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Ian W. Brown
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Athenaeum, and a year later he served as Grand Marshal of a ceremonial procession in memory of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. Also in 1825? 26 he became a state legislator, his first and last fling at a political career (Sydnor 1938:66-67, 75-77, 232-33).
The Adams Athenaeum established a library that subscribed to many of the most substantial American and British quarterlies. Wailes, as its president, suggested that the members give regular talks on interesting topics. Included in the examples he suggested were collecting Indian traditions and excavating Indian mounds (Blain 1976:102-3; Davis 1995:190; Harrell 1969:192-93; James 1968:232; Sydnor 1938:130).
In 1835 the Jefferson College and Washington Lyceum was founded in Washington, an offshoot of the lyceum movement that was sweeping through most of the United States around that time (Bell 1899:201; Harrell 1969; Orosz 1990:110, 132, 143?44; Struik 1948:207?9). There were at least twenty-one members of this society in 1838. They gave monthly public papers on various topics, and debates were often held. Although his father was a member of this society, Benjamin does not seem to have been an active participant, probably because he was living ir^Xjoat^jll^xMjmich of the time that the society existed. Benjamin did, however, participate in an expedition to the Selsertown Mound, now known as Emerald, with ?a party of literary and scientific gentlemen,? in May of 1838 (Baldwin 1872:27; Bell 1899:203-4; Blain 1976:103-4; Brain et al. n.d.; Cotter 1951a; Cushman 1972:466?68; Forshey 1841; Halbert and Brown 1902; Hall 1906:565-67; Riley 1902a:344-45; Rowland 1907, 1:1 19-20; 2:638; Walker 1881:123; see Ingraham 1835, 2:219?26 for an earlier visit). Several days previously, a number of these men investigated two square mounds on the bank of the Mississippi River about three and a half miles^elgw probably the UnvroodSite (Brain et al. n.d.). In 1837 and 1838 the Jefferson College ancF^isnington Lyceum produced a semi-monthly magazine called the South-Western Journal (Blain 1976:105?7). This was ?the earliest extant magazine of this sort from the Old Southwest? (Sydnor 1938:146). Most of the contributions consisted of papers that had been read before the public (James 1968:232-33). Although the Lyceum died in 1839, it had stimulated a lot of interest in science in the region. Moreover, it seems to have influenced the state legislature to conduct a geological survey of Mississippi (Sydnor 1938:143?48).