From Boyhood to Manhood | Page 4

with Sir Hans Sloane--Benjamin's Attack on Beer Drinking--His Sound
Argument--Jake, the Ale Boy--Called "A Water Drinker"--Discussion
with Watts--Refused to Treat the Company-- Visits His Old Press Forty
Years After.
XXVIII. AT HOME AGAIN.
What Became of Ralph--Benjamin Teaching Two Companions to
Swim--Who Was Wygate?--The Excursion to Chelsea--Benjamin
Swims Four Miles--Antics in the Water--Sir W. Wyndham Proposes
He Should Open a Swimming School-- Wygate's Proposition to
Travel--Denham's Advice--Cheaper Board--Incident Showing
Denham's Character--Denham Offers to Employ Him as Clerk in
Philadelphia--Leaves Printing House for Warehouse--Returns to
Philadelphia.
XXIX. UPS AND DOWNS OF LIFE.
Visits Keimer's Printing Office--Calls on Deborah Read--Her Marriage
to Rogers, and Divorce--Visit to Deborah Leads to
Re-engagement--Now a Merchant's Clerk--Denham and Benjamin Both
Sick--Denham Died and Left Legacy to Benjamin--Arrival of Captain
Homes--Working for Keimer Again--The Latter Making
Trouble--Benjamin Leaves Him--Interview with Meredith--Proposition
to Go into Company in Printing Business--Meredith's Father Loans
Capital.
XXX. THE LEATHERN APRON CLUB.
Reflecting on His Religious Belief--Rules He Wrote on the Berkshire

and Introduction to Them--The Leathern Apron Club--Patterned after
Cotton Mather's--The Questions Asked--Benjamin's Explanation--The
Compact Signed--Bringing in Books They Owned--Establishing the
First Library in the Land--Questions Discussed by the Club--No
Improvement on This Club--Benjamin's View of It in Age--Organizing
Other Clubs-- Studying the Languages--Benjamin's Success.
XXXI. BRIGHTER DAYS.
Proposition from Keimer--Discussion of It with Meredith--Returns to
Keimer--Printing Money for New Jersey at Burlington--The Surveyor
General's Life--His Talk with Benjamin--Starting New Firm, Franklin
and Meredith--The First Job--Predictions of Its Failure by Nickle and
Merchants' Club--Doctor Baird Differed--A Proposition from a
Stationer--Interview with Webb--Plan for Starting a Paper Made
Known-- Keimer's Paper--Benjamin's Articles in _Mercury_--Buys
Keimer's Paper--Dissolves Partnership--Rum the Cause--The Gazette a
Success.
XXXII. NO LONGER A SKEPTIC.
Time is Money--The Lounger Rebuked--Maxims--Avoiding Slander
and Abuse--Revising His Religious Belief--Articles of Belief--Code of
Morals Adopted--Creed for "United Party of Virtue "--Letters to
Friends--Proposed Prayers in Congress and Speech--Epitaph for His
Tombstone Written at Twenty-three.
XXXIII. POOR RICHARD'S ALMANAC.
Publishing an Almanac--Discussion about It--When It Was Started--
Maxims Found in It--Very Popular, and Great Circulation--Franklin's
Fame Spreading--The Junto Pleased--Franklin's Account of Success--
How He Conducted His Paper--The Libeller Suppressed--Success of
His Stationer's Shop--Visit to Boston--Visits His Brother James--
Reconciliation--Takes His Son Home--He Buries a Child--His Defense
of Rev. George Whitefield--Building a House of Worship for Him.
XXXIV. MORE HONORS AND MORE WORK.
Clerk of the Assembly--Postmaster--Night-watch Discussed in the
Junto--Plan of a Fire Department--Many Fire Companies Formed--Plan
to Pave the Streets--Paper on Smoky Chimneys--Franklin Invents a
Stove--Gives Away the Patent--Franklin Founds the University of
Philadelphia--Its Great Success--Franklin Organized Militia--Influence
of Quakers against It--Eighty Companies Formed--Franklin Secured

Fast Day--Peace.
XXXV. PHILOSOPHER AND STATESMAN.
Entering into Partnership with Hall--His Large Income--Time for Study
and Research--Rapid Progress in Science--His Fame in Both
Hemispheres-- What Mignet Said of His Labors--Kimmersley on His
Lightning Rod-- Called Again to Political Life--List of Offices He
Filled--Drafting Declaration of Independence--Hanging
Separately--Anecdote--His First Labors at Court of England--Minister
to England--Source of Troubles-- Hatred of Tories--Firm before House
of Commons--Death of Mrs. Franklin-- Famous Letter to Strahan--The
Eight Years' War--Franklin Author of the Union--First Name in
History--Library and Letters of Franklin, Mass.-- His Death--Bequest
to Washington.

BOYHOOD TO MANHOOD.
I.
FROM OLD ENGLAND TO NEW ENGLAND.
"I am tired of so much persecution under the reign of our corrupt king,"
said a neighbor to Josiah Franklin, one day in the year 1685, in the
usually quiet village of Banbury, England, "and I believe that I shall
pull up stakes and emigrate to Boston. That is the most thriving port in
America."
"Well, I am not quite prepared for that yet," replied Franklin. "Our king
is bad enough and tyrannical enough to make us all sick of our native
land. But it is a great step to leave it forever, to live among strangers;
and I could not decide to do it without a good deal of reflection."
"Nor I; but I have reflected upon it for a whole year now, and the more
I reflect the more I am inclined to emigrate. When I can't worship God
here as my conscience dictates, I will go where I can. Besides, I think
the new country promises much more to the common people than the
old in the way of a livelihood."
"Perhaps so; I have not given the subject much attention. Dissenters
have a hard time here under Charles II, and we all have to work hard
enough for a livelihood. I do not think you can have a harder time in
Boston."
Josiah Franklin was not disposed to emigrate when his neighbor first
opened the subject. He was an intelligent, enterprising, Christian man, a

dyer by trade, was born in Ecton, Leicestershire, in 1655, but removed
to Banbury in his boyhood, to learn the business of a dyer of his brother
John. He was married in Banbury at twenty-two years of age, his wife
being an excellent companion