Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1856-10-04
Alisttllanfous.
FRANKLIN,

a correspondent OF the N0W-AOrk tribune gives
the following interesting facts, connected with the
early life and residence Of Franklin in Boston.
y But | must go back to one who, though
he has been long dead, yet hveth, whom l wrote
about in my last letter. | refer to the late Dr..
Benjamin Franklin. am tulerably well charged
with Frankli1ism this morning, having been last
night IN a chamber Of a house In Quincy where he
slept more than once when or n visit to the neigh
bOrhood Of Boston THE last he ever paid to this
part of the county in IT'S, and drank my coffee
at breakfast this morning out OF n cup belonging
to his breakfast set, and which there is no doubt
he had often used himself. ! was in hopes he
would have nude some communication to Inc in
the course Of the night. Considering how busy
he is in talking bad grammar and spelling false IN
distant portions of the country ut the same time,
IshOuld think he might have thrown a word or
two Mt me. | confess To n decided prejudice against
dead people in general, and particularly beg them
to keep their distance until ! am compelled TO
make one OF them, AT the latest moment to which
| can defer the honor Of their personal TOR rather
impersuiuh) acquaintance; but | don't think /
should mind n sensible ghost, such as Fraukliu's
must lie. But lie mace no sigu; 81, alter reading
an autograph letter TOR two ul hrs by way oi prep.
arauOn, | returned.to town to take II good look AT
the statue, of which | could Gully get IL very dis
taut and imperfect glance the day before.
And ! must say thut | was rather glad, after ex-
amining it, that he had not paid me the nocturnal
visit | hal half expected last night, for | hardly
think he could have come in Il placid and good
hundred state Of mind-or Of ghost. l suppose
he was rs little subject to the weakness OF personal
vanity as most nien, but | imagine even he, phiiOs-
opher as he was. could hardly regard this molten
image of himself without sumo human emotions Of
vsxatiUn and pruvOcaiiun. | have no pretensiunS
to be a Judge Of such mut.ers. | I'M a plain, blunt
man, that only say IigiI on what | think, but it
does seem to me That the merit Of the statue is
greatly disappointment TO 'he flourish ofuumpets
that went before it and to the cerem"nious soiem-
nifty Of its Inauguration. The holiday and the
procession were Il real tribute to the memory of
Franklin-but the statue! 1t is neither portrait
nor poem, as it seems to me-neither the man as
he lived, nor yet elevated and idealized, as he
might have been discerned by the eye OF a man Of
genius. l take back what | said in my last, that
it was well managed. ! said that with only a dis
tant glimpse at tile front of It. The face has the
weli-kn wn features Of franklin. but they are
lighted up neither with the glow of genius nor Of
b%enignity, 1t represents neither the sage that
snatcheo the lightning from Heaven. nor the sa-
gaciuus counsellor Of a. young patton, teaching 1t
thrift and industry. II bodies him forth neither
ia the higher plane Of his nature-his heroic as
pecl-nOr yet IN the familiar benevolence OF his
daily wisdom, walking the streets and entering the
shops and dwellings of common men, lnstructlng
them in common things. The heaviness OF the
shoulders, the want of expression in the legs and
arms, the druop of tho head, the dizziness, not to
say the faulty Of the face, make 1t an image very
different from that of the alert, cheertully, witty
wise old man. the expo nder Of the lightuings, the
EulutuS genus VI ii SiCb lNN''NNNh' ~ 'N'Nh
cent teacher of a people, which the name of Frank
lin brings to all our minds. At least this is thu
way it strikes me, and as you ask me my opinion
of the statue. you must take 1t for what 1t Is worth
The artist, n young gentleman OF much persona
excellence and Of a good deal of cleverness III hl
art was promoted to a work he is not yet qualified
TO accomplish. IL will have to be done over again
either 10y himself, at a more mature period OF IN
powers, or by some other artist more equal to tn
occasion. The opportunity has u|nhappily escape
nf Sprn-ipC Mt n 1.-THE of tho eyppuSe incident .
this statue and its Inauguration. Il monument whlc
would have been of a pei petually increasing intel
est. | mean the house associated with all his rec
elections of his Buston lie. 1t stands at the cor
ner Of Union and Hanover streets, and still bears
the gilt bali which was the sign of the good SOAP
boiler his father. Twenty years ago | went owe
it. and it was then, undoubtedly, substantially il
the condition in which it was when Franklin kney
it. There were the stairs, up and down which h
had scampered. There were the windON seats Oh
which the child Franklin stood to gaze out into til,
street and take his first lesson in passing life
There was the room in which he had sat at mea
with thirteen brothers and sisters, all of WHOM
lived to grow up and be married. And from som
zone Of those windows wondered which iG was
his lamp, or rather his saved candies end, NIGH
be oft seen at the midnight hour, as he devoure
privily the books obtained 10y stealth from hi
friend, the booksellers apprentice. In that celia
it was he shocked the worthy member OF the vi
South Church, his father. 10y proposing, in his il
FAINT economy Of time, to say grace over the whol
borral nf bnaF tbav ucarp puttinp dawn in the INN
-,oni 'o 10. 49, ,iooa ~ 5etoiI os i came
tns'e"E V I r",h ~ 80 - go; ue,a "I ,ha, non
II ""t0' " .n' 49, ii Gu &c -
~ 1890 ~: Is tc%ons vii o uutbic
~n'J" ~ aasS oI anor ,bo I'D Tbrnce ~
"a uJe - 80 pb;is do nbio and tbitber ho sol
~ 80" - $500 in i;s nncLot q emo cnat N
49, - = . In,tor cr m Sirr William Ke;tb in h
~ Us = " ,ir,, ION 81 bis mntber and tho on,
~ ~, 'ho
'" y 49,. low, ~ lie ho,so bp+ :, woe II
So I"S 70 80 ~ n'ind rs liz c,tbor rornoyod
- w.. ~. m",.ha al Tho honso
49, ba u"s ib" s,noJ J., MIL st,eer naorIy n
- ~, Oh ST Gil an3 ,a, Iur,t ~ a
- 1sio Tbo hnuso ~ Nth I boro boan snou
- haro nn' dnnLt nirht bo,a heen hnnaLt E
egeoon ,rantu 49, ;r roodo tLo -,