We have met sundry times since the last meeting on the subject and are unanimous in judgment that it will be convenient for Friends to have a school house built near Jesse Garrett’s smith shop on the east side of the road leading from the valley where about five acres may be purchased of William Garrett and William Garrett, Jr., in order to erect a school house on, and also a house for a school master, which we request the monthly meeting to take under consideration; and if they approve thereof, that it may be encouraged by a subscription amongst Friends only, and to be established on the plan proposed by the Yearly Meeting and subject to the direction of the monthly meeting from time to time, to remove or alter as they may see cause, or time may show to be necessary. We propose the house to be twenty-seven feet square from out to out, and compute the expense of building to be £150 exclusive of the land which will be £25, which we submit to the monthly meeting. Signed in behalf of the committee—Thomas Hoopes, Jr.[575] Their report was left for further consideration. [Sidenote: Attempt to bestir the preparatives] In 1784 a drive was organized on the preparative meetings. The monthly meeting received a visit from the committee of the quarterly meeting, which suggested the appointment of a large committee and the distribution of the printed advices of the yearly meeting of 1778, to be read before each of the preparative meetings.[576] In conformity with this suggestion, the former school committee was released and a new one of ten members appointed as a standing committee, directed to follow out the previously made suggestions.[577] In their report issued shortly thereafter, there is an account of the beginning of a school in Willistown, which is as the following: [Sidenote: School at Willistown; master’s house, etc., proposed] The committee in the care of schools report that a school is kept in the new house built in Willistown by a Friend, and endeavors are used to have it conducted as near as may be to the directions of the Yearly Meeting, and the building of a house for the master is proposed and a considerable sum of money is subscribed towards the same, provided a sufficiency can in like manner be raised.[578] Another report for 1785 gives the state of schools for that date. [Sidenote: One school the property of the monthly meeting] There are several schools in the verge of our monthly meeting, kept by members of our society, one of which belongs to the monthly meeting, with several acres of land, whereon Friends are now building a house for a master, which when completed there will be a small fund towards schooling poor children.[579]