E M '' M O I R H N L O W E L L J O , J R E D W A R D E ' E R E T T . DELI' ERED AT THE ta 691mm in c s n es . 3 1839 , fi , fi 1 , , W ' H I TROD TO THE LE RES R. L a s T E N U CTION CTU ON M O ELL S F OU N DATION . M E M O I R MR . J O HN L O W E L L , J U N . DELI' ERED AS THE I N T R O D U C T I O N TO THE D LECTURES ON HIS FOUN ATION, D N 3m D C B 1839 O EO , E EM ER, EEpEA'rED IN TE E MARLBOR UGH CHAPEL 2d JANU AR' 1840. O , , By EDW RD ' ERE A E TT . 5 B 0 S T O N D A S B WN . CHARLES C . LITTLE AN J ME RO M.DCCC . ' L. ERD COL MAR 3 1 1891 'B RAR Entered a c c ordin to Ac t of Con res s in the ea r 1840 b g g , y , y CuA s LI 'r'r LE AN D JAn Es Ba o wu a C. , ' the lerk s h Dis ri c o urt of the Di ic o a ss ac hus In C Office of t e t t C s tr t f M etts . M E M O I R . W M R J O H N L O E L L , J U N THE of our i s Of occasion meeting, at this time , a cha racter n ot less unusua l than intere s ting . By mun ific en c e of . J un . the the late Mr ohn Lowell , j , a testamentary provision was ma de for the estab lis hmen t Of u u s of u u u reg lar co r es p blic lect res , pon the most important branches Of natural and moral . s t o u Of cience , be ann ally delivered in the city for Bos ton . The sum generously set apart by him t s u s u u hi p rpo e , and amo nting nearly to two h ndred fif us a 1 t he Of and ty tho nd dollars , 3, with exception t he u s Of . Gi I a rd of l beq e t the late Mr Phi adelphia, if I s ha s the largest, mi take not, which ever been c oun t l appropriated in this y , by a private individ ua l for of a n u . , the endowment y literary instit tion Of f u of The idea a o ndation this kind, on which, u n c Of u s ncon ected with any pla e ed cation , provi ion s of o u is made , in the mid t a large commercial p p a n for u u f s u u c l tio , ann al co rses o in tr ction by p bli u u ous lect res , to be delivered grat it ly to all who c o s t o fa r h o e attend them , as as it is practicable M J N W JU N 4 EMOIR OF OH LO ELL, . our I within largest halls , is , believe , original with . I n ot the Mr Lowell am aware that, among all mun ific en t a s Of u est bli hments E rope , there is any thing Of this description upon a large sca le ; and I cannot but regard i t as a concept ion eminently adapted to the character and Wants of our Com u a s fi a m nity, and promising to be bene ci l as it is original and generous . The form of inst ruction by public lectures has Of greatly prevailed late years , and obtained a high degree Of favor in t his and other parts of the United - States . It has been ascertained , that twenty six cours es Of lectures were delivered in Bos ton during n u n s the last season , not i cl di g those which con ist — ed of less than eight lectures many of them by lecturers amply qualified to afford instruction a n d a e u rational entert inment to an intellig nt a dience . u i s u These lect res , it calc lated , were attended , in t he u u fiv e hun aggregate , by abo t thirteen tho sand Of w dred persons , at an expense less than t elve us . tho and dollars This is , probably, a greater number Of lectures than was ever delivered in any previous year ; but the number of courses has been l f of fi steadi y increasing, rom the time their rst s f o u commencement, on the pre ent o ting, abo t ' twenty years ago . It is not easy to conceive of is u for any plan , by which prov ion co ld be made Cours es of bota nical lect ures were deliv ered in Bost on by P ro es s ors Pe k a nd Bi e ow i n the ea r 1813 a nd of hemi a e tures f c g l y , c c l l c rha m abou the s a me t i e The s a n b Dr. Go t . t te e t of the n u be y , m m m r of e tures i n 1839 i s eri v e from the as t an nua re ort of the l c , d d l l p S e ret a r of the Boa r Of E u ation . 74. c y d d c , p M J W EMOIR OF OHN LO ELL, JUN . 5 the innocent and profitable employment of a part of the leisure time Of so large a portion Of t he u comm nity, at so small an expense . f uffi t These acts s cien ly show the vast importance , u of i f Of u as well as the pop larity, th s orm p blic n s u u a u i tr ction , and they nat r lly lead to the q estion , ' whether it does not admit of improvement in of u t h respect to the character the lect res , and e basis on Which they a re delivered . In answer to u u f this inq iry, it readily s ggests itsel , that, not withstanding the great and unquestioned benefit u u u f which m st accr e to the comm nity, rom the delivery Of so large a number Of lectures on sci en t ific a n d litera ry subject s to voluntary audienc es of s c both sexes , there are two point , in whi h the s n f i . fir sy tem is evide tly de ect ve In the st place , of u u us the means the instit tions, nder whose a pices of u u e most the p blic lect res are delivered , are in de quate to hold out a liberal and certain reward t o Of for of men talent and learning, the preparation - well digested and systematic courses . The com en s a t ion fee p is necessarily limited to a moderate , paid from the proc eeds of the subsc riptions to the u s . s s u co r es A nece sary con eq ence is , that the of u s u greater part the lect res are mi cellaneo s essays , ff u f delivered by di erent persons , witho t re erence to f eac h other . These ess ays are O ten highly credita ble t o their authors as literary efforts ; and in the u a re Of aggregate , no do bt , they the vehicle a great b amount Of useful knowledge . But it cannot e Of u s d denied that the tendency lect re , prepare J W 6 . MEMOIR OF OHN LO ELL , JUN u u the u of nder these circ mstances , is to disc ssion o u for u o of p p lar generalities , the prod cti n immediate effect ; and that a succession of s uch lectures during a season can never be expec ted to form a connected f f s u O us u n . eries , pon any branch e l k owledge A few Of u u u instances contin o s co rses, delivered in f ar s exception to the oregoing rem k , will not, I u be pres me , considered as inconsistent with their substantial accuracy . In another respect the system Obviously admits improvement . Although the length of time for which these lectures have been delivered among us u f i s of us , with increasing p blic avor, matter j t u s Of s fu for s rpri e , in the absence all establi hed nds their support ; yet there 13 j ust ground for a pprehen t he sion , that system may not prove permanent Without further provi s ion to sustain it . Whatever for it s u on u f relies s pport retaining the p blic avor , without a liberal compensation for the performance Of u o labor, and witho t the means f withstanding the s Of f h s of u caprice as ion and the change pop lar taste , Of u s Of t he is, co r e , in some danger declining , when t t of of fi a trac ion novelty is over, and the zeal a rst enterprise is exhaus ted .