History of Philadelphia, 1609-1884, Part 85

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898. cn; Westcott, Thompson, 1820-1888, joint author
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : L. H. Everts & Co.
Number of Pages: 992

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The constitution was submitted, considered, amend- ed, and then unanimously adopted. Lists were then circulated, on which those present enrolled them- selves for membership. A committee was appointed to nominate candidates for officers and managers, and to take the needed order for holding an election on the 16th of the same month. By the time the election was held the roll contained between four hundred and five hundred members.

Mr. Ronaldson was elected president, and held the office until the year 1842.

The board of managers then chosen, of whom Messrs. Merrick and Keating were members, went energetically to work, and soon had the institute thoroughly organized.

Standing committees on instruction, on inventions, on premiums and exhibitions, on the library, and on models and minerals were appointed, and took hold of their duties with zeal and earnestness.

Professorships of chemistry, of natural philosophy and mechanics, and of architecture were forthwith established, and respectively filled by the election of Professor Keating to the first, Professor Robert M. Patterson to the second, and William Strickland to the third.

The first course of lectures was delivered in the old academy building, on Fourth near Arch Street, be- longing to the University of Pensylvania, the use of the building being granted by the trustees. In addi- tion to the lectures on the subjects above named, there were a number of volunteer lectures, delivered by members of the institute, on various subjects con- nected with science and the arts.

The foundations thus laid for instruction were rapidly enlarged, and their proportions and useful- ness have been wonderfully augmented.

Soon a school in which were to be taught architec- tural and mechanical drawing was established, and it was rapidly filled with pupils.

But, not content with this special school, the man- agers determined to establish another, in which all the useful branches of English literature and mathe- matics, and the ancient and modern languages should be taught, in short, a high school. This was placed under the charge of Walter R. Johnson, with able assistants, and was soon filled with pupils. The draw- ing-school has been very successfully continued down to the present day, and is now more flourishing than ever before; but the high school was discontinued after a few years' time, upon the resignation of Mr. Johnson. By this time the public schools of the city had been much improved by the introduction of new methods of instruction, and the establishment of the

Central High School of Philadelphia supplied all the needs that the high school of the institute was intended to provide for. The department of instruc- tion, with various changes and enlargement of the features, has continued in successful operation down to the present time.

The committee on inventions soon became a centre from which radiated the most useful and interesting results. The late Isaiah Lukens, a distinguished mechanician, was for many years its chairman, and, with the professors in the institute, and such associ- ates as Alexander Dallas Bache, Benjamin Reeves, Samuel V. Merrick, Rufus Tyler, Matthias W. Bald- win, John Agnew, George Washington Smith, John Wiegand, and others, gave wise counsel to inventors, put them in the way of knowing what had previ- ously been accomplished, saved them from the loss of money and of reputation by showing them when their inventions were not new, and when any matter of real novelty or value was presented, indorsing it most heartily with their approval, and giving that potential aid which would almost certainly secure public recognition and reward.

This committee continued its labors as originally constituted for many years, and upon its suggestions committees were raised for investigating the various forms of water-wheels, for giving economical value to water-power.

On this subject experiments of great number, and on almost every form of water-motor then known, were made, and the results tabulated and commented on in such an exhaustive manner that the report continues to this day to be a most valuable text-book on water-power.

Following this, and in the same lead of practical usefulness, a committee was raised to investigate the causes of explosion of steam-boilers, and in this in- vestigation the institute succeeded in getting the co- operation of the government of the United States, an appropriation for defraying the cost of the experi- ments being made by Congress. But no part of the money so appropriated was paid as compensation to the experimenters. These were all volunteers, de- voting many months of valuable time to the investi- gation and ascertaining most valuable facts, which have since been utilized for the benefit and safety of the public.

Connected with these experiments on explosions caused by steam came almost naturally an investiga- tion of the strength of materials. For this purpose the committee devised testing apparatus of various forms, and applied them in the most extensive and crucial way to the metals and materials of all kinds used in machines, steam-boilers, buildings, and other branches of the useful arts. The reports on explo- sions and on the strength of materials were published also, and are of equal reputation and use as those on water-power.

The committee on inventions was subsequently

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abolished, and in its place was established the com- mittee on science and arts. This committee was intended to cover not only the ground originally oc- cupied by the committee on inventions, but to em- brace a wider field, and to interest in its operation a larger number of members. Every one, therefore, who felt an interest in developing the domains of in- vention or science was invited to enroll himself as a member, and thereby to pledge himself to devote his time and knowledge to the service of the committee, and through it to the public. This voluntary associ- ation still exists, and its long course of labors and usefulness is attested by its memoirs, and by the vast number of reports made on inventions and other matters submitted to its scrutiny.

One of the methods adopted by the institute for the promotion of the mechanic arts was to reward inventor», manufacturers, and mechanics by the dis- tribution of medals and premiums. To this end, the committee on premiums and exhibitions was ap- pointed. It soon announced that an exhibition of American manufactures would be held in the city, and published a long list of premiums that would then be awarded. A very extensive circulation of this intention was given by letters addressed to those whose interest would be promoted by the exhibition, and also by advertisements to direct public attention to the undertaking. It was held in the Carpenters' Hall in the autumn of 1824, and was crowned with complete success. These exhibitions were continued at short intervals for a long while, and grew in public favor and usefulness, but were suspended for a num- ber of years in consequence of an inability to get a hall of sufficient size for a proper display.

In 1874, however, an exposition was held under the anspices of the institute, in commemoration of its semi-centennial, which exceeded in scope and interest any previons exhibition.

The first movement toward this exhibition was at the stated meeting of the institute held Feb. 18, 1874, when, on motion of G. Morgan Eldridge, the subject was referred to the committee on exhibitions.

The committee addressed a letter to J. Edgar Thomson, late president of the Pennsylvania Rail- road Company, making an application for the use of their depot on Market Street, between Thirteenth and Juniper Streets, for the purpose of an exhibition. This application having been laid before the board of directors, the depot was placed at the disposal of the institute during the months of September and October, 1874.

At the stated meeting of the institute, held the 18th of March, resolutions were adopted, requesting the board of managers to hold an exhibition, and to secure a guarantee fund; to indemnify the institute against loss. This condition having been fulfilled, public announcement was made upon the 14th of April that the exhibition would be held from the 6th to the 31st of October.

The prospectus of the proposed exposition an- nounced that the exhibition would "embrace all materials used in the arts, in every stage of manu- facture, from their natural condition to the finished products, and all tools, implements, and machines, by which the gifts of nature are changed and adapted to the use, the comfort, or the enjoyment of man- kind."

The exhibition was opened by the Governor of Pennsylvania, upon the day appointed, and attracted the sustained attention of the public to such an ex- tent that it was deemed advisable to continne it open for twelve days longer than was originally designed.

The whole number of paying visitors was two hnn- dred and sixty-seven thousand six hundred and thirty-eight, besides members of the institute, their ladies, and minors, and persons admitted on compli- mentary tickets issned to the press and to others whose liberality it was desired to recognize. Making due allowance for these, it may be said that the ex- hibition was visited by one-third of the population of Philadelphia. The number of applications for space was fifteen hundred and twenty-eight. The number of entries for exposition, many of them covering numerons items and large displays, was twelve hun- dred and fifty-one.

Since 1874 the institute has held no comprehensive public exposition. Active measures, however, are now being prosecuted looking toward a complete electrical exhibition in the fall of 1884.

Ground fronting on the north side of Lancaster Avenne, and extending from Thirty-second to Thirty- third Street, the property of the Pennsylvania Rail- road Company, has been leased by that company to the institute from Dec. 1, 1883, to Dec. 31, 1884, at a nominal figure. It is estimated that the lot of ground will give net exhibition space of seventy-five thousand square feet.

A guarantee fond of fifty thousand dollars has been subscribed by the members and friends of the institute, and every indication points to the most successful exhibition of electrical appliances ever held in America.

Relative to the mode and scope of operations of the institute, and to its terms and privileges of mem- bership, the following points of information are valu- able :

Meetings are held on the third Wednesday evening of each month, except in July and August, at which new inventions are presented, papers on technical subjects are read and discussed, and an abstract of current progress in science and the arts is presented by the secretary.

Courses of lectures are delivered during the winter months, under the direction of the committee on instruction, and the professors of those branches in the institute as an advisory board.

At the drawing-school, which has been carried on since the foundation of the institute, nearly five

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LIBRARIES AND HISTORICAL AND SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES.

hundred pupils annually receive instruction in me- chanical drawing, free-hand sketching for industrial purposes, and architectural drawing.

Chemical, electrical, and phonetic sections have been formed, composed of members interested in those branches, at which original papers are presented and discussed.

The committee on science and the arts conducts investigations of inventions brought before it, through sub-committees of experts,-selected for their special knowledge of the subjects,-and makes detailed re- ports upon the same, sustaining by its labors the scientific character of the institute.

Each member and adult holder of second-class stock, when not in arrears for dues, is entitled to attend the meetings of the institute, to use the library and reading-room, and to receive tickets for himself aud a lady to the lectures.

Contributing members pay five dollars each year. The payment of fifty dollars in any one year secures life membership, without annual dues.

Shares of stock are ten dollars.

Second-class stock has an annual tax of three dol- lars per share, entitling the holder of one share to the privileges of membership.

Minor children, wards, and apprentices of mem- bers not in arrears, by payment of two dollars, have the use of library and reading-room, and admission to lectures, or lectures alone for one dollar.

Minors holding a share of second-class stock, by paying one dollar and fifty cents per year, have the use of library and reading-room and admission to lectures.

As has been previously stated, the first course of lectures was delivered in the old academy building on Fourth Street. The institute very soon rented the lower story of the old Carpenters' Hall, in the rear of Chestnut Street, east of Fourth Street. It was early determined, however, to build a hall for the purposes of the institute; and to carry out this in- tention a purchase was made of a lot on Seventh Street, between Market and Chestnut Streets.

The corner-stone was laid with appropriate Masonic and other ceremonies, on the 8th day of June, 1825, at noon, and the edifice was erected by contract, from plans and estimates furnished by John Haviland, Esq., the architect. Being obliged to have an eye to revenue from the building, an agreement was made with the United States that the second story would be finished so that it might be occupied as a court-room and offices for the Circuit and District Courts. When the building was completed, a lease was accordingly made for a term of years at fifteen hundred dollars per annum. But after a short occupancy this lease was cancelled, as it was found to be inconvenient for members of the bar to be so far from the county court-house at Sixth and Chestnut Streets. The United States then agreed to give up the premises, and to pay nine hundred dollars per annum for the

remainder of the term, and the city rented for the use of the court the second story of Independence Hall.

The Franklin Institute building was completed, and all except the second story occupied, in 1826. On the cancellation of the lease to the United States, full pos- session of the whole building was obtained. Several times the question of removal from this hall, wherein so much efficient work has been wrought out, has been seriously considered. It very nearly culminated in the year 1836, when the Masonic Hall property on Chestnut Street west of Seventh was purchased by the institute for the sum of one hundred and ten thousand five hundred dollars.

Plans for a new and enlarged edifice were prepared by William Strickland, architect, aided by a com- mittee of the institute. A plan for a building loan was adopted, and a part of it subscribed for, which enabled the institute to pay the first installment of the purchase money. But the great financial crash of May, 1837, struck the project down, and after vainly struggling for several years to carry it out its abandonment became necessary, and at a loss of many thousands of dollars. At different times since pro- jects of removal have been started, but have never been consummated.

At the stated meeting of the institute held in De- cember, 1873, it was decided to celebrate in February, 1874, the fiftieth anniversary of the foundation of the organization.

The meeting which had been held on Feb. 5, 1824, having been decided on as the one which most surely marked the permanent foundation of the institute as a society, it was deemed advisable, if possible, to hold the commemorative meeting on that day; but inas- much as no suitable hall could be obtained for the evening of the 5th of February, the following day, namely, the 6th, was fixed upon ; and at the meeting of the institute in January it was resolved that " when we adjourn we adjouru to meet at the Musical Fund Hall on the evening of February 6th." The meeting was public and largely attended.

The programme for the evening was as follows :

Music.

Assembly called to order by Coleman Sellers, President of Fraoklin Institute. Music.

Address by Hon. Frederick Fraley, Tressurer of Franklin Institute. Music.

Address by Robert E. Rogers, M.D., Professor of Chemistry in University of Pennsylvania, and Vice-President of Franklin Iostitute.

Music.

Address by Henry Morton, Ph.D., President of Steveos Iostitute of Technology, lloboken, N. J., and late Secretary of Franklin Institute. Music. Closing Address by Coleman Sellers, President uf Franklin Institute.

It was determined early in the history of the insti- tute to gather material for a library, and under the auspices of the committee charged with attention to that feature of the institution books began to take their places on its shelves, to accumulate, to be used, and gradually to assume the numbers and variety

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HISTORY OF PHILADELPHIA.

which now characterize the society's large and valu- able collection.

The library at present comprises twenty thousand bound volumes and as many pamphlets. The yearly increase of bound volumes averages about one thou- sand or twelve hundred, by purchase and by dona- tion. It contains many valuable works on me- chanical and other subjects relating to the applied sciences, including all the leading American and European journals, and complete sets of American, English, and French patents, and which are placed at the command of members of the institute and of others properly introduced. Indeed, this collec- tion of patent reports is unexcelled in America. Besides these valuable books the institute possesses a complete set of all publications of the United States government upon every phase of applied science.

The library is divided into two classes, the first comprising such works as from their rarity or value should not be lent out, all unbound periodicals, and such text-books as ought to be found in a library of reference except when required by committees of the institute, or by members or holders of second-class stock who have obtained the sanction of the library committee. The second class includes those books intended for circulation.

In natural connection with the library comes the Journal. At the outset the pecuniary means of the institute were too limited to permit it to venture alone on such a publication. But an arrangement was made with Thomas P. Jones, then professor of Nat- ural Philosophy and Mechanics, to edit and publish a periodical devoted to science and the arts, under the title of the Franklin Journal. In this form, and with limited aid from the treasury of the organization, the publication was continued until 1828, when the institute assumed the responsibility of continuing it, under the title of The Journal of the Franklin Insti- tute ; and so it has continued to this time.

The editors of the Journal have been Thomas P. Jones, A. D. Bache, Charles B. Trego, John F. Frazer, Henry Morton, William H. Wahl, and Professor George F. Barker.

The Journal is published monthly, the subscription price being five dollars per year. Members and stock- holders not in arrears have the privilege of subscribing at three dollars per year. It is the only technological journal published in the United States without private pecuniary interests, and has always been considered as a standard work of reference.

The Franklin Institute is the custodian of a number of trusts, whose main and common object is the ad- vancement of the cause of science.

John Scott, a chemist of Edinburgh, gave by his will to the corporation of the city of Philadelphia, a legacy for the establishment of a premium, to be given by a medal and money to the inventors of anything new or useful. In the year 1834 the City Councils placed the awarding of the Scott's legacy

medal and premium in the hands of the institute, and it has so faithfully and carefully discharged that duty that its stewardship still continues.

In 1848 Elliott Cresson placed in the charge of trustees a sufficient sum of money to provide a gold medal, which was to be awarded by the institute to the inventor of any new or useful discovery. As this premium is to be given only for matters of real nov- elty and merit, it is, of course, rarely issued. The first recipient of it was Gen. Benjamin C. Tilghman, of Philadelphia, the discoverer of the application of the sand-blast for a variety of useful and ornamental purposes.

And in 1859, Uriah A. Boyden, of Boston, Mass., placed in charge of the institute the sum of one thousand dollars, to be awarded to "any resident of North America who shall determine by experiment whether all rays of light, and other physical rays, are or are not transmitted with the same velocity. The claim to be made in the form of an essay, announcing the result and its manner of ascertainment, to be pre- sented before the first day of January, 1873." The awarding of this premium was placed in the hands of a committee. Several essays were received, but ¿no one of them was considered of sufficient merit to entitle it to the prize. Mr. Boyden has allowed the premium to remain with the institute, however, in the hope that it may be earned by some worthy mathe- matician.

The Franklin Institute has been fortunate in that it has been officered, from the very beginning, by energetic, public-spirited men. Its presidents, espe- cially, have always been men of high character and reputation. James Ronaldson served as president until January, 1852, when he resigned ; hut he main- tained his interest in the institution until he died, and gave it by his will a legacy of five hundred dollars.

He was succeeded by Samuel V. Merrick, the ac- knowledged founder of the institute, and the man above all others who impressed on it at the begin- ning nearly all of its practical features.

Mr. Merrick held the office of president until Jan- uary, 1855, when he resigned. He was succeeded in the presidency by Jolin C. Cresson, who had been elected a member in 1834. His able administration was universally recognized, and he occupies a high and honorable place in the records and history of the institute. He declined a re-election in 1864, and William Sellers was chosen his successor.

Under the administration of this distinguished me- chanical engineer a new impulse was given to the career of the institute. The plan of organization was modified, and a large sum was raised by Mr. Sel- lers and his friends to reduce the debt, to repair and alter the hall, and to bring the institution into more effectual contact with manufacturers and mechanics.

Mr. Sellers declined a re-election in 1868, and was succeeded by John Vaughan Merrick, the eldest son of the distinguished founder. He inherited all the

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LIBRARIES AND HISTORICAL AND SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES.

interest so long held by his father, and energetically carried out the new and enlarged policy.

He declined a re-election in January, 1870, and was succeeded by Coleman Sellers, who occupied the office until 1875, serving the institute with marked ability.

In January, 1875, Professor Robert E. Rogers was chosen president. The office was held by Professor Rogers until January, 1879, the period of four years covered by his incumbency being fraught with impor- tance to the institute.

At the annual meeting in 1879, William P. Tatham became president.

The Historical Society of Pennsylvania .- The origin of this association was as follows: In 1824, George Washington Smith, of Philadelphia, hap- pened, while visiting New York, to be placed in relations of intimacy with De Witt Clinton, then Governor of that State. The New York Historical Society was at the time a subject of public interest in New York City. Mr. Clinton's regard for the institu- tion was always warm and active. He spoke much of it to his visitor, unfolded its plans and objects, expa- tiated eloquently on its prospects and usefulness. Mr. Smith, upon returning to Philadelphia, suggested to certain citizens the formation of a similar society in this city. The suggestion was well received. A pre- liminary meeting was held, with the following result, as learned from the original minutes, still extant :

" At a meeting of gentlemen, native citizens of Pennsylvania, favor -. able to the formation of a society for the purpose of elucidating the history of the State, held on the 2d day of December, 1824, at the house of Thomas I. Wharton,

" Roberts Vanx was called to the chair, and George Washington Smith appointed secretary. There were present Roberts Vaux, Stephen Duncan, Thomas I. Wharton, William Rawle, Jr., Dr. Benjamin H. Coates, Dr. Caspar Wistar, George Washington Smith.

" After an interchange of the views of those present it was, on motion of T. I. Wharton,

" Resolved, That it is expedient to form a society for the purpose of elucidating the history of Pennsylvania.

" Resolved, That a committee be appointed to prepare a constitution and by-laws for the government of the said society.

" Whereupon, Thomas I. Wharton, Dr. Coates, and G. W. Smith were appointed a committee.

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History of Philadelphia, 1609-1884, Part 85

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898. cn; Westcott, Thompson, 1820-1888, joint author Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : L. H. Everts & Co. Number of Pages: 992

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898. cn; Westcott, Thompson, 1820-1888, joint author
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : L. H. Everts & Co.
Number of Pages: 992