Goodrich Samuel Griswold
The Life of Benjamin Franklin, Illustrated by Tales, Sketches, and Anecdotes

PREFACE

The following Preface to the Life of Columbus will explain the plan of the series, of which this is the third volume: —

"There is no kind of reading more attractive than biography, and, if properly treated, there is none more instructive. It appears, therefore, to be peculiarly fitted to the purposes of education; it readily excites the curiosity and awakens the interest of the pupil, and, while it stores his mind with facts, dates and events, displays to his view the workings of the human heart, and makes him better acquainted with himself and mankind.

"In the selection of subjects for a biographical series of works for youth, the editor has been led, by two considerations, to prefer those which belong to our own country. In the first place, it is more particularly necessary that our youth should be made acquainted with the lives of those men who were associated with the history of their native land; and, in the second place, no country can afford happier subjects for biography than this. There are few such lives as those of Columbus, Washington, and Franklin, in the annals of any nation.

"In the preparation of the work, the author has sought to adapt it to youth, by the use of a simple style, and by the introduction of many illustrative tales, sketches, anecdotes and adventures. Questions for examining the pupils are printed in the pages, which may be used, or not, at the choice of the Teacher."

The Life of Columbus and the Life of Washington, on a plan similar to this, have been already published; and other volumes, containing the lives of celebrated Indian Chiefs, celebrated American Statesmen, &c., will appear hereafter, if those already in progress should meet with success.

CHAPTER I

Birth of Franklin. Early Education. Anecdote. Choice of a Trade. He is placed with a Cutler. His Fondness for Reading. Bound Apprentice to his Brother. Makes a couple of Ballads. His Friend Collins. Reads the Spectator.

1. Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston, New England, on the seventeenth of January, 1706. He was the youngest son in a family of seventeen children. His elder brothers were, at an early age, put apprentices to different trades; for their father was a man of honest industry, but with little or no property, and unable to support the expense of keeping them long at school.

2. Benjamin, however, was intended for the church, and at eight years of age was put to a grammar school. His readiness in learning, and his attention to study, confirmed the first intention of his parents. The plan also met with the approbation of his uncle Benjamin, who promised to give him some volumes of sermons that he had taken down in short hand, from the lips of the most eminent preachers of the day.

3. He continued at the grammar school, however, only about a year, though he had risen to the head of his class, and promised to be a very fine scholar. His father was burthened with a numerous family, and could not carry him through a course of college education. He accordingly changed his first purpose, and sent Benjamin to a school for writing and arithmetic, kept by Mr. George Brownwell.

4. This master was quite skilful in his profession, being mild and kind to his scholars, but very successful in teaching them. Benjamin learned to write a good hand in a short time, but he could not manage arithmetic so easily. At ten years of age he was taken from school to help his father in the business of a tallow-chandler; and was employed in cutting the wick for the candles, going errands, and tending the shop.

5. Benjamin disliked the trade, and had a strong inclination to go to sea; but his father opposed his wishes in this respect, and determined to keep him at home. The house in which he lived happened to be near the water, and Benjamin was always playing with boats, and swimming. When sailing with other boys, he was usually the leader, and he confesses that he sometimes led them into difficulties.

6. There was a salt marsh which bounded part of the mill-pond, on the edge of which the boys used to stand to fish for minnows. They had trampled it so much, however, as to make it a mere quagmire. Franklin proposed to his friends to build a wharf there, for them to stand upon; and showed them a large heap of stones, which were intended for a new house near the marsh, and would answer their purpose exactly.

7. Accordingly, that evening, when the workmen were gone home, he assembled a number of his playfellows, and they worked diligently, like so many emmets, sometimes two or three to a stone, till they had brought them all to make their little wharf. On the next morning, the workmen were surprised on missing the stones. The authors of the removal were detected, complained of, and punished by their parents. Franklin attempted to show the usefulness of their work; but his father took that occasion to convince him, that that which was not truly honest could not be truly useful.

8. Benjamin continued employed in the business of his father about two years, that is, till he was twelve years old. His brother John, who had also been brought up to the trade, had left his father, married, and set up for himself in Rhode Island. There was now every appearance that Benjamin was destined to become a tallow-chandler. As his dislike to the trade continued, his father was afraid that, if he did not put Benjamin to one that was more agreeable, he would run away, and go to sea, as an elder brother of his had done. In consequence of this apprehension, he used to take him to walk, to see joiners, bricklayers, turners and braziers at their work, that he might observe his inclination, and fix it on some trade or profession that would keep him on land.

9. His father at length determined on the cutler's trade, and placed him for some days on trial with his cousin Samuel, who was bred to that trade in London, and had just established himself in Boston. It was then usual to ask a sum of money for receiving an apprentice, and the cutler charged so much for taking Benjamin, that his father was displeased, and put him to his old business again.

10. From his infancy Benjamin had been passionately fond of reading; and all the money that he could get was laid out in purchasing books. He was very fond of voyages and travels. The dangers and adventures of sailors in the different parts of the world, and stories of the strange people and customs they met with, he would always read with delight.

11. The first books that he was able to buy were the works of a famous old English writer, named John Bunyan. These he afterwards sold, in order to purchase some volumes of Historical Collections. His father's library consisted principally of works on divinity, most of which he read at an early age. Beside these, there was a book by De Foe, the author of Robinson Crusoe; and another called An Essay to do Good, by Dr. Mather, an old New England divine.

12. This fondness for books at length determined his father to bring him up as a printer, though he had already one son in that employment. In 1717, this son returned from England with a press and letters to set up his business in Boston. Benjamin liked this trade much better than that of his father, but still had a desire to go to sea. To prevent this step, his father was impatient to have him bound apprentice to his brother, and at length persuaded him to consent to it.

13. He was to serve as apprentice till he was twenty-one years of age, and during the last year was to be allowed the wages of a journeyman. In a little time, he made great progress in the business, and became quite useful. He was now able to obtain better books. An acquaintance with the apprentices of the booksellers sometimes enabled him to borrow a small one, which he was careful to return clean and in good season. He often sat up in his chamber the greater part of the night, to read a book that he was obliged to return in the morning.

14. After some time, an ingenious and sensible merchant, Mr. Matthew Adams, who had a pretty collection of books, took notice of Franklin at the printing office, and invited him to see his library. He very kindly offered to lend him any work that he might like to read.

15. He now took a strong inclination for poetry, and wrote some little pieces. His brother supposed that he might use this talent to advantage, and encouraged him to cultivate it. About this time, he produced two ballads. One was called the Light-House Tragedy, and contained an account of the shipwreck of Captain Worthilake, with his two daughters; the other was a sailor's song, on the taking of the famous Blackbeard, the pirate.

16. They were written in the doggerel street-ballad style, and when they were printed, his brother sent Benjamin about the town to sell them. The first sold very rapidly, as the event on which it was founded had recently occurred, and made a great deal of noise. This success flattered his vanity very much, but his father discouraged him by criticising his ballads, and telling him that verse-makers were generally beggars.

17. This prevented him from giving any further attention to poetry, and led him to devote more time and care to prose compositions. He was at this time intimately acquainted with another lad very fond of books, named John Collins. They sometimes discussed different questions together, and had become very apt to indulge in arguments and disputes.

18. A question was once started between them, on the propriety of educating the female sex in learned studies, and their abilities for these studies. As they parted without settling the point, and were not to see one another again for a long time, Franklin sat down to put his arguments in writing. He then made a fair copy of them, and sent it to Collins.

19. Three or four letters passed between them on the subject, when the father of Franklin happened to find the papers, and read them. Without entering into the subject in dispute, he took occasion to talk to him about his manner of writing. He marked the defects in his expressions, and in the arrangement of his sentences, but gave him the credit of spelling and pointing with great correctness. This he had learned in the printing office, but he had never before been taught any thing about manner and style.

20. About this time, he met with an odd volume of the Spectator, a very famous work, published by several English wits in the year 1711. He bought it, read it over and over, and was much delighted with it. This book was now his continual study, and he himself tried to write as much as possible in its very pleasant and popular style. The improvement which he made was encouraging, and led him to hope he might some day become a good English writer; a distinction of which he was very ambitious.

1. Where was Franklin born? When?

2. For what profession did his parents intend to educate him?

3. What induced his father to change his intention?

4. To what trade was Benjamin put, and when?

6. Relate the anecdote about Franklin and his companions.

7. What maxim did his father teach him in consequence of this adventure?

8. What were his father's fears in relation to his new occupation?

9. On what trade did his father finally determine?

10. Describe his early fondness for reading, and the books of which he was most fond.

11. What books did he first buy?

12. What induced his father to bring up Benjamin as a printer? To whom was he bound apprentice?

13. How did he succeed in his new trade?

14. What advantages did it afford him for pursuing his studies?

15. Relate the account of his first attempts in poetry.

16. How did his ballads succeed?

17. How did his father discourage his new taste?

18. What was the subject of his discussion with his friend Collins?

19. What praise and advice did his father give him on this occasion?

20. With what book was Franklin at this time so much pleased? Did he attempt to imitate it?

CHAPTER II

Franklin gives up eating Meat. His Economy of Time. Studies Arithmetic. James Franklin establishes a Newspaper. Benjamin writes for it. His Brother is imprisoned. Benjamin manages the Paper. Leaves his Brother. Goes to New York. Sails thence for Philadelphia. Anecdote of the Dutchman.

1. When about sixteen years of age, Franklin happened to meet with a book that recommended a vegetable diet. He determined to adopt it. His brother, being unmarried, did not keep house, but boarded himself and his apprentices in another family. By refusing to eat meat, Franklin occasioned a good deal of inconvenience; and he was frequently chid for his singularity. He accordingly learned the manner of boiling potatoes and rice, and of making hasty-pudding, and then proposed to his brother, if he would give him, weekly, half the money he paid for his board, to board himself. His brother instantly agreed to it, and Franklin soon found that he could save half of what he received.

2. This was a new fund for buying books. But this was not the only advantage. When his brother and the apprentices had gone to their meals, he was left in the printing office alone. He immediately despatched his slight repast, which was often no more than a biscuit, or a slice of bread and a handful of raisins, or a tart from the pastry cook's, and a glass of water, and had the rest of the time till their return for study. By being thus economical of his time, he was able to make considerable progress in his books.

3. He now began to feel the want of a knowledge of figures, and was once very much mortified by his ignorance of them. As he had entirely failed of learning them at school, he took Cocker's Arithmetic, and went through the whole of it by himself with the greatest ease. The mortification he had met with induced him to make great exertions; and we can succeed in any thing to which we give our earnest attention.

4. While he was intent on improving his language and style, Franklin met with an English grammar, at the end of which were two little sketches on the arts of rhetoric and logic. The latter of these finished with a dispute in the manner of Socrates, a very famous philosopher of Greece. Franklin was charmed with this modest and artful manner, and cured himself of the tricks of contradiction and too much positiveness. These habits are very disagreeable, and no one should allow himself to fall into them.

5. "In fact, if you wish to instruct others," says Franklin, "a positive and dogmatical manner in advancing your sentiments may occasion opposition, and prevent a candid attention. If you desire improvement from others, you should not at the same time express yourself fixed in your present opinions. Modest and sensible men, who do not love disputation, will leave you undisturbed in the possession of your errors. In adopting such a manner, you can seldom expect to please your hearers, or obtain the concurrence you desire."

6. In the year 1720, or '21, James Franklin began to print a newspaper. It was the second that appeared in America, and was called the New England Courant. The only one before it was the Boston News Letter. Some of his friends endeavored to dissuade him from the undertaking. They thought it would not succeed, as, in their opinion, one newspaper was sufficient for all America. There are now in the United States alone, over eight hundred newspapers.

7. The undertaking, however, went on. Benjamin assisted in setting the types, helped to print off the sheets, and was then employed in carrying the papers to the subscribers. Several men of information and talents wrote little pieces for the paper, which were amusing, and gained considerable credit. These gentlemen often visited the printing office.

8. Hearing their conversations, and their accounts of the praise their pieces received from the public, Benjamin was excited to try his fortune among them. He was afraid, however, as he was still a boy, his brother would object to print any thing of his composition in the paper. It was necessary, therefore, to disguise his hand-writing, and to send his piece to the office in such a way that it should not be known from whom it came.

9. When his friends came in, James showed them the communication from an unknown writer. They read it, praised it, and made several guesses as to the author. In these guesses none were named but men of some character for talents and learning. They never once suspected it was written by the little printer's boy who stood at their elbows, chuckling in silence over the secret.

10. Encouraged by the success of this attempt, he continued to write, and send other pieces in the same way to the press. He kept his secret as long as he saw fit, and then confessed himself the author of the writings they had been so long guessing about. Benjamin now began to be more noticed by his brother's acquaintance, which made him a little vain, and led to some serious difficulties.

11. His brother, notwithstanding the relationship between them, considered himself as master, and Benjamin as his apprentice, and accordingly expected the same services from him that he would from another. In some of these services the young printer felt himself degraded, and thought that he should receive greater indulgence. His brother was passionate, and frequently beat him; and, finding the apprenticeship exceedingly tedious, Benjamin was looking forward for an opportunity to shorten it. This at length happened in a very unexpected manner.

12. One of the pieces in the paper, on some political subject, gave offence to the Assembly, one of the most important branches of the government of Massachusetts. James Franklin was taken up, censured, and imprisoned for a month, because he would not discover the author. Benjamin was also called up and examined before the council; but, considering him as an apprentice, who was bound to keep his master's secret, they dismissed him without punishment.

13. During his brother's confinement, Benjamin had the management of the paper, and indulged in very smart remarks upon the government. This pleased his brother, though it made others look upon him in an unfavorable light, as a youth who had a turn for satire and libeling. The discharge of the imprisoned printer was accompanied with an order that "James Franklin should no longer print the newspaper called the New England Courant."

14. On a consultation held at the printing office, it was proposed, to change the name of the paper, and in this manner elude the order of the council. As there were many difficulties in the way of this project, it was determined to let the paper for the future be printed in the name of Benjamin Franklin.

15. When apprentices are bound out, it is usual to have certain agreements drawn up between them and their masters, sealed and signed according to certain forms required by law. These papers are called indentures. James was afraid that the censure of the Assembly would fall on him, as still printing the paper by his apprentice, and contrived that his old indenture should be returned to Benjamin, with a discharge on the back of it.

16. This was to be shown only in case of necessity; and in order to secure his services for the remainder of the time, it was agreed that Benjamin should sign new indentures. These were to be kept private. This was a very flimsy scheme, but the paper continued to be printed in this manner for several months. At length fresh difficulties arose, and Benjamin determined to take advantage of his discharge; thinking that his brother would be afraid to produce the new indentures. It was unfair to take this advantage, but he was urged to it by very unkind and even cruel treatment.

17. When his brother found out his intentions, he went round to every master printer in town to prevent his getting employment. In consequence of this, he concluded to remove to New York; that being the nearest place where there was another printer. His father opposed his removal, and took side with his brother in the dispute. Benjamin sold his books to furnish the means of paying his passage, went privately on board of a sloop, had a fair wind, and in three days found himself in New York, three hundred miles from home, at the age of seventeen. There was no one in the place whom he knew; he was without any recommendations, and had very little money in his pocket.

18. By this time he had entirely lost all his love for the sea, or he might have been induced to gratify it. Having another profession, and considering himself a good workman, he offered his services to a printer of the place, old Mr. W. Bradford. This man had been the first printer in Pennsylvania, and had removed from there in consequence of a quarrel with the governor, General Keith.

19. He had a sufficient number of workmen, and little to do, and could give Franklin no employment. But he said, "My son, at Philadelphia, has lately lost his principal hand, Aquila Rose, by death, and if you go thither, I believe he may employ you."

20. Philadelphia was one hundred miles farther, but Franklin concluded to go there. In crossing the bay, a squall struck the little vessel he was in, and tore her rotten sails to pieces. She was driven upon Long Island.

21. On the way, a drunken Dutchman, who was a passenger in the boat, tumbled overboard. As he was sinking, Franklin reached out and caught him by a very bushy head of hair, and drew him up again. This sobered him a little, and he went to sleep, having first taken a book out of his pocket, which he desired Franklin to dry for him. It proved to be a Dutch copy of his old favorite book, Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, and he carefully complied with the wish of the sleepy owner.

1. What induced Franklin to adopt a vegetable diet? What arrangement did he make with his brother on this account?

2. What advantage resulted from this? Describe Benjamin's economy of time.

3. How did he learn arithmetic?

4. With what treatise was Franklin so much pleased? Of what disagreeable habits did it cure him?

5. What advice does he give on the manner of conversation?

6. Who printed the second newspaper in New England? What was it called?

7. How was Benjamin connected with it?

8. What first induced him to write for it? Describe his first attempt.

9. How was his communication received?

10. What was the consequence of his success?

11. What were the difficulties between the brothers?

12. What happened at this time to James Franklin?

13. How did Benjamin conduct the paper? What was the order of the council?

14. How was it evaded?

15. What is the custom in binding out apprentices? How was Benjamin discharged from his indentures?

16. What unfair advantage did he take of this discharge?

17. What course did his brother pursue on this occasion? His father? Benjamin?

18. To whom did he apply for employment?

19. With what success?

20. Where did he determine to go?

21. What is the anecdote of the Dutchman?