Excerpt from An Address to the Charlestown Branch of the Washington Benevolent Society of Massachusetts, on the Twenty-Second of February, 1813 Influenced by a grateful recollection of your kind ness at a period of life when popular favours were alluring, and private patronage was indispensable but, contrary to a deliberate resolution never again to attempt a pub lic address, I now appear before you. Eloquence I shall not aspire to; nor can you expect the charms of novelty, when the disastrous state of our country has excited uni versal anxiety, and the means ofinformation are familiar to every inquirer. If the hints which are respectfully offered, should refresh your memories, and apply to the present occasion, my ambition will be fully gratified. This memorable anniversary we have often celebrated with innocent festivity. In this hallowed temple we once solemnized it in sackcloth we now devote it to patriot ism and philanthropy. If the immortal spirit of wash ington is permitted to contemplate the views of his humble followers, we indulge the pleasing h0pe of pa rental complacency. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.