And the education and character thus to be obtained by the American
youth are the means by which he may erect the monument of his renown
in the years of his maturity. The pursuit of study in the acquirement
of character, prepares him for the march to eminence in any of the
professions. It provides him with the materials for working his
way to distinction in the mechanic arts, in mercantile life, and in
pursuits which are more strictly professional. And the trophies of his
triumphant genius may tell to other generations how successfully he
pursued the path that opened before him. And where are the trophies
that tell of the triumph of mechanical geniuses? Behold them in the
splendid buildings that adorn this monumental city! Look on those proud
monuments of marble that bear the names of American heroes. They tell
how nobly the soldier fought, and how gloriously was his career of
victory, in the securing and sustaining of American freedom. One of
them proclaims to you of the high character of him whom I have held
up before you as the model of American character. The other tells
how nobly your fathers fell defending the city of your love. Witness
the fair proportions of those splendid structures, their excellent
workmanship, the chasteness of the chiseling, and the beauty that the
sculptor’s hand has left upon them. Proudly they speak of the warrior’s
deeds and fame, and as proudly do they tell us of the master skill
that produced them. They are master specimens of the mechanic arts, and
proclaim what may be done by the educated mind and hand.
And to what shall we look for the announcement of the merchant’s
honors? Look at our large Commercial Exchange, our Custom House,
and the numerous commercial halls that throng this city! Survey the
wharves, and the shipping anchored in the port. Look out upon the
mighty ocean, and see the ships that sail from port to port, their
white sails swelling in the breeze, and moving like things of life
over the billows! And cast your eyes upon those ocean steamers, the
cities of the deep, that swim the waves in their dignity and power, and
that, in regard to time, bring distant nations nearer to each other.
These are the evidences, plain and palpable, of mercantile experiment.
And they bear over every wave, and to every shore, the evidences of
mercantile success.