Newbern weekly progress., 1860-11-13
NEWBERN, n c.. TUESDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER l3 1860
rHacauray ON Franklin.

A better sketch of our own immortal Ben
Franklin than this, from the pen of Macaulay,
we do not remember to have seen or read 1t
is richly worth the attention of every reader
| in the land:
| The new Ambassador was Benjamin Frank
| lin, one of the foremost citizens of the Young
! Republic. and one of the foremost citizens of
| the older Republic Science. He was of hum
| BILE origin Both in Boston, the place of his
birth and in Philadelphia. the place of his adop-
| ton he had worked as printer; nor had he
| failed to derive great mental advantages from
that art "preservative of all arts and of which
the followers. like ships that bear spices and
odors from the East, retain something of those
precious careoes which they are employed to
distribute
The clearness of his intellectual perceptions
was eoualled by the clearness of his moral per-
ceptions Under the name of C Poor Richard" I"
he spread abroad through the humble medium
of an almanac, system Of hofnely ethics in
which the virtues of f'ugality, industry, and
temperance were extolled in aphorism of in
eenious terseness His growing fame soon OBJ
tanned for him offices of trust from the Colonies
and the Crown and when, owing partly to
criminal interference and partly to criminal
neglect difficulties arose between the Colonies
and the Crown he exerted himself first to pre-
vent, and then to remove such differences. Brt
the hour of reconciliation passed away. He
then stood mp for war with the same serene
courage with which he had stood out for peace.
He was one of the Committee that drafted the
C Great Declaration" He was now sent to re-
present the good cause at the Court of France,
and at the bar Of uropean opinion An extra
ordinary reception awaited him. He was just
v and widely known as an eminent man Of
science; and as the Columbus of electrical dis
covery.
The French nation is fond beyond all other
nations, of striking effect and picturesque con-
trast And nought could be more striking or
picturesque than the spectacle now presented. A
Quaker diplomatist was to appear at the most
artificial of all Courts-a new Archimedes was
TO come from the land of the Mohawk and the
Natchez-a Scion from Republic of yesterday
was to recall by his wisdom and appearance
the ages Of ancient Republics. Naughty court
iers bent with emotion before him. Brilliant
beauty struggled for the privilege of a kiss
Painters and sculptors spread broadcast
the land their copies of his august features
The Academy rang with applause when Tua-
COTS adulatory Latin announced that the dis
tnguished guest had wrested 1.-The Tightening
from heaven and the scepter from tyrants ;" and
at later day a ship of war was fitted out at
French port, under the command Of Paul Jones,
bearing, with pardonablc Inconsistency, the
name of q Poor Richard"
DS Siot vi IL hS, thaI iio 10 Sh4C
gratest OF the pupils of Bacon; and he
was indeed such a pupil as Bacon would have
delighted to honor. To both master and pupil.
Philosophy was not the mystic divinity of
Plato nor impractibie vixen Of the schoolrnen.
But she was an angel Of benefcncc end min
lister Of rnercy-an Elizabeth Fry or Florence
Nightengaie. Her mission was to relieve hui
man suffering and to advance the good ofman's
estate. OF these principles, Franklin's long
career was triumphant application No soon
er had the electric spark slid down the kite
string than the lightning rod was invented for
its innocuous descent. The tnaxilns Of Poor
Richard werc.meant not only for the Ruakcr
tradesi,aen and his neighhors, but for the gov
ernment of empires and the intercourse Of ma
tons. Even the barren tactics oi chess Were
made to furnish i,rccepes fer the higher warfare
Of life
Nor did his philosophy denv lis choicest
fruits TO The philosopher himself; for he was
serene and selfrcliant il the hour Of triumph
when he entered Philadelphia with loaf of
Tread under his arm, when he listened, when
he stood the center Of all admiration in the
splendid Court Of Louis.
Jealous thcologians have attacked the ortho-
doxv of his creed, casuists have cagiled at the
materialism of his ethical Trecepts but he was
doubtless good man. he was unquestionaby
a great man, and he richly merits the title of
ct the most useful man OF any age"-a title |
which he would have envied beyond all the
gifts of fortune and all the laurels Of fame.