The Boston Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (est. 1829) in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

, was founded "to promote and direct popular education by lectures and other means." Modelled after the recently formed

Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge The Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (SDUK) was founded in London in 1826, mainly at the instigation of Whig MP Henry Brougham, with the object of publishing information to people who were unable to obtain formal teaching or who pr ...

in London, the Boston group's officers included

Daniel Webster Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the U.S. Secretary of State under Presidents William Henry Harrison ...

, Nathan Hale,

Jacob Bigelow Jacob Bigelow (February 27, 1787January 10, 1879) was an American physician, botanist and botanical illustrator. He was architect of Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts (in which he is interred), husband to Mary Scollay, and the f ...

William Ellery Channing William Ellery Channing (April 7, 1780 – October 2, 1842) was the foremost Unitarian preacher in the United States in the early nineteenth century and, along with Andrews Norton (1786–1853), one of Unitarianism's leading theologians. Chann ...

Edward Everett Edward Everett (April 11, 1794 – January 15, 1865) was an American politician, Unitarian pastor, educator, diplomat, and orator from Massachusetts. Everett, as a Whig, served as U.S. representative, U.S. senator, the 15th governor of Mass ...

, Nathaniel L. Frothingham, and

Abbott Lawrence Abbott Lawrence (December 16, 1792, Groton, Massachusetts – August 18, 1855) was a prominent American businessman, politician, and philanthropist. He was among the group of industrialists that founded a settlement on the Merrimack River that ...

. The society published the ''American Library of Useful Knowledge,'' a series of scholarly works by British and American authors. Public lectures on a variety of topics were held at Boston's Masonic Temple, and other venues.

History

In 1829 the founders explained their reasons for creating the society:

"From infancy to the age of seventeen, the means provided in this city by public munificence and private enterprise, are ample. From seventeen to the age when young men enter on the more active and responsible duties of their several stations, sufficient opportunity does not appear to be afforded for mental and moral cultivation. At this period of life, when the mind is active and the passions urgent, and when the invitations to profitless amusements are strongest and most numerous, it is desirable that means should be provided for furnishing at a cheap rate, and in an inviting form, such useful information as will not only add to the general intelligence of the young men referred to, but at the same time will prepare them to engage more understandingly, with a deeper interest, and with better prospect of success, in the pursuits to which their lives are to be devoted.
The existing deficiency of such means is clearly a subject of regret; and the undersigned are of opinion that this deficiency may be most easily and fully supplied by courses of Lectures delivered in different parts of the city, under the auspices of a Society, whose sanction may secure to the Lecturers employed, the confidence and resort of the public. It is proposed that the first courses of Lectures should be given to those who are engaged in Trade and Commerce; and that they should include the subjects of Universal Geography and Statistics, and of the Moral, Natural, Political, and Legal Sciences, so far as they may be connected with commercial transactions."

Thus each year the society arranged several public lectures on substantial themes, delivered by substantial thinkers such as

Horace Mann Horace Mann (May 4, 1796August 2, 1859) was an American educational reformer, slavery abolitionist and Whig politician known for his commitment to promoting public education. In 1848, after public service as Secretary of the Massachusetts St ...

George Bancroft George Bancroft (October 3, 1800 – January 17, 1891) was an American historian, statesman and Democratic politician who was prominent in promoting secondary education both in his home state of Massachusetts and at the national and internati ...

and

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champ ...

. Among the lecture attendees was

Caroline Healey Dall Caroline Wells Dall ( Healey; June 22, 1822 – December 17, 1912) was an American feminist writer, transcendentalist, and reformer. She was affiliated with the National Women's Rights Convention, the New England Women's Club, and the American S ...

. In addition, as part of the society's effort to improve the minds of its members, it published a reading list. The short list of titles "recommended to those members of the Society, who may seek any direction as to the matter and the course of their reading" consisted of: *

David Hume David Hume (; born David Home; 7 May 1711 NS (26 April 1711 OS) – 25 August 1776) Cranston, Maurice, and Thomas Edmund Jessop. 2020 999br>David Hume" ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Retrieved 18 May 2020. was a Scottish Enlightenment phil ...

's '' History of England'' *

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy ...

's ''History of Scotland'' * William Robertson's ''History of America'' * John Marshall's ''History of the American Colonies'' * Thomas Hutchinson's, George Richards Minot's and

Alden Bradford Alden Bradford (17 November 1765 – 26 October 1843) was an American politician, clergyman and author who served as the 5th Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth. Born in Duxbury, Massachusetts, he graduated from Harvard in 1786 and rece ...

's Histories of Massachusetts * Caleb Snow's ''History of Boston'' * William Gordon's American Revolution * Henry Lee's Southern Campaigns * John Marshall's Life of Washington *

Washington Irving Washington Irving (April 3, 1783 – November 28, 1859) was an American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian, and diplomat of the early 19th century. He is best known for his short stories "Rip Van Winkle" (1819) and " The Legen ...

's ''

A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus ''A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus'' is a fictional biographical account of Christopher Columbus written by Washington Irving in 1828. It was published in four volumes in Britain and in three volumes in the United States. ...

'' * Life of Franklin, James Otis, Patrick Henry, Josiah Quincy, Fulton, the Signers of the Declaration of Independence * 1st vol. of Malte Brun's Geography *

Timothy Flint Timothy is a masculine name. It comes from the Greek name ( Timόtheos) meaning "honouring God", "in God's honour", or "honoured by God". Timothy (and its variations) is a common name in several countries. People Given name * Timothy (given name) ...

's ''Valley of the Mississippi'' *

William Paley William Paley (July 174325 May 1805) was an English clergyman, Christian apologist, philosopher, and utilitarian. He is best known for his natural theology exposition of the teleological argument for the existence of God in his work ''Natu ...

's ''Natural Theology'' *

John Mason Good John Mason Good (25 May 1764 – 2 January 1827), English writer on medical, religious and classical subjects, was born at Epping, Essex. John Good's parents were the Nonconformist minister Revd Peter Good and Sarah Good, the daughter of anothe ...

's ''Book of Nature'' *

Jane Marcet Jane Marcet (née Haldimand) (1 January 1769 – 28 June 1858) was an English salonnière of Swiss origin, and an innovative writer of popular, explanatory science books. She also broke ground with ''Conversations on Political Economy'' (1816 ...

's ''Conversations on Vegetable Physiology and Elements of Botany'' *

Isaac Ray Isaac Ray (January 16, 1807 – March 31, 1881) was an American psychiatrist, one of the founders of the discipline of forensic psychiatry. In 1838, he published ''A Treatise on the Medical Jurisprudence of Insanity'' (Boston), which served as a ...

's ''Conversations on Animal Economy'' * Stewart's and Thomas Brown's ''Philosophy of the Mind'' *

Neil Arnott Dr Neil Arnott FRS LLD (15 May 1788March 1874) was a Scottish physician and inventor. He was the inventor of one of the first forms of the waterbed, the Arnott waterbed, and was awarded the Rumford Medal in 1852 for the construction of th ...

's ''Elements of Physicks'' * Jacob Bigelow's ''Technology'' *

's Moral Philosophy *

Adam Ferguson Adam Ferguson, (Scottish Gaelic: ''Adhamh MacFhearghais''), also known as Ferguson of Raith (1 July N.S./20 June O.S. 1723 – 22 February 1816), was a Scottish philosopher and historian of the Scottish Enlightenment. Ferguson was sympathet ...

on Civil Society *

William Blackstone Sir William Blackstone (10 July 1723 – 14 February 1780) was an English jurist, judge and Tory politician of the eighteenth century. He is most noted for writing the ''Commentaries on the Laws of England''. Born into a middle-class family ...

's '' Commentaries on the Laws of England'' * 1st vol. of James Kent's ''

Commentaries on American Law ''Commentaries on American Law'' is a four-volume book by James Kent. It was adapted from his lectures at Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (Columbia Law or CLS) is the law school of Columbia University, a private Ivy League university i ...

'' * Works of Alexander Hamilton *

Alexander Hill Everett Alexander Hill Everett (March 19, 1792 – June 28, 1847) was an American diplomat, politician, and Boston man of letters. Everett held diplomatic posts in the Netherlands, Spain, Cuba, and China. His translations of European literature, publish ...

's Europe and America * Jean-Baptiste Say's Political Economy * Willard Phillips on Insurance The society also donated money for purchase of books to Boston's Mercantile Library Association and the Mechanic Apprentices Library Association.

Lectures

* 1829 ** Edward Everett: "The Biography of Franklin" ** Walter Channing: "On Physical Education, Including the History of the Ancient Gymnasium;" "On the Means of Promoting and Preserving the Health of Communities, and the History and Operation of Quarantine Law;" "Aqueducts or the Means and Advantages of Supplying Cities with Water" **

Francis Lieber Francis Lieber (March 18, 1798 or 1800 – October 2, 1872), known as Franz Lieber in Germany, was a German-American jurist, gymnast and political philosopher. He edited an '' Encyclopaedia Americana''. He was the author of the Lieber Code duri ...

: "Causes of the Decline of the Turkish Empire" ** Chandler Robbins, M.D.: "Animal Mechanics" * 1830 ** Alexander H. Everett: "The History of Civilization" **

Alonzo Potter Alonzo Potter (July 6, 1800 – July 4, 1865) was an American bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States who served as the third bishop of the Diocese of Pennsylvania. Potter "identified himself with all the best interests of society." ...

: "The Theory of Morals" ** John Park: "On Sensation, the Source of Knowledge and the Means by Which Truth May Be Ascertained" ** William Sullivan: "The Constancy of Human Nature Illustrated by the Physical and Moral Character of War in the Past Ages" ** John Pickering: "Uncertainty of the Law"; "The Moral Sciences and Belles Lettres as Branches of Useful Knowledge" ** Davis: "On Natural Sciences" ** F.W.P. Greenwood: "The Nature and Power of Moral Circumstances"; "On the Uses and Abuses of Books" ** James T. Austin: "On the Modern History of Massachusetts" **

John Pierpont John Pierpont (April 6, 1785 – August 27, 1866) was an American poet, who was also successively a teacher, lawyer, merchant, and Unitarian minister. His poem '' The Airs of Palestine'' made him one of the best-known poets in the U.S. in his da ...

: "On the Value of Human Knowledge" ** William J. Loring: "An Exposition on Some of the Elementary Principles of Political Economy" **

Theodore Lyman Theodore Lyman may refer to: * Theodore B. Lyman (1815–1893), American bishop * Theodore Lyman II (1792–1849), American philanthropist, politician, and author * Theodore Lyman III (1833–1897), American natural scientist, military staff offic ...

: "Remarks on the Principal Events of the French Revolution of 1789" * 1831 ** Benjamin A. Gould: "On Switzerland-the Glaciers-and Other Phenomena of the Alps, together with Passes over those Mountains" ** J. V. C. Smith: "On the Natural History and Cultivation of the Honey Bee, as a Source of Domestic Economy" ** Enoch Hale: "On Nutrition and on Digestion" ** J. Greely Stevenson: "On the Varieties of Man" ** John C. Gray: "On Taxation and Revenue" ** Lemuel Shaw: "On Laws of Property" ** Daniel Webster: "Introductory Lecture" **

: "The Cemetery at Mount Auburn"; "Architecture" ** Francis C. Gray: "The Aborigines of America"; "Some Peculiarities of the American Form of Government" * 1832 ** Chandler Robbins: Health ** Gamaliel Bradford: "Apparitions"; "The Organs of Motion" ** Franklin Dexter: "The Moral Right of Parties to Suit at Law" ** J. Greely Stevenson: "The Cause of Diversities of Complexion and Figure in Mankind" ** Charles P. Curtis: "The Benefit to the Public from the Establishment of a Court of Chancery in Massachusetts" ** Enoch Hale: "Dews and Clouds" **

John Farrar John Clifford Farrar ( ; born 8 November 1946) is an Australian music producer, songwriter, arranger, singer, and guitarist. As a musician, Farrar is a former member of several rock and roll groups including The Mustangs (1963–64), The Stra ...

: "Natural Philosophy" ** Abraham Mason: "The Art of Wood Engraving" * 1833 ** John Pickering: "The Importance of the Study of Languages"; "Language Comprehending an Account of the Written Language of Ancient Egypt, Called Hieroglyphics, as Explained by Dr. Young and M. Champollion"; "Mexican and Peruvian Languages-and Telegraphic Languages" ** Jonathan Barber: "Elocution" ** Edward Everett: "Introductory Lecture" **

George Ticknor George Ticknor (August 1, 1791 – January 26, 1871) was an American academician and Hispanist, specializing in the subject areas of languages and literature. He is known for his scholarly work on the history and criticism of Spanish literature. ...

: Shakespeare * 1834 ** John Farrar: Astronomy ** Caleb Cushing: "Man as the Agent and Object of Civilization"; "Moral and Intellectual Culture"; "Analysis of Social Organizations"; "Government"; "On Civilization and Social State of Christendom"; "The Fine Arts" * 1835 ** Caleb Cushing: "Woman"; "The Discovery and Colonization of America" ** Ralph Waldo Emerson: "Michel Angelo Buonarte"; "Martin Luther"; "John Milton"; "George Fox"; "The Biography of Edmund Burke"; English Literature; "Permanent Traits of the English National Genius"; "The Age of Fable"; "Chaucer"; "Shakespeare"; "Lord Bacon"; "Ben Jonson, Herrick, Herbert, and Wotton" * 1836 ** Ralph Waldo Emerson: "Ethical Writers"; "Modern Aspects of Letters" ** John Farrar: Astronomy ** Daniel Webster: "The Progress of Popular Knowledge" ** Theophilus Parsons: "The Progress and Prospects of Society" ** John C. Gray: "The Forest Trees of the United States" **

Rufus Choate Rufus Choate (October 1, 1799July 13, 1859) was an American lawyer, orator, and Senator who represented Massachusetts as a member of the Whig Party. He is regarded as one of the greatest American lawyers of the 19th century, arguing over a th ...

: "The Literature of the Sea" * 1837 ** William Sullivan ** Alexander Young: "The Pequot War of 1637" ** Charles W. Upham: "Roger Williams"; "Hugh Peters"; "Sir George Downing"; "The British Navigation Act of 1651" ** Edward Everett: "Introductory Lecture" ** William H. Gardiner: "Ancient Mexico" ** George Putnam: "The Circuit of the Waters" ** Edward T. Channing: "Modern Demonstrative Eloquence"; "Mental Habits of Writers" * 1838 ** Edward T. Channing: "Richard Steele and the Periodical Essays of Queen Anne's Time"; "Literary Decisions"; "The Education of an Orator" ** James Walker: "The Progress of Civilization as Affected by Systems of Philosophy"; "Materialism"; "Transcendentalism"; "Phrenology"; "Animal Magnetism" ** Horace Mann: "Education-Its Necessity"; "Education-Its Processes"; "Education-Its Objects" **

Jared Sparks Jared Sparks (May 10, 1789 – March 14, 1866) was an American historian, educator, and Unitarian minister. He served as President of Harvard College from 1849 to 1853. Biography Born in Willington, Connecticut, Sparks studied in the common s ...

: American Revolution * 1839 ** William Adam: "India" ** Francis C. Gray: English Language and Literature **

Orville Dewey Orville Dewey (March 28, 1794 – March 21, 1882) was an American Unitarian minister. Early life Dewey was born in Sheffield, Massachusetts. His ancestors were among the first settlers of Sheffield, where he spent his early life, alternately ...

: "The Moral Philosophy of Human Life"; "The Moral Philosophy of History" * 1840 **

Convers Francis Convers Francis (November 9, 1795 – April 17, 1863) was an American Unitarian minister from Watertown, Massachusetts. Life and work He was born the son of Susannah Rand Francis and Convers Francis, and named after his father. His sister, Lyd ...

: "The Relation of Literature to the Time"; "The Interpretation of the Past"; "The Huguenots in America" ** John Brazer: "The Difference between English and Ancient Classical Poetry" **

John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States S ...

: "The Social Nature of Man and Its Influence upon the Moral Condition" ** William H. Simmons: "The British Poets"; "The Poetry of Milton"; "Cowper and the Satirical Poets"; "The Poetry of Byron"' ** Henry R. Cleveland: "Characters of Classical and Romantic Fiction" * 1841 ** Charles Francis Adams: "Shakespeare"" ** John Quincy Adams: "The Chinese War" ** Henry W. Bellows: "The Formation of Opinions" ** John S. Dwight: "The Musical Life" ** Henry Giles: "The Poet Burns"; "The Poet Crabbe" **

Frederic Henry Hedge Frederic Henry Hedge (December 12, 1805 – August 21, 1890) was a New England Unitarian minister and Transcendentalist. He was a founder of the Transcendental Club, originally called Hedge's Club, and active in the development of Transcendent ...

: "The Philosophy of Literature" ** William Mitchell: Astronomy ** John Lord: "Institutions of the Middle Ages" * 1842 ** George Bancroft: "American Independence: A Consequence of the Reformation-Mayhew"; "The French War, A War of Revolution"; "Increase of Despotic Power in the European World"; "Boston in 1765" ** Charles Eames: "The Spirit of American History"; "The Commercial System"; "The Unity and Result of Ancient History" ** Henry Giles: "Elements and Illustration of Irish Character"; "Byron" ** Francis C. Gray: "Shakespeare" ** Oliver Wendell Holmes: "Astrology and Alchemy"; "Medical Delusions of the Past"; "Homeopathy"In: Holmes.
Currents and counter-currents in medical science
1861 ** Ephraim Peabody: "The British Power in India" ** Josiah Quincy: "Introductory Lecture" * 1843 **

Richard Henry Dana Jr. Richard Henry Dana Jr. (August 1, 1815 – January 6, 1882) was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts, a descendant of a colonial family, who gained renown as the author of the classic American memoir ''Two Years Before the Mast''. ...

: "The Foundation of Influence"; "American Loyalty" ** E. T. Fitch: "Music as Fine Art" ** Edward Reynolds: Human anatomy ** Thaddeus W. Harris: "Zoology" * 1847 ** Louis Agassiz: "The Alps and Glaciers"

History

Lectures

See also

References

Further reading

American Library of Useful Knowledge