UC-NRLF LIBRARY- OK THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. OK Received Accession No. . / ~~K . C/&ss A/o. ' STEPHEN GIRARD BY LAMBERT, FROM ORIGINAL BY OTIS. LIBRARY, GIRARD COLLEGE. 1848-1898. OF GIRARD COLLEGE. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF STEPHEN GIRARD, HIS WILL, AND OTHER PAPERS RELATING TO THE COLLEGE AND ITS DEVELOP- MENT AND GOVERNMENT. ACCOUNT OF THE EXERCISES ON THE OCCASION OF THE CELEBRATION OF THE OPENING OF THE COLLEGE, JANUARY 3, 1898. PHILADELPHIA : GIRARD COLLEGE. 1898. <*& 7' 7 *~* AT the request of the Committee in charge of the cele- bration this book is edited by - GIRARD COLLEGE, January, 1898. GEORGE P. RUPP. Librarian. PRESS OF J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY, PHILADELPHIA. CONTENTS. PAGE LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 5 PREFATORY NOTE BY THE EDITOR n FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE OPENJNG OF GIRARD COLLEGE, BY MR. FRANK M. HIGH LEY 13 ORDER OF EXERCISES. 2.3O F*. 1M. PRAYER BY WINTHROP D. SHELDON, A.M 23 INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY JOSEPH L. CAVEN, ESQ 25 ADDRESS BY HON. CHARLES F. WARWICK 28 ADDRESS BY HON. MARRIOTT BROSIUS 36 ADDRESS BY MR. THOMAS P. LONSDALE, '71 53 8 P. M. PRAYER BY MR. BENJAMIN B. COMEGYS 59 INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY GENERAL Louis WAGNER 62 HISTORICAL ADDRESS BY ADAM H. FETTEROLF, PH.D., LL.D. . . , 66 ADDRESS BY HON. THOMAS B. REED 81 REMARKS BY THE CHAIRMAN 89 ADDRESS BY ETHELBERT D. WARFIELD, LL.D 92 ADDRESS BY MR. THEODORE L. DEBow, '57 99 APPENDIX. STEPHEN GIRARD "MARINER AND MERCHANT." A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH BY MR. GEORGE P. RUPP 109 WILL OF STEPHEN GIRARD . . . 118 GIRARD COLLEGE : ITS ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION, BY MR. WILLIAM H. ZELLER, '72 154 GIRARD COLLEGE: ITS ENDOWMENT AND MAINTENANCE, BY MR. GEORGE E. KIRKPATRICK 167 GIRARD COLLEGE : ITS TRAINING AND THE RESULTS, BY JOHN S. BOYD, M.D 177 3 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. FACING PAGE PORTRAIT OF STEPHEN GIRARD Frontispiece. BUILDINGS Nos. i AND 2 13 EAST PLAYGROUND 23 MAIN BUILDING 25 STATUE AND SARCOPHAGUS 28 LIBRARY 36 DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL HISTORY 53 CHAPEL AND BUILDING No. 10 59 GROUNDS LOOKING EAST 62 BUILDING No. 8 66 DINING-ROOM 72 BUILDING No. 9 81 MANUAL TRAINING SCHOOL BUILDING 92 WOOD-WORKING DEPARTMENT 99 STATUE OF STEPHEN GIRARD, CITY HALL PLAZA 109 BATTALION OF CADETS ON WEST PLAYGROUND 177 Semi-Centennial Anniversary GIRARD COLLEGE PHILADELPHIA JANUARY 3, 1898 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. Order of MONDAY, JANUARY 3, 1898 2.30 P. M. i. flection" Narcissus" . 2. WINTHROP D. SHELDON, A.M. Vice- President of Girard College 3. Introdactor^ Remarks b^ tl)e Chairman JOSEPH L. CAVEN, ESQ. Vice- President of the Board of Directors of City Trusts ( a " Vesper Hymn" >mS ~ \ b " The Happy Miller" 5 HON. CHARLES F. WARWICK Mayor of the City of Philadelphia ^. liJaltfc" Abandoned" .... Waldteufel tfON. MARRIOTT BROSIUS Member* of Congress, Lancaster, Pa. &. H^mn " Hail Columbia" 9. Address THOMAS P. LONSDALE, '71 President Girard College Alumni to. 3etotion " Genevieve de Brabant" . . Offenbach The Instrumental Music will be furnished by the GIRARD COLLEGE BAND, GEORGE S. REYNOLDS, Leader and the Vocal Music by the PUPILS OF GIRARD COLLEGE, JERRY MARCH, Leader ORDER OF EXERCISES. Order of MONDAY, JANUARY 3, 1898 8.00 P. M. 1. Aarcf) " The Stars and Stripes Forever" . 2. Praver MR. B. B. COMEGYS Member .of the Board of Directors of City Trusts 3. Introductory Remarks H tf)e Chairman GEN. LOUIS WAGNER President of the Board of Directors of City Trusts 4. Caprice " Hearts and Flowers" . . Sousa Tobani 5. Historical (Jddres3 ADAM H. FETTEROLF, LL.D. President of Girard College " Popular Melodies" . . . Beyer HON. THOMAS B. REED Speaker of House of Representatives, Washington, D. C. &. e " Bohemian Girl" . . . TZalfe 9. Address* HON. DANIEL H. HASTINGS Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 10. Aedlev Overtwe "National Airs" . . . 11. Addre^ THEODORE L. DEBOW, '57 One of the First Hundred Boys admitted into the College 13. Aarcl) "El Capitan" .... Coates Sousa The Music will be furnished by the FIRST REGIMENT ORCHESTRA, S. H. KENDLE, Leader * In the absence of Governor Hastings, Ethelbert D. Warfield, LL.D., President of Lafayette College, delivered an address. IO SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. Board of Directors of City Trusts LOUIS WAGNER, President JOSEPH L. CAVEN, Vice-President ALEXANDER BIDDLE JOHN K. CUMING EDWARD S. BUCKLEY WILLIAM L. ELKINS JOHN M. CAMPBELL JOHN H. MICHENER BENJAMIN B. COMEGYS DALLAS SANDERS JOHN H. CONVERSE EDWIN S. STUART Members of the Board "Ex Officio" CHARLES F. WARWICK, Mayor JAMES L. MILES, Pres't Select Council WENCEL HARTMAN, Pres't Common Council FRANK M. HIGHLEY, Secretary HON. F. CARROLL BREWSTER, Solicitor Faculty of Girard College ADAM H. FETTEROLF, PH.D., LL.D., President WINTHROP D. SHELDON, A.M., Vice-President GEORGE J. BECKER . WARREN HOLDEN, A.M. N. WILEY THOMAS, PH.D. JAMES N. WALKER, A.M. FREDERICK PRIME, A.M., PH.D. JOHN K. HARLEY, M.E. PIERRE FRANCOIS GIROUD CAPT. FRANK A. EDWARDS Licencie es Lettres (Univ. of France) ist Cavalry, U. S. A. CALIXTO GUITERAS, C.E. ARCHIBALD COBB C. ADDISON WILLIS, M.E. MISS MARIAN B. HERITAGE Librarian, GEORGE P. RUPP Philadelphia, January i, 1898 PREFATORY NOTE Time tries all the thoughts and inventions of man. In contemplating the progress of some great idea, time takes the place of perspective and plays the same part that distance does when we would comprehend the beauty and grandeur of a cathedral. Then we stand by the side of the architect, and see the building as he saw it in the secret chambers of his mind. So the Semi-Centennial of Girard College afforded us similar conditions in the contemplation of the ideas of Stephen Girard. Different from other educational centres, his College is not merely a name, but it represents the real plan and belief of the Founder. Nowhere is there such an exhibition of one man's thought and work. The ideas of the Founder have been carried out by those administer- ing them with an eye single, to his wishes, and the best results have flowed from a rigid construction of his words. That these results are potent fifty years after his death posterity may partly gather from this volume. Posterity will not, however, be able to comprehend the environ- ments of the day celebrated, the great gathering of dis- tinguished citizens, of graduates who had gone forth equipped for the battle of life, of pupils who are being trained for useful lives; the stately buildings and decora- tions, the brilliant illumination, and, finally, the air of fes- tivity which no description can reproduce. But the ad- 12 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. dresses are here, and these will convey to the reader the thoughts of the orators. If the Founder is conscious of what has been and is now being done in the fulfilment of his wishes, we may feel assured that he is satisfied with the efforts that are being made to care for and protect the orphan. G. P. R. OF THE UNIVERSITY FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE OPENING OF GIRARD COLLEGE January i, 1848. January 3, 1898. BY FRANK M. HIGHLEY, Secretary, Board of Directors of City Trusts. At a stated meeting of the Board of Directors of City Trusts, held at their office, No. 120 South Third Street, Philadelphia, on Wednesday afternoon, June 9, 1897, the President called attention to the fact that on January i, 1898, would occur the Semi-Centennial Anniversary of the Girard College for Orphans, it having been formally opened, with appropriate exercises, on January i, 1848, and suggested that an event of so much importance should be celebrated in a manner commensurate with the world- wide renown of the College and its noble Founder. Mr. Benjamin B. Comegys offered the following reso- lution, which was unanimously adopted: ".Resolved, That the Executive Committee be, and it is hereby, instructed to report a plan for the proper celebration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the formal and official opening of Girard College on January I, 1898." The Chairmen of the several standing Committees, with the President of the Board, constitute the Executive Com- mittee, as follows: Messrs. Louis Wagner, President; John H. Michener, Alexander Biddle, Benjamin B. Comegys, Joseph L. Caven, John H. Converse, Edward S. Buckley, and William L. Elkins. 13 14 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. The Committee, after fully considering the matter re- ferred to them, submitted a plan for the celebration, which was adopted by the Board. After a number of meetings, the whole subject was referred to a special Sub-Committee, consisting of Messrs. Wagner, Michener, Caven, and Con- verse. The first day of January being a legal holiday and falling on Saturday, it was agreed to celebrate the event on the afternoon and evening of January 3. The exercises were divided into two parts, the one in the afternoon to be for the officials and pupils of the Col- lege and the Alumni under twenty-one years of age, and the evening meeting for the older Alumni and the invited guests. Over five thousand invitations were sent to Na- tional, State and City officials, prominent educators, the graduates of the College, and other distinguished citizens. On the day of the celebration, the weather was most propitious and beautiful. The guests of the College were invited to thoroughly inspect the Institution and to observe the liberal pro- visions made for the comfort and care of the pupils and of the staff of the College. The grounds and buildings were brilliantly illuminated by electric lights, and from the central flag-staff the flag of the United States and the tri- color of France spread their folds to the breeze. The monument on the College grounds, erected in mem- ory of the graduates who lost their lives in the suppression of the Rebellion, was draped in the national colors. (The bronze statue of Mr. Girard, on the City Hall Plaza, had been adorned with a large laurel wreath and with streamers of the College colors, and in the evening it was illuminated by electric lights.) FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF GIRARD COLLEGE. 15 In the south vestibule of the Main Building the statue and sarcophagus of the Founder were enclosed in a minia- ture representation of the beautiful Main Building, which was handsomely illuminated by electric lights and profusely decorated with smilax and other plants and flowers, pre- senting a brilliant scene which was admired by everybody within the enclosure, as well as by the large crowds of people who gathered about the main entrance gates of the College, and were thus enabled to view it from a distance. The afternoon and evening exercises were held in the Chapel, which was decorated with evergreens, plants, and bunting. In front of the memorial window of President Allen, at the rear of the platform, hung a full length oil painting of Mr. Girard, which was kindly loaned by the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania; under- neath gleamed in figures of light, the legend " 1848-1898." The ceremonies of the celebration began promptly at 2.30 P.M., with Joseph L. Caven, Esq., Vice-President of the Board of Directors of City Trusts, as the presiding officer, and consisted of a prayer by W. D. Sheldon, A. M., Vice-President of the College; introductory remarks by the Chairman and addresses by Honorable Charles F. War- wick, Mayor of the City, Honorable Marriott Brosius, Member of the United States Congress, from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Mr. Thomas P. Lonsdale, President of the Alumni of Girard College, and vocal and instrumental music by the pupils and the Band of the College. During the performance of the musical selection which marked the close of the afternoon exercises, Honorable Thomas B. Reed, Speaker of the House of Representa- 1 6 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. tives, appeared upon the platform, escorted by General Louis Wagner. The fifteen hundred pupils instantly rose and greeted the distinguished visitor with cheers of wel- come, and the applause was renewed when Chairman Caven said: " Boys, I present to you our honored guest." Mr. Reed came forward and addressed the boys as follows: " Young gentlemen, for all of you aspire to that title, or I hope you will some day, I am very much delighted to see you; and I am going to make you much delighted to see me by informing you that I am forbidden to make a discourse. I content myself simply with wishing you not only ' A Happy New Year,' but many of them." The building was filled by a large and appreciative audi- ence. At the conclusion of the afternoon exercises, a reception and dinner were given in Building No. 7 by the Board of Directors of City Trusts to their distinguished guest, Hon- orable Thomas B. Reed, to which many prominent resi- dents of the City and State were invited. This portion of the celebration was under the direct charge and personal supervision of Mr. John H. Michener, Chairman of the Committee on Household, and, as was to be expected from his broad experience, was complete in all its details, the dining-room being a scene of rare beauty, with handsome and elaborate decorations of electric lights, bunting, palms, and plants; on the tables were placed large bunches of American Beauty roses and other flowers. During the reception and dinner, the music was furnished by a fine orchestra. FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF GIRARD COLLEGE. Promptly at 8 P.M. Honorable Thomas B. Reed, the orator of the evening, escorted by the Board of Directors, and the invited guests entered the Chapel and occupied the platform. An audience composed of graduates and distinguished citizens crowded the auditorium, the front seats being oc- cupied by many of the Class of 1848. General Louis Wagner, Presicfent of the Board of Di- rectors of City Trusts, presided. The programme con- sisted of a prayer by Mr. Benjamin B. Comegys, a member of the Board of Directors; introductory remarks by the presiding officer; an historical address by A. H. Fetterolf, LL.D., President of the College, the oration by the Honor- able Thomas B. Reed; and addresses by Ethelbert D. War- field, LL.D., President of Lafayette College, and Mr. Theo- dore L. DeBow, one of the first one hundred boys admitted into the College, and instrumental music by the First Regi- ment Orchestra. The several addresses were appropriate to the occasion, admirable in diction and eloquent in delivery, and all the exercises were greatly enjoyed by the enthusiastic audi- ence, especially the peculiar mode in which the Chairman introduced the orator of the evening. _ He said: " Mr. Reed, I have great pleasure in presenting to you these ladies and gentleman, citizens of Philadelphia, largely Alumni of Girard College, who have gathered to hear you talk to them on this important occasion." This reversal of the usual form of introduction caused much amusement, and was received with great applause. A tumultuous greeting was given to Mr. Reed, and the audience listened to his address with close attention. 1 8 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. And thus ended a most fitting celebration of the open- ing of an Institution whose influence for good during the fifty years of its existence is shown in the lives of the nearly six thousand boys who have been admitted to its care; and these, and other thousands yet to follow as pupils in and graduates of Girard College, will tell during all time of the boundless charity of its Founder. GUESTS AT THE DINNER AND RECEPTION TENDERED HONORABLE THOMAS B. REED. ADAMS, HON. ROBERT, JR. ARNOLD, HON. MICHAEL ASHMAN, HON. WILLIAM N. AUDENREID, HON. CHARLES Y. AUSTIN, WILLIAM L. BEATH, COL. ROBERT B. BECK, HON. JAMES M. BEITLER, HON. ABRAHAM M. BELL, JOHN C. BIDDLE, COL. ALEXANDER BINGHAM, HON. HENRY H. BIRKINBINE, JOHN BLAKELY, JOHN BOYD, DR. JOHN S. BREWSTER, FRANCIS E. BROOKS, PROF. EDWARD BROSIUS, HON. MARRIOTT BUCKLEY, EDWARD S. BURK, ADDISON B. CAMPBELL, JOHN MARIE CAVEN, JAMES CAVEN, JOSEPH L. CLOTHIER, CLARKSON COGGESHALL, THELLWELL R. COMEGYS, BENJAMIN B. CONVERSE, JOHN H. COOPER, HON. PETER L. CROZER, SAMUEL A. CUMING, JOHN K. CUNNINGHAM, ERNEST DsBow, THEODORE L. DEGARMO, PROF. CHARLES EDWARDS, CAPT. FRANK A. ELKINS, WILLIAM L. ELVERSON, JAMES FELL, HON. D. NEWLIN FERGUSON, HON. JOSEPH C. FETTEROLF, ADAM H., LL.D. FORST, DR. JOHN R. GUITERAS, PROF. CALIXTO HANNA, HON. WILLIAM B. HARLEY, PROF. JOHN K. HARRISON, CHARLES C., LL.D. HARTMAN, WENCEL HENSEL, GEORGE F. HIGH LEY, FRANK M. HOLDEN, PROF. WARREN HOUSTON, PROF. EDWIN J. JANNEY, DR. WILLIAM S. JUNKIN, JOSEPH DE F. KAERCHER, SAMUEL H. KENDRICK, GEORGE W., JR. KILPATRICK, WILLIAM H. KIRKPATRICK, GEORGE E. LAMBERT, MAJOR WILLIAM H. LONSDALE, THOMAS P. LUDWIG, PROF. DEB. K. MACALISTER, PROF. JAMES MACVEAGH, HON. WAYNE MCALEER, HON. WlLLLAM MCLEAN, WILLIAM L. MCMICHAEL, HON. CHARLES B. MICHENER, CHARLES G. MICHENER, JOHN H. MICHENER, J. HANSON, JR. MILES, JAMES L. MOORE, ALFRED MORWITZ, JOSEPH MUMFORD, JOSEPH P. NEILSON, WILLIAM G. 19 UNIVERSIT 20 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. PATTON, ALFRED G. PAXSON, HON. EDWARD M. PENNYPACKER, HON. SAMUEL W. PERRINS, THOMAS PESOLI, EDWARD A. PRATT, CAPT. R. H. PRIME, PROF. FREDERICK QUICK, HARRY W. REDNER, LEWIS H. ROBINSON, THOMAS A. RUPP, GEORGE P. SANDERS, DALLAS SCOTT, SAMUEL G. SEARCH, THEODORE C. SHARPLESS, ISAAC, LL.D. SHELDON, PROF. WINTHROP D. SHRIGLEY, JOHN M. SMITH, HON. CHARLES EMORY SNOWDEN, COL. A. LOUDON SPARHAWK, JOHN, JR. ZESINGER, STONE, DR. JAMES F. STUART, HON. EDWIN S. THOMAS, PROF. N. WILEY THOMPSON, MAJOR HEBER S UNRATH, FREDERICK VAUCLAIN, SAMUEL M. WAGNER, MAJOR EMIL C. WAGNER, GEN. Louis WAGNER, Louis M. WALKER, DR. J. B. WALTON, CAPT. JOHN M. WARFIELD, ETHELBERT D., LL.D. WARWICK, HON. CHARLES F. WATERALL, WILLIAM WEED, PROF. GEORGE L. WILLIAMS, HON. HENRY W. WILLSON, HON. ROBERT N. WILTBANK, HON. WILLIAM W. WINDRIM, JAMES H. WINDRIM, JOHN T. FRANK O. EXERCISES-2.30 P.M. 21 Of THE UNIVERSITY "it. PRAYER BY WINTHROP D. SHELDON, A.M., Vice- President of Girard College. Let us seek the Divine blessing. Almighty and everlasting God and Father of all, we gather in Thy presence on this anniversary day with the voice of thanksgiving. We recall with gratitude and praise Thy favoring Providence, which has so richly blessed and prospered this school during all the years of its history. Thou didst breathe into the heart of its Founder those benevolent impulses and emotions, which prompted him to plan for it so thoughtfully and to endow it so gen- erously. Thou hast bestowed wisdom and devotion upon those who from the beginning have been called to direct its affairs. And to the officers and teachers whom these passing years have united here in this labor of love, this blessed ministry to childhood and youth, Thou hast given faithfulness and zeal and the divine spirit of consecration. We bring Thee hearty thanks for the heritage of noble example and of faithful endeavor which those who have gone to their reward have left behind them here. And we beseech Thee, that in all the years to come there may be found those who shall be worthy to follow them, to carry forward this work and prosecute it to higher and yet more precious results. May the benediction of Heaven ever abide upon this Institution; upon those who administer its 23 1 24 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. affairs, that they may guard its interests wisely and with singleness of heart; upon the children and youth intrusted to its care, that they may receive such training as shall fit them to live soberly, righteously, and godly, in usefulness and service to their fellow-men; and upon its officers and instructors, that they may be endued with wisdom and grace from above, with the spirit of the Great Teacher, who came not to be ministered unto, but to minister. And to Thee shall be the praise now and evermore. Amen. I INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY JOSEPH L. CAVEN, ESQ., V ice-President of the Board of Directors of City Trusts. PUPILS OF GIRARD COLLEGE: In celebrating this Semi-Centennial Anniversary of your College, it is fitting you first should be gathered here; that you should be im- pressed as you never have been with the. magnitude and munificence of this greatest of all bounties to the orphan boy. Conceived in the mind and heart of Stephen Girard childless and alone as he was the seed he planted has be- come a great tree, the stream has become a great river, bearing hundreds into avenues of industry and prosperity that might otherwise have been wrecked in the passage of life. Fifty years ago, the great plan mapped out by Mr. Gi- rard was accomplished in the erection and completion of suitable buildings; 100 boys were then admitted, the roll of the College now numbers over 1500; its annual expense was then about $47,000, it is now $500,000. The beautiful Main Building, after the design of a Greek temple, with its marble portico and thirty-four massive Corinthian columns, and four smaller buildings, two east and two west of the Main Building, then stood alone; now fourteen other buildings, constructed in harmony, stand on the grounds with those completed fifty years ago, all 25 26 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. fully equipped, affording you a home, a training, and an education hard to excel. This College has kept pace with the outside world. What is now the city of Philadelphia then had 500,000 in- habitants, now 1,200,000. The State of Pennsylvania has grown from two and one-half millions to six millions of people; its mountains, valleys and plains are netted with railways; beneath its surface great mines of iron and coal have added to the material wealth of the great Commonwealth. California was then admitted as a State of the Union. It was reached from the East by a long and dangerous ocean voyage, or a tedious trip with mule, horse and wagon over the plains; now we travel in a superbly ap- pointed railroad train, and reach that great State in five days. Canal-boats have given way to the railroad train, sailing vessels to the great steamships that cross the ocean in six days and a few hours. The news of the world is now read at our breakfast-table every morning. We sit in our office and comfortably and plainly converse with our friends one thousand or more miles away. Electricity has been tamed and controlled for our daily use as easily as the trainer controls the colt. My boys, this is the brief record of your College, and the great world outside, during the past fifty years. What are its lessons to you at the beginning of the next fifty years? Will you in years to come be found among the worthy of this land, respected, honored, loved? Will you take a front rank in the world's industries and professions, adding to the already great store of new inventions and discoveries for the benefit of mankind? Or will you be a INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY JOSEPH L. CAVEN. 2/ laggard in the ranks of the world's progress, leaving no impression and passing out of mind unregretted? The great past has been hewed and carved out by such as you can the future depend on you for greater develop- ments? This celebration is now opened, and if, when over, your heads, your hearts and your minds respond, " For the years to come we will do our best/' these exercises shall not have been in vain. ADDRESS BY HON. CHARLES F. WARWICK, Mayor of the City of Philadelphia. MR. CHAIRMAN, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, BOYS OF GIRARD COLLEGE: Owing to the pressure of business en- gagements it has been impossible for me to find time in which to prepare a set address, and, while hurrying to this anniversary meeting and thinking what I should say to you, I came suddenly into these grounds, and before me stood a magnificent structure. I refer to your Main Building, which is known the wide world over as Girard College. It gave me a text. This is said to be the finest specimen of the Corinthian order of architecture of modern times; and perhaps very few structures of the past, even in the golden days of Greece, when the Doric, the Ionic and the Corinthian orders were conceived and assumed shape and form, ever surpassed in beauty of proportion, in delicacy of outline, or in perfection of symmetry, the building to which I refer. It is an adornment not only to the city, but also stands for one of the greatest benefac- tions of modern times; and when we bear in mind that this great Institution sprang from the benevolence, the humanity, the love of a single heart, we may begin to ap- preciate the purpose of Mr. Girard's life and the charity of his soul. Who can measure, even approximately, the influence of 28 STEPHEN GIRARD. STATUE AND SARCOPHAGUS, MAIN BUILDING, GIRARD COLLEGE. oy THE TJNIVERSITY ADDRESS BY HON. CHARLES F. WARWICK. 29 this great Institution, an influence that is circumscribed by time alone; for it will go on distributing its blessings through untold ages yet to come, sending out into the world an army, we may say armies, of boys fully equipped for the battle of life, physically, morally and intellectually trained, and with every opportunity,^ in this free country of ours, to become useful citizens and to make for them- selves reputation and to win fame. Let it be borne in mind, too, that these advantages are for those who, in the vast majority of instances, without the care of this Institution would lack the favor and the blessings of education. How deeply grateful you should be to the Founder of this College! You truly may call him father, for you are his children. Most bountifully he has provided for you out of his store, and you will be faithless and ungrateful if you do not honor him, by making a suitable return in earnest and honest lives. In this connection, let me further say that it is your duty to patriotically serve that city which has so safely guarded this trust and which provides for you so great an opportunity. I think it may be said_ without the fear of contradiction that no public trust has ever been more successfully and more honorably administered with an eye single to the interests of all concerned. You are all familiar with the life of Stephen Girard, and I am not able to add a single incident not already known. It is a simple story, quickly told, but in some particulars it is heroic in character. He was not commonplace, as some would have you believe, but was characterized by industry, by earnestness of purpose, by exceptional busi- ness foresight and ability, by humanity, and by a courage that arose at times to the dignity of heroism. 30 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. He was born away back in the middle of the last century in Bordeaux, France. We know comparatively but little of his early years; if some accounts be true, his home life was not the happiest. He did not enjoy any special advan- tages in the matter of his early education; he had to make his own career and attain his own success; but he pos- sessed those qualities or traits that tend to make a man not only successful but useful. The town in which he was born was a busy, trading sea- port, and he early turned his attention to maritime pur- suits. 'It was an undertaking of no little importance in those days to cross the ocean. The pathway of the At- lantic was not then crowded, as it is to-day, with fast-flying steamers. A sailing-vessel then took six weeks, and some- times longer, to make a voyage from the old world to the new; the average time now of first-class steamers is about six days. Travel is a great educator for attentive minds, and we can easily understand how a seafaring life broad- ened the views of Mr. Girard, for he was always a keen, close observer, and ever took his lessons from the busy, practical side of life. He was essentially a man of affairs. The new world had special attractions for a man of Mr. Girard's energy and industry. It opened up to him a new field and afforded him opportunities that the old world could never have given. It was a fortunate day for us when Providence directed his steps to this city and he decided to make Philadelphia his permanent home. His business success was marvel- lous, his every venture met with favor, his ships sailed every ocean and touched at every port. From Philadel- phia to London, from London to Calcutta, his vessels were ploughing the seas, unking the different ' nations in the ADDRESS BY HON. CHARLES F. WARWICK. 31 bonds of commerce and international trade. He was the leading merchant of this country, and made this city the commercial centre of the new world; and you must bear in mind that when he began his business career here, he was a stranger in a strange land, and had to overcome those obstacles that would not have been in the way of one " to the manor born." He had to acquire a new tongue, make new friends, and live down prejudice and envy. He had a genius for business; his judgment was good, or what might be called safe; he intuitively knew the market, its conditions and its necessities. He lived plainly, economi- cally, but comfortably; he devoted himself so assiduously to business that he had no time nor desire for so-called social " functions." He was never given to ostentation. He gave no sumptuous banquets, but he was laying up a store that was to feed and clothe the humble and the home- less. Did you ever bear this fact in mind, that it was for you he labored, it was for you he accumulated his fortune, it was for you he devoted the energies of his life? I speak thus plainly, because I want to bring home to you these facts in simple form, that on this anniversary day I may arouse in your hearts love for him who did so much for you. I have already said that he at times rose to the dignity of heroism. Not only was he a man of charity but also of courage. If there is anything in the world that shows the real quality of a man, it is when he faces an impending danger for the sake of humanity from which others turn and flee. In time of great public calamity or peril, when courage wavers and the bravest hearts quail, he who goes into the breach and meets the danger with fortitude is a 32 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. master among men. No man is mean of heart who has courage of soul. We come now to an incident in Mr. Girard's life which reveals to us the real character of the man, and we should judge men by what they do, rather than by what others say of them. In the year 1793 this city was visited by a plague, a pest known as yellow fever; it was unusually deadly in its touch and the population became panic-stricken. Those who were able to leave their homes, fled. Every house was under the shadow of death. The ambulances rumbled through the city by night and by day, and the dead carts hurried their victims to speedy burial. Affection waned and humanity lost its gentleness; parents left their children to die, and children abandoned their parents. The merci- less pest carried fear and desolation in every direction, houses were closed, business was suspended, grass grew in the streets, and the churches were turned into hospitals. At this time Mr. Girard was in the very vigor and prime of manhood, on the very flood-tide of his business success, the richest man in the city. He could easily have fled, could have taken refuge elsewhere, and could have waited until the danger passed away, but he refused to turn his back upon his stricken, suffering fellow-men. He listened to the call for help and opened his heart and his purse, and not only this, but volunteered to serve as a nurse, and for two months was in attendance upon the sick and the dying in a public pest-house. Take this incident in his life, and then bear in mind his benefaction, and can any one doubt his great humanity? Willing in public peril to risk his life for his fellow-man, he subsequently gave the labor of his years to the creation of ADDRESS BY HON. CHARLES F. WARWICK. 33 one of the sweetest charities of modern times. Courage and chanty! Where is there a life in which there have been shown greater qualities of heart and soul than in that of this man, so little understood and appreciated in his day and generation? Oh, how little we know of the real sentiments and quali- ties of men while they live, and while envy and detraction unite with "small talk" and slander to blast, to blemish and destroy! Pity 'tis, we cannot in some way make amends, for the indifference that was shown him in his clay by many of his fellow-citizens, who followed him with scandal even to the grave. Childless and surrounded by strangers he passed away, but to a reward, we hope, greater than man can give. Though maligned in life and misunderstood, his humanity was not fathomed until his spirit sank to rest. When his will was opened, he was found to be the greatest philanthropist this country, up to that time, had ever known. His charity was so broad and so far reaching, that it linked him with the infinite, with that just God who is the searcher of all hearts, and who is able to find the truth, no matter how deep it may be buried, or how far from the sight of man it may be hidden. You may tell me that such a man had no creed, but you cannot urge that he was without faith. He wore no broad phylacteries, he indulged in no cant, he mouthed not his prayers in public places, but his heroism and his charity show such magnanimity of soul, that his love for man but reflects his love for God. He expressed his faith in noble works. His charity will go out to future generations to bless, to comfort, and to save, increasing in its usefulness as the years multiply, and, as we look out into the future, little can we measure the extent and greatness of his 34 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. bounty. He turned not back from his duty; he faced death when others quailed, and he bequeathed his fortune to those whom he did not know, but whom he sincerely loved. This Institution is a monument to his charity, to his humanity, to his magnanimity, and it speaks more elo- quently in his favor than could a thousand tongues in pompous eulogy. This Institution is the tender response of his heart to the appeal from the fatherless for help and comfort. Philadelphians are beginning to understand the real qualities of Mr. Girard; they are becoming more familiar with the man, and more keenly appreciative of the extent of his great bounty. They know the usefulness of the Col- lege, but they have had a misconception of the real motives of the donor and the qualities that characterized him. After his death, the long litigation over his will, the stories that were set in circulation by his enemies, the statement that he had no religious faith, all tended to blind the judgment and to darken the truth, but now, weighing his deeds, we are better able to judge him and to know him in his true light. His life is interwoven into the history of our city; his charity has come to bless us, and, as time runs on, his memory will be more and more honored and revered. Truly it can be said of him that " He had a tear for pity and a hand Open as day for melting charity. ' ' This is but a sketch of his life briefly told, but compare his career, if you will, with that of other great characters in history. I read the oiher day in a newspaper, that Bis- ADDRESS BY HON. CHARLES F. WARWICK. 35 marck had expressed his regret for having provoked quarrels that resulted in bloodshed. The statement may or may not have been true, but it has its lesson. I wonder if Napoleon, in his rock-bound prison far out in the ocean, ever looked back upon his past and realized the misery that had been wrought by his ambition; how cruel had been his wars, how selfish and wicked had been his purposes, how he had set at defiance every moral ob- ligation and every precept of God and man. The remains of this great soldier lie to-day in a beautiful and imposing tomb in the Hotel des Invalides, and his memory is honored by his countrymen. Contrast the life of Napoleon in usefulness with that of this quiet citizen and man of peace, who brought fortune and fame to our city, whose history is not written in blood, but in charity, who watched over the sick and held the cup to the parched lips of the dying, who gave to us one of the greatest bounties ever bequeathed by a citizen of America for the benefit of humanity. Bear all this in mind, and ever hold in grateful remembrance the name and kindness of your benefactor; then this Semi-Centennial Anniversary will not have been held in vain. MAN AND CITIZEN. AN ADDRESS BY HON. MARRIOTT BROSIUS, Member of Congress, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. " And, especially, I desire that, by every proper means, a pure attachment to our republican institutions and to the sacred rights of conscience, as guaranteed by our happy Constitution, shall be formed and fostered in the minds of the scholars." Will of Stephen Girard. I will not conceal the satisfaction it gives me to unite with the faculty, alumni and students of this Institution in commemorating the Semi-Centennial Anniversary of its founding; and I tender them my cordial felicitations on this auspicious celebration of a " golden wedding." Fifty years ago, at this place, Opulence and Opportunity were united in the bonds of a wedlock whose numerous progeny of blessings to the human family afford convincing proof that the children have obeyed the Divine injunction, have honored their father and their mother, and their days will be long in the land. That the splendid success of the In- stitution has been largely due to the wisdom of its man- agement goes without saying; yet, the noble example of its illustrious Founder, the " mariner and merchant," " hu- manitarian and philanthropist," "noble man and public- spirited citizen," which has been speaking all these years to the youth who have enjoyed the advantages of his mu- nificent gift to noble uses, must have had a commensurate agency in achieving such magnificent results. 36 OF THE UNIVERSITY ADDRESS BY HON. MARRIOTT BROSIUS. 37 In his last will and testament, Stephen Girard laid his command upon all who should touch these foundations or lay their hands to the upbuilding of this temple dedi- cated to the care, comfort, and culture of orphaned boys. He expressed his desire that, by every proper means, a pure attachment to our republican institutions and to the sacred rights of conscience, as guaranteed by our happy Constitution, should be formed and fostered in the minds of the scholars. Obedience to this testamentary injunction will secure two results of the first importance to human society. It will form good men and make good citizens. An object so worthy of our pursuit at all times as the betterment of man in his relations to society and the state may well en- gage our special attention on this commemorative occa- sion. It was the thought of Lowell that the first duty of the United States is to become a nation of men builders; but, when we contemplate the mixed quality of human nature, how good and evil are blended, how the serpent's hiss and the bird's song are mingled in its composition, we realize how arduous is the task. When Leonardo da Vinci was painting his famous fresco, " The Last Supper," on the wall of a Dominican convent, the prior became impatient at the tardiness of the work and reproached the painter, who, answering, said, " I still want two faces, one of which, the Saviour, I cannot hope to find on earth, and I have not attained the power of presenting it to myself in imagination with all the per- fection of beauty and spiritual grace demanded in a repre- sentation of the Divine Incarnation; the other is that of Judas, and I hardly think it possible to render graphically 3 38 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. the features of a man who, after receiving so many bene- fits from Him, deliberately betrayed his Lord and Master." Similarly, he who undertakes to depict in words the extremes of goodness and badness in human character, like Leonardo, will be unable to complete his pictures, for no mastery of the art of characterization will enable him adequately to portray the radiant image of the divine in man at his best, or to graphically render the dark incar- nation of evil in him at his worst. " Compound of beast and angel, of devil and deity/ 1 said Coleridge. "The glory and the scorn of the uni- verse," said Pascal. "A jewel of God," said Parker. "A rapacious vulture," said Cowley. " Half dust and half deity; alike unfit to sink or soar," said Byron. What an inharmonious being! How noble in reason, yet how prone to error; how infinite in faculty, yet how low in de- sire; in form and moving how express and admirable, yet how low he bends to vice and folly; in action how like an angel, in acts how like a devil; in apprehension how like a god, yet in appetite how like a brute! This is man in his totality; but, as Emerson suggests, man has been dif- ferentiated into men, good men, middling men, and bad men; so we can conceive them in their several characters and distinguish one from the other. It is man at his best, God's noblest work except woman, that I want my words this afternoon to help you to build. Michael Angelo, walking in the streets of Florence, saw a block of marble in some rubbish at his feet. He stooped to pick up the stone. His friend asked him what he wanted with the worthless rock. Angelo replied, with the enthusiasm that only genius feels, " There is an angel in that stone, and I must get it out." He took it to his ADDRESS BY HON. MARRIOTT BROSIUS. 39 studio, and, by patient toil with mallet and chisel, he let the angel out. So, in every orphan boy who enters this College, there is the rough marble of a magnificent man- hood. Wise, indeed, is this management if, with the hammer and chisel of precept, example and instruction, it carves the marble of the soul into the beauty of Christian manhood. This is the work in which Girard College is engaged. Its Founder meant that it should stand for the highest conceivable things, for manhood, for character, for con- science, for courage, for those higher things which are raising the walls of the great temple of character, a temple whose altar is the eternal right, whose high priest is con- science, whose ritual is duty, whose prayer is service, whose song is love. In the culture of character, soul tillage, or the building of a man, the things of first importance are the principles of right conduct which give character to the man. Dwell with me briefly on some of these first principles. No character can approach perfection without what Charles Lamb called " incorrigible and immovable hon- esty.'' This is the backbone of an erect and sovereign soul. Nor is it a difficult achievement. It only requires the subjection of our daily conduct to the direction of the law of our spiritual life. This trait fixed, you command every man's respect. Your neighbor is your witness. He feels safe in your company, for he knows you will be honest in the dark and virtuous without a witness. He believes a portion of divinity is incarnated in you, and whither you go, here or hereafter, others will be pleased to have your company, for they know, without consulting their catechism, that the soul of an honest man will lend a 40 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. . charm to the everlasting rest of the saints. The late la- mented Father Taylor, a devout Methodist, in an observa- tion quite worth remembering, has emphasized the value of integrity of soul as a passport to the blessings hoped for. His brethren were criticising his friendship for Emer- son, and insisting that the philosopher, being a Unitarian, must go to the place some people think it not polite to mention. " It does look so," said Father Taylor; " but I am sure of one thing: if Emerson goes to that place, he will change the climate there and emigration will set that way." Honesty means a steadfast adherence to our principles, which is a very arduous task for some people who, from the unsteadiness of their conduct, seem to be destitute of both chart and compass. They illustrate the idea Lowell put in the mouth of one of his characters: "A marciful Providence fashioned us holler On purpose that we might our principles swaller. " No man can honor his principles if he is ashamed of them; he can only be true to them when he glories in them. I heard of a minister who preached a sermon against intemperance, and, finding that a liquor dealer was present, went to him and apologized for criticising his business. The minister learned a lesson in honesty from the reply of the liquor dealer. He said, " Oh, never mind; that's all right. You would have to preach an all-fired poor sermon if you didn't hit me somewhere." The "National Assembly of France, a century ago, set at least one glittering star on its forehead which has been shining with fadeless lustre down the years. When it was discovered that Mirabeau had been guilty of dishonesty, ADDRESS BY HON. MARRIOTT BROSIUS. 4! it caused his body to be removed from the Pantheon and interred among criminals, because the Assembly decreed that none but the remains of great men could lie in the French Pantheon, and no man could be great without honesty. My young friends, I charge you, remember there are but two sides, " God's truth and the Devil's falsehood." Rise to the former and you are an upright, heaven-facing creature; you are a man. No eye can shame you. Con- scious rectitude gives you self-respect and the respect of others. Truth is a part of the machinery of God, and, when you put yourselves in gear with that machinery, you have the Almighty to turn your wheels. But fall to the latter, and you stand before your neighbor with a shamed face, before your own soul with a downcast eye, before God with a sense of degrading guilt, and you are less than a man. The man I am outlining is a moral hero. There is, perhaps, no other quality in which the average man is so deficient as heroism. How many of us lack the courage of our convictions! Celestial professions and terrestrial practices go hand in hand. Many render lip homage to the principles of right living whose hearts are lightly touched with devotion to their claims. If the bronze lips of Philadelphia's patron saint would break into speech and tell to all the inhabitants of the city the incident Glad- stone tells of Lord Melbourne, fifty thousand men would recognize their own likeness. Melbourne was seen coming from church one Sabbath in great excitement. Meet- ing a friend, he exclaimed, " It is too bad. I have always been a supporter of the church and have always upheld the clergy; and it is really too bad to have to listen to a ser- 42 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. mon like that I heard this morning. Why, the preacher actually insisted upon applying religion to a man's private life." How many fail for lack of heroism to meet and con- quer adverse fate! I have read that, in an art gallery in Antwerp some years ago, one could have seen a celebrated painter copying from the great masters. He was born without arms, but with an ambition kindled with the love of art. By patient toil, he trained his feet to perform the functions of hands, until he could mix his colors, and deftly upon the canvas reproduce the best works of the old masters. He was a hero. In society, conformity is the line of least resistance. The average man is a moral chameleon and takes the pre- vailing hue. He would like to set a better fashion, but he lacks the courage. His moral standard is as high as that of the presidential candidate who said he would like to have the Lord on his side, but he must have the State of Kentucky. The man who possesses the heroism of ster- ling manhood, the sublimity of devotion to high ideals, finds his battle-field wherever he finds a foe to right, a cause that needs assistance, or a wrong that lacks resist- ance. He never stops to count the number of his adver- saries when truth is assailed, and he never capitulates to circumstances, badges, fashions, or institutions; but, in the midst of the crowd, he keeps his independence and holds his rudder true. When Raphael was drawing his figures too small, Michael Angelo sketched a colossal head before his eyes and taught him his fault. It is the duty of the moral hero to sketch the figures of right conduct in their true propor- tion and lift high the le^el of the fashion. ADDRESS BY HON. MARRIOTT BROSIUS. 43 The world enjoys a perpetual dowry in the memory of her heroes, and the living catch heroic fire from the con- templation of the heroism that proclaimed its principles amid flames, that showed its faith under the axe, that went with Shadrach to the fiery furnace and with Daniel to the lion's den. The other day I opened a volume of Mazzini's " Essays'' and read how, upon a day in the sixteenth century at Rome, inquisitors were assembled to compel a prisoner to renounce the truth he had declared. The prisoner was Galileo. His soul revolted against the violence of those who sought" to force him to deny what he knew was an eternal verity. His strength was exhausted by suffering; the monkish menace had crushed him. He raised his hand to declare a lie, but at the same time he raised his weary eyes to heaven and caught a ray from the eternal which kindled his conscience, and the great truth again burst from the believer's soul in those memorable words: " Epur se muove" (" It moves nevertheless"). That sub- lime cry of Galileo still floats above the ages, teaching the children of men that heroism is the highest outlook of the soul. Daniel O'Connell, in the House of Commons, offered twenty-seven votes for every Irish measure if he would not ally himself with the anti-slavery party, spurning the splendid bribe and declaring, " Gentlemen, God knows 1 speak for the saddest people the sun sees, but may my right hand forget its cunning and my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth if, to save Ireland, I forget the slave of any land," was a hero of unrivalled splendor. Garrison, in the face of the world's contempt, declaring, " I will be as harsh as truth, as uncompromising as justice; I will 44 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE? not equivocate, I will not excuse, I will speak out, I will be heard," was a hero. Abraham Lincoln, in the midst of collisions of opinion and the distractions of war, declaring, " Whatever seems to be God's will i will do," was a hero. General Grant, with the vanquished army of the rebellion at his feet, saying, " Lay down your arms; go to your homes on your parole of honor, and take your horses with you to cultivate your farms, but come and take dinner with us before you go," was a hero. Our souls should bow in reverence before the temple which enshrines these divinities of heroism. But our man the Girard College brand is not yet com- plete. He must be benevolent. The founder of this Insti- tution, by his splendid munificence, has given this noble trait distinct pre-eminence; and it is a happiness to know that his illustrious example has had many imitators. No other country has so many millionaires as our own, and in no other have rich men used their wealth in such benefi- cent ways. It is estimated that the money given for be- nevolent uses by wealthy Americans through institutions whose benefits are shared by the people, counting no gifts under $5,000, averages $30,000,000 a year. This shows that the trend of development in man is toward a higher plane of life. Philosophers say, if evolution throws any light upon existence, it shows that man is a spiritual being, and that the direction of his long career is toward more exalted living, and that one day the human race will flower into perfect beings who will live by the Golden Rule. John Fiske insists that the development of the higher spiritual qualities of man is the goal toward which nature's work has tended from the beginning. Victor Hugo believed, with some complacency, that he was the ADDRESS BY HON. MARRIOTT BROSIUS. 45 tadpole of an archangel. Huxley says if it is not so, if there is no hope of a large improvement in the human family, he would hail the advent of some kindly comet to sweep it all away. But it is so, and the incontestable evi- dence of it is found in the number of munificent gifts for the benefit of the human family which have conferred honorable distinction upon Americans of opulence, and of which the splendid gift of Stephen Girard will ever re- main a conspicuous example. It illustrates how, in the ascent of man, he passes from the plane of the struggle for life, to that of the struggle for the lives of others; from what Henry Drummond calls self-regarding to other- regarding conduct, which is, distinctly, a higher plane. It means that we are more and more recognizing our brother as in our keeping, and are learning to value the things of this world for their service to mankind, and more and more to regard wealth as a trust, to be employed in wise and beneficent uses, for the benefit of our fellow- men. And thus the principle of benevolence becomes a necessary element in every well-formed character; and I would have you cherish it as one of the ties which hold the human family in the bonds of unity and peace; for we must never forget "that we are children of the same Father, travelling toward the same home, and hoping to sit down at last at the same banquet, and, therefore, we should love and help one another." But our man has not yet reached his full stature. He must be sensible of the obligations of duty. Society is organized on the basis of the performance of duty. Indif- ference, or neglect here, not only puts a blemish on char- acter, but tends to the disintegration of social order. Let me drive this thought home with a passage from 46 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. " Christmas Carol," whose pathos and power affect me more than the profoundest utterances of philosophy on the necessity of fidelity to the duties our social relations impose. When Scrooge ventured the conciliatory sug- gestion that Marley was a good man of business, the ghost replied, "Business! Mankind was my business; the com- mon welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbear- ance and benevolence were all my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business." The moral so sharply pointed by this persuasive message to the living, from a spirit in chains of its own forging while in life is, that no devotion to mere personal ends, can absolve us from the larger obligations we owe society. When Stephen Girard took his life in his hands, and entered the loathsome pest-house at Bush Hill, to nurse the sick and comfort the dying, he set a shining example of devotion to duty and exemplified the thought of the poet: " 'Tis man's perdition to be safe When for man he ought to die." Young people are beset with temptations to neglect their duty. It may be the siren voice of pleasure or pride, indifference or indolence, that lures them from their post or lulls them to sleep. Every time they yield to the solici- tations of the tempter they lose a portion of their power of resistance, and victory is harder at the next assault. The young man who believes that he can win the crown of noble manhood, without bearing the cross of duty, or achieve the glory of victory, without the sweat and dust of the race, suggests Saul with a difference. The latter went out to find his father's ^asses and came back to find him- ADDRESS BY HON. MARRIOTT BROSIUS. 47 self a king; but the former goes out a king, in his own conceit, and comes back to find himself the other animal. In the museum of the Stanford University in California I saw an impressive painting illustrating " duty." I was reminded how apt men are in asserting their rights, and how inapt they are in assuming their duties. A central figure represents Law; another, Justice. On the left, a youth holds a scroll, on which is written, " Rights of Man." An aged priest near by reminds the youth that man has a heritage of duty as well as rights. In the fore- ground, two children are reading a scroll bearing the in- scription, " No Rights without Duties." It is a lesson for the ages. Young man, let duty be a part of your religion. You can follow the example of the shipmaster in the story. He prayed to Neptune, " O God, Thou canst save me if Thou wilt, or destroy me; but, however it be, I will' keep my rudder true." The question of every soul, "What shall I do to gain eternal life?" is nowhere more clearly answered than in Schiller's noble lines: ' ' Thy duty ever, Discharge aright the simple duties with Which each day is rife ; yea, with thy might." Now, my friends, we have considered the most essential parts of the structure of a man; let us now crown him with the noble mind's distinguishing perfection, honor. This is the graceful ornament of man, the Corinthian capi- tal of the stately column of Christian manhood. It is so nearly allied to honesty, I need not dwell upon it. Yet there is a distinction, subtle, perhaps, but appreciable. It is the finest essence, the distilled spirit, the soul of SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. honesty. The true man feels the obligations of honor superior to all others. In every rank and condition of life, in every vocation, it is a sure passport to veneration and affection. A tradesman once asked Charles James Fox to pay him a debt from some money he was counting. Fox replied, " I owe this money to another: it is a debt of honor; he has nothing to show for it." " Then," said the tradesman, " I change my claim to a debt of honor," and he tore the note to pieces. Fox thanked his creditor for his confidence and paid him the money, saying, " The other man must wait; yours is the oldest debt." When Washington applied to Robert Morris for a large sum of money for the use of the army, the latter went, despondent, to the street in search of funds. He met a wealthy Quaker, to whom he made his wants known. " Robert, what security canst thou give?" asked the Friend. " My note and my honor," Morris replied. "Thou shalt have it" was the Quaker's prompt response. These instances have the flavor of the millennium, and are a foretaste of the happy condition of society when en- gagements are all kept, and, hence, always accepted; when all men are like Stephen Girard, whose word was as good as his bond, and honor is man's distinguishing perfection. Now, we have our man; we have made him, not in our own image, but in the likeness of an ideal that is attain- able. We have not made him a Calvinist, but we have made sure of his orthodoxy in the five essential points of the moral code of noble manhood. It was Stephen Girard's first concern that the purest principles of mo- rality should be instilled in the mind of youth, and it was no part of our purpose to exceed these bounds. But the man is to be a citizen, and that calls into reqm- ADDRESS BY HON. MARRIOTT BROSIUS. 49 sition another element of character which brings him into relations with his country. The proudest title the ancient Roman knew was " Civis sum Romanus," " I am a Roman citizen." A nobler and prouder title is ours: " Civis sum Americanus," " I am an American citizen." As no other decoration ever rivalled this in splendor and no other title ever carried so many rights, privileges and honors; so it must be said, and with a solemn sense of its deep import, no other relation lays on us such commanding duties or imposes such responsible obligations to our country. Patriotism means a due sense of these obligations and duties, with a commensurate disposition to their observ- ance and performance. It is not a mere ephemeral pas- sion; it is an enduring emotion, an eternal ray that kindles the soul into the glory of service and sacrifice for country. It constrains to good citizenship. It concerns us now to know what is meant by a " good citizen." And this inquiry derives importance from a distinguishing feature of our system, sometimes called the " hydrostatic paradox" of popular government. In a bent tube, with one arm a foot in diameter and the other no larger than a pipe-stem, the water will stand the same height in both. Similarly, universal suffrage equalizes the votes of the philosopher and the fool, the President and the pauper. It is easily seen that under such a system and it may be the best for us the active virtues of the citizen are not only the breath of our present life, but of our life to come as a nation. Now, I will tell you what constitutes a good citizen. That I have told it elsewhere will not diminish its truth. A citizen who is a sovereign must be qualified for his kingdom; he must be moulded on forms of virtue, self- 5O SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. restraint, obedience and loyalty to conscience and country; he must be self-governing in the wide range of activities which lie outside the sanction of the statute and far away from the policeman's beat; he must have fineness and strength in the warp of intelligence, and firmness of tex- ture in the woof of virtue; he must subject his political conduct to the restraints of moral principle, and subordi- nate his private interests to his public duties; he must not yield to the delusive plausibilities of untutored dema- gogues; he must not be content with holding right opinions, but must strive to make them prevalent; he must not be lulled to repose by the delusion that he does no harm who takes no part in public affairs; he must know that the apathy of the patriot is the opportunity of the knave; he must not bend the knee to boss or Baal, nor refuse the guidance of superior wisdom and recog- nized statesmanship; he must never find it his interest to be ignorant of what it is his duty to know; he must never treat the public purse with less consideration than his neighbor's pocket; he must never sleep on his post or desert to the enemy; he must never cease to improve him- self, but must never call in the enemies of his principles to correct his defects. That is the man I have fashioned in your hearing, in the character of a citizen, and you can plainly see I gave him no endowment that he can spare from his equipment for this exalted role. You may say this is an ideal citizen, fit only for the republic of Plato, or the Utopia of Sir Thomas More; but patriotism can transmute the ideal into the real citizen, and it must do so if our institutions are to endure. That is the meaning of Stephen Girard's injunction, that a pure attachment to our republican insti- ADDRESS BY HON. MARRIOTT BROSIUS. 51 tutions should be formed and fostered in the minds of the scholars. Our form of government contemplates .such citizens, and only such can be effective in working out the purpose of all our political machinery, to give ascendancy to the forces fittest to govern and to bring the best reason and conscience to expression in the government of the state. These desirable results require the best men to take a part in the agencies which form and guide the collective action. The good citizen should do his own thinking. He should climb to the best outlook and come to his own conclusions. He should strive to be a man of light and leading in his community. He must distinguish the counterfeit from the real sentiment of the people; he must not be misled by the cry swelled by the least capable. The noisy few ofttimes arrest more attention than the quiet multitude. He must avoid " foolometers," which Sydney Smith defines as " the acquaintance of a few regular fools as a test of public opinion," and, which I regret to say, is too much in vogue in our public life. He must avoid the dangerous delusion suggested by John Fiske, that civil government in the United States dropped from heaven, or was specially created by miracle, and will continue to run by divine agency, without the aid of the citizen, in other words, that Providence takes care of children, idiots and the United States. It has been truly said that God has never endowed any statesman or philosopher with wisdom enough to frame a system of government that everybody could go off and leave. Some people in politics are like the philosopher who, when informed that his house was on fire, coolly replied, "Go tell my wife; I never meddle with household affairs." 52 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. And so the outposts of good government are aban- doned, the patriot army furloughed, government falls into disrepute, the State suffers, the city languishes for a breath of pure political air, the public service is inefficient because plundered by profligate politics, the honor of the govern- ment is tarnished, its power enfeebled, its administration corrupted, its glory dimmed, because a portion of the people who have no motive to make other than the best possible government abstain from participation in political duties. This is not patriotism or good citizenship. It is culpable neglect, if not base cowardice. I commend to you nobler examples of citizenship and grander ideas of duty. General Sherman said, "Teach your children to honor the flag, to respect the laws, and to love and understand our institutions, and our glorious country will be safe." General Meade, taking his farewell of the Army of the Potomac, said, " Let us earnestly pray for strength and light to discharge our duties as citizens." Now, my young friends, I have shown you a man and a citizen. I have brought to your view the principles whose cultivation the Founder of this College enjoined, for he knew they were indispensable to good men and good citizens. I have coupled them with examples for your study. If you value the principles, you will emulate the examples and make your lives worthy the inheritance of blessings you enjoy, and show the world the bright and perfect flower of Christian manhood and American citizen- ship. OF THB UNIVERSITY ADDRESS BY THOMAS P. LONSDALE, '71, President of the Girard College Alumni. In the reflected light of the noble sentiments so elo- quently expressed by the distinguished speakers who have preceded me, some ray, I trust, may illuminate my humble, tribute to this memorable occasion. Leaving the College in 1871, the midway point almost of the period we celebrate to-day, the men and interests that filled those fateful years of the first half are a vanishing memory, peopled with shadowy forms, while the throb : bing activities of the second half are still present, as our hands reach forth in guidance" of the hesitating steps now crossing the threshold of new endeavor. " The more we live, more brief appear Our life's succeeding stages ; A day to childhood seems a year, And years like passing ages." To the youth looking forward, in the rosy glow of the morning and from the vantage-ground possessed by my interesting audience, the busy world holds much that attracts, while its difficulties are masked under a misty film that half conceals, half reveals, but which the earnest vitality of the novice attacks with confidence to brush aside and press on to great achievement. With adequate equipment, difficulties are overcome, but 4 53 or THE UNIVERSITY 54 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. in the preparation for the encounter many essentials may be overlooked, or their value miscalculated, and the strug- gling combatant finds, too late, his competitors, better prepared, meeting conditions and answering problems in a way that chagrins and disappoints. " And are there still new worlds to conquer?" asks our young Alexander. In the field of discovery, what of the frozen North, the pathways blazed by Melville, Greely, Peary, Nansen, and the Yukon's icy steeps of golden promise? And of inven- tion. Have the ends of the earth been united in vain over land and beneath seas by Morse, Edison, Tesla? And in mechanics. Is the list complete with Ericsson, Westing- house, and Maxim; in ship-building and locomotives with Cramps and Baldwins? And will statesmanship halt and hesitate after Seward and Elaine and Reed? Is literature a lost art, embalmed in Hawthorne, Whittier, Longfellow, and Lowell? Hear Longfellow's voice: ''Where are the stately argosies of song? Perhaps there lives some dreamy boy, untaught In schools, some graduate of the field or street Who shall become a master of the art, An admiral sailing the high seas of thought, Fearless and first and steering with his fleet For lands not yet laid down in any chart. ' ' In the wise bounty of Stephen Girard, none of the great essentials for life work have been omitted, and the genera- tions of lads who have enjoyed the fostering care of his College, so nobly founded, have received their training and tuition from a corps of instructors whose conscientious efforts not only instilled those " pure principles of mo- rality and justice" that he esteemed so highly, but whose example of right living taught those broader views of up- right manhood that were to give the after blessing. ADDRESS BY THOMAS P. LONSDALE, /I. 55 " Large was his bounty, and his soul sincere, Heaven did a recompense as largely send ; He gave to misery (all he had) a tear ; He gained from Heaven ('twas all he wish'd) a friend." To the care-worn business man, under the merciless rays of the mid-day sun, or in the quiet light of the evening- hour, a look backward brings to mind much that yields a glint of pleasure and some results gained under pressure of duty alone, whose recompense ennobles; but the average success attained by the right use of the training so liberally bestowed carries its own reward in that " contentment which is great gain." Shall the crowding competitions of life hold no cheer for those who " cross the great divide and face the setting sun"? Surely the great names of laurel-crowned memory lacked not length of days or strength of years by reason of duty well done or lasting achievement! And yon monu- ment of chiselled stone, with its threescore names of lusty youth, who answered the bugle call to duty, records a noble sacrifice laid upon our country's altar; while its civic pride has not failed in lists of loyal manhood. Can those who look forzvard from the protecting and sheltering walls of this Institution afford to forget the benefaction, the precepts and examples of the benefactor? And can we, who are passing the meridian, look backward without a kindling of the eye and quicker beating of heart- throbs in grateful recognition of his all-pervading and satisfying wisdom? ^" Let us, then, be up and doing, With a heart for any fate ; Still achieving, still pursuing, Learn to labor and to wait. ' ' EXERCISES-8 P.M. OF THB UNIVERSITY PRAYER BY BENJAMIN B. COMEGYS, ESQ., Of the Board of Directors of City Trusts. (Selected from the Manual of the Chapel of Girard College.) Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And for- give us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil : For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. O Lord our God, we thank Thee for our lives, and all the gifts of grace and nature; for instruction in divine truth; for the voice of Thy calling, repeated so often; for Thy patience, Thy long-suffering towards us, who have so often and so grievously sinned against Thee; for all the benefits we have received; for any good we may have done; for the enjoyment of present good; for Thy promise and our hope of good to come; for wise teachers; for benefactors never to be forgotten; for brethren of one mind with us; for kind friends; for all who, by their writings or examples, have helped us on our way. For all these mercies, and for all others known or unknown, re- membered or forgotten, we would bkss and praise Thee now and forever. Most merciful Father, we render thanks to Thee for 59 6O. SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. providing the means for our maintenance and instruction. We thank Thee that Thou didst move the Founder of this Institution to bequeath his wealth for its endowment. May we cherish the memory of his beneficence, and the gratitude we owe to him, who was an instrument in Thy hands for our good. On this anniversary of the opening of his College may we form new and stronger resolutions, to live in a manner worthy of our privileges; to improve our time and opportunities, and be prepared for useful and happy lives. May we imitate the example of our benefactor in his industry, his honesty, his temperance, his public spirit, and in all parts of his conduct and character which were in accordance with Thy holy will. O God, who seest that we have no power of ourselves, that we are not wise enough for our own direction, nor strong enough for our own defence, help us to acknowl- edge Thee in all our ways, so that we may not lean on our own understanding. Let Thy light guide us, Thy provi- dence protect us, Thy grace help us faithfully to discharge all our duties; that, being armed with Thy defence, we may be preserved from all dangers. Blessed Lord, who hast given us a new commandment that we should love one another, and hast taught us that where envy and strife are there is confusion, and every evil work; give us grace, that we may be kindly affectioned one to another. Help us to put away all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and evil speaking, with all malice; and grant that, in honor preferring one another, we may walk in love, even as Thou, Lord, didst love us. O Lord God, the Life of mortals, the Light of the faith- ful, the Strength of those who labor, and the Repose of PRAYER BY BENJAMIN B. COMEGYS, ESQ. 6 1 the blessed dead, grant us a peaceful night, free from all disturbance, that after an interval of quiet sleep we may by Thy bounty, at the return of light, be endued with activity, and enabled in security to render thanks to Thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Almighty God, who hast given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplications unto Thee; and dost promise that when two or three are gathered together in Thy name Thou wilt grant their re- quests; fulfil now, O Lord, the desires and petitions of Thy servants, as may be most expedient for us; grant- ing us in this world knowledge of Thy truth, and in the world to come life everlasting. Amen. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY GENERAL LOUIS WAGNER, President of the Board of Directors of City Trusts. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: The records show that on January i, 1848 (fifty years ago to a day on Saturday last), there were assembled in the room in the southwest corner of the Main Building, then the chapel of Girard College, but now containing Mr. Girard's personal effects, and known as the Memorial Room, " the Councils of the City, and other City, County and State officers, and numerous citizens," " and the College was opened with a few simple exercises, suited to the character of the Institution." Mr. Joseph R. Chandler, one of the leading citizens of Philadelphia in his day and generation, as President of the Board of Directors, addressed those assembled in words well fitting the time and place. He congratulated them upon the final accomplishment of "the object for which the community had so long waited and for which some present had so constantly labored," explained the details adopted for putting into practical operation the long- delayed plans of the testator, and expressed the hope that the results of the institution would justify their expecta- tions. Concluding his address, he introduced the Hon. Joel Jones, the President of* the College, who, in well-chosen 62 OF THE UNIVERSITY INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY GENERAL LOUIS WAGNER. 63 words, emphasized the suggestions of Mr. Chandler and briefly outlined the general scope of the College. In the course of his remarks he said, " Fellow-citizens, we are about to enter upon the execu- tion of a scheme of education in some respects new and difficult, but in every respect important. The foundation of it is a charity, munificent in its provisions, compre- hensive and noble in its objects, and far-reaching in its results. Should it merely fail, we suffer the loss of a great good; should it ever be perverted, we may incur great evils. But should it be made to accomplish the benevo- lent designs of the Founder of the College, we shall secure to many orphans a better inheritance than riches." And, finally, he said, " And now the question comes, Shall this noble design, for which the late Mr. Girard has made so large provision, be realized? Shall these beautiful and enduring walls be- come the mausoleum of his hopes, or the emblem of a yet more enduring and more beautiful moral and intellectual structure?" And now, half a century after, you, as the Councils and other officers of City and State, and you, as the representa- tive citizens of Philadelphia and vicinity, and we, as the successors of the then Board of Directors of the College, assemble in this larger hall to inquire of the past and to plan for the future. Has Mr. Girard's noble design been realized, or has it failed of its purposes? Have "these beautiful and en- during walls become the mausoleum of his hopes, or the emblem of a yet more enduring and more beautiful moral and intellectual structure"? As Chairman of this meeting, it is clearly not in my 64 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. province, nor would it be in good taste, for me to trespass upon the time of the regular speakers of the evening to attempt a reply to these questions; but an active connec- tion with the affairs of Girard College since the first Mon- day of January, 1867, thirty-one years ago to-day, when I was appointed a member of the Committee of City Coun- cils having charge of the affairs of the Girard Estate, both tempts me and enables me to say that the results of the past fifty years show ability in instruction, intelligence in management, integrity in administration, and always fidelity to Mr. Girard's plans as laid down in his will. From 100 pupils in 1848 we have increased to over 1500, five times as many as named by Mr. Girard as the number for which the College was originally planned. Nearly 6000 have been admitted into the College; 4500 have become part of the busy outside world, making their impress upon City, Commonwealth and Nation. The endowment fund has increased from an estimated value of $5,000,000 to an estimated value of $26,000,000, and $15,000,000 have been expended in the maintenance and enlargement of the College. Surely these figures show that, numerically and finan- cially, Mr. Girard's plans have not failed, and the thou- sands of young men, graduates of his College, who rise up and call him blessed, evidence by ability and character that they have secured " a better inheritance than riches." With such a retrospect, what a glorious prospect! With a trust magnificently endowed, with a charity the grandest in the world, with the record of fifty years unparalleled by any public trust anywhere, let us all you, as citizens and officers of State and Nation, and we, as the immediate administrators* of Mr. Girard's will, but, above INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY GENERAL LOUIS WAGNER. 65 all, you, as the present and former recipients of his bounty see to it that that which has come down to us in such grand proportions shall suffer no harm in our day, so that its blessings may continue to increase and to multiply to the end of time. HISTORICAL ADDRESS BY ADAM H. FETTEROLF, PH.D., LL.D., President of Girard College. In the short time that I shall occupy your attention this evening, I shall not attempt to give anything like a con- nected history of Girard College. The story of fifty years cannot be told in a brief address. I shall endeavor to notice only a few of the most important features and events; for particulars and statistics I must refer you to the printed page. When, on the day following Christmas in 1831, Phila- delphia's most distinguished man and citizen, Stephen Girard, passed away, there arose in the minds of the com- munity two questions: first, what is his estate? and, second, what disposition has he made of it? His great wealth had brought him great fame. Being the first millionaire that America had produced, he was naturally an object of great interest and curiosity. Presidents and ex-Presidents of the United States were more familiar fig- ures in public than were millionaires in Mr. Girard's day. The great banker had not only a vast fortune of his own, but he had also a mind of his own. In nothing was this more manifest than in his last will and testament. The same keen foresight and singleness of purpose which he displayed in the accumulation of his wealth are shown in the disposition of it. . He saw where it would do the most 66 OF THE UNIVERSITY ADDRESS BY ADAM H. FETTEROLF, PH.D., LL.D. 6/ good, and there he placed it. It was the thought and pur- pose of his later years to assist those beginning life with the tide of fortune at the ebb, that they might have a better home and a better training than they would receive from the application of the public funds. It was the same spirit which showed itself brave and humane in time of plague, public-spirited and patriotic in time of financial distress. The famous will was written by William J. Duane, of the Philadelphia Bar. When the document was finally executed, the lawyer said to the testator, " It will not stand." " Yes, it will," replied the testator, and time has proved which was right. The work of erecting the first five buildings was begun in 1833, the corner-stone being laid with appropriate cere- monies on July 4 of that year. A most impressive address was delivered on the occasion by Mr. Nicholas Biddle, a distinguished member of a distinguished family. The original establishment, consisting of the Main Building and the two buildings on either side, was completed and formally presented to the Directors in November, 1847, and the College opened on January i of the ensuing year. It may not be generally known that an effort was made to organize for the purpose of instruction in 1838, ten years before the College was actually opened. In 1836, the Trustees, with the authority of the City Councils, appointed a president of the College in the per- son of Alexander Dallas Bache, Professor of Natural Philosophy in the University of Pennsylvania, who im- mediately sailed for Europe to examine similar institu- tions abroad, and to purchase books and apparatus. On the return of Professor Bache, two years later, the Trustees were suddenly and unexpectedly informed by the Com- I 68 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. missioners of the Girard Estate that their counsel, John Sergeant, had decided that the duties of the College could not begin until the whole was completed. This was a great surprise and no little embarrassment to the Trustees, and a sad disappointment to the people of the city. The President-elect, after publishing a voluminous report of his visit to Europe, returned to his professorship in the University, and in 1843 became Superintendent of the Coast Survey. A word of praise is due the architect of the first College buildings, Mr. Thomas U. Walter. His task was not an easy one. He had in this country no precedent. He built the first Grecian temple in the United States, and the finest specimen in existence at the present day. He was obliged to serve a building committee the membership of which was constantly changing under the system of making ap- pointments then in vogue. And yet we find in every an- nual report of the committee none but words of praise for the architect. They uniformly commend the skill, good taste and faithfulness with which he managed this colossal work. He had the community to please also. People were impatient to see the great College completed, and during the progress of the work there were many and con- stant complaints and expressions of impatience. Even Charles Dickens, in his "American Notes," takes occasion to criticise the American people for not hurrying to com- pletion the gigantic structure. He says, " Near the city is a most splendid unfinished marble structure for the Girard College, founded by a deceased gentleman of that name, and of enormous wealth, which, if completed ac- cording to the original design, will be perhaps the richest edifice of modern timesV But the bequest is involved in ADDRESS BY ADAM H. FETTEROLF, PH.D., LL.D. 69 legal disputes, and pending them the work has stopped; so that, like many other great undertakings in America, even this is rather going to be done one of these days, than doing now." One of the chief causes of delay was the scarcity o* skilled workmen. At one time the building committee advertised for stone-cutters in Boston, New York and Baltimore, and the result was the accession of only three men. But notwithstanding the many and unavoidable delays and interruptions in the work, probably never before was there a building of such size and finish constructed as rapidly as our Main Building. The Church of the Made- leine, in Paris, of similar architecture, and perhaps equal to it in magnitude, was twenty-seven years in building, not including the time when, on account of national troubles, all such operations were suspended in the French capital. It is a matter of some interest that, while Mr. Girard was most explicit in the details of the several structures, he does not mention the portico of the Main Building. As this addition involved an outlay of several hundred thousand dollars, there was much criticism, and the build- ing committee were charged with extravagance. The committee in their final report say, " There is nothing that could have been omitted, except the surrounding portico; and that is fully justified, if not required, by the injunction of Mr. Girard, that 'utility and good taste should be left to determine in the particulars not specified in the will.' This portico was adopted by Councils after great delibera- tion, and with singular unanimity; and it only remains for those who object, to look at the building and say whether 5 7O SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. it would have been a tasteful object had the proportions given by Mr. Girard been adhered to, and the surrounding portico omitted." The order of architecture has often been commented upon and criticised on the ground that expense might have been avoided if an order less ornate had been chosen. Both the architect and building committee declare that the Corinthian style was chosen for the sake of economy alone. The plan and general style having once been de- cided upon, it was necessary to choose one of the three Grecian orders, the Doric, Ionic or Corinthian. Of these, the last named was the least expensive. A Doric column capable of reaching so high would have required a thickness of nine and a half feet, which would have made it cost twice as much as one of the Corinthian columns. The Ionic order, in like manner, would have demanded a thicker shaft, and capitals carved from a single block of marble. The most important event between the time of laying the corner-stone and the opening of the College was the famous Girard Will Contest. The heirs-at-law instituted a suit in 1836. The case did not come up for hearing until six years later, when it was decided in favor of the will. It was argued in the Supreme Court in 1843; a rehearing ordered, and again argued the following year, Daniel Webster having in the mean time been retained by the heirs. Mr. Webster realized that he had a weak case in point of law, but he readily detected a method by which he could go boldly outside the law, and substitute for argu- ment " an impassioned appeal to emotion and prejudice." Webster's plea was for the Christian Religion, and so powerful was the speech in its eulogy and defence, that the ADDRESS BY ADAM H. FETTEROLF, PH.D., LL.D. 7 1 people of Washington, irrespective of denomination, held a meeting, and appointed a committee to wait on Mr. Webster and ask permission to have his address printed. He gave his assent, and it was afterwards published and widely disseminated. The plea was eloquent, sentimental and even pathetic. But eloquence, sentiment and pathos are not argument. Webster failed to prove that Girard College must of ne- cessity be an anti-Christian institution, and the Supreme Court decided unanimously in favor of the will and the College. Chief Justice Story ruled that an institution may be Christian without being sectarian, and that there could be religious instruction even though the minister, mis- sionary and ecclesiastic be excluded. The lawyers for the will were John Sergeant and Horace Binney, of the Philadelphia Bar, and with such signal ability and learning did they conduct their case, that President Tyler was moved to confer a seat on the Su- preme Bench first to Mr. Sergeant and then to Mr. Bin- ney, an honor which they both declined. As early as 1833, the idea suggested itself to the minds of prominent citizens of Philadelphia that Girard's remains should repose in Girard's college. In the same year the building committee were authorized by Councils to con- struct a vault in the Main Building, in the most suitable and durable manner, and were further directed to transfer the remains thither as soon as might be. It was not, how- ever, until 1851, eighteen years later, that the body of the Founder was brought to the Institution. The occasion was a great civic pageant, and was conducted entirely by the Masonic Order. The procession was one of the largest of its kind ever seen in the city, the number of 72 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. Masons in line being over fifteen hundred. The remains were deposited in the south vestibule of the Main Build- ing, in the marble sarcophagus where they still repose. On January i, 1848, there assembled in the old chapel, which is now the Memorial Room, the directors, teachers, officers and pupils of the Girard College. There were six- teen directors, seventeen officers and teachers, and one hundred pupils. These constituted the College at its first opening. Of the sixteen directors, only one survives, Mr. Frederick Fraley. Of the teachers, Miss Mary Lynch, who died June 22, 1897, was the last to pass away. All the other officers president, matron, steward and teachers have gone to their reward. As no boy could be admitted over ten years of age, the College was at first a school for children, an elementary school. There was no need of a college department, since there were no boys ready for college instruction. As the boys grew in years, the demand for higher instruction grew, and the upper forms became a necessity. The first complete curriculum was adopted in 1853, an( ^ tne ^ rst class was graduated in 1854. The number of boys has grown from one hundred in January, 1848, to fifteen hundred and thirty-six in Jan- uary, 1898. The buildings have increased from five to fourteen, and the staff of teachers and officers from seven- teen to one hundred and fifteen. The number of teachers and officers connected with the College since its opening is 349; pupils, 5,899. There have been but four Presidents of the College. At the opening in 1848, the Hon. Joel Jones, formerly a judge of the Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia, was elected to the position, but remained in charge less than OP THE UNIVERSITY ADDRESS BY ADAM H. FETTEROLF, PH.D., LL.D. 73 two years. He was succeeded in 1850 by Dr. William H. Allen, then a professor in Dickinson College. With the exception of an interval of four years, from 1863 to 1867, when Major Richard Somers Smith, a graduate of West Point, was the executive, he remained in the presidency until his death in 1882. No one could have been better fitted for this office by natural temperament and training than Dr. Allen. With fine presence, superior talents, genial disposition, and rare executive ability, he was pe- culiarly adapted for the labors and responsibilities of a position the duties of which are so many and so varied. The chancel window of this chapel bears testimony to the regard and esteem in which he was held by the Alumni of the College. There have been also four Vice-Presidents of the Col- lege since the position was first, created in 1877. Henry W. Arey, A.M., Adam H. Fetterolf, LL.D., Henry D. Gregory, LL.D., and Winthrop D. Sheldon, A.M., the present incumbent. In fulfilling the plans of its Founder, the College has three purposes in view. First, to provide for the orphan wards of the city of Philadelphia a comfortable and happy home, in which their health and physical welfare shall be duly cared for, so that they may grow up to a sound and vigorous manhood; second, to furnish such education of head and hand as shall prepare them for intelligent and industrious citizenship; and third, to give them such training in all the essentials of character as shall fit them to be upright, law-abiding and useful members of the com- munity in which they may hereafter dwell. To accomplish these objects, the College was organized and is carried on. In directing what branches should be taught, the 74 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. Founder designates but does not restrict. The will on this point is liberal and comprehensive, and, like the Constitu- tion of the United States, has its elastic clause, namely, " I would have them taught facts and things rather than words and signs." Under this provision, the course of study has been often extended and revised to meet the de- mands of experience, and to keep abreast with the times and current progress in education. The last fifty years cover a period of great educational awakening. There have been so many changes, that we have come to speak of the education of the present day as the new education. Yet these changes have not, in every instance, meant im- provements. Many experiments have proved failures. In speaking of this subject, our learned Commissioner of Education, Dr. William T. Harris, says, " Experiments are so costly that one must be cautious in undertaking them. Ninety-nine fail and one succeeds." Our policy has been to keep well abreast of the times, and to take up with a new idea, not because it is new, but because it is good; and to give up old methods and old systems, not because they are old, but because they are no longer the best. The boys of the Girard College need a practical train- ing. They: need, in addition to knowledge and intelli- gence, skill and efficiency. They must have that which will enable them to earn their livelihood as soon as they leave school. For this reason, we have always endeavored to teach all our pupils to do everything with thoroughness and accuracy. In all grades, special emphasis is placed upon those studies which will directly prepare the pupil for efficient service in that class of pursuits into which he will enter. At the same 'time, it is steadily kept in view ADDRESS BY ADAM H. FETTEROLF, PH.D., LL.D. 75 that education is not merely a preparation for bread-win- ning, but is far more than this, a preparation for broad, generous, useful life, for living itself. The corner-stone was laid on July 4, 1833, precisely at the hour of noon. It was a happy thought that such an event should be celebrated on Independence Day. It suggested patriotism as one of the cardinal virtues to be kept before the minds of the youth who come here to be educated; the same thought that the Founder had in mind when in his will he directs that " by every proper means a pure attachment to our republican institutions should be formed and fostered in the minds of the scholars." And every one familiar with the College will bear testimony that a more patriotic company of boys than those who are gathered from time to time within the College enclosure cannot be found anywhere. Love for the flag, respect and veneration for our patriotic soldiers and statesmen, and loyalty to the government that protects them, are always before their minds. This, with the efficient military train- ing which they are constantly receiving, makes them citi- zens upon whom the government can depend to do honest and intelligent voting in time of peace, and brave fighting in time of war. The Soldiers' Monument, standing within the grounds, unveiled in 1869, bears testimony to the fact that Girard College patriotism is not sentiment only. At the breaking out of the war, about three hundred boys had left the College. How many of these enlisted we do not exactly know, but the monument bears record that at least twenty-five gave their lives for their country. Under the will of the Founder, the boys on leaving the College are to be "bound out" "to suitable occupations, as those of agriculture, navigation and mechanical trades, 76 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. arts and manufactures." While the old apprentice system which obtained in Mr. Girard's time was a help and a con- venience in the early history of the College, it gradually became a serious hinderance. Employers refused to enter into the obligation of master, and the average boy dis- liked the idea of being an indentured apprentice bound to an employer for a definite number of years; so that binding out grew more and more into disfavor, until it finally became a question of whether we should give up the apprenticing, or close to our boys many avenues of business offering the best opportunities for bright and en- ergetic lads. The Board of Directors wisely chose the former alternative. Under our present system, when a boy has found suitable employment, or has reached the age when the authorities think he should no longer remain in the Institution, his college indenture is cancelled, and he is returned to his mother or next friend. While we consider ourselves thus legally relieved from all responsi- bility, we still keep an oversight over the boy until he be- -comes twenty-one years of age. Our Superintendent of Admission and Indentures visits, as far as he is able, all boys under twenty-one years of age at least once a year. The gentlemen who, from time to time, have had the responsibility of directing the affairs of the College and of the Girard Estate have ever been the best of the city, men distinguished for their intelligence, integrity and good business judgment. For the first twenty-two years, the Trust was administered by a board of sixteen direc- tors chosen by the City Councils, four being appointed each year. A serious objection to this system of appoint- ment was the short and uncertain tenure of office, and a lack of permanency and stability in a body having to make ADDRESS BY ADAM H. FETTEROLF, PH.D., LL.D. 77 many and important business contracts. During the twenty-two years that this system obtained, there were on the board of management ninety-five different directors, each having served an average of four years. An act creating the present Board of Directors of City Trusts was approved by the Governor on the thirtieth day of June, 1869, and the first board was appointed two months later. The City Councils refused to acknowledge the right of the new board, and an appeal was made to the courts to test the validity of the act of the Legislature creating it. Justice Sherwood delivered the unanimous opinion of the court affirming the validity of the law. The city then withdrew its opposition, and the new board took charge February 25, 1870. Under the existing system there have been in twenty-eight years twenty-seven mem- bers, and the average term of service twelve years. Under their management, the Residuary Fund has in- creased one hundred per cent., and the net income two hundred per cent. There has been a general improved con- dition of the grounds and buildings, steam heating and electric lighting throughout, and a filtering plant by which our entire water supply is purified. In the educational work, the improvements of recent years include our manual training school, thoroughly equipped in all its de- partments, and ranking among the earliest and best in the country; the department of natural history, with its well selected museum; the addition of a laboratory to the course of chemistry and physics; our school of typewriting and shorthand, and the increase of our library, recently catalogued. We have also introduced, most successfully, systematic voice culture, with instruction in sight reading and part singing, calisthenics, military science and tactics, 78 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. and thrift teaching, by which the boys are encouraged to put in a saving-fund the little sums of money given them from time to time. In this way we hope to foster the habit of saving, so important in the man and the citizen, in a country where waste and extravagance are so general. What becomes of our boys? This is of all questions the most important. What is the College, with its munifi- cent endowments, its stately buildings, and its grand equipment, doing for the lads entrusted to its care and training? We must estimate it, as we do a family, a com- munity or a State, by the citizens it produces. Count Bismarck says, " One-third of the students of the German universities destroy themselves by dissipation; one-third wear themselves out by overwork, and the rest govern Europe." President David Starr Jordan,, of the Leland Stanford, Jr., University, in alluding to this state- ment of the distinguished German statesman, observes that while the numerical quality of these three classes can- not be insisted upon, we still recognize that something of this sort is true of the college students of America, adding that, " One part ' go to the dogs,' one part go to the grave, and the rest are the strength of the Republic." This is a rather startling statement, and if true, a sad one, that only one-third of the young men who attend the univer- sities and colleges are saved to live a life of usefulness. The Girard boy is neither born great, nor does he have greatness thrust upon him. His greatness is his own achievement. When he leaves his Alma Mater, he must at once earn his own living. This may be a hardship, but not a misfortune. During the last two months we have been trying, with the assistance of a Committee of the Alumni, to collect in- ADDRESS BY ADAM H. FETTEROLF, PH.D., LL.D. 79 formation as to how many of the graduates are living and how they have prospered. While the statistics are still far from being complete, they are very valuable in enabling us to see the results of the training boys have received while in the College. The occupations they have taken up are about as varied as would be those of the same number of boys going out from the public schools. About thirty per cent, are engaged in mechanical or kindred pursuits. Some have entered the professions. Some have become successful journalists, while others have held high official positions in the city, the State and the nation. Fully ninety per cent, are doing, and have done, credit to themselves and their early home. After an experience of seventeen years with the boys of Girard College, I have been convinced that no lads go out into life with better ideals. They have no other thought than that of winning their own way, to do and be that which makes sterling manhood and good citizenship. It is the boast of the famous Winchester School that it makes good Englishmen. Girard College claims that it makes good Americans. For over a dozen years, our Superintendent of Admis- sion and Indentures has been visiting, mingling and con- sulting with the boys and young men who have gone out of the College to take their places in the world as workers, voters and thinkers. His reports are uniformly of an en- couraging character. He speaks of the Girard boy as ambitious, honest and diligent. Ambitious to succeed in their vocation; honest in their dealings and intercourse with their fellows, and diligent in the discharge of duty. He reports them as kind and affectionate in the family. 8O SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. faithful and devoted in their religious work, and ever loyal in their attachment to our republican institutions. Of the older Alumni who have reached the years of manhood, we may be justly proud. They are Girard's greatest, because his living, monument. They are to be met with in all the walks of life, and invariably among our best citizens. In conclusion, it is not to be forgotten that Stephen Girard did more than establish Girard College, he estab- lished a precedent. As the first of our large givers, he taught men that wealth, like life itself, is opportunity. His example has had many distinguished followers, who have learned from him the noble lesson that the greatest privilege of living is that of doing good to our fellow-men. Girard College as compared with the famous schools of the old world is yet in its infancy. What its work and in- fluence in the future may be can only be imagined. Dur- ing the centuries and ages to follow, boys will continue to come to these halls to be trained for duty and for living, to be men and to be citizens. Those who are now di- recting and teaching will gradually drop out and others will step in and take their places. May each half-century be a half-century of progress, each accomplish better and nobler things than that which has gone before. And may others " Finish what we begin And all that we fail of, win." OF THB UNIVERSITY ' a* ... n : i^S ADDRESS BY HON. THOMAS B. REED, Speaker of the House of Representatives. Six hundred and fifty or seventy years ago, England, which, during the following period of nearly seven cen- turies, has been the richest nation on the face of the globe, began to establish the two great universities which, from the banks of the Cam and the Isis, have sent forth great scholars and priests and statesmen whose fame is the his- tory of their own country, and whose deeds have been part of the history of every land and sea. During all that long period, reaching back two hundred and fifty years before it was even dreamed that this great hemisphere existed, be- fore the world knew that it was swinging in the air and rolling about the sun, kings and cardinals, nobles and great churchmen, the learned and the pious, began be- stowing upon those abodes of scholars their gifts of land and money, and they have continued their benefactions down to our time. What those universities, with all their colleges and halls teeming with scholars for six hundred years, have done for the progress of civilization and the good of man this whole evening could not begin to tell. Even your imaginations cannot, at this moment, create the surprising picture. Nevertheless, the Insti- tution at which most of you are, or have been, pupils is at the beginning of a career with which those great uni- 81 82 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. versities and their great history may struggle in vain for the palm of the greatest usefulness to the race of man. One single fact will make it evident that this possibility is not the creation of imagination or the product of that boastfulness which America will some clay feel herself too great to cherish, but a simple and plain possibility which has the sanction of mathematics as well as hope. Although more than six centuries of regal, princely, and pious donations have been poured into the purses of these venerable aids to learning, the munificence of one Ameri- can citizen to-day affords an endowment income equal to that of each university, and when the full century has com- pleted his work will afford an income superior to the income of both. When Time has done his perfect work, Stephen Girard, mariner and merchant, may be found to have come nearer immortality than the long procession of kings and cardinals, nobles and statesmen, whose power was mighty in their own days, but who are only on their way to oblivion. I am well aware that this College of Orphans, wherein the wisdom of the Founder requires facts and things to be taught rather than words and signs, can as yet make no claim to that higher learning so essen- tial to the ultimate progress of the world; but it has its own mission as great and as high, and one which connects itself more nearly with the practical elevation of mankind. Whether the overruling Providence, of which we talk so much and know so little, has each of us in His kindly care and keeping, we shall better know when our minds have the broader scope which immortality will make pos- sible. But, however men may dispute over individual care, His care over the race as a whole fills all the pages of human history. Unity and progress are the watch- ADDRESS BY HON. THOMAS B. REED. 83 words of the Divine guidance, and no matter how harsh has been the treatment by one man of thousands of men, every great event, or series of events, has been for the good of the race. Were this the proper time, I could show that wars and wars ought to be banished forever from the face of the earth; that pestilences and the time is coming when they will be no more; that persecutions and inquisitions and liberty of thought is the richest pearl of life, that all these things wars, pestilences and persecu- tions were but helps to the unity of mankind. All things, including our own natures, bind us together for deep and unrelenting purpose. Think what we should be, who are unlearned and brutish, if the wise, the learned, and the good could sepa- rate themselves from us; were free from our superstitions and vague and foolish fears, and stood loftily by them- selves, wrapped in their own superior wisdom. Therefore hath it been wisely ordained that no set of creatures of our race shall be beyond the reach of their helping hand; so lofty that they will not fear our reproaches, or so mighty as to be beyond our reach. If the lofty and the learned do not lift us up, we drag them down. But unity is not the only watchword; there must be progress also. Since, by a law we cannot evade, we are to keep together, and since we are to progress, we must do it together, and nobody must be left behind. This is not a matter of philosophy; it is a matter of fact. No progress which did not lift all, ever lifted any. If we let the poison of filth diseases percolate through the hovels of the poor, death knocks at the palace gates. If we leave to the greater horror of ignorance any portion of our race, the consequences of ignorance strike us all, and there is no escape. We must all move, but we 84 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. must all keep together. It is only when the rear-guard comes up that the vanguard can go on. Stephen Girard must have understood this. He took under his charge the progress of those who needed his aid, knowing that if they were added to the list of good citizens, to the catalogue of moral, enterprising, and useful men, there was so much added, not to their happiness only, but to the welfare of the race to which he belonged. For his orphans the vanguard need not wait. Your Founder also understood what education was. Most men brought up as he was on shipboard and on shore, with few books and fewer studies, if they cared for learning at all, would have had for learning an uncouth reverence, such as the savage has for his idol, a reverence for the fancied magnifi- cence of the unknown. This would have led him to es- tablish a university devoted to out-of-the-way learning beyond his ken, or to link his name to glories to which he could not aspire. But the man who named his vessels after the great French authors of his age, and who read their works himself, knew from them, and from his own laborious and successful life, that learning was not all of education, and so gave his orphans an entrance into a practical world with such learning as left the whole field of learning before them, if they wanted it, with power to make fortunes besides. It is strange to watch the growth into fame and respect and reverence of Stephen Girard as his plan of conferring a benefaction upon the city and the people whom he has loved has slowly unfolded itself before their gaze. The generation in which he lives can seldom understand the really great man. We live for to-day, and he lives for a day after to-day. He takes on the century in which he ADDRESS BY HON. THOMAS B. REED. 85 lives and a hundred years after he has passed away. The man of mediocrity must make his hay under the shine of the present sun, and so must clasp every hand he can touch and make us think he loves us all. But the greatest merchant of his time, with the noblest ambition of them all, was so resolute in his pursuit of wealth, and so coldly determined in all his endeavors, that he seems to have un- covered to few or to none the generous purpose of his heart. What he said to the man who was so unworthy to write his first biography, but who was forced to bless when he had gone forth to curse, is the secret of his career. " My actions must make my life," he said, and of his life not one moment was wasted. "Facts and things rather than words and signs" were the warp and woof of his ex- istence. No wonder he left the injunction that this should be the teaching of those objects of his bounty into whose faces he was never to look. The vast wealth which Mr. Girard had was of itself alone evidence of greatness. I have not forgotten the epitaph on Colonel Charters, who died rich and infamous, that you could see what God thought of riches by the people He gave them to. For- tunes may be made and lost. Fortunes may be inherited. These things mean nothing. But the fortune which has given us all our surroundings to-night was made and firmly held in a hand of eighty years. That meant great- ness. But when the dead hand opens and pours the rich bloom of a preparation for life over six thousand boys in the half-century which has gone and thousands in the cen- turies to come, that means more than greatness. Mr. Girard gave more than his money. He put into his enter- 6 86 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. prise his own powerful brain, and, like the ships he sent to sea, long after his death the adventure came home laden, not with the results of his capital alone, but of his forethought and his genius. He builded for so many years that the stars will be cold before his work is finished. We envious people, who cannot be wealthy any more than we can add a cubit to our stature, avenge ourselves by think- ing and proclaiming that pursuit of wealth is sordid and stifles the nobler sentiments of the soul. Whether this be so or not, if whoever makes to grow two blades of grass where but one grew before is a benefactor of his race, he also is a benefactor who makes two ships sail the sea where but one encountered its storms before. However sordid the owner may be, this is a benefit of which he cannot deprive the world. That men who have achieved great riches are not always shut out by their riches from the nobler emotions, Stephen Girard was himself a most illustrious example. A hun- dred years ago this city was under the black horror of a plague. So terrible was the fear that fell upon the city, that the tenderest of domestic ties the love of husband and wife and of parents for children seemed obliterated. Even gold lost its power in the multitudinous presence of impending death. There was no refuge even in the hos- pital, which, reeking with disease, was a hell out of which there was no redemption. Neither money nor affection could buy service. " Fear was on every soul." Mr. Girard was then in the prime of life, forty-two years old, in health and strength, already rich, and with a future as secure as ever falls to human lot. Of his own accord, as a volunteer, he took charge of the interior of the deadly ADDRESS BY HON. THOMAS B. REED. hospital, and for two long and weary months stood face to face with death. A poet himself has sung in vain of what makes the little songs linger in our hearts for ages, while epics perish and .tragedies pass out of sight. Why this is so we shall never know by reason alone. Way down in the human heart there is a tenderness for self-sacrifice which makes it seem loftier than the love of glory, and reveals the possibility of the eternal soul. W T ars and sieges pass away and great intellectual efforts cease to stir our hearts, but the man who sacrifices himself for his fellow lives forever. We forget the war in which was the siege of Zutphen, and almost the city itself, but we shall never forget the death of Sir Philip Sidney. Scholars alone read the work of his life, but all mankind honors him in the story of his death. The great war of the Crimea, in our own day, with its generals and marshals, and its bands of storming soldiery, has almost passed from our memories, but the time will never come when the charge of Balaklava will cease to stir the heart or pass from story or from song. It happened to Stephen Girard, mariner and merchant, seeking wealth and finding it, whose ships covered every sea, whose intellect penetrated, as your treasurer's books will show, a hundred years into the future, to light up his life by a deed more noble than the dying courtesy of Sid- ney and braver than the charge of the six hundred, for he walked under his own orders day by day and week by week, shoulder to shoulder with death, and was not afraid. How fit, indeed, it is that amidst these temples which are the tribute to his intellect should stand the tablet which is the tribute to his heart! 88 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. Surely, if the immortal dead, serene with the wisdcm of eternity, are not above all joy and pride, he must feel a thrill to know that no mariner or merchant ever sent forth a venture upon unknown seas which came back with richer cargoes or in statelier ships. REMARKS BY THE CHAIRMAN General Wagner prefaced his remarks with the follow- ing: I will read at this time a telegram from Governor Hastings: "I deeply regret that annual meetings of banking and other interests, post- poned from Saturday, make it impossible for me to leave here to-day. I hope you will appreciate my disappointment at not being able to be present at the Stephen Girard semi-centennial, and to greet the alumni and management of the noblest benefaction in this country." We anticipated great pleasure in having the Governor of the Commonwealth with us, more particularly as the first graduate of the Institution, Mr. George W. Jackson, was a partner of his in business at Bellefojite; and we had expected to hear from the Governor of his personal knowl- edge of the results of the education and training at Girard College. Governor Hastings is not here, but in his place we have captured a speaker who will, I am certain, when the proper point in the programme is reached, interest and instruct us. Who he is I will tell you after a while. President Fetterolf referred to the fact that Mr. Fred- erick Fraley, our oldest and most distinguished citizen of Philadelphia, one of the first Directors of the College, still lives. We invited him to be present with us, and he writes 89 9O SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. that physical inability prevents, concluding his letter as follows : " Among the most precious of my memories are the years of my official con- nection with the Girard College. And now, as the only survivor of the Board of Directors of 1847 and I ^4^, I am thankful that I have been permitted to live until its fiftieth anniversary. ' ' Faithfully yours, "FREDERICK FRALEY." General Wagner then introduced the next speaker in the following remarks: Now, I want to tell you a very tTrief story. When the committee having charge of these exercises cast about for speakers, they said, " We want Reed." And we have him. They then looked for the proper man to make us the second address. We said we wanted a college president; and we wanted the president from the college at Easton. But somebody said, "He's a preacher, and he can't get in." That seemed to settle the case, of course; and we looked about, and finally concluded that the man in that capacity couldn't be had. We felt compelled to make other arrangements, and thought President Fetterolf had committed a frightful blunder when he sent a general in- vitation to the president of the college at Easton, who promptly accepted it. Then we carefully examined the records, as we should have done at first, and found that the gentleman did not preach at all, he practised (which is the more difficult); that his brother preached, but he did not; and of course we said to him, " We shall be glad to see you." And he is here. Then, when the telegram came that Governor Hastings could not be here, we laid violent hands upon this man who is not a "preacher, and said, " Now, the REMARKS BY THE CHAIRMAN. 9! speech that you would have had a month to prepare, we will give you, in addition to your dinner, fifteen minutes to get ready." Being a Presbyterian ruling elder, and not a preaching elder, he of course bowed to fate, took it for granted that it was foreordained, and said, "I submit." More appropriate still. We are to-night celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of Girard College, an institution estab- lished by a native of France, but, as Speaker Reed has said, an American citizen from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet. And the gentleman who will now talk to us is the president of a college named after another native of France, one who helped to establish the inde- pendence of the Colonies, and made possible these United States of America. When I said that Governor Hastings would not be here, but that we had another speaker in reserve, somebody said, "Well, that's Brosius;" somebody else said, "That's MacVeagh;" others, " Loudon Snowden;" and I said quietly to myself, " You are all wrong; any one of these, or of a dozen others on the platform, could make a good speech at any time, yet none of these is the man we have captured." I take great pleasure in presenting to you E. D. War- field, LL.D., the President of Lafayette College. ADDRESS BY ETHELBERT D. WARFIELD, LL.D., President of Lafayette College. MR. CHAIRMAN, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: It is very evident that we have another Presbyterian ruling elder here, and that he has been practising on this audience. I thought he would have a good deal of " nerve" who would dare to stand up before so large an assemblage of citizens of Pennsylvania and undertake to say which one of all that noble army of martyrs, too numerous to be named, who are reluctantly expecting to be called upon to take the place of Governor Hastings, is indeed the man. I am only surprised that you have so readily acquiesced in his nomination. As a Presbyterian, I not only believe in foreordination, but also in " election." Hence I, too, must acquiesce in General Wagner's selection. I can assure you, however, that I am not a preacher. I recall with approval the reply of an old darky down in Kentucky, who, when asked if he were not a preacher, replied, "Oh, no, young massa, I ain't no preacher; I is a 'zorter. You know a preacher is bound to stick to his text, but a 'zorter, he can branch." It is a very great privilege on such an occasion to be able to " branch," espe- cially when you haven't a text. I looked on the pro- gramme, and I couldn't see what Governor Hastings, or I, or anybody else, was^-expected to talk about. So I 92 ft ADDRESS BY ETHELBERT D. WARFIELD, LL.D.' 93 thought that, in commemorating the great work of this College, its high moral attitude, or something of that sort, was surely in keeping with the occasion. Then I thought of the distinguished Frenchman who died a few days ago, and concerning whom we have been hearing so much in the newspapers, Mr. Alphonse Daudet, and I remem- bered a little incident connected with him when he came in contact with our American ideas of morality. You will recollect, perhaps, that when he was writing his novel, " Sapho," in which he undertook to teach his sons, and the French nation generally, sound morals, Messrs. Funk & Wagnalls, the eminent publishers of The Voice (a paper well known in connection with its interest in the morals of another college, which will not now be mentioned), heard that Mr. Daudet was about to publish a novel to teach morality, and contracted with him for the American rights of " Sapho." " Sapho" when finished was sent to them. Then Messrs. Funk & Wagnalls drank in draughts of morality, such as they are so constantly receiving from their special agents, and for once they must have reeled. We can scarcely suppose that they were intoxicated, but it was something a little stronger than they had been ac- customed to imbibe as pure morality. So they cabled to Mr. Daudet, " ' Sapho' will not do." Mr. Daudet was com- pletely overcome at the idea that anything he wrote could be rejected. Therefore he hastened to an English friend, and asked him what on earth this meant. The friend looked at the cablegram, and said, " Why, it's perfectly plain. You French spell ' Sapho' with one ' p/ while the English spell it 'Sappho,' with two." The result was that Mr. Daudet cabled back to Messrs. Funk & Wagnalls, care of The Voice, New York, "Spell it with two p's." 94 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. The effect on Messrs. Funk & Wagnalls has happily not been recorded. Such apparently is the danger of reflec- tions upon moral questions which involve more than one nationality. In venturing to speak at such a time to such an audience as this, I am reminded of the old saying, " Who shall speak after the king?" We have all been transported by the eloquent words we have listened to, and I am sure we have all been made to feel that he is indeed daft who dares not only to speak after the king, but after the " czar." He is not, it is true, one of the boys of this College, but what we have heard from him further proves what we have long known. He knows his " three R's" : he is always ready, resolute, and right. And I, as a Presbyterian elder, am prepared to give him my benediction on what he has said this evening. What a splendid inspiration it is for us to speak one with another of this College, and what it has done and what it represents! It awakens in us a sharper realization of the fact, that from far beyond the seas men reared under such different intellectual conditions, under such different moral aspirations, and under such different religious teach- ings, have come to this country and lighted here lamps for the illumination of this new world. How often have I rejoiced, in the days that I have been permitted to pre- side over our lovely college, amid the hills that overlook the upper Delaware, to think of the young man who, fired with the love of liberty, left home, family, country, every- thing that was dear to him, and came to this people who were as yet not a nation, and who had but a little land upon the border of an unexplored forest and set upon the margin of a mighty sea! With prophetic instinct he ADDRESS BY ETHELBERT D. WARFIELD, LL.D. 95 looked beyond the years that were and beheld, as we have been told that Stephen Girard saw, the years that were about to be. How great was the heritage which he per- ceived that not only this people, but the universal hosts of liberty were about to enter into in America! Think of him and of his devotion to this country; of how he went back and tried to reason with " that rabble devil-born," as they raved in the streets of Paris, mistaking the outcry of mad social discontent for the glorious voice of liberty; think how he suffered, how he was imprisoned, how he endured everything, and never once permitted himself to desecrate the principles of freedom as he had been taught them in this country by Washington and his glorious com- rades! What a wonderful thing it is to think that we, in this day, have built a college in the midst of a Pennsyl- vania-German population, under the control of a Scotch- Irish clientele, and dedicated to the name of a Frenchman! It seems incongruous, no doubt. But, after all, it is True that here under the great pavilion that has been spread in the name of Liberty, practising that pure morality which was so dear to Stephen Girard,, we are gathering together the children of all the nations of the earth, and men like Stephen Girard are providing for them an education, and a training in right principles, that they may all grow up to be free men and true Americans. It is sweet to tell the tale of liberty, and to count its heroes from the first who came to these shores. Many of them have received but little recognition for what they were and what they wrought. It was with peculiar delight that I read, in the last few days, the splendid defence which Professor John Fiske, from his study in Boston, has made of doughty Cap- tain John Smith, one of the beginners of the story of free- SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. dom in America. I love to recount that story, taking within the compass of my thoughts not only the Cavalier of Virginia and the Puritan of Massachusetts, but also the Huguenot of Long Island and the Hollander of Man- hattan, the Friend of Pennsylvania and the German of Germantown (not even forgetting Bucks County), the Scotch-Irish of the Cumberland Valley and the Scotch of North Carolina. Every one of these nationalities, what- ever they may have been, are all parts of the great Ameri- can people. God bless them all! Each has contributed men of mark, whether they were of that class that came already blessed with something good and gracious, or of that to which Abraham Lincoln belonged, who came out of the silent squalor of the mountains of Kentucky, and wandered through the swamp-lands of the Indiana and Illinois of early days, and thence down the Mississippi on its flat-boats, learning with painful industry the way of knowledge, that he might tread the path of righteousness. When we think of what such men have accomplished for themselves; when we think of the pain, the agony, the self-denial of the struggle which they had to undergo; when we think of how Lincoln and his fellows rose and stood face to face with intrenched falsehood, and mastered it in its intrenchments, is it any wonder that we rejoice that colleges like this have been founded by the munifi- cence of men like Stephen Girard, that they may point not only hundreds but thousands, every year, along the way that is most certain and sure to useful citizenship in this great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania? Oh, that such an institution might be imitated in the other States! Oh, that Pennsylvania might make more of Girard College! ADDRESS BY ETHELBERT D. WARFIELD, LL.D. 97 The work that is being done here is too little known and recognized. I remember very well that, when a little boy, I found in a scrap-book a picture of Stephen Girard and of this beau- tiful first building. The building so impressed itself on my mind that I have never forgotten it. It has always stood out before me as the very ideal of a college; and in my happy college days, when I was a student in one of the universities on the other side of the ocean, to which reference has been made this evening, not even Oxford, with its lovely monuments of Gothic architecture, ever seemed more beautiful than this first building here. How little we appreciate the importance of such a building as a centre of association in the mind of youth and as a formative ideal! When at home I look out from our fair hill upon the mountains around about, upon the river flow- ing seaward, upon the clouds sailing through the blue heavens, which bend above the purple hills, and I think that surely such associations must uplift our boys, even as the scenes in the hill country of Judaea uplifted the heart of David, to a serene walk with God. How wonderful such associations are! What an undying influence the mere communion with yonder building must create! Again, how wise was Mr. Girard's provision for instruc- tion in the principles of a pure patriotism! I can remem- ber, as I can remember nothing else from those days, when it was a question whether Kentucky was a State of the Union or not, when John Morgan and his rough riders again and again rode through the streets of our little city, how my mother, with most strenuous intensity of feeling, taught me to love our flag. There were few, in the Re- construction days that followed, who really clung with 98 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. unfaltering affection to that dear old flag. I was only a child at the time, but under such teaching my affection for the Stars and Stripes grew deep and strong. With what a thrill of joy, in later years, have I seen unexpectedly in the ports of Europe that emblem of liberty! Surely our hearts should feel a thrill of gladness for what America is; for what men like Stephen Girard have done their part to make it; for that yet nobler, higher, dearer thing which it is the privilege and the possibility of this generation to make it in the interest of peace and prosperity, of the wel- fare of men and the service of God. Up yonder on that hill at home, where there was once a monument to one of the benefactors of Pennsylvania, there is now a blackened ruin. How my heart sinks every time I go by it, and I think again of that day, just two weeks ago, when that beautiful building went up in flames! But I never pass it by that I do not say to myself, " Look forward and not back, look up and not down." And surely that is the motto for America. We can make of these ' j institutions, as has been made of this College, a wonderful power for good. It is a thing for us all to be proud of that the management of this Institution has fallen into such good hands, and that the direction of the youth within its walls is in such excellent keeping. I am sure we all rejoice with President Fetterolf and the representa- tives of the City Trusts of Philadelphia in the work that we see, and that we know is going farther forward unto perfection. OP THE UNIVERSITY ADDRESS BY THEODORE L. DEBOW, '57. MR. PRESIDENT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: 1 am deeply sensible of the honor conferred upon me in repre- senting on this interesting occasion the first one hundred boys who entered this Institution fifty years ago. Time has made sad inroads in our members, there being but a fraction of the original hundred left, and of the officers and teachers not one remains who gathered with us at the in- augural services on the first day of January, 1848. Time has also made great changes in the Institution itself; not, however, bringing to it decrepitude and decay with its fifty years of existence, but, like the sturdy oak of the forest, it has gathered increasing strength from year to year, striking its roots deeper into its native soil, spreading its branches far out into the atmosphere about it; and raising its head high into the vaulted blue above, until it seems to have completely filled the whole territory in which it was originally planted, the extent of which, per- haps, Mr. Girard, in his utmost expectations, had sup- posed it would take many years to grow. The first hun- dred had a great inheritance of air and sky, of fields and woods that seemed almost boundless. No pent-up Utica constrained our powers, For the whole boundless universe was ours. 99 IOO SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. Now we see a multiplicity of stately buildings, beautiful in their architecture, teeming with activity and usefulness, spreading over the whole landscape. The fields and the woods, that to our childish hearts were so dear, have given place to the honest and lusty growth of development dur- ing the first half-century of our history, so that we cry out in our 'amazement, " Whereunto will this thing grow?" When the first hundred took possession of this vast es- tate, we knew that others after a while would come to share it with us, and so we welcomed the second hundred and made room for them, sharing our bounties with them, even though we thought we had a little less of the air and the fields and the woods than we had before, but when the third hundred were introduced, we felt positively crowded and the College seemed no longer what it was. One thing, however, we were willing that they all should share even down to the last generation of the new-comers, viz., the lessons, the discipline and the rod. None can know without its experience the loneliness of a boy bereft of his father; none but the Infinite eye wit- nessed the tears shed on many a narrow bed as the boy, separated from all he loved, entered upon his life in Girard College. But Stephen Girard knew what it was to be lonely, to be friendless, and it may be in the quiet hours of the night shed honest tears in the memory of his boyhood, and being childless, he yearned to gather to his empty heart and fireside the fatherless boys of his adopted city. And so he kept trading, and saving, and planning with this growing, burning hope in his heart, until it became all-absorbing, producing the magnificent results of which we have only seen the first fruits. A boy's life in Girard College is about the same now as ADDRESS BY THEODORE L. DEBOW, '57. IOI it was fifty years ago, and there is not much that can be said, except, perhaps, that the boys inside have, on the whole, a very much better time than the boys on the out- side, and the first hundred thought they had the better of all that came after. As I look back over the years, I am impressed with this fact, that the boy that has devoted a fair share of time and attention to his opportunities here, is sent forth into the world with a mental and moral equip- ment that challenges comparison, other things being- equal, with any institution in the land. I am well satisfied from observation that the studious Girard College boy has a better outlook for earning his living and battling for a successful career than a very large percentage of rich men's sons. The advantage I claim is, that the education here makes us practical men, and throughout this great city and State several thousand men, former boys of this College, have achieved success in the various avocations of life. Without money capital they have risen step by step, filling places of honor and usefulness in their dif- ferent communities. I will not enumerate the professions, or lines of busi- ness, which many of our brothers are filling with great success, nor mention the names of those whose success is our pride, but, for the information of our distinguished guest, I will say that two of them had the honor to be members of Congress but a few years ago, one from the Chester district of this State, and one from the Petersburg district of Virginia, and both of them were Republicans. The mental training of the boys has been, and is now certainly, of the very best, and the teachers and professors, they were of the very best, too. Many of the latter have gone to their reward, but their memory is precious to us 7 IO2 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. that remain. Concerning the moral training, it used to be said that Girard College was atheistic, or that Mr. Girard was an infidel, so that many a poor mother has been afraid to bring her sons here, because she was told that the fear of God was not taught. I think these lies have been buried so long that they can never be resurrected. Can we ever forget the many instructive lessons from the desk on Sun- days, and the sweet hymns taught by Kingsley, Bird, Fisher and others; of the morning and evening prayers, and the Scriptures with the unpronounceable names, and the stories of the battles of Israel with the Moabites, the Jebusites, Hittites, etc., etc.? Who will ever forget the many delightful and profitable Sunday afternoons with Judge Kelley in his prime, or Rene Guillou, Joseph R. Chandler, William Welsh, President Allen, and others? Ladies and gentlemen, I am ready to acknowledge that under the instructions of the Sabbath-day, many a time I felt that I was mean and wicked, and many a time I promised God on my knees that I would be a better boy. The love of country was instilled in our young minds by American history and the example of our noble bene- factor. No wonder, then, that, when the Civil War broke out, hundreds of our boys sprang to arms at the call of the government; many laid down their lives, and sleep to-night with the honored dead. Yonder monument erected to their memory is a living testimonial of the patriotic in- structions received here as boys, bearing fruit in our lives as men. Some of the first hundred's names are inscribed on the tablets there. Oh, these crowding memories of our boyhood days, how delightful they are! Standing upon the threshold of a new half-century, and in* this presence, I fancy I see a face ADDRESS BY THEODORE L. DEBOW, '57. IO3 and form of one who has long since gone to rest. In form he was massive, with broad intellectual brow and kindly blue eyes. He was kind yet firm, deeply learned yet sim- ple. He gave the best years of his life to the development of our youth, and he ' now sleeps the sleep of the Just. Such was President Allen. We esteem him a great man, and no wonder, for he came originally from the State where great men are raised, the State of Maine. Another form appears to my view, one who stood with us here fifty years ago. In the vigor of a strong intellect and a mature womanhood she began the duties of a teacher. So well were these duties discharged that she was asked to assume more important ones. Stern in ap- pearance and word, but conscientious in matters of duty, compelling obedience from all, superintending our com- forts by day, and watching by the beds of the sick at night, childless yet the mother of hundreds. And when the boys went from here to make a start in the world she packed each trunk with her own hands, into each of which she put a copy of the Scriptures and a prayer. She spent her life willingly in this work, and fell asleep in full view of the scenes of her labor. Such was the Matron Jane Mitchell. One other form appears on this scene. She, too, was here fifty years ago. A teacher of the younger boys. Fair of face and form, faithful and devoted. Her countenance reflected the purity of her soul. She lived her whole life, from that time until her translation a few months ago, in the ministry of love and a conscientious, faithful discharge of duty. I refer to Mary Lynch. I stood this evening in the presence of two aged men whose labors here have been almost coextensive with the history of the College; their instruction touching almost, 104 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. if not all, the boys from the beginning until the present; but now their labors are nearly ended; the time of their departure is at hand; they have fought a good fight; they have finished their course; henceforth there is laid up for them a crown. We stand before them with heads un- covered as we look upon their venerable forms. God bless these veteran professors, George J. Becker and Warren Holden. I do not name these in invidious distinction, for others also could be named whose memories are like " ointment poured forth." These have their succesors, equally worthy, but we leave for them a tribute from others fifty years hence. I may be pardoned if I speak a word concerning the management by the Directors of the Board of City Trusts. Many of the honorable men who have held these positions are gone to their reward, who share the happiness of this occasion in spirit perhaps, among whom we remember Joseph R. Chandler, William Cowperthwait, William Bid- die, Mordecai L. Dawson, Judge Campbell, William B. Mann, and others whose names I do not now recall. These men, their colleagues and successors are to be held in everlasting remembrance for fidelity to their trust, for the faithful execution of the plans, purposes and will of Mr. Girard. How well these interests have been preserved is evidenced by our surroundings, and while others have spoken eloquently from without, we from within would utter a hearty indorsement of it all. Gentlemen of the Board of City Trusts, we extend to you our heartfelt thanks for your unselfish and untiring devotion to these great interests, and we hope in the fu- ture, as in the past, the 'Board will always be constituted ADDRESS BY THEODORE L. DEBOW, '57. IO5 of the very best men our city affords. Men of clean hands and pure hearts. May you each at the end receive the plaudit of the King, " Well done, thou good and faithful servant." Brothers, when the Centennial Anniversary of this In- stitution is observed most of us shall have joined the great majority, until that time let us be true to the memory of Stephen Girard, true to ourselves, and true to God. APPENDIX OF THB UNIVERSITY STEPHEN GIRARD STATUE, CITY HALL PLAZA. STEPHEN GI HARD MARINER AND MERCHANT A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH BY GEORGE P. RUPP; Librarian of Girard College. Stephen Girard was born on the 2Oth of May, 1750, in the Rue Ramonet aux Chartrons, a suburb of the city of Bordeaux, France. He was the eldest son and the second child of Captain Pierre Girard. When eight years old he met with an accident by which the sight of his right eye was destroyed. This personal defect and the ridicule it- occasioned no doubt had its effect upon his character. The men of the Girard family generally followed the sea for a living, and, without doubt, Stephen Girard inherited a like inclination. When not quite fourteen years old, he, with his father's consent, sailed in a vessel, the " Pelerin," for San Do- mingo. From 1764 to 1773 he traded between Bordeaux and the West Indies, attaining the rank of lieutenant of the vessel. Mr. Girard had now become a skilful navigator, and he had made up for some of the defects of his early education by study and observation. In October, 1773, he was granted a license to act as captain of a vessel. In the ship " La Julie" he left Bordeaux for San Domingo, reaching there in February, 1774. Having disposed of the cargo, he sailed for New York, and landed there in July, 109 IIO SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. 1774, this being his first visit to the United States. The ability he displayed in the business of disposing of the cargo he brought in the " La Julie," attracted the notice of Mr. Thomas Randall, a merchant of New York, and his assistance enabled Mr. Girard to trade successfully be- tween New York, New Orleans, and Port au Prince. While acting jointly with Mr. Randall, as part owner of the vessel called " L'aimable Louise," Mr. Girard was re- turning from the West Indies, when he was forced, by the presence of a British fleet, to enter Delaware Bay, and he arrived for the first time in Philadelphia in May, 1776. On account of the war of the Revolution, the port of Phila- delphia was blockaded by the British, and, knowing the danger to American ships, he sold his interest in " L'aim- able Louise" and opened a store on Water Street. From this time Mr. Girard could no longer be considered a mariner, though he continued in the shipping business. In the north-eastern section of Philadelphia there was a ship-builder named Lum, whom Mr. Girard consulted about the building of a new vessel. While on this business he met Mary Lum, or " Polly" as she was familiarly called, a girl about sixteen years old, distinguished for her per- sonal beauty and her noble virtues. After a brief court- ship they were married by the Rev. Mr. Stringer, in St. Paul's Episcopal Church, on the 6th of June, 1777. On the approach of the British army to take possession of Philadelphia, Mr. Girard, with his wife, left for Mount Holly, having purchased a small farm there from a Mr. Hazlehurst, who had at one time been his partner. In October, 1778, two years after his arrival in Phila- delphia, Mr. Girard took the oath of allegiance to the State of Pennsylvania. On ^bis return to Philadelphia from STEPHEN GIRARD I A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. I I I Mount Holly, he resumed his business, directing his atten- tion especially to the West India trade. His previous ex- perience, combined with unflagging labor and economy, greatly aided in making his progress to fortune rapid and, at the same time, sure. His father-in-law, Mr. Lum, built for him a sloop, the " Water- Witch," and, as it was through the planning of this boat that he had met his wife, he naturally regarded it with affection, and had a super- stition that it could never cause him loss. Mr. Girard pursued so successfully the New Orleans and West India trade, and his gains increased to such an ex- tent, that he was able to greatly extend his enterprises. In 1780 he entered into partnership with his brother Jean, but contentions arose, and these became so bitter that the partnership was soon dissolved. About this time Mrs. Girard fell into a state of melan- choly, which became so pronounced that, after a consulta- tion with prominent physicians, Mr. Girard reluctantly con- sented to place her in the Pennsylvania Hospital. Shortly after she had been admitted she gave birth to a child, which was baptized Mary, but which died in a few months. Mrs. Girard remained an inmate of the hospital for twenty-five years, and died there on September 15, 1815. In 1791, Mr. Girard commenced building those fine ships which were, in their day, the pride of Philadelphia, and which soon engaged in trade with the most important seaports of the world. They were named the " Rousseau," " Voltaire," "Montesquieu," "Helvetius;" and these names show that he had an affectionate regard for the philosophers of his native land. In 1790, the Bank of the United States was established by an act of Congress. It received a charter which limited 112 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. its existence to twenty years. With its capital of ten mil- lions of dollars it was a powerful agency in establishing the credit of the government, in facilitating its financial opera- tions, and in promoting its industry and commerce. The bank began business in Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia,, with branches in other cities. In 1797 it was removed to the new building on Third Street below Chestnut Street. In 1 8 10, Mr. Girard had about a million dollars with the house of Baring Bros. & Co., of London. Owing to the Barings being on the verge of bankruptcy, Mr. Girard's money was in peril. He succeeded in obtaining his funds by the purchase of British goods, and of shares in the Bank of the United States. The act of Congress to recharter the bank having been defeated, the bank closed, and Mr. Gi- rard purchased the bank building and cashier's house for one-third their original cost, and on the I2th of May, 1812, he opened the Bank of Stephen Girard. When, in 1814, the resources of the country were at the lowest ebb, the treasury bankrupt, a foreign foe march- ing through the land, and when under these conditions the government asked for a loan of five millions of dollars, and the inducement of a large bonus, and interest at seven per cent., with the result that only twenty thousand dollars of the amount asked for was subscribed, then Mr. Girard came forward and subscribed for the large balance of over four and a half millions of dollars. This act of patriotism restored public confidence, and those who had refused to subscribe were now willing to pay an advance; but Mr. Girard would not take advantage of these offers, and al- lowed them to purchase on the same terms. The sinews of war having been furnished, a series of brilliant victories followed and peace was- restored. STEPHEN GIRARD : A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 113 In 1793, Philadelphia was visited by an epidemic of yellow fever, and a reign of terror, suffering, and desola- tion prevailed throughout the city. The people became panic-stricken, and the roads leading from the city were crowded with fugitives. Hundreds of houses became tenantless, and the hearse was the vehicle most frequently seen. Self-preservation made the people forget the com- monest instincts of humanity. In response to an advertisement in the Federal Gazette, on the I2th of September, 1793, twenty-seven noble- hearted men met at the City Hall to take measures to re- lieve the distress. Attention was first paid to the hospital at Bush Hill, which was reported as being " without order or arrangement, and far from being clean." To enter this pest-house was thought to be a passage to the grave. At one of the meetings of this committee an incident occurred which is best to give in the words of the late Matthew Carey : "At the meeting on the I5th, a circumstance [occurred] to which the most glowing pencil can hardly do justice. Stephen Girard, a wealthy merchant, a native of France, and one of the members of the committee, touched with the wretched condition of the sufferers at Bush Hill, voluntarily and unexpectedly offered himself as a manager to superintend that hospital. The surprise and satisfaction, excited by this extraordinary effort of humanity, can be better con- ceived than expressed. Peter Helm, a native of Pennsylvania, also a member, offered his services in the same department. Their offers were accepted ; and the same afternoon they entered on the execution of their dangerous and praise- worthy office. "To form a just estimate of the value of the offer of these men, it is neces- sary to take in full consideration the general consternation which at that period pervaded every quarter of the city, and which made attendance on the sick be regarded as a little less than a certain sacrifice. Uninfluenced by any reflections of this kind, without any possible inducement but the purest motives of human- ity, they came forward and offered themselves as the forlorn hope of the com- mittee. I trust that the gratitude of their fellow-citizens will remain as long as 114 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. the memory of their beneficent conduct, which I hope will not die with the present generation." Mr. Girard immediately took charge of the interior of the hospital, and he soon made his wonderful influence felt. Order reigned where all had been chaos, cleanliness where filth had been supreme; and within twenty-four hours he reported the hospital ready to afford every assistance. As one turns over the pages of the minutes of the committee, day after day, for nearly two months, we find the line, " Stephen Girard and Peter Helm at the hospital." Nor did the services of that committee end when the disease ceased to exist. They supplied the poor with money, pro- visions, and fuel. They furnished burial for the dead. They took under their care one hundred and ninety-two orphans of those who had died of the fever, and they only ceased their labors when they had taken precautions against a similar calamity in the future. We can form some idea of the terrible results of this epidemic, from the fact that from the ist of August to the 9th of November, 1793, there were four thousand and thirty deaths, nearly one-tenth of the population. Mr. Girard placed a very modest estimate upon his ser- vices during this period. Yet few men have equalled him in the courage and spirit of humanity he displayed. In 1802, Mr. Girard was elected by his fellow-citizens to the Councils of the city of Philadelphia, and he was a faith ful and useful member for several terms. For over twenty- two years he was also a member of the Board of Wardens of the port of Philadelphia. Mr. Girard's public spirit was again manifested when he subscribed one hundred and ten thousand dollars for the improvement of the navigation of STEPHEN GIRARD: A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. 115 the Schuylkill River, and the subscription and the tem- porary loans which he made to the Chesapeake and Dela- ware Canal. When, also, the Commonwealth of Pennsyl- vania, in 1829, found its treasury empty, it was Mr. Girard who loaned one hundred thousand dollars, affording the Commonwealth the relief it so badly needed. This was probably the last public act of Mr. Girard's life, for his long career of unceasing toil was drawing to a close. Refusing assistance from others, he insisted on giving the same care- ful attention to the details of his great business, and daily walked from his residence on Water Street to his banking- house on Third Street. On February 12, 1830, while crossing the street, at Second and Market Streets, he was struck and seriously injured by a rapidly driven wagon. His health now declined, and an attack of influenza, then prevalent in Philadelphia, prostrated him, and he died on December 26, 1831, at four o'clock in the afternoon, aged eighty-one years, seven months, and six days, after a life of labor, perseverance, economy, and success which has rarely been equalled. When his death became known, there was a universal expression of sorrow at the decease of such a distinguished citizen. At a meeting of the authorities of the city, it was decided to give him a civic funeral; the flags of the shipping and public buildings were displayed at half-mast; the Coun- cils of the city adopted resolutions of regret, and their re- spective halls were draped in mourning. The funeral, which was attended by a large number of citizens and all the public authorities, took place on December 30, 1831, and the mortal remains of the honored " Mariner and Mer- chant" were taken to the Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Il6 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. Church and placed in a vault belonging to the Baron Lal- lemand. After nearly twenty years his remains were re- moved and placed in a marble sarcophagus in the vestibule of Girard College. A full knowledge of Stephen Girard's character conveys, in the minds of those who have studied it, a vivid impres- sion of his remarkable qualities. He was not tall, but of very solid build, with a short, thick neck and fearless tem- perament, all his sturdy endowments took the direction of indomitable energy in enterprise and of intrepid assertion in everything right and good. Let it be granted that he was eccentric, but eccentricity needs defining. He was a rare example of a life where a man's word was as good as his bond. Money, however, was not his God. He did not accumulate property for the mere love of it. He believed that the true blessings of life came through justice and not mercy. Two facts stand out prominently in the earthly passage of this markedly gifted man, his devotion to his fellow r - men and his love for his adopted country. He was fearless, because he was a strong man, whose hope dimmed not, whose faith faltered not, and whose courage forsook him not. By residence he belonged to Philadelphia, by faith to the Roman Catholic Church; but in a truer, wider sense he belonged to no city, to no sect, but to the people, to the cause of the greatest good for all men. Whatever he espoused, whatever he touched, he enriched with the genius of a determined spirit strong for success. Poor, struggling, full of ambition, full of hope in his youth; active, determined, enterprising, and charitable in the prime of life; mourned and regretted in his death; such STEPHEN GIRARD : A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. I \*J was the life of the most eminent philanthropist of his time, who lies in the beautiful Greek temple he planned, await- ing the day when all shall be judged. To write Mr. Girard's life means to write the financial and commercial history of the city and country during its early and critical periods. WILL OF STEPHEN GIRARD Dated February 16, 1830. Codicils, dated December 25, 1830, and June 20, 1831. Proved December 31, 1831. Recorded Philada. Will Book 10, /. 198. I, Stephen Girard, of the City of Philadelphia, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, mariner and merchant, being of sound mind, memory, and understanding, do make and publish this my last will and testament, in man- ner following, that is to say. . . . I. I give and bequeath unto " The Contributors to the Pennsylvania Hospital," of which corporation I am a member, the sum of thirty thousand dollars, upon the fol- lowing conditions, namely, that the said sum shall be added to their capital, and shall remain a part thereof forever, to be placed at interest and the interest thereof to be applied, in the first place to pay to my black woman Hannah (to whom I hereby give her freedom) the sum of two hundred dollars per year, in quarterly payments of fifty dollars each in advance, during all the term of her life; and, in the second place, the said interest to be applied to the use and accommodation of the sick in the said hospital, and for providing and at all times having competent matrons, and a sufficient number of nurses and assistant nurses, in order not only to promote the purposes of the said hospital, but 118 WILL OF STEPHEN GIRARD. I 19 to encrease this last class of useful persons much wanted in our city: II. I give and bequeath to "The Pennsylvania Institu- tion for the Deaf and Dumb" the sum of twenty thousand dollars, for the use of that institution: III. I give and bequeath to " the Orphan Asylum of Philadelphia" the sum of ten thousand dollars for the use of that Institution: IV. I give and bequeath to " the Comptrollers of the public schools for the city and county of Philadelphia" the sum of ten thousand dollars for the use of the schools upon the Lancaster system, in the first section of the first school district of Pennsylvania. V. I give and bequeath to " The Mayor, Aldermen and Citizens of Philadelphia," the sum of ten thousand dollars, in trust safely to invest the same in some produc- tive fund, and with the interest and dividends arising there- from to purchase fuel between the months of March and August in every year forever, and in the month of January in every year forever distribute the same, amongst poor white house-keepers and room-keepers, of good character, residing in the city of Philadelphia. VI. I give and bequeath to the society for the relief of poor and distressed masters of ships, their widows and children, (of which society I am a member) the sum of ten thousand dollars to be added to their capital stock, for the uses and purposes of said society: VII. I give and bequeath to the gentlemen, who shall be trustees of the Masonic Loan at the time of my decease, the sum of tzventy thousand dollars, including therein ten thousand and nine hundred dollars due to me, part of the Masonic Loan, and any interest that may be due thereon 120 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. at the time of my decease, in trust for the use and benefit of " the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania and masonic juris- diction thereto belonging," and to be paid over by the said trustees to the said Grand Lodge for the purposes of being invested in some safe stock or funds, or other good security, and the dividends and interest arising therefrom to be again so invested and added to the capital, without applying any part thereof to any other purpose until the whole capital shall amount to thirty thousand dollars, when the same shall forever after remain a permanent fund or capital, of the said amount of thirty thousand dollars, the interest whereof shall be applied from time to time to the relief of poor and respectable brethren: and in order that the real and benevolent purposes of masonic institutions may be attained, I recommend to the several lodges not to admit to membership, or to receive members from other lodges, unless the applicants shall absolutely be men of sound and good morals. VIII. I give and bequeath unto Philip Peltz, John Lentz, Francis Hesley, Jacob Baker and Adam Young, of Passyunk township, in the county of Philadelphia, the sum of six thousand dollars, in trust that they or the sur- vivors or survivor of them shall purchase a suitable piece of ground, as near as may be in the centre of said town- ship, and thereon erect a substantial brick building, suffi- ciently large for a school house and the residence of a school-master, one part thereof for poor male white chil- dren, and the other part for poor female white children of said township: and as soon as the said school-house shall have been built, that they the said trustees or the survivors or survivor of them shall convey the said piece of ground and house thereon erected, and shall pay over such balance WILL OF STEPHEN GIRARD. 121 of said sum as may remain unexpended, to any board of directors and their successors in trust, which may at the time exist or be by law constituted, consisting of at least twelve discreet inhabitants of the said township, and to be annually chosen by the inhabitants thereof; the said piece of ground and house to be carefully maintained by said directors and their successors solely for the purposes of a school as aforesaid forever, and the said balance to be securely invested as a permanent fund, the interest thereof to be applied from time to time towards the education in the said school of any number of such poor white children of said township; and I do hereby recommend to the citizens of the said township to make additions to the fund whereof I have laid the foundation. IX. I give and devise my house and lot of ground thereto belonging, situate in rue Ramonet aux Chartrons, near the city of Bordeaux, in France, and the rents issues and profits thereof to my brother Etienne Girard and my niece Victoire Fenellon (daughter of my late sister Sophia Girard Capayron) (both residing in France) in equal moieties for the life of my said brother, and, on his de- cease, one moiety of the said house and lot to my said niece Victoire and her heirs forever, and the other moiety to the six children of my said brother, namely John Fa- bricius, Marguerite, Anne Henriette, Jean August, Marie, and Madelaine Henriette, share and share alike (the issue of any deceased child if more than one to take amongst them the parent's share) and their heirs forever. X. I give and bequeath to my said brother Etienne Girard the sum of five thousand dollars, and the like sum of five thousand dollars to each of his six children above named: if any of the said children shall die prior to the 122 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. receipt of his or her legacy of five thousand dollars, the said sum shall be paid, and I give and bequeath the same, to any issue of such deceased child, if more than one share and share alike. XL I give and bequeath to my said niece Victoire Fenellon the sum of five thousand dollars. XII. I give and bequeath absolutely to my niece An- toinetta, now married to M r Hemphill, the sum of ten thousand dollars, and I also give and bequeath to her the sum of fifty thousand dollars, to be paid over to a trustee or trustees to be appointed by my executors, which trustee or trustees shall place and continue the said sum of fifty thousand dollars upon good security, and pay the interest and dividends thereof as they shall from time to time ac- crue, to my said niece for her separate use, during the term of her life, and from and immediately after her decease, to pay and distribute the capital to and among such of her children and the issue of deceased children, and in such parts and shares as she the said Antoinetta, by any instru- ment under her hand and seal executed in the presence of at least two credible witnesses shall direct and appoint, and for default of such appointment then to and among the said children and issue of deceased children in equal shares, such issue of deceased children if more than one to take only the share which their deceased parent would have taken if living. XIII. I give and bequeath unto my niece Carolina, now married to M r Haslam, the sum of ten thousand dollars, to be paid over to a trustee or trustees to be appointed by my executors, which trustee or trustees shall place and continue the said money upon good security, and pay the interest and dividendsHhereof from time to time, as they WILL OF STEPHEN G1RARD. 123 shall accrue, to my said niece, for her separate use during the term of her life; and, from and immediately after her decease, to pay and distribute the capital to and among such of her children and issue of deceased children, and in such parts and shares, as she the said Carolina, by any instrument under her hand and seal executed, in the pres- ence of at least two credible witnesses, shall direct and appoint, and for default of such appointment, then to and among the said children and issue of deceased children, in equal shares, such issue of deceased children if more than one, to take only the share which the deceased parent would have taken if living: but if my said niece Carolina shall leave no issue, then the said trustee or trustees on her decease shall pay the said capital and any interest ac- crued thereon to and among Caroline Lallemand (niece of the said Carolina) and the children of the aforesaid An- toinetta Hemphill, share and share alike. XIV. I give and bequeath to my niece Henrietta, now married to D r Clark, the sum of ten thousand dollars; and I give and bequeath to her daughter Caroline (in the last clause above named) the sum of twenty thousand dollars the interest of the said sum of twenty thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary, to be applied to the maintenance and education of the said Caroline during her minority, and the principal with any accumulated in- terest to be paid to the said Caroline, on her arrival at the age of twenty-one years. XV. Unto each of the captains, who shall be in my employment at the time of my decease, either in port or at sea, having charge of one of my ships or vessels, and having performed at least two voyages in my service, I give and bequeath the sum of fifteen hundred dollars 124 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. provided he shall have brought safely into the port of Philadelphia, or if at sea at the time of my decease shall bring safely into that port, my ship or vessel last entrusted to him, and also that his conduct during the last voyage shall have been in every respect conformable to my in- structions to him. XVI. All persons, who, at the time of my decease, shall be bound to me by indenture, as apprentices or servants, and who shall then be under age, I direct my executors to assign to suitable masters immediately after my decease, for the remainder of their respective terms, on conditions as favorable as they can in regard to education, clothing, and freedom dues; to each of the said persons, in my ser- vice and under age at the time of my decease I give and bequeath the sum of five hundred dollars, which sums re- spectively I direct my executors safely to invest in public stock, to apply the interest and dividends thereof towards the education of the several apprentices or servants, for whom the capital is given, respectively, and at the termina- tion of the apprenticeship or service of each to pay to him or her the said sum of five hundred dollars and any interest accrued thereon, if any such interest shall remain unex- pended: in assigning any indenture, preference shall be given to the mother, father, or next relation, as assignee, should such mother, father, or relative desire it, and be at the same time respectable and competent. XVII. I give and bequeath to Francis Hesley (son of M M S. Hesley, who is mother of Marianne Hesley) the sum of one thousand dollars, over and above such sum as may be due to him at my decease. XVIII. I charge my real estate in the state of Penn- sylvania with the payment of the several annuities or sums WILL OF STEPHEN GIRARD. 125 following (the said annuities to be paid by the treasurer or other proper officer of the city of Philadelphia appointed by the corporation thereof for the purpose out of the rents and profits of said real estate, hereinafter directed to be kept constantly rented) namely: 1. I give and bequeath to M rs Elizabeth Ingersoll, widow of Jared Ingersoll, esq. late of the city of Philadelphia, counsellor at law, an annuity or yearly sum of one thousand dollars, to be paid in half yearly payments, in advance, of five hundred dollars each during her life: 2. I give and bequeath to M rs Catherine Girard, now widow of M r J. B. Hoskins, who died in the isle of France, an annuity or yearly sum of four hundred dollars, to be paid in half yearly payments in advance of two hundred dollars each, during her life. 3. I give and bequeath to M rs Jane Taylor, my present house keeper (the widow of the late captain Alexander Taylor, who was master of my ship Helvetius and died in my employment) an annuity or yearly sum of five hundred dollars, to be paid in half yearly payments in advance of two hundred and fifty dollars each, during her life. 4. I give and bequeath to M rs S. Hesley, my house- keeper at my place in Passyunk Township, an annuity or yearly sum of five hundred dollars, to be paid in half yearly payments in advance of two hundred and fifty dol- lars each during her life. 5. I give and bequeath to Marianne Hesley, daughter of M rs S. Hesley, an annuity or yearly sum of three hundred dollars, to be paid to her mother for her use in half yearly payments in advance of one hundred and fifty dollars each, until the said Marianne shall have attained the age of twenty-one years, when the said annuity shall cease, and 126 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. the said Marianne will receive the five hundred dollars given to her and other indented persons, according to clause. XVI. of this will: 6. I give and bequeath to my late house-keeper, Mary Kenton, an annuity or yearly sum of three hundred dollars to be paid in half yearly payments in advance of one hun- dred and fifty dollars each during her life. 7. I give and bequeath to M rs Deborah Scott, sister of Mary Kenton, and wife of M r Edwin T. Scott, an annuity or yearly sum of three hundred dollars, to be paid in half yearly payments in advance of one hundred and fifty dol- lars each, during her life. 8. I give and bequeath to M rs Catharine McLaren, sister of Mary Kenton, and wife of M r M. McLaren, an annuity or yearly sum of three hundred dollars, to be paid in half yearly payments in advance of one hundred and fifty dollars each, during her life. 9. I give and bequeath to M rs Amelia G. Taylor, wife of M r Rich d M. Taylor, an annuity or yearly sum of three hundred dollars to be paid in half yearly payments in ad- vance of one hundred and fifty dollars each during her life. XIX. All that part of my real and personal estate, near Washita, in the state of Louisiana, the said real estate consisting of upwards of two hundred and eight thousand arpens or acres of land, and including therein the settle- ment hereinafter mentioned, I give, devise, and bequeath, as follows, namely: i. I give devise and bequeath to the corporation of the City of New Orleans, their successors and assigns, all that part of my real estate, constituting the settlement formed on my behalf by my particular friend Judge Henry Bree, of Washita, consisting of upwards of one thousand arpens or acres of land with the appurte- WILL OF STEPHEN GIRARD. I2/ nances and improvements thereon, and also all the personal estate thereto belonging and thereon remaining, including upwards of thirty slaves now on said settlement and their encrease, in trust, however, and subject to the following reservations: I desire, that no part of the said estate or property, or the slaves thereon, or their encrease, shall be disposed of or sold for the term of twenty years from and after my decease, should the said judge Henry Bree sur- vive me and live so long, but that the said settlement shall be kept up by the said judge Henry Bree, for and during said term of twenty years, as if it was his own, that is, it shall remain under his sole care and control, he shall im- prove the same by raising such produce as he may deem most advisable, and, after paying taxes, and all expenses in keeping up the settlement by clothing the slaves and otherwise, he shall have and enjoy for his own use all the nett profits of said settlement: provided however and I desire that the said judge Henry Bree shall render annually to the corporation of the City of New Orleans, a report of the state of the settlement, the income and expenditure thereof, the number and encrease of the slaves, and the nett result of the whole. I desire that, at the expiration of the said term of twenty years, or on the decease of the said Judge Henry Bree, should he not live so long, the land and improvements forming said settlement, the slaves thereon or thereto belonging, and all other appurtenant personal property, shall be sold, as soon as the said Cor- poration shall deem it advisable to do so, and the proceeds of the said sale or sales shall be applied by the said cor- poration to such uses and purposes as they shall consider most likely to promote the health and general prosperity of the inhabitants of the city of New Orleans: But, until 128 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. the said sale shall be made, the said corporation shall pay all taxes, prevent waste or intrusion, and so manage the said settlement and the slaves and their encrease thereon, as to derive an income, and the said income shall be ap- plied from time to time, to the same uses and purposes for the health and general prosperity of the said inhabitants. 2. I give devise and bequeath to the Mayor Aldermen and citizens of Philadelphia, their successors and assigns, two undivided third parts of all the rest and residue of my said real estate, being the lands unimproved near Washita in the said state of Louisiana, in trust, that, in common with the corporation of the city of New Orleans, they shall pay the taxes on the said lands, and preserve them from waste or intrusion, for the term of ten years from and after my decease, and, at the end of the said term, when they shall deem it advisable to do so, shall sell and dispose of their interest in said lands gradually from time to time, and apply the proceeds of such sales to the same uses and pur- poses hereinafter declared and directed of and concerning the. residue of my personal estate. 3. And I give devise and bequeath to the Corporation of the city of New Or- leans, their successors and assigns, the remaining one un- divided third part of the said lands, in trust, in common with the Mayor Aldermen and citizens of Philadelphia, to pay the taxes on the said lands and preserve them from waste and intrusion for the term of ten years from and after my decease, and, at the end of the said term when they shall deem it advisable to do so, to sell and dispose of their interest in said lands gradually from time to time, and to apply the proceeds of such sales to such uses and purposes as the said corporation may consider most likely to pro- WILL OF STEPHEN GIRARD. 129 mote the health and general prosperity of the inhabitants of the City of New Orleans. XX. And whereas I have been for a long time im- pressed with the importance of educating the poor, and of placing them by the early cultivation of their minds and the development of their moral principles, above the. many temptations, to which, through poverty and ignorance they are exposed; and I am particularly desirious to pro- vide for such a number of poor male white orphan children, as can be trained in one institution, a better education as well as a more comfortable maintenance than they usually receive from the application of the public funds: And whereas, together with the object just adverted to I have sincerely at heart the welfare of the city of Philadelphia, and, as a part of it, am desirious to improve the neighbor- hood of the river Delaware, so that the health of the citi- zens may be promoted and preserved, and that the eastern part of the city may be made to correspond better with the interior: Now, I do give devise and bequeath all the residue and remainder of my real and personal estate of every sort and kind and whersoever situate (the real estate in Pennsylvania charged as aforesaid) unto "The Mayor, aldermen and citizens of Philadelphia their successors and assigns in trust to and for the several uses intents and pur- poses hereinafter mentioned and declared of and concern- ing the same, that is to say: So far as regards my real estate in Pennsylvania, in trust, that no part thereof shall ever be sold or alienated by the said The Mayor Aldermen and citizens of Philadelphia or their successors, but the same shall forever thereafter be let from time to time to good tenants, at yearly or other rents and upon leases in possession not exceeding five years from the commence- I3O SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. ment thereof, and that the rents issues and profits arising therefrom shall be applied towards keeping that part of the said real estate situate in the city and Liberties of Phila- delphia constantly in good repair (parts elsewhere situate to be kept in repair by the tenants thereof respectively) and towards improving the same whenever necessary by erecting new buildings, and that the nett residue (after paying the several annuities herein before provided for) be applied to the same uses and purposes as are herein declared of and concerning the residue of my personal estate: And so far as regards my real estate in Kentucky, now under the care of Messrs Triplett and Burmley, in trust to sell and dispose of the same, whenever it may be expedient to do so, and to apply the proceeds of such sale to the same uses and purposes as are herein declared of and concerning the residue of my personal estate. XXI. And so far as regards the residue of my personal estate, in trust, as to t^ 1876. JOSEPH L. CAVEN Jan. 3, 1876, to April 4, 1881. WILLIAM H. LEX April 4, 1881, to April 7, 1884. CHARLES LAWRENCE April 7, 1884, to April 2, 1888. f WILLIAM M. SMITH April 2, 1888, to May 4,1892. WENCEL HARTMAN May 12,1892. The total number of Directors has been ninety-eight, but ten of these were elected to more than one term not consecutive; the longest term of service has been nineteen years, the shortest term, one year, and the average term, four years. The total number of Directors of the City Trusts, not including members ex ofhcio, has been twenty-eight; the longest term of service has been twenty-eight years, the shortest term, two years, and the average term, twelve years. Mr. John H. Michener is the only member of the Board of Directors of City Trusts appointed on September 2, 1869, who has served continuously since that time. Colonel Alexander Biddle resigned in January 12, 1885, and was reappointed April 2, 1888. General Louis Wagner, who, as President of Common Council of the city of Philadelphia, was ex officio a member of the Board from 1869 to 1873, had also served from 1867 to 1869 as a member of Councils Committee on the Girard Estates. Mr. Joseph L. Caven and Mr. Edwin S. Stuart had been ex officio members of the Board, as President of Common Council and as Mayor of the city of Philadelphia respec- tively, before their appointment as permanent members. * Resigned. f Died. GIRARD COLLEGE: ITS ENDOWMENT AND MAINTENANCE, 1831-1898 BY GEORGE E. KIRKPATRICK, Superintendent, Girard Estate. When, on December 26, 1831, Stephen Girard died, he was said to be the wealthiest man in America. His estate, consisting largely of realty, much of it unimproved and un- developed, was difficult to value. In a pamphlet pub- lished shortly after his death by direction of the Councils of the city of Philadelphia, it was estimated at from twelve to fifteen millions of dollars; but it was probably worth between five and seven millions. In compliance with the directions given in the will, $96,000 was distributed in private charities; $140,000 and certain real estate in France were given to the relatives of Mr. Girard, and a number of bequests were paid to his em- ployes. Certain interests and remainders in real and per- sonal property located near Washita, in the State of Louisiana, were willed to the city of New Orleans for pub- lic improvements. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania received $300,000, to be expended in internal improve- ments, and the remainder of his estate was devised to the city of Philadelphia in trust for the following charitable uses: 167 l68 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. For school purposes in the first School District of Pennsylvania . $10,000 oo For the distribution of fuel among the poor of the City of Phila- delphia 10,000 oo For the improvement of the Eastern Front of the City of Phila- delphia 500,000 oo For the erection of the Girard College Buildings, the necessary land worth probably 10,000 oo and a sum of 2,000,000 oo For the maintenance of the Girard College, the entire residue of the Estate, probably then worth 3,250,000 oo $5,780,000 oo On April 20, 1833, the following securities were set aside as the fund for the erection of the Girard College build- ings: Stock of the Bank of the United States, 6,331 shares, valued at . $664,715 oo Five per cent. Loan of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, $1,069,305, valued at 1,221,785 oo Five per cent. Loan of the City of Philadelphia, $100,000, valued at 113,500 oo Total $2,000,000 oo At this time the stock of the Bank of the United States was paying a dividend of seven per cent, per annum, and both the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the city of Philadelphia were promptly paying the interest on their bonds; and it was hoped that, as considerable time would be required to erect the buildings, the income received from these securities would be sufficient to pay a large portion of the cost of erection, leaving a correspondingly large portion of the principal remain to increase the en- dowment fund. The plan of the buildings designed by Mr. Thomas U. Walter, the architect, was adopted by the Councils of the city of Philadelphia on April 29, 1833. Work was begun on May 6, 1833, and the corner-stone of the Main Building GIRARD COLLEGE: ITS ENDOWMENT AND MAINTENANCE. 169 was laid on July 4 of the same year. The work progressed favorably until 1839, when the income of the building fund was greatly reduced by the financial panic and dis- aster which had swept over the country. The Bank of the United States had failed. Interest on the bonds of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania was paid in six per cent. bonds, which sold for less than fifty cents on the dollar, or later in " relief notes," which also sold at a heavy dis- count. The fund for the erection of the College buildings suffered greatly from these causes. The income, out of which it was expected to pay for the erection, was cut off or reduced to a comparatively small sum. To continue the work of erection, it was necessary either to sell a por- tion of the principal of the fund or to greatly reduce the extent of the work undertaken. Under the financial conditions then prevailing, the for- mer course would involve serious sacrifice, which it was hoped could be avoided by curtailing the work until the business depression should pass, and from 1840 to 1844 the erection of the buildings made slow progress. This course, however, did not prevent the sacrifice of the invested funds, all of which had to be sold at such prices as could be obtained, and the buildings could only be com- pleted by encroaching upon the Residuary Fund. The cash realized from the $2,000,000 building fund amounted to : Sale of Investments, originally valued at $2,000,000 .............. $1,099,186 70 Interest and Dividends collected ...... 851,146 98 #i>95>333 68 The cost of the Buildings was ....... $1,933,821 78 and the collateral expenses ...... . . 49,624 21 99 Excess of expense ..................... $33,112 31 I7O SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. This excess of expense was made up by Sales of Waste Materials 1,587 20 and an appropriation from the Residuary Fund of 31*525 II to, 112 31 After the payment of all the specific bequests, including with these the amounts willed for the erection of the Col- lege buildings and for the improvement of the eastern front of the city, etc., there remained the main portion of Mr. Girard's real estate, consisting of the banking house on Third Street, a number of stores, warehouses, dwell- ings, wharves and vacant lots in the city of Philadelphia; a number of dwellings and over six hundred acres of farm land and lots in Philadelphia County; seventy-three tracts of land " on the Mahanoy" (Schuylkill and Columbia Coun- ties, Pennsylvania) containing over twenty-nine thousand acres; six thousand acres of land in Erie County, Penn- sylvania; four thousand seven hundred and seventy-five acres in Hart County, Kentucky; two undivided third parts of a tract of land in Louisiana, containing two hun- dred and seven thousand acres, and stocks and bonds with an aggregate par value of $488,104.13. This remainder (called the Residuary Fund) was de- voted by Mr. Girard's will, first to the maintenance and extension of Girard College, within the limits of the desig- nated tract of land on Ridge Road, known as the Peel Hall farm; and, second, for city purposes, the support of a police force, to improve city property and the general appearance of the city, and to diminish the burden of taxa- tion. Much of this property was lost to the fund. The real estate acquired after the last republication of the will was recovered by Mr. Girard'-s heirs-at-law. This included a GIRARD COLLEGE: ITS ENDOWMENT AND MAINTENANCE. 171 number of tracts in Schuylkill County, some of which have since proven to be very valuable coal land. The land in Erie County and in Louisiana was lost through defective titles. An error was discovered in the survey of the land described in the Kentucky deeds, and a large portion of this property was thus found to have no existence; while the value of the stocks and bonds was in time found to be less than one-half of their face. The income from the Residuary Fund, by the terms of the will devoted primarily to the support of the College, could not be so applied until the buildings were completed. Because of this, the Councils of the city of Philadelphia determined that, pending the completion of the buildings, this income should be applied toward its secondary object, viz., city purposes; the support of a police force, improve- ment of city property and the lightening of the burden of taxation. In this manner, $571,958.42 was expended as follows: Stores, Wharf, Dock, etc., near the Schuylkill River $18,000 oo Railroad on Broad Street 6,028 55 Culvert at Drawbridge Dock 4,000 oo Paving and Repairing Streets 64,971 45 Rebuilding Market-Houses on High Street 20,000 oo Iron Mains for the Distribution of Water 23,000 oo Tobacco Warehouse 7,000 oo Improvements at Fairmount 28,000 oo Lamp-Posts, Lamps, etc 20,950 oo Improvements of Public Squares H,ooo oo Repairing Wharves 3>75 Culverts 8,300 oo General City Purposes, Police, etc. (not specified) 303,208 42 Diminishing Taxation and Supplying Deficiencies 53>75 $571,958 42 172 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. Upon the completion of the College buildings and the opening of the Institution on January i, 1848, these ex- penditures for city purposes ceased, and since that time the entire net income of the Residuary Fund has been ap- plied toward the support and maintenance of the Girard College. In spite of all its losses and depreciations, the Residuary Fund has increased until to-day it may safely be valued at over twenty million dollars, exclusive of the Girard Col- lege grounds and buildings. When this fund was received by the city, its income amounted to between sixty and seventy thousand dollars per annum. In 1848, this had increased to one hundred and eighteen thousand dollars per annum, a sum ample, after deducting the expenses of the Estate, to support the Institution with the number of pupils then contemplated, 300. Up to this time, the growth in income was due entirely to real estate in the vicinity of Philadelphia, which in 1848 yielded $109,742.38. As this property has become more valuable and as build- ings have been erected upon the vacant lots, or new build- ings have taken the place of the old structures which changing conditions had made unprofitable, the revenue derived therefrom has continued to increase, in 1897 being $415,044.18. The most important of these building improvements were: 1858-9. 12 Dwellings on the north side of Brown Street, between Fifth and Sixth Streets. 1871-4. 43 Dwellings on Fifth, Sixth and Marshall Streets between Fairmount Avenue and Brown, and on the south side of Brown Street be- tween Fifth and Sixth Streets. 1874. The Banking House and Office Building, 433-437 Chestnut Street. GIRARD COLLEGE: ITS ENDOWMENT AND MAINTENANCE. 173 1886-7. The store on the southwest corner of Eleventh and Market Streets (Nos. 1100-1114). 1887-9. The row of stores between the above and Twelfth Street (Nos. 1120- 1142). 1896-7. The Stephen Girard Building, 19-25 South Twelfth Street. Plans for the erection of the twenty-two stores and fifty- six dwellings upon the block between Eleventh and Twelfth, Market and Chestnut Streets, were under con- sideration by Mr. Girard for some time before his death; the actual improvement was made after his death by his executors, and not by the city as trustee. The income from Real Estate in Schuylkill and Colum- bia Counties amounted to little prior to 1863; but in that year the mining of coal upon this property began, the gross receipts being $3,770.87. These receipts have in- creased from year to year, as new collieries have been opened or facilities for mining improved, and in 1897 amounted to $532,855.76. The radical difference between royalty upon coal mined and removed from the property, and rental where the property is returned at the end of the lease " in like good order and condition" does not seem to have been taken into consideration in the early days of mining on the property of the Girard Estate; but in 1877 the fact that the mining pf coal is a depletion of the realty, was recog- nized by the inauguration of a policy under which three- fourths of the net income derived from this source has been treated as principal and set aside for investment. Early in 1897, this policy was extended, the entire net income being now treated as capital. The amount of the cash receipts thus set aside for in- vestment, to December 31, 1897, is $7,028,077.72, and 1/4 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. from this source have been derived the funds with which to make the recent extensive improvements to real estate within the city, and to increase the value of the investments in stocks and loans from $300,000, in 1862, to $4,750,000 on December 31, 1897, an d the annual in- come derived therefrom, from $8,288.40 to $230,516.25. By his will, Mr. Girard charged upon his real estate in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania a number of annuities aggregating $3,900 per annum. The payment of these continued until 1896, when the last annuitant died, and the amount thus expended was $89,550.00. With steadily increasing income available for its sup- port, the Girard College has been enlarged, in the number of its buildings, from five to nineteen, and in their value from $2,000,000 to $3,300,000; while the number of pupils has increased from 300 to 1550. This enlargement began in 1850, when Building No. 5 was erected. The other more important improvements in buildings and in the equipment of the College were as follows: 1858. Infirmary Building (No. 6). 1876-77. Building No. 7. 1876-77. Chapel. 1876-77. East Boiler House, Bakery, Laundry. 1877-78. Heating by steam from a central plant. 1 880-8 1. Building No. 8. 1 880-8 1. First Extension of Infirmary Building. 1883-84. West Boiler House. 1883-84. Mechanical School Building. 1885-86. Building No. 9. 1887. Exterior Electric Lighting. 1887-89. Greenhouse. 1889-90. Building No. 10. 1889-90. New Laundry and Bakery. 1894. Interior Electric Lighting. 1897. Second Extension of Infirmary Building. GIRARD COLLEGE: ITS ENDOWMENT AND MAINTENANCE. 175 Summing the financial transactions of the Girard Col- lege, and of the Residuary Fund, from the death of Mr. Girard until December 31, 1897, a period of sixty-six years (during the last fifty of which the College has cared for and educated nearly 6,000 orphan boys), we have in round figures: Value in 1831-35 of the Girard College and Residuary Funds : Real Estate, Philadelphia City and County . . $1,500,000 Buildings erected at Twelfth and Market Streets by the Executors 750,000 #2,250,000 oo Girard College Grounds 10,000 oo Real Estate outside of Philadelphia 500,000 oo Stocks and Bonds 2,500,000 oo $5,260,000 oo Increase in the value of the above property (1831-1898) : Real Estate, Philadelphia $2,550,000 Girard College Grounds 1,690,000 Real Estate outside of Philadelphia Converted into cash and invested $7,000,000 Unconverted 7,500,000 14,500,000 18,740,000 oo Net income collected : Real Estate, Philadelphia $9,125,000 Real Estate outside of Philadelphia (exclusive of amount capitalized) 3,200,000 Stocks and Bonds 3,700,000 Miscellaneous Sources 162,000 16,187,000 oo $40,187,000 oo Decrease in value of Stocks and Bonds . . . 1,250,000 oo #38,937.0 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. From which there has been expended for Annuities $90,000 City Purposes 572,000 Girard College (maintenance) 11,350,000 - $12,012,000 oo And there remains on December 31, 1897 . . $26,925,00000 Consisting of Girard College Grounds . . . $1,700,000 " ' Buildings . . . 3,300,000 $5,000,000 Real Estate in Philadelphia 9,000,000 Real Estate outside of Philadelphia .... 8,000,000 Stocks and Bonds 4,900,000 Cash 25,000 - $26,925,000 oo With this steady growth in invested principal and in in- come, it is safe to predict that there will be other additions to the buildings of the Girard College and further increase in the number of its pupils, until the capacity of the Col- lege grounds shall have been reached, and that thereafter large amounts of surplus revenue will be available "to diminish the burden of taxation" upon the citizens of Philadelphia. GIRARD COLLEGE: ITS TRAINING AND THE RESULTS BY JOHN S. BOYD, M.D., Superintendent of Admission and Indentures. To ascertain the results of the magnificent endowment of Girard College, we need only to call attention to the number of pupils who, within its walls, have shared in the training, and to speak of their present success, by which they show what this training has produced. First, as to the condition of many of these pupils when they enter: They are between the ages of six and ten; some of them commencing without the simplest rudiments of education, and none of them having progressed beyond what can be obtained in the lower grades of elementary schools. During six or more years, of systematic and thorough instruction, they have been advanced from class to class, attention being paid at all times to their physical health; and they have received a careful training of the mind and heart. The transformation is complete, and they go forth prepared to meet the requirements of the world possessors of " mens sana in corpore sano." What becomes of the graduates of Girard College? It needed for an answer but an opportunity to gaze at the platoons of well-dressed and intelligent young men, 177 178 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. all graduates of Girard College, marching in military array past the City Hall on the occasion of the unveiling on May 20, 1897, of the bronze statue of their benefactor. To answer this question in an official manner, it was de- cided by the Board of Directors of City Trusts and the Alumni to collect statistics concerning the graduates now living. With this purpose in view, the Alumni appointed a special committee of twenty-eight, with Mr. Thomas Orr as Chairman, and Mr. Frederick Unrath as Secretary (and to Mr. Unrath much of the credit for the completeness of their report is due). In reply to their inquiries, the following results have been obtained: Admitted since the opening of the College ....... 5899 Died in the College ................. 174 5725 Number enrolled December 31, 1897 .......... 1536 Discharged, and to be accounted for ..... Number reported as employed ......... 2073 Number reported as unemployed ....... 191 Died since leaving College .......... 380 Readmitted ................. 5 In other institutions ............. 17 No report ................. 1523 4189 As has already been stated in the Public Ledger, the pupils enter the College "at a tender age and are dis- charged at the age of eighteen, so that it is impossible to do anything more than prepare them for a college educa- tion, or for work; and as the greater number of graduates are dependent upon themselves for support, few of them obtain any other education than that given within the Col- lege walls. Under these circumstances, it is not to be ex- GIRARD COLLEGE: ITS TRAINING AND THE RESULTS. 179 pected that the roll of Alumni should exhibit the names of men of letters, such as may be found in the list of gradu- ates of universities; but it is largely to the credit of the Institution that, substantially, all the graduates have be- come good citizens. Some among the number have risen to high position in the professions, using the elementary education at the College as the foundation for private studies. There is no doubt that the education is thorough so far as it goes, and that, considering the age of the pupils, Girard College deserves to rank among the best of ele- mentary schools." When boys leave school, they are, of necessity, lacking in the ease of manner and the knowledge of that technical language which can only be acquired from actual associa- tion with men and women in the busy, practical world' about them; and it is gratifying, if not surprising, to note the rapidity with which Girard College boys attain that polish of address and familiarity with the variety of details which render them distinguishable from the average young men of business with whom they daily come in contact. They take pride, furthermore, in their personal appearance and their moral reputation, are ambitious to advance in the positions they occupy; and with reference to the im- pression which is probably, even at this day, extensively prevalent, not only in this city but elsewhere, in regard to the neglect of religious training in Girard College, the best answer that we can make is, that very many of our gradu- ates manifest a most commendable interest and zeal in re- ligious affairs. They are also disposed to establish quite early in their career homes of their own, and are evidently deeply attached to the families that surround their hearth- stones. I SO SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. Since the reports which have been received from former pupils are, in the majority of instances, from those who have been more recently graduated, it is but reasonable to assume that the proportion, in a complete list, of those occupying prominent positions in professional and business life is even greater than as now presented. Examining in detail the long list of occupations (more than three hundred in number) in which these graduates are engaged, we find that, in the professions, those who have been admitted to the bar are highest in number, eighteen, while four are enrolled as students having the same purpose in view; ten are clergymen and two more are students; ten are physicians and surgeons and four are students; there are two dentists and one student; there are seven druggists, twelve drug clerks, and three chemists; three are civil engineers, one is a student and one is a sur- veyor; five are architects and one is studying in the same branch of art; eleven are draughtsmen and four are con- tractors; there are four notaries public, two of whom are conveyancers; five are teachers, five prefects, and twenty are students. In banking and kindred pursuits there are two bankers and brokers, three assistant cashiers of banks, two bank tellers; five treasurers and four with the title of secretary and treasurer, and eighteen are connected with the insurance business. The list of bank and railroad clerks is very large, but they are embraced in a general class as clerks or bookkeepers, which reaches the large total of four hundred and eighty. There are seventy-seven stenographers, eighty salesmen, two paymasters, and six cashiers. Five are auditors, twelve are in the real estate business, ten are superintendents or assistant superinten- GIRARD COLLEGE: ITS TRAINING AND THE RESULTS. 181 dents, fifteen are inspectors and thirty-three are mana'gers in various industries. Mining and railroads have their representatives, nine are journalists, two publishers, and two reporters; and in the public service fifteen are letter- carriers and ten policemen, and nineteen are railway con- ductors. In other spheres of usefulness we find some who are merchants and dealers, some manufacturers, twenty-five foremen of various kinds, fifty-six printers and four proof- readers; twenty-four are plumbers, either employers or journeymen; twenty-seven carpenters and four pattern- makers; tw r enty electricians, seventeen engineers, thirteen engravers, sixty-five machinists, three tool-makers, thirteen moulders, eleven tinsmiths, ten hatters, ten miners, thirty paper-hangers (nine of whom are employers), twenty- nine painters (six being employers), seventy factory hands, and fifty-three farmers. Sixteen are cutters, twelve black- smiths, four designers, and' one is a sculptor; five are florists or gardeners, nineteen are packers and shippers, eleven upholsterers, thirteen weavers, six undertakers and embalmers, and fifteen are engaged in the baking or con- fectionery business. Four are now students in the Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades; six are in the United States Navy, three are seamen, and two are in the United States Army (one of whom is a lieutenant); and one is a Commissioner of Immigration, one a Deputy Collector of Customs, one a Deputy Recorder of Deeds, and one is a tipstaff. Appended to the above report is a schedule showing the nativity of parents of boys admitted to the College from January i, 1870, to December 31, 1897, 4521 in number: 12 182 SEMI-CENTENNIAL OF GIRARD COLLEGE. Father. Mother. United States , . . . 2891 3109 Ireland ... 576 565 Germany . . . . v , . - - 549 424 England ... 283 222 Wales 63 68 Scotland ... 47 62 France , . . . 27 22 Switzerland , . . . 14 9 Canada ... ii 8 Cuba . . . . 8 3 Italy , . . . . 8 2 Sweden . . . . 6 3 Nova Scotia . . . . 5 2 Russia . . . 5 2 Norway . . . . 5 2 Holland . - . . 5 I Denmark . . . . . 3 I Austria -....- 3 2 Palestine . . . . 2 2 Portugal . . . . 2 O South America . . I I Mexico .... . . . . 2 West Indies . . . . O I Newfoundland . . . . o I Belgium . . . . I East Indies . . . . o I Australia . . . . o I On shipboard . . . . I Not recorded . . . . 6 4 4521 4521 THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE STAMPED BELOW AN INITIAL FINE OF 25 CENTS WILL BE ASSESSED FOR FAILURE TO RETURN THIS BOOK ON THE DATE DUE. THE PENALTY WILL INCREASE TO SO CENTS ON THE FOURTH DAY AND TO $1.OO ON THE SEVENTH DAY OVERDUE. 21 LD 21-100m-7,'39(402s)