Page 208 - Reading Mercury

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Sat 13 Feb
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On Friday, the 5 instant, at the Town-hall, Dr. Cowan gave us an intellectual feast
in a brilliant address upon the opening of our Literary and Scientific Institution. To
follow the talented doctor in a mere outline of his address would be entirely to
impoverish the subject, and to give an appropriate report, would, under the
circumstances, be inadmissible. It must suffice, then, to say that after successfully
combating the undue amount of prejudice still found to exist against institutions of
this character, exposing on the one hand certain prevalent fallacies, consequent upon a
stated ignorance; and on the other hand, guarding the promoters of the undertaking
against expecting the great assault from their praiseworthy labours, exhorting them all
to unite as one man in its healthful operations; beautifully showing the advantages of
literature and science, in their legitimate pursuit, cautioning all against the popular
delusion, that a store of information was the ultimatum of a mortal’s aim, proving
beyond a doubt, that a knowledge of externals alone would never truly make a man
either wiser or happier; elevating to its proper position, man’s consideration of
himself as a spiritual being and destined for an eternity of duration.
The learned Doctor concluded by asserting most emphatically, that with all the
learning a man might acquire, unless he had some unvariable standard to which he
could bring his acquirements, he would entirely be at sea, in a state of intellectual
disquiet, his learning would alike be unstable and unsatisfactory, and without the
shadow of a pretention to bring to its possession that peace, which at the period of
dissolution, or at any time, every man must in his heart’s desire, and it is needless to
add, that the test to which he wisely referred, and the only true standard we possessed
was the book of revealed truth, the Bible. In short, the whole was a masterpiece of
thought and expression, such a one as has rarely been exhibited in our ancient town,
and one which the numerous and attentive audience, who were privileged to hear, will
remember for many and many a day to their individual delight and permanent benefit.

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Sat 6 March
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On Friday evening, the 19 ult., at our institution, one of the members gave an
interesting lecture upon Chemical Change illustrating his subjects by reference in
particular to the process of fermentation. The Reading-room was most clearly
crowded and the audience seemed greatly pleased as well with the subject itself as
with the unexpected source from whence the interest proceeded.
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--On the 26 , Mr. Walker, of Windsor, kindly lent his talent in aid of our plan of
Local Recreation, by giving a lecture at the Town-hall, which we understand gave
very general satisfaction.
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--On Friday, the 12 last, we are glad to find that our old friend, Mr. George B.
Sampson, is engaged to visit us to lecture upon Galvanism and Electro-Magnetism,
which he will illustrate by means of his extensive and elegant apparatus, and we learn
that whenever there is no public lecture at the Town-hall on a Friday, the members of
the institution are pledged among themselves to give half-an-hour’s interesting
reading at the Rooms, commencing precisely at 8 o’clock this mode of recreation in
connection with the circulating library (which has already reached to upwards of 600
volumes) and the kind co-operation of our worthy and respected townsmen the
Messrs. J. and E. Roberts, Soames and others, must have a beneficial tendency.
We are truly gratified to hear that Lord Barrington as liberally forwarded in aid of
the funds £5; Robert Palmer, esq., £10; Philip P--, Esq., £10; John Houghton, Esq.,
£5; Henry J--, Esq., £5; Mr. Benjamin Smith, £5;; and that the Marquis of Downshire

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