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LITERARY SOCIETIES.

AN ADDRESS TO AN ASSOCIATION OF YOUNG MEN.

THE history of some of these literary societies is the story of the early effort of many of the leading men of the past and present generation. Those of Edinburgh espe

At the end of last century,

cially stand out in this respect. they associated such men as Sir Walter Scott, William Clerk, Edmonstoune, Abercromby, Adam Fergusson, the Earl of Selkirk, Boyle; while later, clustering more particularly around Francis Jeffrey, was a circle that embraced Brougham, Horner, Sidney Smith, Kinnaird, Lansdowne, and many more.

Scott and Jeffrey have both left ample testimonies to their indebtedness to these societies. Scott's is more inferential, Jeffrey's direct.

Scott says,

"In the business of these societies I cannot boast of having made any great figure. I never was a good speaker, except upon some subject which strongly animated my feelings, and, as I was totally unaccustomed to composition, as well as to the art of generalising my ideas upon any subject, my literary essays were but very poor work. I never attempted them unless when compelled to do so by the regulations of the Society, and then I was like the lord of Castle Rackrent, who was obliged to cut down a tree to get a few faggots to boil the kettle; for the quantity of ponderous and miscellaneous knowledge which I really possessed on many subjects was not easily condensed, or brought to bear upon the object I wished particularly to become master of. Yet there occurred opportunities when this odd lumber of my brain, especially that which was connected with the recondite parts of history, did me, as Hamlet says, 'yeoman's service.' My memory of events was like one of the larger old-fashioned stone cannons of the Turks,-very difficult to load well and discharge, but making a powerful effect when by good chance any object

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did come within range of its shot. Such fortunate opportunities of exploding with effect maintained my literary character among my companions, with whom I soon met with great indulgence and regard."

Compare this confession of his own inaptness in debate. and in essay-writing with the fluency and ease with which in after-life he conveyed to the world his sentiments on political and social affairs, and his unequalled stores of oldworld lore, and behold the result of perseverance in a course which had its origin in the Literary and Speculative Societies of 1788 and 1791.

When Jeffrey joined the Speculative Society, Scott was of such standing in it as to occupy the post of secretary. He used to narrate, how that on the evening when he took his seat for the first time, Scott sat gravely in his official chair at the bottom of the table in a huge woollen nightcap, pleading, when the president took his seat, a bad toothach as his apology for coming into that worshipful assembly in such a "portentous machine."

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The future editor of "The Edinburgh" read five papers to the Speculative Society, and took a zealous part in every discussion. "The Tuesday evenings-the night of meeting -were the most enthusiastic and valuable of his week. is easy to suppose what sort of an evening it was to Jeffrey when he had to struggle in debate with Lansdowne, Brougham, Kinnaird, and Horner, who, with other worthy competitors, were all in the society at the same time."

Forty-three years afterwards, when presiding at its seventieth anniversary, Jeffrey thus recalled what he owed it::

"For his own part," he said, "on looking back to that period when he had experience of this Society, he could hardly conceive anything in after-life more to be envied than the recollection of that first burst of intellect, when, free from scholastic restraint, and throwing off the thraldom of a somewhat servile docility, the mind first aspired to reason, and

to question nature for itself, and, half wondering at its own temerity, first ventured without a guide into the mazes of speculation, or tried its unaided flight into the regions of intellectual adventure, to revel uncontrolled through the bright and boundless realms of literature and science. True it was, that all these hopes were not realised; that those proud anticipations were often destined to be humbled; but still, could it be doubted they were blessings while they lasted, or that they tended to multiply the chances of their being one day realised? He was afraid he was detaining them, but he could not avoid stating what had been so long familiar to his own mind respecting institutions of this kind, which, he considered, under proper guidance, calculated to develope the seeds of generous emulation, to lay the foundation, and trace the outlines of that permanent and glorious triumph to be achieved in after-life."

This brings us to another part of our subject. For, to the advantages of procuring information and attaining facility in reproducing it, there is to be added this other, which some perhaps will deem the most important, namely, improvement in the art of eloquence and debate.

There are two ways of reproducing information-writing and speaking. The relative importance of these, it were difficult to determine. The man who writes occupies a field of far wider extent than that usually occupied by the man who speaks; but, again, the speaker wields a superior power, when the force of his eloquence rouses and carries with him the mass. Thus much we know, that very often the good speaker is an indifferent writer, and still oftener the good writer is a very bad speaker. Nor do we know anything more disappointing to an audience, and more calculated to lower the influence of a man, than to find that he who pleased and instructed, and even roused when handling his pen, is a cipher when required to address an assembly. Those examples of perfect eloquence which stirred the slumbering energies of Athens, and sent forth armies for her defence, might have demanded as ardent and as widespread praise as they have obtained had they been only brilliant essays; but they would not have stayed the progress

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of the invader. Mr. Pitt might have felt his soul boiling with just indignation at the accusations of the hoary Walpole; but a letter to the morning paper of the day would have been overlooked as a piece of personality, or laughed over as a display of private malice. But when the flash of his withering sarcasm was circling around the head of his unprincipled accuser in the House of Commons, Pitt assumed a position from which he could bid defiance to every such attack for the future, and obtained for himself, by that one display, a power, the influence of which he retained throughout his whole career.

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This power of speech is one of the accomplishments we aim at in our association. It ought to be the object of every member's ambition. We must study all the turnings and windings of debate-forcible delineations-rousing passages-quick retort-and finely-pointed sarcasm. We bring into our little arena all the feelings that stimulate in a wider field, where the points at issue are the politics of states and the welfare of kingdoms. And why do we this? That we may be the better fitted, should we be ever called to do so, to enter such wider arena, and to occupy that loftier station to which our energies or our ambition may aspire.

Do we talk of what can never occur? Let the annals of such societies as the Edinburgh Speculative reply. How many men, who doubtless rose first at that board with beating hearts, and made their maiden speech in tremulous accents, yet lived, like Horner, to hold the House of Commons in rapt silence by the tones of their eloquence, like Lansdowne to entrance, and like Brougham, send a thrill of emotion through the more apathetic Lords! And how many men are there whose names are enshrined in the annals of science, and live in history, whose origin was in ruder and humbler ranks than ours! Why may not we

emulate them? Why may we not make our Society an Alma Mater worthy in after years of our retrospective love and esteem?

How is this to be achieved? Simply in one way,-by your exertions. We are addressing a small association; nevertheless, one whose collective talent may yet bulk not meanly in the world. Much of that talent meanwhile may be dormant. But the sparks which have from time to time blazed out, tell us that there is fire. It rests with you to fan the latent heat into flame. With you it lies to determine whether you will go forth and seize a high place and perform a noble destiny, or, buried in sloth, conventional folly, and idleness, remain the mere creatures of indolent pleasure and ignoble self-indulgence. This know, if you will emerge into usefulness and honour, you must be prepared to encounter severe labour and engage in active exertion. It is easy, half-slumbering, to fancy one's self great, and please ourselves with dreams of wide-spread usefulness. But this won't do. We must have "honest application and downright working;" for without these the most transcendent talents and the most brilliant genius will only serve first to dazzle, and then to destroy their unfortunate, because unworthy possessor.

Every one must set out with the conviction. -the deep and stern conviction-that on all subjects he has much to learn. On this account he must labour, and he must make it his determination to sift every subject to the bottom. You may be clever and talented, and, like most clever, and some even talented people, you may fancy that you are well informed, and even savans in your way. Of this beware! Men of genius, we have seen it somewhere remarked, are usually born, like Minerva, in panoply complete. But they never on that account cease to learn. Schiller wrote his play of "The Robbers" at the age of nineteen, and Jean

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