MINUTES  OF  THE  COLLEGE. 
275 
lected  and  the  distribution  of  the  Journal  by  mail  and  otherwise  efiPected 
by  the  firm  of  which  he  is  a  member.  In  the  early  days  of  its  existence 
the  cost  of  printing  and  paper  was  much  less-  than  at  present;  even  as 
late  as  1846,  the  whole  amount  paid  out  for  printing  and  other  expenses 
was  1689,  whilst  last  year  the  printing  bills  alone  were  1848  dollars. 
"Whatever  may  have  been  the  custom  of  the  Committee  in  the  earlier 
years  of  its  history,  there  has  been  no  regular  organization  or  collective 
action  of  latter  time.  The  accounts  of  the  Treasurer  are  annually  ren- 
dered and  accepted,  and  so  entire  has  been  the  confidence  of  the  College 
in  his  disinterested  action,  that,  so  far  as  the  Editor  knows,  these 
accounts  in  the  long  period  of  his  service  have  never  been  audited.  This 
has  probably  arisen  from  the  independent  position  of  the  Journal  and 
Committee  outside  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  and  outside  of  the  Treasury 
of  the  College.  From  the  beginning,  so  far  as  the  Editor  is  informed, 
its  reverses  and  successes  went  on  without  disturbing  the  current  of 
College  finances  until,  in  1846,  a  resolution  of  the  College  was  passed, 
directing  the  Treasurer  of  the  Publishing  Committee  to  pay  fifty  dollars 
a  year  to  the  Finance  Committee,  which  he  continued  to  do  for  fifteen 
years,  making  a  gross  sura  of  $750.  On  the  25th  of  September,  1854, 
the  late  Prof.  Thomas  offered  a  resolution  which  directed  the  Publishing 
Committee  to  furnish  the  Journal  to  contributing  and  life  members  free 
of  charge.  This  resolution  was  referred  to  the  Publishing  Committee  to 
be  reported  on  at  the  next  meeting.  At  the  Annual  Meeting  in  March, 
1855,  the  Committee  reported  that  they  were  not  prepared  to  recommend 
the  adoption  of  the  resolution  of  Prof.  Thomas,  and  suggested  a  modifi- 
cation. This  was  not  agreed  to,  and  the  original  resolution  of  Dr. 
Thomas,  amended  by  withholding  the  Journal  from  members  in  arrears, 
was  adopted  by  a  small  majority.  By  this  act,  about  one  hundred  of  the 
best  subscriptions  to  the  Jouraal  were  rendered  unavailable  to  its  treas- 
ury. Notwithstanding  this  large  draft  on  their  resources,  the  Committee 
continued  to  report  an  increasing  annual  balance  in  its  favor,  so  as  to  be 
able,  in  1858,  to  contribute  $150  towards  repairing  the  College  Hall. 
This  flourishing  condition  continued  until  1861,  when  the  balance  in  favor 
of  the  Committee  was  $325.27,  when  the  breaking  out  of  the  war 
suddenly  reduced  the  amount  of  collections  nearly  six  hundred  dollars, 
and  compelled  the  treasurer  to  report  a  reversed  balance  against  the 
Committee  of  $229.41.  In  1862  though  there  was  an  increase  of  collections, 
this  reversed  balance  continued  to  be  $206.50.  In  1863  it  increased  to 
$325.47.  At  this  juncture  the  Treasurer  of  the  Publishing  Committee 
was  authorized,  by  resolution  of  the  College,  to  draw  on  the  Latin  Label 
Committee  for  the  amount  of  the  deficit.  In  1864  the  Treasurer  reported 
a  balance  due  the  Committee  of  $347.73 ;  in  1865  this  balance  was  re- 
duced to  $223.87.  At  this  period,  after  the  close  of  the  war,  we  all  re- 
member the  large  accession  to  prices  incident  to  taxation,  and  the  con- 
sequent rapid  rise  in  the  value  of  labor  which  reached  into  every  de- 
partment of  trade  and  production.  But  what  more  specially  crippled  the 
