138  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy.     {^mIu'u  mV"'' 
helping  to  lay  the  foundation  and  build  the  superstructure  of  a 
mighty  republic,  had  reared  a  meeting  place  which  was  now  to  be- 
come the  scene  of  events  memorable  while  time  shall  last. 
Very  few  of  the  delegates  to  the  Carpenters'  Hall  Assembly 
knew  or  had  ever  heard  of  this  unpretentious  building,  modestly 
located  back  from  the  main  street  of  the  city,  as  though  seeking 
an  undiscoverable  retreat.  From  the  Colonies  far  and  near,  they 
came,  and  under  the  guidance  of  the  God  of  nations,  whose  pro- 
tection they  wisely  and  devoutly  sought  at  the  very  beginning,  they 
solemnly  and  courageously  deliberated.  Their  just  and  patriotic 
conclusions  met  with  an  instant  and  hearty  response  in  the  hearts 
of  the  people.  They  made  Carpenters'  Hall  a  Mecca  for  unborn 
generations,  a  place  where  the  men  of  the  future  might  safely  seek 
counsel  and  wisdom. 
As  the  present  representatives  of  an  honored  and  beneficent  in- 
stitution, it  is  our  privilege  to  remember  with  pride  and  satisfaction 
the  fact  that  its  founders  first  met  where  the  patriotic  leaders  of 
revolutionary  days  first  assembled.  It  could  not  have  been  other- 
wise than  that  they  too  should  have  built  wisely  and  well. 
During  the  fifty  years  of  its  existence,  from  1770  to  1820, 
before  its  temporary  occupancy  by  the  founders  of  the  Philadel- 
phia College  of  Pharmacy,  Carpenters'  Hall  had  a  peculiarly  event- 
ful history.  It  had  its  singular  vicissitudes,  and  at  one  time  was 
nearly  lost  sight  of  as  a  place  worthy  of  lasting  public  honor.  Yet 
within  that  period,  it  was  the  scene  of  events  of  surpassing  im- 
portance. The  Provincial  Assembly  of  Pennsylvania  met  there  in 
July,  1774,  and  in  September  and  October  of  the  same  year,  the 
first  American  Congress.  In  1775  a  conference  was  held  in  this 
Hall  of  far-reaching  effect  upon  the  development  of  trade  and 
commerce  in  America.  This  was  an  assemblage  of  prominent 
financiers  and  manufacturers  interested  in  the  establishment  of  the 
cotton  and  woollen  industry  in  this  country.  The  following  year, 
in  1776,  the  Provincial  Committee  met  and  resolved  to  call  a  con- 
vention to  form  a  government  for  Pennsylvania,  which  should  re- 
ceive all  its  authority  from  the  people  only.  When,  liberty  having 
been  achieved,  the  problem  of  the  hour  was  the  formation  of  a 
national  government  which  should  stand  the  storms  and  trials  of 
the  years  to  come,  here  again,  in  1787,  came  the  chosen  coun- 
sellors of  the  people  to  frame  that  immortal  document — the  Con- 
