vi The Bross Foundation 



lutes of the only living and true God, 'infinite, 

 eternal and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, 

 power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.' 



The gift contemplated in the original agreement 

 of 1879 was finally consummated in 1890. The 

 first decade of the accumulation of interest having 

 closed in 1900, the Trustees of the Bross Fund 

 began at this time to carry out the provisions of the 

 deed of gift. It was determined to give the gen- 

 eral title of "The Bross Library " to the series of 

 books purchased and published with the proceeds 

 of the Bross Fund. In accordance with the ex- 

 press wish of the donor, that the "Evidences of 

 Christianity" of his "very dear friend and teacher, 

 Mark Hopkins, D.D.," be purchased and "ever 

 numbered and known as No. 1 of the series," 

 the Trustees secured the copyright of this work, 

 which is now numbered as Volume I of the Bross 

 Library. 



The trust agreement prescribed two methods by 

 which the production of books and treatises of the 

 nature contemplated by the donor was to be stimu- 

 lated : 



1. The Trustees were empowered to offer one 

 or more prizes during each decade, the competi- 

 tion for which was to be thrown open to 'the 

 scientific men, the Christian philosophers and 

 historians of all nations." In accordance with 

 this provision, a prize of $6,000 was offered in 



