College, First Attempt to Found an American. Wm. A. Beardslee. Columbus, Allegorical Drawing by..... MAGAZINE OF AMERICAN HISTORY VOL. XXIX JANUARY, 1893 No. I O N the eve of the opening of the fifth century from Columbus's discovery of America it is proper that the New York Historical Society should call public attention to the fact that to the action in 1792 of John Pintard, the founder of historical societies, New York and the world owe the first movement in America to commemorate an anniversary of the greatest event in the history of mankind since the death of our Saviour. In October, 1592, a century from the discovery, what is now New York was still a savage wilderness. In October, 1692, a hundred years later, New York had not recovered from the baleful effects of that rebellion and usurpation of the government by Jacob Leisler, which ended in his execution for treason in the preceding year. In October, 1792, the third centenary, was seen the first celebration in America of its discovery by Columbus. That celebration, like the one we are about to witness in October, 1892, originated in this goodly city of New York. In a society organized here in May, 1789, through the efforts of John Pintard and some of his personal and political friends, and at his suggestion, the celebration of the third centenary of America's discovery was decided upon, and measures taken both to call to it general attention, and to carry it into effect in the city of New York. That society was one of limited membership, which still exists in its pristine strength under its original organization, and a few years later gave its name and influence to a great political party, whose members believed in and supported its political principles, though not possessed of any control in the internal direction of the body itself-the Tammany Society or Columbian Order, of the city of New York-of which the first sagamore was John Pintard. * Paper read before the New York Historical Society by Mr. Edward F. De Lancey, on the evening of October 3, 1892. VOL. XXIX.-No. 1.-1 In a letter to his friend, the Rev. Jeremy Belknap, of Boston, dated April 6th, 1791,” eighteen months previous to the Columbian centenary of 1792, Mr. Pintard says: "My avocations, especially as a citizen, are numerous, and I can seldom steal a moment for private or literary correspondence. . . My passion for American history increases, tho' I have but detached moments and scant means of gratifying it. . . . An account will be given, in some future magazine, of our Tammany Society. This being a strong national society, I engrafted an antiquarian scheme of a museum upon it. . . . We have got a tolerable collection of pamphlets, mostly modern, with some histories. In this same letter he also writes to Dr. Belknap the first suggestion of a Columbian celebration in the United States, in these words: "Our society purposes celebrating the completion of the third century of the discovery of America, on the 12th day of October, 1792, with some peculiar mark of respect to the memory of Columbus, who is our patron. We think, besides a procession and an oration-for we have annual orations-of erecting a column to his memory.' This purpose of the Tammany Society was communicated later by Dr. Belknap to members of a society which, at Pintard's suggestion, he had formed in Boston, in 1790, for the promotion of the study of American history and antiquities, and which later became the "Massachusetts Historical Society." This was the first institution of that nature in America, and in 1891 it commemorated the first centenary of an existence at once glorious to Massachusetts, to America, and to the great cause of historic truth. Pintard's first suggestion of the society, which he termed "A Society of Antiquaries," was made to Dr. Belknap in the latter's own house in Boston, in a personal interview on the 19th of August, 1789. The idea pleased Dr. Belknap, and he mentioned it to many persons in Boston, but its germination was slow, though it was discussed in conversations. A year later, under date of 27th August, 1790, Dr. Belknap tells his friend Ebenezer Hazard, of New York, of the first step successfully taken in the matter, in these words: "When Mr. Pintard was here he strongly urged forming a society of American antiquarians. Several other gentlemen have occasionally spoken to me on the same subject. Yesterday I was in company where it was again mentioned, and it was wished that a begin ning could be made. This morning I have written something, and communicated it to the gentlemen who spoke of it yesterday." This "something" was the formal "plan of an antiquarian society," afterward called the "Historical Society," and, later, the "Massachusetts Historical Society." |