Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1853-10-19
SELRCflpNs
SEhECIIDNSi
From the Rorks 81 Da FRASKLrN, Dg FrEs sAR

sRLEgfIoNs.
From the FORKS 81 Da- FRASKIN, By ErEs San
.g GENT, ESQ
DISPUTE ABotT LIGnTNING RoDs. In August 1772
another committee Of the Royal Society, of which
Franklin was member visited under the direction
of the government tho powder magazines at Purfeet
for tho purpose of considering the most etectua
/ means Sor protecting them from lightning. Frank
I'm drew up report, which was accepted, IN which
the erection of pointed rods was advised. "A contro
versy, of notoriety in its day. grew out OF the
dissent of one member of the committee, Mr.. Viii
son. who contendcd that the conductors ought to be
blunt inasmuch as, if pointed, they would attract
the lightning. To this Franklin replied that the at
traction was the very thing desired for the charge
Is thereby silently and gradually drawn from the
building and conveyed without danger the earth.
Mr.. Wilson still chung to his theory in regard to
blunt conductors and persuaded the king to change
his pointed ones for blunt at buckingham House
One of Franklins friends CDR, Ingenhouse, mem
Der of the Royal Society wrote of Wilson's charla-
tanry in heated manner that Franklin wittiy re-
marked: g He seems as much heated about this one
gost as the Janscnsts and MoliniSts about the
five" The following clever epigram, upon the sub
lect of the kings yielding to Wilson's argument in
opposition to Frankln's, appeared about this time
is great Gs0 osndS for fs SAFETY Stunt hunt
The empires out of joint:
Franklin wiser course pursues,
And all your thunder fearless views
By keeping to the point"
sFRANKLIN AT VERSAILLES He appeared at this
royal audience very simply attred with straight I'M
q
A crowd had collected to see him. His age his ven
cradle aspect his simple dress, contrased with the
fnery around him, the recollection Of his services to
science and humanity, all combined to Waken the ut
most enthusiasm of the spectators The king received
him with much cordially, charging him to assure
the United States of his friendship, and expressing
his satisfaction with the conduct of their commits
sioner during his residence III France On his with
drawing from this audience, the crowd in the pas
sage ways received Franklin with renewed manifes-
tations of welcome and followed him for some dis
tnuee
HIS INTERVIEWS WITH VoLTA1RE. The enthusiasm
of which he had been the object at Versailles, was
renewed at Paris. Voltaire had recently arrived
there, after an absence of thirty years He was in
his eghty-fifth year. franklin called upon him and
was received with evident pleasure. Notairo at first
accosted him in English but, having lost the habit
of speaking it. he resumed the conversation in French
adroitiy remarking could not resist the temPta-
ton of speaking for moment the language of Frank
linz The Philadelphia sage then presented his
grandson to the patriarch of Ferney, and asked his
blessing upon him. "God and libertyr said Vol
taire raising his hands over the young mans head;
{" that is the only benedictlon appropriate to the
grandson of Franklin"
4 few days after this interview, the same parties
met at the Academy of Science, and were placed
side by side. The sight of these distinguished old
elected another outbreak of Partisan enthusiasm
The cry that they should embrace They stood
up bowed, took each other by the hand, and spoke
But this was not enough The clamor continued
g IL teut S'eaabraSSer la Tianc1iSc." the cry
whereupon they kissed each other upon the check and
not till then did the tumult subsde. The scene vas
classcaly compared by the tterGteTrs of the day 10
"Solon embracing Sophocles." Voltaire lived only
month after this second encounter with his American
contemporary,
CoxvBRsArIoxAL POWERS. His features were in |
dex of the good temper, amenitv, cheerfulness and
affability which his characteristics. John Adj
ans represents him taciturn committees and |
in Congress In society he far from being To-
quacious but no possessed moro entertaining !
fund of conversation used it more happily on fit
ting occasions. Childhood, that best detector of a |
gentle heart, ever welcome to his knee For the |
young his manners and his words of sage advice and
pleasantly had indcscribable charm. Sir Francis
Romiily, when young man, called on hm at Passy
0192) with friend. &C Dr. Franklin" he writes,
7" was indulgent enough to converse good deal with
US, whom he observed to be young men, very desr-
of improving by his conversation. Of all the
celebrated persons whom in my life, have CHANGED
to see DR. f., both from his appearance and his con-
Versation, seemed to me the most remarkable His
venerable, patriarchal appearance the simplicity of
his manners and language, the novelty of his OBJ
servatons-at least the novelty of them at that time
to me-imprsssed me with an opinion of him as
one of the most extraordinary that
isted'
FRASSLIS IL LOVE- HIS AGE He had an
especially affectionate regard for Madame Helyetus
whom hescalled soar lady of Auteuil " and who
came every week to dine at least once with him and
his little colony at Passy. He had lost his wife in
lT79, and notwithstanding his seventy-sx years, he
made a proposition of marriage to Madame HelvetuS
shortly before the close of the But she had
refused the hand of Turgot and did not accept his.
Franklin thereupon wrote her letter, which is
model of wit and grace.
CLosISG YEARS OF LIFE Very beautiful is the
spectacle of the closing years of Franklns long and
laborious life Though not without his share of
physical inrmtes, he retained his lively interest
public AFFAIRS his warm, social anddomestc sym
pathies his amenity and serenity of temper, his
tive and vigorous intellect his abiding faith in anoth
er and better life. He seems to have realized the
wish expressed in another's behalf of Wordsworth
- Thy thoughts and feelings shall not die,
Nor leave thee, when gray heirs are nigh,
A melancholy slave;
But an old age serene and bright
And lovely as the Lapland night
Shall lead thee to thy grave"
His correspondence at this time, in the vivacity,
humor, justice of thought, and happy reliance on
Providence which it exhibits is model of style and
mood. N. y. Post.
LONDON CLUBS. Respecting tt. famous London
Clubs letter in the Boston Post, from the British
metropolis says ARRIVING in Pall-Mall, (pro-
nouneed pal-maD everyehouse is palace, and every
third man you knock against is either an immaculate
peer, an incorruptble member of Parliament gaily
attred-swell-mob man, or some other equally mag
nficent item of the idle fraternity. The stately
even their enormous revenues could hardly sustain
them. They are owned by the fashionable clubs
such, for instance, the Athenaeum, the army and
navy, the reform, the clerical the Oxford and Cam
bridge the conservative, the European the forensic