A History of the University of Pennsylvania from Its Foundation to A. D. 1770/Chapter 4
In 1728 he made a partnership with his friend Meredith for the extension of his printing business, and soon thought of establishing a paper.
My hopes of success, as I told him, [his narrative proceeds], were founded on this: that the then only newspaper, printed by Bradford, was a paltry thing, wretchedly managed, no way entertaining, and yet was profitable to him; I therefore thought a good paper would scarcely fail of good encouragement.[1] [But his scheme getting to the ears of his old employer, Keimer, the latter began a paper]; and, after carrying it on three quarters of a year, with at most only ninety subscribers, he offered it me for a trifle; and I, having been ready some time to go on with it, took it in hand directly, and it proved in a few years extremely profitable to me.
He now called the paper the Pennsylvania Gazette, and his first number was issued 2 October, 1729. He says:
Our first papers made quite a different appearance from any before in the province; a better type, and better printed. * * * Our number [of subscribers] went on growing continually. This was one of the first good effects of my having learned a little to scribble; another was that the leading men, seeing a newspaper now in the hands of one who could also handle a pen, thought it convenient to oblige and encourage me * * * * Bradford had printed an address of the House to the Governor, in a coarse, blundering manner; we reprinted it elegantly and correctly, and sent one to every member. They were sensible of the difference; it strengthened the hands of our friends in the House, and they voted us their printers for the year ensuing.[2]
And this was the work of a young Printer who was his own Editor and only twenty-three years of age. Modern times record no instances of greater ingenuity and industry.
The Junto in 1731 afforded Franklin thoughts of another scheme; he says[3]
By clubbing our books to a common library, we should, while we lik'd to keep them together, have each of us the advantage of using the books of all the other members, which would be nearly as beneficial as if each owned the whole: * * * yet some inconveniences occurring for want of due care of them, the collection after about a year was separated; and each took his books home again. And now I set on foot my first project of a public nature, that for a subscription library. I drew up the proposals, got them put into form by our great scrivener, Brockden, and by the help of my friends in the Junto, procured fifty subscribers of forty shillings each to begin with, and ten shillings a year for fifty years, the term our company was to continue. * * this was the mother of all the North American subscription libraries, now so numerous. These libraries have improved the general conversation of the Americans, made the common tradesmen and farmers as intelligent as most gentlemen from other countries, and perhaps have contributed in some degree to the stand so generally made throughout the colonies in defence of their privileges.
He writes this in 1771 in the dawn of our great struggle, of his co-directors in the institution of the Library Company of Philadelphia on I July 1731. Thomas Hopkinson, Philip Syng, and Thomas Cadwalader, became also his co-trustees eighteen years later in the Academy and College, and his faithful friend William Coleman was elected Treasurer. This Company attracted to itself in later years the testamentary gift to the public of the fine private library of James Logan whose knowledge and judgment had been consulted by Franklin in the first selection of books for their shelves. The oldest public library in the country owes its inception and planting to a young man but twenty-five years of age. In 1784 Franklin records,[4] "this library afforded me the means of improvement by constant study, for which I set apart an hour or two each day; and thus repaired in some degree the loss of the learned education my father once intended for me." He was looking backward nigh fourscore years to his native city, and the "learned education" he might have attained to on the banks of the Charles River. With what great satisfaction he must have contemplated the great institution for learning he had launched eighteen years after his Library scheme had been consummated.
It was in 1731 that he took part in the formation of St. John's Lodge in Philadelphia, so far as known, the earliest established Masonic Lodge in America. In this interesting association he had the fellowship of his co-trustees William Allen, Thomas Hopkinson, James Hamilton, Dr. Thomas Bond, William Plumsted, Philip Syng and Dr. Cadwalader.[5] Franklin was on a Committee appointed "to consider of the present State of the Lodge and of the properest Methods to improve it," and the Committee's report of 5 June, 1732, is in his handwriting. He was Junior Grand Warden of Pennsylvania that year, was Grand Master in 1734 and again in 1749, and Deputy Grand Master from 1750 to 1755.
At the close of the year following Franklin first published his Poor Richard's Almanac, which was continued about twenty-five years. This, he tells us, he "endeavoured to make both entertaining and useful, and it accordingly came to be in such demand, that I reaped considerable profit from it; vending annually near ten thousand."[6] It was announced in the Pennsylvania Gazette of 19 December, 1732, and such was the eagerness with which it was sought that three editions were printed before the end of January.
But his prosperous business did not keep pace with his insatiate desire for knowledge, and to open new channels he "had begun," he says,
in 1732 to study languages; I soon made myself so much a master of the French, as to be able to read the books with ease. I then undertook the Italian. An acquaintance, who was also learning it, us'd often to tempt me to play chess with him. Finding this took up too much of the time I had to spare for study, I at length refused to play any more unless on this condition, that the victor in every game should have a right to impose a task, either in parts of the grammar to be got by heart, or in translations, etc, which tasks the vanquish'd was to perform upon honour before our next meeting. As we play'd pretty equally, we thus beat one another into that language. I afterwards, with a little pains-taking, acquired as much of the Spanish as to read their books also. I have already mention'd that I had only one year's instruction in a Latin school, and that when very young, after which I neglected that language entirely. But, when I had attained an acquaintance with the French, Italian, and Spanish, I was surpris'd to find, in looking over a Latin Testament, that I understood so much more of that language than I had imagined, which encouraged me to apply myself again to the study of it, and I met with more success, as those preceding languages had greatly smooth'd my way.[7]
His ambition ever to learn was well sustained by his incomparable energy and self-denial.
- ↑ Bigelow, i. 145.
- ↑ Bigelow, i. 149.
- ↑ ibid, i. 159.
- ↑ Bigelow, i. 170
- ↑ It was in the latter's letter to Henry Bell of Lancaster of 17 November, 1754, we find him saying: "As you well know I was one of the originators of the first Masonic Lodge in Philadelphia. A party of us used to meet at the Tree Tavern in Water Street, and sometimes opened a Lodge there. Once, in the fall of 1750, we formed a design of obtaining a Charter for a regular Lodge, and made application to the Grand Lodge of England for one, but before receiving it, we heard that Daniel Coxe, of New Jersey, had been appointed by that Grand Lodge as Provincial Master of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. We, therefore, made application to him, and our request was granted:" vide The Keystone, 15 October, 1887.
- ↑ Bigelow, i. 192
- ↑ Bigelow, i. 198