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influence in its existence. Then the jealousy of the times and 

 the jealousy of Franklin led to the establishment of another 

 Society claiming part of the title of the American Philosophi- 

 cal institution established by Franklin and the attempt to carry 

 on an opposition society to his, with great damage to both, and 

 with the result that about the year 1768, the gentlemen com- 

 posing those institutions, finding that both could not survive, 

 that there was not room enough in the city of Philadelphia 

 for two institutions of the sort — happily coalesced, and on 

 January 2, 1768, Benjamin Franklin was elected President 

 of the associated institutions and continued to be reelected for 

 twenty-one years, from 1769 to 1790, without any opposition 

 on the part of any member of the institution. 



Our friend, Prof. McMaster, has given you a brief but admi- 

 rable biography of Franklin's life, telling the story of his birth, 

 of his early education, of his trials, and of his triumphs. In his 

 connection with the American Philosophical Society you will 

 recognize all the traits we have seen so skillfully delineated and 

 which have marked the institution that bears the stamp of his 

 creative genius, which has been influenced throughout its 

 existence by his spirit, and which to-day, as our friend, Mr. 

 McMaster, has told you, has its correspondents throughout 

 the whole of the world of science, has upon its list of mem- 

 bers distinguished scientific men of every country, representa- 

 tives of all the departments of science in cities of the United 

 States, and is preparing still to go on, carrying forward the 

 good work that Franklin founded, that has been so successful 

 in the hands of his successors, and we are hoping that Frank- 

 lin's shadow will always be within view to guide the destinies 

 of the Society to new honors and to new triumphs. 



The minutes of that early Society that he founded in 1742 

 are still in existence in the beautiful handwriting of the philoso- 



