natural sciences in 1812; the first school for training teachers in
1818; the first American building and loan association in 1831; the
first American numismatic society in 1858. From the Germantown Friends'
Meeting, headed by Francis Daniel Pastorius, came in 1688 the first
protest against slavery in this country. In Philadelphia was published
the first American medical book in 1740; here was given the first
Shakespearean performance in this country in 1749; the first lightning
rod was erected here in 1752; from Philadelphia the first American
Arctic expedition set forth in 1755; on the Schuylkill River in 1773
were made the first steamboat experiments; the earliest abolition
society in the world was organized here in 1774; the first American
piano was built here in 1775; here in 1789 the Protestant Episcopal
Church was formally established in the United States; the first carriage
in the world propelled by steam was built here in 1804; the oldest
American playhouse now in existence was built here in 1808; the first
American locomotive, "Ironsides", was built here in 1827; and the first
daguerreotype of the human face was made here in 1839. The Bible and
Testament, Shakespeare, Milton and Blackstone were printed for the first
time in America in Philadelphia, and Thackeray's first book originally
appeared here.

During the latter half of the eighteenth century Philadelphia became
noted throughout the American colonies for its generous hospitality of
every sort, and this trait was reflected in the domestic architecture of
the period, which was usually designed with that object in view. For the
brilliance of its social life there were several reasons. Above all, it
was the character of an ever-increasing number of inhabitants asserting
itself. Moreover, the tendency was aided by the fact that as the
largest, most important and most central city in the colonies, it became
the meeting place for delegates from all the colonies to discuss common
problems, and therefore it was incumbent upon Philadelphians to
entertain the visitors. And this they did with a lavish hand. From the
visit of the Virginia Commissioners in 1744 until the seat of the United
States Government was moved to Washington in 1790, every meeting of men
prominent in political life was the occasion of much eating, drinking
and conviviality in the best Philadelphia homes and also in the inns,
where it was the custom of that day to entertain considerably. The old