... agreed that Horsham, Germantown, Byberry meetings shall have 40 shillings each for the ensuing year, and Oxford twenty shillings, Abington three pounds for the same time, (of the annuity left by William Carter) in order that the same may be employed in paying for the schooling of such children as the said meetings may think proper objects thereof if they find any, and the Friends of the said meeting are desired to see that the same be well applied and that the children who partake of the benefit thereof do go regularly to school.[300] [Sidenote: Donations under care of trustees, used for schooling poor] The money thus devised to the meeting was in the care of the committee appointed by the same, whose duty it was to receive requests and to investigate all cases where help was requested or found to be necessary. The accounts of the said committee were audited at a period when necessary by Friends appointed especially for that purpose.[301] This form of philanthropy became very popular here, as in other meetings, almost every meeting bearing forward a new record of it. In 1758 James Thorntown and Giles Knight reported that they had received of James Paul (treasurer of Abington Monthly Meeting) the sum of £6, part of the donation left for the poor children’s schooling, and had applied £2/5 of the same to that use, leaving a remainder of £3/15 in the hands of Knight.[302] In 1770 the records run in this manner: It appears that Phillip Wells stands in need of some of the moneys that were given to the use of schooling poor Friends children; Thomas Townsend is therefore ordered to pay forty shillings of the money in his hands.[303] Though very few references are made throughout the early period of the schools, it is quite certain from the nature of these reports on education of the poor that the schools were continued regularly. When the yearly meeting began to demand reports on the condition of the schools, there was no stir about the matter whatever, the first report being that those who have our school under care “report that it is in good order.”[304] The requests coming into the preparative meeting for information on schools, were referred to the standing school committee.[305] [Sidenote: Case of schools under standing committee] The standing committee performed all duties in connection with the school, with the exception of certain cases of difficulty, where it was necessary to call on the meeting for assistance, at which time that body coöperated with them through specially appointed committees.[306] The Byberry Preparative Meeting was, of course, not independent in this matter of school organization; their place was very much in accord with that suggested by a committee report to the various preparative meetings in 1790: [Sidenote: General plan for encouragement of better schools]