Benjamin Franklin Part 16

[Footnote i-480: Parton, _op. cit._, I, 546.]

[Footnote i-481: He admonished Deborah, his wife, that she "should go oftener to Church" (_Writings_, IV, 202), and his daughter, Sarah, "Go constantly to Church, whoever preaches" (_Ibid._, IV, 287).]

[Footnote i-482: _Letters to Benjamin Franklin from His Family and Friends, 1751-1790_ (New York, 1859), 10.]

[Footnote i-483: Franklin's English friends, Dr. Richard Price, Joseph Priestley, Rev. David Williams, Dr. John Fothergill, Peter Collinson, Sir Joseph Banks, Jonathan s.h.i.+pley, Lord Kames, Sir William Jones, et cetera, though not all deists, found Newtonian science useful in augmenting their philosophies.]

[Footnote i-484: _A Discourse ..._ (London, 1775), 33. For background material on the history of this concept see L. E. Hicks, _A Critique of Design-Arguments_ (New York, 1883).]

[Footnote i-485: N. Meredith, _Considerations on the Utility of Conductors for Lightning ..._ (London, 1789), 44-5. See especially the characteristic notice in _Monthly Review ..._, XLII (London, 1770), 199-210, 298-308.]

[Footnote i-486: For references see B. Fa, _The Revolutionary Spirit in France and America_; E. E. Hale and E. E. Hale, Jr., _Franklin in France_; L. Amiable, _Un loge maconnique d'avant 1789 ..._.]

[Footnote i-487: _Writings_, IX, 436.]

[Footnote i-488: W. T. Franklin ed. of Franklin's _Writings_ (London, 1818), I, 433.]

[Footnote i-489: See similar expression in letter to Mme Brillon, cited in J. M. Stifler, _The Religion of Benjamin Franklin_, 55-6.]

[Footnote i-490: _Writings_, III, 135.]

_CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE_

1706. Benjamin Franklin born in Boston, January 17 (January 6, 1705, O. S.).

1714-16. After a year in Boston Grammar School is sent to learn writing and arithmetic in school kept by George Brownell, from which, after a year, he is taken to a.s.sist his father, Josiah, a candlemaker.

1717. James Franklin returns from England, following apprentices.h.i.+p as printer.

1718. Benjamin is apprenticed to brother James.

1718-23. Period of a.s.siduous reading in Anthony Collins, Shaftesbury, Locke, Addison and Steele, Cotton Mather, Bunyan, Defoe, etc.

1719. Writes and hawks ballads of the "Grub-Street" style, "The Lighthouse Tragedy" and "The Taking of Teach the Pirate."

1721-23. Aids brother in publis.h.i.+ng the _New England Courant_.

During 1722-23 in charge of paper after James is declared objectionable by the authorities.

1722. His _Dogood Papers_ printed anonymously in the _New England Courant_.

1723. Breaks his indentures and leaves for New York; eventually arrives in Philadelphia.

1723-24. Employed by Samuel Keimer, a printer in Philadelphia.

1724. Visits Cotton Mather and Governor Burnet (New York). Meets James Ralph, Grub-Street pamphleteer, historian, and poet in the Thomson tradition. Patronized by Governor Keith. Leaves for London in November on the _London-Hope_ to buy type, etc., for printing shop to be set up in his behalf by Keith. Upon arrival he and Ralph take lodgings in Little Britain.

1725-26. Employed in Palmer's and Watts's printing houses.

1725. Publishes _A Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain_. One result of this is acquaintance with Lyons, author of _The Infallibility of Human Judgement_. Through him Franklin meets Bernard Mandeville and Dr. Henry Pemberton, who is preparing a third edition of Sir Isaac Newton's _Principia_. Is received by Sir Hans Sloane in Bloomsbury Square. Conceives of setting up a swimming school in London.

1726. On July 21, with Mr. Denham, merchant and Quaker, leaves for Philadelphia on the _Berks.h.i.+re_. Between July 22 and October 11 writes _Journal of a Voyage from London to Philadelphia_.

Employed by Denham until latter's death in 1727.

1727. Ill of pleurisy and composes his epitaph. After recovery returns to Keimer's printing house. Forms his Junto club.

Employed in Burlington, New Jersey, on a job of printing paper money.

1728. Forms partners.h.i.+p with Hugh Meredith. Writes _Articles of Belief and Acts of Religion_, and _Rules for a Club_--his Junto club "Const.i.tution."

1729. Buys Keimer's _The Universal Instructor in all Arts and Sciences: and Pennsylvania Gazette_ (begun December 24, 1728).

Changes name to _Pennsylvania Gazette_, first issue, XL, September 25-October 2, 1729. (Published by Franklin until 1748, by Franklin and David Hall from 1748 to 1766, after which Hall, until his death, and others publish it until 1815.) Contributes to _American Weekly Mercury_ six papers of _The Busy-Body_, February 4, 1729-March 27, 1729. Writes and prints _A Modest Enquiry into the Nature and Necessity of a Paper Currency_.

1730. Appointed Public Printer by Pennsylvania a.s.sembly (inc.u.mbent until 1764). Partners.h.i.+p with Meredith dissolved. Marries Deborah Read (Mrs. Rogers). Prints in _Pennsylvania Gazette_ his _Dialogues between Philocles and Horatio_.

1731. First public venture: founds the Philadelphia Library Company, first subscription library in America. Begins partners.h.i.+p with Thomas Whitemarsh, Charleston, S. C. (1732, publishes _South Carolina Gazette_.) Begins Masonic affiliations: enters St. John's Lodge in February. William Franklin born.

1732. Begins _Poor Richard's Almanack_ (for 1733). His son Francis Folger Franklin born (dies of smallpox in 1736). Elected junior grand warden of St. John's Lodge.

1733. Begins to study languages, French, Italian, Spanish, and continues Latin.

1734. Elected grand master of Masons of Pennsylvania for 1734-35.

Reprints Anderson's _Const.i.tutions_, first Masonic book printed in America.

1735. Writes and prints three pamphlets in defense of Rev. Mr.

Hemphill. Prints, in the _Pennsylvania Gazette_, _Protection of Towns from Fire_. Secretary of St. John's Lodge until 1738.

Writes introduction for and prints Logan's _Cato's Moral Distiches_, first cla.s.sic translated and printed in the colonies.

1736. Establishes the Union Fire Company, the first in Philadelphia.

Chosen clerk of the Pennsylvania General a.s.sembly.

1737. Appointed postmaster of Philadelphia (inc.u.mbent until 1753); also justice of the peace.

1739. Beginning of friends.h.i.+p with the Reverend George Whitefield.

1740. Announces (November 13) _The General Magazine and Historical Chronicle_.

1741. Six issues (January-June) of this magazine (the first planned and the second issued in the colonies). With J. Parker establishes a printing house in New York.

1742. Invents Franklin open stove.

1743. _A Proposal for Promoting Useful Knowledge among the British Plantations in America_ (circular letter sent to his friends).

1744. Establishes the American Philosophical Society and becomes its first secretary. Daughter Sarah born. _An Account of the New Invented Pennsylvanian Fire-places._ Writes preface to and prints Logan's translation of Cicero's _Cato Major_. Reprints Richardson's _Pamela_. Father dies.

1746. _Reflections on Courts.h.i.+p and Marriage_, first of his writings reprinted in Europe. Peter Collinson sends a Leyden vial as gift to Library Company of Philadelphia. Having witnessed Dr.

Spence's experiments, Franklin now begins his study of electricity.