through Franklin's correspondence, but to which he had no access.12 It may in all fairness therefore be claimed that the Philosophical Society is derived from the ancient Junto, although through a younger branch. If the history of our Society is followed back from 1769, one of its lines of parentage, that of the Philosophical Society, as is well known, goes back to 1743; the other in my opinion goes back through the American Society and the younger Junto, begun in 1750, to the parent of that Society, the older Junto, established in 1727. The narrative given in the report of the committee of October 15, 1841, seems to me to be a clear and correct statement of the facts and the first, second, third, fourth, and sixth clauses of their conclusion to be fully justified. The fifth conclusion, however, the inference from these facts that 1743 should be considered as the earliest date of origin of the Society, does not seem to me to be justifiable.13 If the "date of founding," as it has been formulated for the use of colleges by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching means "the year in which the institution was established out of which the present college or university (institution), has developed," the Junto of 1750 certainly developed out of the Junto of 1727, and the Society may claim its descent through a younger line just as fairly as by primogeniture, so that the date of origin of the Society 12 Report, pp. 141–2. 13 Report, pp. 53-96. should be considered that of the formation of Franklin's Junto, in 1727. E. P. CHEYNEY. The question whether Franklin was in a proper sense the founder of our Society is not in doubt. He founded the American Philosophical Society of 1743. He founded the Junto of 1727. The development of a junior Junto, -if such a thing occurred,—was unquestionably due to the impetus of the older Junto; and the change of the local Junto into a Society which included corresponding members from other colonies was a mere broadening of its purpose. In the sense of the ruling of the Carnegie Foundation it is clear that when Franklin founded his original Junto, he became the founder of the American Society. He is admitted by all to be the founder of the Philosophical Society. Our Society therefore owes its origin to him on both sides. CHARLEMAGNE TOWER, SAMUEL DICKSON, E. P. CHEYNEY, FRANCIS B. GUMMERE, W. W. KEEN, I. MINIS HAYS. ACCEPTANCE OF THE REPORT At the Stated Meeting of the Society held May 1, 1914, Hon. Charlemagne Tower, Chairman, presented and read at length the report of the Committee on the Date of Origin of the Society. On motion, by a unanimous vote, the Report was accepted; the year 1727 was declared to be the date of the foundation of the Society, in accordance with the finding of the Committee; and the Committee was discharged, with the thanks of the Society for its exhaustive report. Extracted from the Minutes. |