fulness, that caused me to think of founding a school where every boy could be taught some trade free of expense." He talked with his intimate friends—Mr. Lewis, Mr. Ludwig, Mr. Wanamaker and others—about "the boys" many times, often with emotion that was near to tears.
And he was equally emphatic in his oft-expressed opinion that the abolition of the apprentice system was one of the greatest mistakes of contemporary society.
The thought of founding some sort of an institution for boys came as early as "the fifties" into his mind. Any doubt on this score would disappear after reading the brief preamble to the Foundation Deed presented to the Trustees of the Free School of Mechanical Trades, December 1, 1888. Four times within a few paragraphs he asserts and reasserts this fact:
"The subject of the training and education of youth to habits of industry and economy, and the importance of their learning trades, so that they may be able to earn their living by the labor of their hands, has for a long time received my careful attention."
