Pennsylvania, colonial and federal - a history, 1608-1903 (1903) (14590825247)

Identifier: pennsylvania03jenk (find matches)
Title: Pennsylvania, colonial and federal : a history, 1608-1903
Year: 1903 (1900s)
Authors: Jenkins, Howard Malcolm, 1842-1902 Pennsylvania Historical Publishing Association
Subjects: Pennsylvania -- History
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : Pennsylvania Historical Pub. Association
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN



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n the ranks of him whose ban-ner streams in light. It was Stevenss eloquence and leadership that won the vic-tory for the free school system. He was a prominent leader inthe anti-masonic movement and a political opponent of GovernorWolf. ■ But immediately after his great speech the governor sentf. r Air. Stevens, and when the latter entered the executive cham-ber embraced him, and with tearful eyes and broken voice thankedhim for the great service he had rendered to our common com-munity. The full text of the speech was reprinted in the PennsylvaniaSchool Journal in 1891, Vol. 39, pages 326-330. In 1835 therewas no stenographer in either house of the legislature. Someh )urs after the delivery of the speech an attempt was made toreport it from memory, but the written speech is said to conveyvery little of the force and power of the words as they fell fromthe orators lips. The speech, beautifully printed on silk, wasafterwards presented to him by some school men of Reading, and 36 •
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Thomas McKean Signer of the Declaration of Independencemember Delaware General Assembly. 175J1769; member stamp-act congress, 1765; memher Continental Congress, 1774-1783; chief justice of Pennsylvania, 1777-1799; member Pennsylvania Constitutional Convention, 1790; governor of Pennsylvania, 1799-1808 The Educational System was proudly kept by him as a relic till his death. He consideredit the most effective speech he ever made, and styled it the crown-ing utility of his life. At another time he remarked that heshould feel himself abundantly rewarded for all his efforts inbehalf of universal education if a single child educated by theCommonwealth should drop a tear of gratitude on his grave. To those who are fond of studying the details of school ad-ministration and the historic beginnings of great movements theact of 1834 is exceedingly interesting. It made each county aschool division, and each ward, township and borough a schooldistrict. It prescribed the manner of electing six cit