46 A NOTICE OF THE 



places of common resort as the city afforded for those of their 

 social position. Comparison of ideas, soon forced upon them a 

 conviction that they were ignorant of even the rudiments of those 

 branches of knowledge which had attracted their attention. All 

 professed to be in search of truth, and to desire to free themselves 

 from error and prejudice of every kind. They probably found 

 that conversations upon unusual topics, within ear-shot of 

 strangers met with at public places, provoked unwelcome atten- 

 tion ; and that discussions pursued -irregularly and without 

 method, were not likely to be profitable. 



At the period referred to, Mr. John Speakman was established 

 as an apothecary, at the north-west corner of Market and Second 

 Streets. He was born in Bucks County, Pa., and belonged to 

 the religious society of Friends. His father was strongly op- 

 posed to the institution of slavery, and refused to use any article 

 known to be the product of slave labor. Young Speakman was 

 zealously religious. He possessed a speculative mind, and an 

 eminently benevolent disposition. The unworthy conduct of a 

 seemingly pious " Friend," and other circumstances not neces- 

 sary to particularize, led him to habits of intense thought and 

 reflection. But he had acquired very little knowledge of the 

 laws of nature from books, and hence he encountered many dif- 

 ficulties in forming definite conclusions. He however assumed 

 as an axiom, that the evils which men commit are due to their 

 ignorance of what is best adapted to secure their own good and 

 happiness ; and that want of knowledge of the laws of nature ia 

 the source of all social evils. He therefore earnestly sought to 

 improve the condition of mankind by seeking knowledge himself, 

 and imparting what he acquired to others. Yet he did not de- 

 vote himself methodically to study, but sought information in 

 conversation with those friends and acquaintances who possessed 

 congenial tastes. He found it pleasant to glean knowledge from 

 the remarks of the many intelligent persons who frequented his 

 shop, which became a centre of the literary and scientific gossip 

 of the day. But Mr. Speakman's defective training in a coun- 

 try school, did not enable him to give profitable direction to that 

 spirit of inquiry, with which the circumstances of his private 

 life had imbued his mind a mind at once ingenuous, earnest, and 

 scrupulously honest. 



Among his social companions was Mr. Jacob Gilliams, a native 



