A History of the University of Pennsylvania from Its Foundation to A. D. 1770/Chapter 18

by Thomas Harrison Montgomery

XVIII.

The Trustees did not weary in their well doing; their meetings were well attended, the faithful President being always on hand, inspiring the others to worthy motions though his hand is not visible; yet sometimes they were without a quorum, and to secure this it was on 21 April, 1752,
Agreed by the Trustees present to pay a Fine of One Shilling, if absent at any Meeting, unless such Excuse be given as the Majority shall judge reasonable. The Money to be applied towards buying Books, Paper, &c for the Scholars in the Charity School.

This was affirmed at their meeting of 25 May, 1754, but the fine was then made absolute, of "one shilling, to be laid out in paper, quills, books, &c, for the use of the Charity School." The rule obtaining in the Constitutions requiring that "nothing be transacted by the Trustees unless it be voted by a Majority of the whole Number, which as experience has been found highly inconvenient, in regard to the difficulty of so great a Number's meeting" it was on 27 July, 1750

Resolved, Nemine contradicente, that a Majority of the Trustees met (that Majority not being less than seven, or on a meeting of seven if they all agree) shall have power to order and transact any business relating to the Academy or its Government except the alteration of the Constitutions or making Contracts, whereby the Publick money may be expended.
And on 9 April, 1751 they "agree to meet the second Tuesday in every month. The time of Meeting to be at four o'clock in the afternoon."

The Trustees attention to the well being of the Academy, even to many of its minor details, brought them sometimes to be administrators as well as formulators of discipline; though this may have been more notable in the interregnum between the first two Rectorships. It was on 11 February, 1752, "Agreed, that no holidays be solicited for the Boys by any of the Trustees separately." This was modified, probably under the judicious but calculating advice of the new Rector, for at the meeting of 21 April following it was

Agreed unanimously that no Holdiday be granted to the Scholars at the request of any Person, unless at the same time he made a present to the Academy of a Book of Ten Shillings value: The Masters to be made acquainted with this Rule.

Graydon gives some account of the pranks of the boys when he attended the College and Academy, a few years later than this, which certainly were not new in his day; the boys of 1751 were but the forerunners of those of 1760 and of many succeeding years. The only reference to their doings in the formal minutes of the Trustees may be the entry of 15 November 1752, "Agreed that a small Ladder be bought, to be always at hand for the Conveniency of mending the Windows." Perhaps the person who broke one of the new street lamps in the preceding October with an apple was a matriculant at the Academy, and led his classmates in practice on the windows of the New Building, to repair which it was found convenient to keep a ladder "always at hand for the conveniency of mending them."