days; talking with great earnestness and power, and with a ve¬ 
hemence of manner most surprising for one of his years. * * 
This evening was signalized by a grand Soriee at Westminister Palace— 
by which is meant the Houses of Parliament, with all the Halls and appart- 
ments therein contained. These, for the first time in history, and as a special 
complement to England’s ablest statesman, were tendered to Lord Broug¬ 
ham, for the purpose of a reception, to be given by him to the members of 
the congress. Commissioners to the Exhibition, and other distinguished 
personages now in London. 
The palace was magnificently illuminated in every part, and was thronged 
by what is believed by those who ought to know, the most brilliant multi¬ 
tude of savans, statesmen, poets, military heroes, nobles, princes and other 
persons of rank, the world ever saw together. The whole number was scarce¬ 
ly short of five thousand persons, who in their brilliant and jewelled cos¬ 
tumes, made a mqst dazzling spectacle for the eyes of a plain republican citi¬ 
zen of America. Refreshments in the ancient hall; music prepared for the 
occasion by the best artists in the world, and performed by the most noted 
English, French and German bands. His Lordship stood for more than two 
hours to receive his many happy guests and then pleasantly mingled with the 
multitude. The most magnificent affair of the kind I shall ever see, I pre¬ 
sume. 
