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power in law to surrender their charter, and give
away their funds to any person or institution they
may choose," it would be, nevertheless, very improper for them to do so, and would involve a violation
of solemn obligations. At the close of this argument, he observes, "When Hackensack repeatedly offered
to give several thousand pounds, if the
College might be moved to that place, it was always
strenuously objected by the Trustees, that such removal was impracticable; that it would be a
betraying of the public trust and confidence; that the
moneys had been expressly given in the expectation of their being expended in Brunswick, and that
therefore, no temptation or offer, could justify them
in removing the institution. But, if a bare removal, when the charter, the nature of the College,
and its patrons still remained the same, would
operate to a betraying of the pubhc faith, what
must be thought, and what will be thought, of a plan
which effects, not only a removal, but an alienation
of the funds, with the total extinction of the charter,
and all the hopes and expectations of its friends and
benefactors?"
In discussing the second thing — "What can and
ought to be done to answer the design of the institution?" he says, "That the charter of Queen's
College was obtained by the immediate agency
and influence of several pious ministers, and
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members of the Dutch Church, with a particular design
of rendering it subservient to a regular theological
education, and to prepare young men for the ministry of the Gospel. That while in its first organization,
from a want of competent funds, attention was only
paid to the usual studies pursued in other Colleges,
yet the main object was never lost sight of by its
well-informed friends and benefactors. — That
Queen's College was early recommended to the
Synod of the Dutch Churches, as an institution immediately adapted and intended to supply the
wants of the Churches, and was warmly and uniformly patronised by the Synod for that very
purpose, as appears by a variety of minutes entered,
year after year, upon their records: the late efforts
made by the Synod in its behalf, prove that the
Dutch Churches, notwithstanding the backwardness of some of the Trustees to meet the wishes of
the Churches in their favourite object, still retained their attachment to the College, and still
cherished a confidence that the Trustees would ultimately
co-operate in rendering Queen's College particularly useful, for the very end for which the charter
was obtained. — That while Brunswick yields from
necessity, as well as principle, to Princeton, and
cheerfully consents to let that elder and very respectable institution continue the unrivalled seat of
literature, Queen's College can yet, with propriety
and dignity, prosecute that other end which was
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