His salary for the first year is not known, but the minutes a year later give some clue as to the amount paid. Agreed at this meeting that Benjamin Clift teach school a year, beginning this 20th day of this 9th month; and to have £12/00/00.[693] [Sidenote: Slight activity before 1778] As has occurred in all other monthly meetings thus far considered, there was always little done in the way of organization and supervision of school affairs till after 1770.[694] There were however various committees appointed from time to time, especially in the case of legacies and donations which were quite common even at early dates.[695] The movement towards better organization, however, began more earnestly in 1778, with the receipt of a number of letters from the yearly meeting, in regard to which the following minute was made: [Sidenote: Coöperation of monthly and quarterly committees] This meeting received a number of the general epistles from the last Yearly Meeting held in London and also the same number of copies of an epistle from the same meeting to our last Yearly Meeting, one of each were read at the close of the meeting for worship, to satisfaction, and the clerk is directed to read one of each the forepart of a first day meeting. The remainder were distributed amongst Friends.[696] [Sidenote: Building for a school proposed] In the twelfth month Darby Friends received a committee appointed by the quarterly meeting (Concord) to investigate conditions and promote schools among the monthly meetings.[697] John Howe, Aaron Oakford, Isaac Lloyd, Benjamin Lobb, and Josiah Bunting were appointed by Darby to join with the quarterly meeting’s committee in its work.[698] The next year the question of building a schoolhouse occupied their attention.[699] It was proposed to deal with persons holding some land adjoining that of the meeting, that it might be purchased as school property and a suitable building erected thereon. Finding, however, that those holding the adjacent property were not at the time disposed to sell, it was decided to begin a subscription for erecting a schoolhouse on the meeting’s land, which has been mentioned as having been left to the meeting’s use by John Blunston.[700] The work on this building was evidently begun between 1779 and 1781, as we may infer from the minute of the latter year. This meeting resuming the consideration of building a house to accommodate a school were informed by one of the committee that it appeared to be necessary the subscriptions should be enlarged before the work could be completed; therefore Abraham Bonsall, John Humphreys, and Phillip Price are appointed with the former committee in order to forward the work and to report what progress they have made therein to next meeting; Benjamin Lobb requesting to be released from the above service, Morris Truman is appointed in his room.[701]