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ings, to government, or science, or literature, he endeavoured to master with a scholar's diligence and taste. Few men have read so much, or so well. Few have united such manly sense with such attractive modesty. His thoughts and his style, his writings and his actions, were governed by a judgment, in which energy was combined with candour, and benevolence with deep, unobtrusive, and fervid piety. His character may be summed up in a single line, for there

" was given

To Haven every virtue under Heaven."

He had just arrived at the point of his professional career, in which skill and learning begin to reap their proper reward. He was in possession of the principal blessings of life, of fortune, of domestic love, of universal respect. There are those, who had fondly hoped, when they should have passed away, he might be found here to pay a humble tribute to their memory. To Providence it has seemed fit to order otherwise, that it might teach us "what shadows we are, and what shadows we pursue." We may not mourn over such a loss, as those, who are without hope. That life is not too short, which has accomplished its highest destiny; that spirit may not linger here, which is purified for immortality.

ON

THE PROGRESS

OF

SCIENCE AND LITERATURE.

BY

THE HON. JOSEPH STORY, LL. D.

ONE OF THE JUDGES OF THE SUPREME COURT OF THE
UNITED STATES.

EDINBURGH:

THOMAS CLARK, 38, GEORGE STREET.

NOW

JAMES BURNET, PRINTER, 5, SHAKSPEARE SQUARE.

DISCOURSE II.*

MUCH has been said respecting the spirit of our age, and the improvements, by which it is characterized. Many learned discussions have been presented to the public, with a view to illustrate this topic; to open the nature and extent of our attainments; to contrast them with those of former times; and thus to vindicate, nay more, to demonstrate, our superiority over all our predecessors, if not in genius, at least in the perfection and variety of its fruits. There is, doubtless, much in such a review to gratify our pride, national, professional, and personal. But its value in this respect, if we stop here, is but of doubtful, or, at most, of subordinate importance. It is not the sum of our attainments, but the actual augmentation of human happiness and human virtue thereby, of which we may justly be proud. If every new acquisition operates, as a moving spirit upon the still depths of our minds, to awaken new enterprise and activity, to warm our hearts to new affection and kindness to our race, and to enable us to add something to the capital stock of human enjoyment, we may well indulge in self-congratulation. It has been said, that he who makes two blades of grass grow, where only one grew before, deserves to be reckoned among the benefactors of mankind. And it

Delivered before the Boston Mechanics' Institute, at the opening of their annual course of lectures, November, 1829.

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