“At this time, Mr. Nicholas Biddle was in the zenith of his power.  Hundreds of persons, who at the present day find fault with him, were then his worshippers.  He could command any post which he was willing to fill.  I do not pretend that he sought any post, ’but it suited his inclinations to be at the head of those who were intrusted by Councils with the construction of the College.  Over his colleagues in this, as in another memorable instance, he seems to have had an absolute control.  The architect, also, whose plan had been preferred, appears to have considered himself bound to adapt it to Mr. Biddle’s conceptions of true excellence.  And you now behold the result,—­a splendid temple in an unfinished state, instead of the unostentatious edifice contemplated by Mr. Girard.

“Is all this surprising V Why should Democrats think it so?  It was by them that plans and pictures of architects were called for.  Why should their opponents be astonished?  It was by them that a carte blanche seems to have been given to Mr. Biddle in relation to the plans and the College.  Is Mr. Biddle culpable?  Is there no excuse for one so strongly tempted as he was, not merely to produce a splendid edifice, but to connect his name, in some measure, with that of its founder?  While I am not an apologist for Mr. Biddle, I am not willing to cast blame upon him alone for the waste of time and money that we have witnessed.  As a classical scholar, a man of taste, and a traveller abroad, it was not unnatural that he should desire to see near his native city the most magnificent edifice in North America.  Having all the pride and sense of power which adulation is calculated to produce, the plain house described in his will may have appeared to him a profanation of all that is beautiful in architecture, and an outrage at once against all the Grecian orders.  In short, the will of Mr. Girard to the contrary, Mr. Biddle, like another distinguished person, may have said, ‘I take the responsibility.’”

“It is true that this responsibility was a serious one, but less so to Mr. Biddle than to the City Councils.  They were the trustees, and ought to have considered Mr. Girard’s will as law to them.  They should have counted the cost of departing from it.  They ought to have reflected that by departing from it many orphans would be excluded from the benefits of education.  They should have considered whether a Grecian temple would be such a place as poor orphans destined to labor ought to be reared in.  The Councils of 1832-3, therefore, have no apology to offer.  But Mr. Biddle may well say to all our parties:  ’You are all more in fault than I am.  You Democrats gave rewards for plans.  You Federalists submitted those plans to me, and I pointed out the one I thought the best, making improvements upon it.  A very few persons, Mr. Ronaldson, Mr. Duane,