USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > Proceedings at the dedication of the building for the Public library of the city of Boston. January 1, 1858 > Part 4
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The work committed to your hands was the erection of a commodious and substantial building, with appro- priate apartments for the library and reading rooms, and other accommodations for those who might desire to avail themselves of its privileges ; - a building, which, neither destitute of beauty nor overwrought with ornament, should yet be a suitable and generous fulfilment of the only condition which was appended to the munificence of its early, and constant, and preëminent benefactor. The enterprise was given in charge to your commission, Mr. President, with no other guaranty for its faithful execution than that which the government found in names honorably identified with our local history, or proved by varied and valuable service in public and social life. The confidence which crowned the inception of the work has continued with singular completeness and unwa- vering constancy to this hour; when, as we pass through these stately halls, and witness their com- prehensive and ample design, the strength and solidity of their foundations and walls, the fitness and adapta-
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tion of each apartment to its use, and the simplicity and beauty of all their proportions and adornments, the whole becomes a testimonial that the public con- fidence has not been misplaced. For this distinguished and gratuitous service, Gentlemen of the Commission, since your generosity disdains any other reward, I tender to you the cordial thanks of the City Govern- ment, in the full assurance that their gratitude finds an applauding response in the hearts of the thousands whom they represent, and that this service, so ably and so faithfully performed in their behalf, will be held by posterity in honorable and grateful remem- brance.
And now, Gentlemen of the City Council, that this important work is consummated and placed in our charge, to be consigned to still other and well-proved custodians, for the high purpose to which it is to be dedicated, it is appropriate that we dwell for a single moment upon a few thoughts which the occa- sion suggests. The occurrence of an important event in the course of individual experience often leaves indelible impressions upon character, and materially influences the subsequent history of a life. And, how- ever large the scope of his contemplations, every intelligent observer will perceive that the tendencies and conditions of communities and of society in general are in like manner affected or controlled ; and also that the forces by which human progress is
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developed, often break forth into institutions which become monuments, not only measuring and com- memorating its advancement, but also inciting their observers to fresh endeavors.
The history of the foundation of society here is familiar. The prophetic appreciation of the fruits of popular and universal education, and of their value in the minds of the early settlers of New England, is continually brought before us for grateful admira- tion; and if we may with any truthfulness, or in any degree, claim distinction in social privileges among the noble communities which make up the whole of a country upon whose unity we delight to dwell, we must acknowledge that this happiness is attributable, in no small degree, to a fair improvement of advant- ages which have come to us by inheritance. And while we stand here to-day, and survey with pride ·and satisfaction these towering columns and this ma- jestic hall, and contemplate the use to which it is destined, we fall far short of the real significance of the structure if we regard not its origin as well as its destiny. As surely as the flower springs from the seed in obedience to the silent and mysterious laws of germination,-as certainly as the fruit follows the blossom which in the dainty tastefulness of nature pledges the unborn harvest,-so inevitably will the elements of thought and feeling become developed,
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in every age, into institutions commensurate with the progress of ideas.
This institution is but the perfected fruit from that vigorous root which was planted in sixteen hun- dred and thirty-five, by the master of the original free school in Boston, and which first rose as a single stalk, then spread abroad its healthful branches and dropped its scions into the earth, like the famous banyan tree of India, till it has multiplied itself in every quarter of our municipal domain, and gathers beneath its refreshing shades to-day nearly thirty thousand of our youthful population. This institu- tion, therefore, is not an accident; strictly speaking, it is not a design, but a beautiful and inevitable result of the active influences which preceded it- a result fraught with the elements of reproductive power -- never itself to be superseded, but to be amplified and extended into other forms and newer forces.
Is it possible there may be some who question the usefulness of such an institution as this, and the expediency of this expenditure? I am sure that the number must be small, if, indeed, there be any. To question the worth of a library is to summon to trial the value of knowledge itself; it is to dismiss as use- less the literature of the past, and to throw recklessly away the flowers of genius which bloom around us in the present. For a book that is not worthy of preservation is unworthy of the press; and without
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the press the domain of knowledge would soon be limited to memory and tradition. How startling the thought of a world without the great lights which shine down upon it from the literature and the exam- ples of the past: a world without a Bible, a Homer, a Shakespeare, a Bacon, a Newton, a Franklin, a La Place, a Cicero, a Chatham, a Webster: a world without imperial Cæsar, or a more than imperial Washington : in short, a world where Science, Re- ligion, Philosophy, Statesmanship and Patriotism - a mourning sisterhood-prolong, in darkened silence, their tireless vigils at the courts of death! Nor only this - the present is every moment becoming the past - is there nothing in the mind of the present which is worthy of preservation ? Who that has hung in rapt enchantment on the silver tongue whose charming melody enriched the fame of him beyond the reach of common eulogy - that tongue whose clarion notes summoned the crowding throngs with treasure to redeem the patriot's grave - that voice still ringing in our ears from yonder hall, where it - all but. divinely spoke for charity ! - who would deprive the beggared future of that voice? Who would not stereotype those words in adamant? I have somewhere read that literature is the immor- tality of speech; that it embalms for all ages the departed kings of learning, and watches over their repose in the eternal pyramids of Fame. Who
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would deprive that tongue of its high destined sep- ulchre ?
If it were needful to prove the value to the public of such a treasury of knowledge as shall here be gathered, arguments might be drawn from numerous sources; and, as they crowd upon my mind at the moment, such an institution ceases to be a matter of expediency, and becomes the imperative demand of the times and of our community. But, fellow-citizens, it is not necessary here to argue such a theme; and if it were, mine is not the voice, nor is this the presence, in which it should be done; for the duties of this day alone have thrust me before you for a moment -a lowly mound, between these Alps and Andes of eloquence.
Ladies and gentlemen : our city has sometimes been called the Athens of America; sometimes in compliment ; let it never be in derision. The real claim to that shining title must rest upon the cul- ture which is bestowed upon the institutions 'and the arts, which suggest a resemblance to the charming " Eye of Greece." In the rising greatness - of that peerless city, we are told that the enlightened and patriotic arbiter of its fortunes, the patron of litera- ture and learning, not only reclaimed the works of Homer from threatened oblivion, but established a public library at Athens, open to the free use of its citizens, and by these acts established there the
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home of the Muses. The golden age of Cimon and Pericles followed-the age of the Gymnasium, of the Academy, of the Agora, of the temple of Eleusis, of the Parthenon and of the Propylæa, and of all the culture which produced and surrounded them -that age of dazzling splendor which has not yet ceased to excite the wonder and admiration of mankind. I may not pause to compare the civilization of that age with ours, in all that is useful and beneficent to man; but if, in our contemplations of the glory of that era, there come to us impressions of exhaust- less wealth, vast extent, and resources unapproach- able to us of the present, let it be remembered that the wonderful Athens of history contained a popula- tion less than that of Boston to-day, and that the number of those who might exercise the rights of citizenship therein was less than our number of voters. How far the free library of Pisistratus affected the character and fortunes of the Grecian city, neither history nor tradition discloses; but we know that it preceded its power and splendor, and that these all came from the brain and the hand of man. Whether the noble institution whose flattering auspices we here hail to-day, shall be the harbinger of a more illustrious future to our Athens, may depend, in some degree, upon the patronage which shall await upon these halls; for the power of knowledge is essen- tially the same in every period of time, though the
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fruits of its cultivation may be changed by the altered conditions of the race and the age.
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But time forbids that I should pursue the theme ; a single word more and I have done. While here gathered in joyous assemblage to-day, there are those -some of whom are before me, others are absent and distant-all of whom should have a place in our memories. It was the custom at certain Athenian festivals for the knights to make the circuit of the Agora, beginning at the statue of Hermes and paying their homage to the statues and temples around it. On this new year's festival, now first celebrated within these walls, since we have not yet their statues about us, let us summon to our thoughts, in living personality, the images of all the noble bene- factors of our Public Library, the contributors of funds, of books, and of valued service; and let us pay to each the homage of our hearts' best gratitude, as they pass through the courts of our memories. Length of days and happiness to the living - fresh laurels for the memory of the departed - praises to Heaven for their gifts and their example.
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The address of Mr. Winthrop on presenting the keys of the library building to the city government was commenced exactly at sixteen minutes past four o'clock, and concluded at ten minutes past five, occu- pying in the delivery about fifty-four minutes. The time taken by His Honor the Mayor, in his reply, was about twenty-one minutes. While both gentle- men were speaking, a profound silence prevailed; but as each of the orators arose, and when they took their seats, marks of approbation and applause were liberally bestowed by the assembled audience.
After the mayor had ceased speaking, a short pause ensued previous to the ceremonies of dedica- tion, which had been arranged by the Committee. These consisted of the proper religious services and singing; the latter of which was most admirably per- formed by the choir of young ladies selected for the purpose, and who occupied the lower gallery at the southern extremity of the hall, where a suitable staging had been erected for their special accommo- dation.
Quietness being again restored, the ceremonies of dedication were commenced. The choir above men- tioned, composed of one hundred and twenty-five young ladies, members of the Girls' High and Nor- mal school, sang the following hymn, under the direction of Mr. CHARLES BUTLER, to the air of the
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"Italian Hymn," with an accompaniment on a grand piano-forte, gratuitously furnished for the occasion by the Messrs. Chickering.
HYMN.
Come, thou Almighty King ! Help us thy name to sing, Help us to praise ! Father all glorious, O'er all victorious, Come and reign over us, Ancient of Days !
Come, thou eternal Lord ! By heaven and earth adored, Our prayer attend ! . Come and thy children bless ; Give thy good word success ; Make thine own holiness On us descend !
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Be thou our comforter ; Thy sacred witness bear In this glad hour. Omnipotent thou art : O, rule in every heart, And ne'er from us depart, Spirit of power.
The hymn was, after a due pause, succeeded by the following Prayer of Dedication, offered by the Rev. BARON STOW, D.D., pastor of the society worship- ping in the Rowe street Baptist Church.
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PRAYER.
O GOD, our Father; our Helper in the past, our Hope for the future ; we would in all our ways acknowledge thee, that thou mayst direct our paths. In all things we recognize and adore thy supremacy ; and, ever as we begin, and as we finish, we would honor the pre- rogatives of the Infinite Sovereign upon whom we are always dependent, and to whom we must render our final account. When the foundations of this edifice were laid, we sought thy blessing; and, as thou hast richly answered our request, we now come before thee with a tribute of thanksgiving and praise, for the favor with which thou hast crowned the enter- prise. By the good hand of our God upon us, the structure has been completed; and, by these public services, we do solemnly and joyously consecrate it to purposes in harmony with the great. ends of thy beneficent administration.
O God, from whom all holy desires, all good coun- sels, and all just works do proceed, we recognize thy providence in the commencement, in the progress, and in the consummation of this undertaking, and, with reverent homage, we present before thee our finished work, invoking upon it thy benediction, and imploring thine aid, that as we and those who shall come after us may enjoy its benefits, it may be so
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employed as to subserve thy glory and the good of humanity.
Father of mercies, and God of all grace, we, as a people, are indebted to thee for special blessings. We thank thee for our ancestry. We are descended from those who feared thee, and kept thy precepts. Puri- fied as gold in the fires of affliction, they reflected thine image. Thou didst chasten them, and teach them out of thy law. In knowledge of thy revealed truth, in submission to thine authority, in spiritual culture, in practical virtue, they were in advance of their race, and the pioneers of a higher civilization than the world had seen. Under thy guidance, and by the strength of an enduring faith, they wrought effectively for the benefit of posterity; and, of their legacy of soul-freedom, and sound principles, and Chris- tian institutions, we are the happy inheritors. We thank thee for the light of their example, for the conservatism of their influence, for all the good devel- oped from their prayers, and toils, and sacrifices. Living where they lived, and where their ashes repose, the lines have fallen to us in pleasant places, and we have a goodly heritage. We are here to-day because they were here before us. Instructed by thy Word, and illuminated by thy Spirit, they appreciated mind, and gave it their care in preference to all material interests ; and, through them, thou hast taught us to make the culture of imperishable mind our chief con-
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cern, and to avail ourselves of matter and its laws, of science and literature and art, as auxiliary to the higher, spiritual end.
We thank thee, Father, for all the blessings with which we as a community are favored. . We acknowl- edge thy kind providence towards our nation as a family of States, united by the bonds of many and great interests ; towards our commonwealth, whose history is rich in the tokens of thy munificence; and especially towards the city of our habitation, over which thou hast extended thy constant guardianship, and in whose well-being, in every department, we see proofs of thy paternal goodness. We thank thee for our system of government, for the churches of our holy religion, for our free schools, for our free press, for our benevolent institutions, for all the means of moral, intellectual, and social improvement. We thank thee for the many citizens whom thou hast raised up in the successive generations, endowing them with wealth and intelligence and humane affections, and prompting them to consecrate their resources to ob- jects of public utility.
Especially now do we thank thee for the generous- hearted who have originated and liberally endowed the institution which is here to have its home, and which, we devoutly trust, under thy protection and by thy smile, shall be to our city a permanent bless- ing. Do thou, Father of Lights, superintend its inter-
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ests, and cause that it shall be a depository of only the true and the wise and the good. Let it be a fountain whose issues shall be all healthful, enlighten- ing intellect, refining taste, purifying morals, and con- tributing to the formation of model character. Give wisdom to all who may be intrusted with its man- agement, that they may ever have regard to their accountability to thee, and in all things fulfil their mission as good and faithful servants. May all who shall resort hither for the means of instruction or entertainment, be ever mindful that life is short, and that its trusts are momentous; and may it be their uniform endeavor so to cultivate their higher natures as shall best qualify themselves for the duties of the passing present, and the rewards of the unending future.
Have this institution, we entreat thee, in thine own paternal keeping, and make it for centuries to come richly tributary to the advancement of truth and purity, justice and mercy, righteousness and sal- vation.
Have us, we beseech thee, and all our interests, personal and relative, under thy guardian care. For- give our sins, replenish us with thy grace, make us useful, and finally accept us through Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.
And now, unto Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according
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to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the church, by Christ Jesus, throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
The following anthem was then sung by the choir, the music from "Il Pirata" by Bellini : -
ANTHEM.
CHORUS.
Mighty Jehovah, accept our praises ;
God, our Father, O, hear thy children ;
Unto thee we offer praise.
For thy goodness to thy children
And thy undeserved mercies
We will offer thee our thanks ; . To thee we offer grateful thanks.
OBLIGATO AND CHORUS.
O, sing praises to His holy name,
And rejoice in His mercy.
Sing to Him with the lute and harp,
Call upon His name, and rejoice in Him
With thanksgiving and with gladness.
O, sing praises with joy and gladness ;
O, be joyful in the Lord ; Sing praises to Him, ye nations, Sing, rejoice, and praise His name.
His Honor MAYOR RICE then, in the name of the city, delivered the keys to the Board of Trustees of the Public Library, handing them to Hon. Mr. Everett, the President of the Board : -
MAYOR RICE'S SPEECH.
IT only remains for me, Mr. President of the Board of Trustees, that I shall perform the agreeable duty, by chance reserved to illuminate the closing hours of my municipal labors, of delivering the keys of this building to you, in token of its surrender to those- the chosen guardians of its future fortunes - who have already given to the library the sanction of their names, and an invaluable service.
In vain were all that has been done by others, but for the more silent, unostentatious, and perhaps weari- some labor, which you and your associates have per- formed - a labor transcending the requirements of your office, and engaging the noblest powers and the warmest zeal for its success. The abounding liberality which flows to the library under the auspices of a name likely to be memorable in both hemispheres, and which deserves to be immortal certainly in one, still imposes upon the Trustees a labor requiring both leisure and culture in its performance.
If heretofore this labor has seemed to be unrecog- nized or unappreciated, let this elegant and costly
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structure,-the casket only of the gem with whose. selection and custody you are intrusted,-and the enthusiasm which attends its completion and surren- der, be now received as tokens of the public interest in your labors and pledges of its confidence. So long as the love of knowledge shall prevail, so long as an enlightened patriotism shall survive, so long as aspirations for the highest welfare of man shall be breathed, so long will this institution find its useful- ness in our community, and reflect upon each coming age something of the characteristics which you bestow upon itself. This building is committed to your charge as the property of the people; its privileges are to be as free as air, as universal as our population. The rich and the poor are to be alike welcome at its doors, the high and the lowly born, the masses who wield the hammers of toil, and the unenvied few who are reared in affluence and ease. Genius knows . no rank, but chooses her votaries from all. Here shall she henceforth spread her perpetual banquet, and to one of her peerless sons I hasten to surrender her beautiful habitation.
Hon. EDWARD EVERETT, President of the Board of Trustees, on receiving the keys delivered the follow- ing address : -
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MR. MAYOR :- In behalf of the Trustees of the City Library, I receive with extreme pleasure the keys which you have placed in my hands. The completion of the noble building, which the City Government now confides to our care, is an event to which the Trustees have been looking forward with the greatest interest, and which they now contemplate with the highest satisfaction. They deem themselves especially honored in their connection with an institution, for whose use this stately and commodious edifice has been erected, and which, they doubt not, is destined to be instrumental of the highest good to the com- munity, and to reflect lasting credit upon the liber- ality, public and private, with which it has been founded and endowed.
The City of Boston, owing to peculiar circum- stances in its growth and history, has been at all times, as I think, beyond most cities in the world, the object of an affectionate attachment on the part of its inhabitants-a feeling entitled to respect, and
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productive of good, even if it may sometimes seem to strangers over-partial in its manifestations. It is not merely its commanding natural situation, the triple hills on which it is enthroned, its magnificent bay and harbor, and the group of islands and islets that sparkle like emeralds on their surface - not merely this most admirable Common, which opens before our windows, delightful even at this season of the year, and afford- ing us in summer, in its noble malls and shady walks, all that the country can boast of cool and beautiful and salubrious, transported to the heart of the city ; " the poor man's pleasure ground," as it has been well called, though a king might envy it ;- nor the + environs of our city, of surpassing loveliness, which enclose it on every side in kindly embrace; it is not solely nor principally these natural attractions which endear Boston to its citizens. Nor is it exclusively the proud and grateful memories of the past-of the high-souled fathers and mothers of the land, vener- able in their self-denying virtues, majestic in the aus- tere simplicity of their manners, conscientious in their errors, who, with amazing sacrifices, and hardships never to be described, sought out new homes in the wilderness, and transmitted to us delights and bless- ings which it was not given to themselves to enjoy- of those who in succeeding generations deserved well of their country - the pioneers of the revolution, the men of the stamp-act age, whose own words and acts
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are stamped on the pages of history, in characters never to be effaced, - of those who, when the decisive hour came, stood forth in that immortal hall, the champions of their country's rights, while it scarcely yet deserved the name of a country; it is not exclu- sively these proud and grateful associations, which attach the dutiful Bostonian to the city of his birth or adoption.
No, Mr. Mayor, it is not exclusively these, much as they contribute to strengthen the sentiment. It has its origin, in no small degree, in the personal relation in which Boston places herself to her chil- dren; in the parental interest which she cherishes in their welfare, which leads her to take them by the hand almost from the cradle, -to train them up in the ascending series of her excellent free schools ; watching over them as a fond father watches over the objects of his love and hope; in a word, to confer upon them a first-rate school education at the public expense. Often have I attempted, but with very partial success, both in this country and in Europe, to persuade inquiring friends from countries and places where no such well-organized system of public educa- tion prevails, that our free schools do really afford to the entire population means of elementary education of which the wealthiest citizen is glad to avail himself.
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