The Duties of Massachusetts

— Greeutibe and Reoislative Departments GOVERNMENT OF MASSACHUSETTS, AT THE ANNUAL ELECTION, ¥ a WEDNESDAY, JAN. 1, 1868. By JAMES FREEMAN CLARKE. BOSTON: WRIGHT & POTTER, STATE PRINTERS, No. 4 SPRING LANE. < i < . . \ # ‘ ~ &. ‘ ‘ m ‘ - - i $ ne i NN Se - ad i = 3 ~ THE DUTIES OF MASSACHUSETTS. DELIVERED BEFORE THE Geeeutioe and egislatibe DPepartments OF THE GOVERNMENT OF MASSACHUSETTS, AT THE ANNUAL ELECTION, WEDNESDAY, JAN. 1, 1868. By JAMES FREEMAN CLARKE. BOSTON: WRIGHT & POTTER, STATE PRINTERS, No. 4 Sprina LANE. 1868. 5 ii: ona i i Daag aes ode mT ire 7 We aa Seta Md er ay ies 4 ut} ; a ane aa 6 Wilerirad ray Ff ’ Y | a Mies B ete #11 rai sty ¥ pe one si pute hah . a : n 4 7 * i t . ‘ { K 7 ig ty 4 a iy E ‘ : aay 3 Jnoqind Yong bir : hey BOTT oh balaiogge ooaine : 5 AL ae * Be vee zs * . RRA ee ; ‘gt te . * rok iD as ; : es mira whl == | Commontuerlt{h of Massachusetts. House or REPRESENTATIVES, January 9, 1868. ORDERED, That a Committee be appointed to present the thanks of the House the Rev- JAMES FREEMAN CLARKE, for his able and eloquent Discourse before the Executive and Legislative branches of the Government, on the Ist inst., and to request a copy of the same for the press. And Messrs. WALKER, of Springfield, GAYLORD, of Boston, ABBOTT, of Middleborough, WORCESTER, of Clinton, and KING, of Boston, Are appointed. W. S. ROBINSON, . Clerk. HousE oF REPRESENTATIVES, January 29, 1868. The Committee appointed by Order of the House of January 9th, inst., to present the thanks of the House to the Reverend James Freeman Clarke, for his able and eloquent Discourse delivered before the Executive and Legislative branches of the Government on the Ist inst., and to request a copy of the same for publication, report that they have attended to that duty and herewith present a copy of Mr. Clarke’s Discourse and recommend that it be printed. Per order, GEORGE WALKER, Chairman. Houser or REPRESENTATIVES, January 30, 1868. Accepted. W. S. ROBINSON, Clerk. ‘ Commonwenlth of Massachusetts. House or REPRESENTATIVES, February 7, 1868.

ORDERED, That five thousand copies of the Election Discourse be printed, in ‘ addition to the number already printed. | | W. S. ROBINSON, Clerk. " an? [Nork.—A few pages, omitted in the delivery, are v> hoes can | H | \ 2 ee a fee t's 4 eee 3 cet SHRMON. EcouestAstxs, ix. 14, 15, 16 and 18. THERE WAS A LITTLE CITY, AND FEW MEN WITHIN IT; AND THERE CAME A GREAT KING AGAINST IT, AND BESIEGED IT, AND. BUILT GREAT BULWARKS AGAINST IT. NOW THERE WAS FOUND IN IT A POOR WISE MAN, AND HE BY HIS WISDOM DELIVERED THE CITY. * * * * THEN SAID I, WISDOM IS BETTER THAN STRENGTH; * * * * WISDOM IS BETTER THAN WEAPONS OF WAR. I have taken this passage for my text to-day, it being my intention to speak to you of the Duties of Massachusetts,—since Massachusetts somewhat resembles the little city here spoken of, not being as large as some other States, or as populous as some other communities,—yet having in it perhaps a few wise men and wise women. I will also add a passage from the Apostle Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians, chapter iii., verses 12 and 13. “¢ Not as though we had already attained, or were already perfect ; but forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark.”’ Massachusetts is a small State, the smallest but three in the Union. It is less populous than six 8 DUTIES OF MASSACHUSETTS. States, being already behind Indiana and Illinois in population, and probably at the next census it will be lower still. It is destined to be surpassed in this respect by Michigan, Missouri, Wisconsin, Lowa, Minnesota, and, before long, by the States of the Pacific ‘slope. In absolute increase of population to the square mile, it did mdeed stand first at the last census, having advanced 30.33 per cent. from 1850 to 1860. But this is owing partly to the fact that we have so small a territory to increase upon. The divisor being small, of course the quotient is larger. Massachusetts has only 7,800 square miles of area, while Texas, at the other end of the scale, has 237,000, and California 188,000. Yet while Texas has only two and one-half inhabitants to the mile, and California only two, Massachusetts, at the head of the list, supports on every mile of territory one hundred and fifty-seven persons. But she is not crowded; she has vast tracts of uninhabited surface which are yet to become musical with the hum of spindles, the lowing of cattle, and the murmur of the school-house. There are in Massachusetts to-day more than a million of acres of unimproved lands. She is rich, and growing richer. In amount of property, real and personal, she stood, in 1860, the fifth State of the Union, DUTIES OF MASSACHUSETTS. 9 being only behind New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois; and in amount of personal property she was next to New York, and above the other three. In printing of all sorts, Massachusetts stands third. In the manufacture of cotton goods, woollen goods, boots and shoes, and in fisheries, she stands far before all the other thirty-seven States. Her banking capital is larger than that of any other, except New York. She issues more copies annually of periodical works than any, except New York and Pennsylvania. But the power, and, consequently, the duty of a State, are not to be measured by its area, its wealth, or its population. …