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AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF INSTRUCTION.

TWENTY-SECOND ANNUAL MEETING.

JOURNAL OF PROCEEDINGS.

KEENE, N. H., AUG. 12, 1851. THE Institute convened at the Town Hall at 10 o'clock, A. M., the President, Mr. G. F. THAYER, of Boston, being in the chair.

Prayer was offered by the Rev. Dr. BARSTOW, of Keene.

The President then addressed the audience as follows:

RESPECTED INHABITANTS OF KEENE

Induced by the encouraging assurances of many of your prominent citizens, the American Institute of Instruction has come among you to hold its twenty-second anniversary. It has come to gratify no selfish purpose, to promote no personal interest; but to do what it may to excite, and to aid in fostering in this community, a desire for improvement in the great concern of humanity— universal education.

Its scope is not local to a State, but extends throughout the Union. It has held its annual meetings in all the States of New England, and feels bound to go wherever a special need or strong desire exists for its operation and influence. It rejoices in the call to this delightful

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village, and hopes, at the close of its present session, to have added many friends to its cause and many members to its roll.

Although the field of its labors is national, it is a child of the Old Bay State, its head-quarters are the capital of that State; and hence-trusting that you cherish the sentiments of your ancestors-we entertain the hope that it will have your sympathy and friendship; not only from your regard to its object, but also because of the place of its origin. Your fathers were warmly attached to old Massachusetts; we hope the same affection rests in the bosoms of their sons.

In the annals of your town for 1740, we read, that— "The proprietors being informed that, by the determination of His Majesty in Council respecting the controverted bounds between the province of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, they are excluded from the province of Massachusetts Bay, to which they always supposed themselves to belong :-Therefore, unanimously voted, that a petition be presented to the King's Most Excellent Majesty, setting forth our distressed estate, and praying we may be annexed to the said Massachusetts province."

Your county has been aptly styled the "Oasis of New Hampshire." Long may it merit the appellation; and long may the searcher after the waters of truth, intelligence, and civil liberty, find here a resting-place from his toil, and refreshing pasturage for his hungry mind. And while your daughters, by their gentle manners, their domestic virtues, and lady-like accomplishments, induce the sons of other towns and other States to come and make your treasures theirs, may a bond stronger than that of the national union bind us all together in those ties fraternal, which death only can sever.

Mr. L. C. CHAMBERLAIN, of Keene, in behalf of the citizens of this place, thanked the members of the Institute for having honored the town by their presence, on the occasion of this anniversary. The town, he said, bore about the same relation to that in which their last anniversary meeting was held, as the State in which it was situated did to the State of Massachusetts. There were no objects of peculiar attraction to be witnessed; but he could assure them that they would find the citizens not indifferent to the cause of popular education. That subject, in fact, had engaged the attention of the citizens of Keene for a long series of years. The State of New Hampshire could not boast of any peculiar excellence in her common schools, but she had long understood that the education of her people must be attended to before any other interests. He congratulated the Institute on the large and enthusiastic gathering, and expressed the hope that their deliberations on this occasion might result in much good to the cause which they had assembled to promote. Mr. Chamberlain extended an

invitation to the members of the Institute to visit the citizens of the town at their abodes.

The Record of the Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the last year was read by the Secretary.

The Annual Reports of the Censors, of the Curators, and of the Treasurer, were read and adopted.

On motion of Mr. W. D. Swan, of Boston, it was Resolved, That the thanks of the Institute be tendered to the members of the General Court of Massachusetts, for their liberal grant of three hundred dollars per annum for five years, to enable us to carry on the great work of public instruction.

At 11 o'clock, A. M., the Introductory Lecture of the

course was delivered by Hon. Geo. N. Briggs, of Pittsfield, Mass., on "Popular Education."

On motion of Mr. Wm. D. Swan, a committee for the nomination of a list of officers of the Institute the ensuing year, was appointed, viz. :

Messrs. William D. Swan of Boston, Solomon Jenner of New York, Thomas Rainey of Cincinnati, Ohio, E. H. Andrews of N. Britain, Con., Thomas Baker of Gloucester, Mass., John Kingsbury of Providence, R.I., Edwin D. Sanborn of Hanover, N. H., Jacob Batchelder, Jr. of Lynn, Mass., and Ariel Parish of Springfield, Mass.

The President gave notice that at half-past 1 o'clock, P. M., Dr. Stone, of Boston, would exhibit the proficiency of a class of pupils in "Phonetics."

Adjourned to 3 o'clock, P. M.

Having assembled in the afternoon, at the hour appointed, on motion of Mr. W. D. Swan, it was

Voted, That the Institute proceed to appoint, as Delegates, from its members, such as choose to attend the approaching convention at Cleaveland, Ohio.

After the appointment of several Delegates, on motion of Mr. S. W. King, of Danvers, it was

Voted, That the President and Secretary be authorized to commission, as Delegates, all the members of the Institute who may wish to attend said convention.

At a quarter past 3 o'clock, a Lecture was delivered by Mr. D. B. Hagar, of West Roxbury, on "The Supervision of Schools."

Voted, To take a recess of five minutes.

"The

At three-quarters past 4 o'clock, a Lecture on Manifestations of Education in Different Ages," was pronounced by Mr. Samuel W. Bates, of Boston.

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