A Sermon, Delivered at the Opening of Deerfield Academy

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From the collections of PVMA • Digital image © Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Assoc. • Image use information


About this item

On January 1, 1799, Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, Massachusetts, was formally opened and dedicated with a sermon delivered by the Reverend Joseph Lyman (1749-1848), minister of nearby Hatfield, Massachusetts, and a trustee of the new academy. The occasion was considered important enough that the sermon was published. Reverend Lyman’s theme was a prevalent one in American public education- a focus on useful knowledge. He believed that understanding equaled wisdom and that, in turn, then rendered men useful. Lyman stressed also the profitable aspects of attaining knowledge (wisdom) for both material gains and for personal enrichment. Deerfield Academy was one of dozens of academies founded in this period to educate young men and women. According to the best political science of the day, a well-educated citizenry was crucial to sustaining a healthy republic.

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Details

Item typeBooklet – Sermon
Full titleThe Advantages and Praises of Wisdom. A Sermon, Delivered at Deerfield,-Jan. 1, A.D. 1799, at the opening of the Academy in that town
AuthorLyman, Reverend Joseph
Date1799-01-01
PlaceDeerfield, Massachusetts; Greenfield, Massachusetts
TopicManners, Morals, Ethics
Education, Literacy
Industry, Occupation, Work
EraThe New Nation, 1784–1815
MaterialPaper
Process/FormatPrinting
Dimension detailsProcess Material: printed paper, ink Height: 8.25 in Width: 5.00 in
Catalog #L98.045
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Lyman, Reverend Joseph. A Sermon, Delivered at the Opening of Deerfield Academy. January 1, 1799. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l98-045/. Accessed on October 10, 2024.

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