Page:History of the University of Pennsylvania - Montgomery (1900).djvu/387

Rh was well attended, Messrs. Peters, Stedman, Chew, Willing, Duche, Thomas and Phineas Bond, White, Coleman, Coxe, Edward Shippen, Inglis and Plumsted, being present. They addressed " All Charitable Persons, Patrons of Literature, and Friends of Useful Knowledge" and

humbly represented, That about twelve years ago sundry Gentlemen of the City of Philadelphia, observing the rapid Growth of the said City and Province, through the vast accession of People from different parts of the World, became seriously impressed with a View of the Inconvenience that must necessarily arise in such a place if left destitute of the necessary means of Instruction. They saw with concern that after the Death of the first settlers (many of whom were well educated before they came into America) the generality of their Descendants were in danger of degenerating into the greatest ignorance, as few of them could afford the Expence of educating their Children in distant Places, and there was but little Prospect of seeing anything speedily done in a publick way for the Advancement of Knowledge. To prevent as much as possible these Inconveniences and to make some adequate Provision for training up a Succession of Good Men, for the Service of their Country in these remote parts the above mentioned Seminary was begun by private Subscriptions, and through the Blessing of Almighty God and the Liberality of Individuals though unassisted by any Publick Encouragement it has in after years arrived to a very great Degree of Perfection. Sundry excellent youths have already been raised in it as well for the sacred office of the Ministry, as for the civil Professions of Life. It consists at present of near two hundred Students and Scholars besides eighty Boys and forty Girls educated on charity. * * * Though the greatest CEconomy hath been used in every part of the Design and nothing attempted but what the Circumstances of so growing a place seemed absolutely to require, yet the necessary expence attending so large an undertaking hath greatly exceeded all the Resources in the power of the Trustees, and as the charge of the Seminary is now ^700 annually more than its Income, they have the disagreeable Prospect of seeing its Funds in a few years wholly exhausted and an end put to its Usefulness after all their labours for its support unless they can procure the assistance of generous and well disposed persons abroad. * * * They cannot doubt but that a Seminary of Learning placed in one of the most important Cities and central Provinces of America, will meet with all due Encouragement from the Friends of Religion and Learning in Great Britain and Ireland. * * * And they hereby promise that whatever shall be contributed to that End shall be faithfully applied upon the same liberal and pious Plan whereon it was first founded and hath hitherto been so successfully carried on. And they further promise that due care shall be taken to preserve Lists of the Con-