OF PENNSYLVANIA. 41 



and by talking with them themselves, advocated the passage 

 of the bill, and the political press, without regard to party, 

 with singular unanimity united with the agricultural press 

 in urging the claims of the bill upon the Representatives 

 of the people of our great Agricultural State. The bill 

 was finally brought to its second reading, when it passed 

 with an overwhelming majority. A vote to suspend the 

 rules which forbid the reading of the same bill twice in 

 the same day, was carried and 



The bill was read the third time, and thus passed the 

 House. 



Col. Gregg had always assured the Trustees that if 

 the bill passed the lower House, he would have no diffi- 

 culty in securing its passage through the Senate, there- 

 fore, a few days after it passed the House, it passed the 

 Senate, and received the signature of the Governor, and 

 became a law. 



Thus a great Agricultural State was saved the disgrace 

 of allowing an Agricultural College it had attempted to 

 found, to break up in the act of being founded, and $150, 

 000 worth of property that was collected for this purpose, 

 was saved from being sacrificed, and on the other hand, 

 our old Commonwealth has succeeded in bringing the first 

 Agricultural School in the United States into successful 

 operation. 



Amongst those not members of the House who con- 

 tributed to this result, the name of Hon. James T. Hale 

 deserves especial mention as having by his great influence 

 as a public man, and a member of the Board of Trustees, 

 done much for the passage of the bill; as also did all the 

 members of the Board, and most particularly the business 

 committee, who were prepared at all times to leave their 

 own pressing duties as professional men at home, to attend 

 to the advocacy of the bill while before the Legislature. 



The bill passed the Senate on the 10th of April, 1861. 

 Fort Sumter was bombarded about this time, and the 

 country was in the midst of the excitement consequent 

 thereon . 



The Board met at the school, May 1st, 1861, and not- 

 withstanding the disturbed state of the country, caused 



