Page:History of the University of Pennsylvania - Montgomery (1900).djvu/429

Rh Wherein lay this distrust that the Trustees would possibly narrow the scheme of the College cannot now well be traced. King's College was admittedly a Church of England Institution, and was the recipient of the noble bounty of Trinity Church, which to secure to the College the President of its choice elected Dr. Johnson an assistant Minister of the Parish in order to assure him a living. It appealed under the Royal Brief to the English people with force equal to that exerted by the Phila- delphia College, though making no pretentions to that " liberal plan" claimed by the latter at its origin. But the latter having now renewed this claim, to meet possibly the desires of Dr. Chand- ler and his friends, urgency was now exerted on the Trustees to officially renew the assurance of it. The President of the Board was now Rector of Christ Church, Philadelphia, the Provost the most eminent preacher and orator in the Province, and the more influential Trustees were members of the Church of England. These latter from the outset had in fact the same prevailing church membership, but under Franklin's leading impulse this was not felt, they having been united by him to aid the new academy from their mercantile and personal influence, and in no wise because of their church membership. But the gradual withdrawal of Franklin's concerns in the Seminary, and the prevailing influence of Peters, Smith and Duche, 1 three Church of England clergymen, especially as the second of these was politically the champion of that church's interest in the Province, would suffice to give color to any accusations of the kind which might be raised against it. From Franklin's present standpoint, it must have appeared to be narrowing, and his fears would be confirmed when he saw his college uniting with a Church of England college in a general collection. If this view was accepted by him before his leaving England, he might reasonably give some expression to it, for he was without the confidence of Dr. Smith, whose estrangement might only serve l " Mr. Stedman and Mr. Duche are both extremely kind and give me all the Assistance in their power with the utmost assiduity and readiness in conducting the Academy Business." Dr. Peters to Dr. Smith. 28 May, 1763. Penna. Magazine, x. 352.