Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1872-01-25


pear, was one of the turning points Of
his life. His feet, in anticipation,
had already touched the shining
strand Of frame.
Thus far, and with particularly as
to his early life, for in the biography
Of individuals a. in the history Of Ma
tions,
Coming events east their shadows before"
A mere summary Of his after-life
is all that can nationally be anticipated
on the present occasion.
The abuse received at the hands of
his brother who frequently struck
him in fits Of passion, and hindered
him from procuring employment in .
Boston printing office: his flight to
New York by secretly eluding tie
vigilance of his parents and getting
on board q vessel: his failure to get
employment in the city: his exodus
from New York to Philadelphia; the
desperate state of his finances which
consisted of one Dutch dollar and .
shilling's worth of coppers: his pur-
chase of three rolls of bread to saIis-
fy the cravings of hunger: his walk
through the city with one loaf under
each arm and the other at his mouth !:
his first nights lodging in an old, OBJ
scure Quaker church in Philadelphia :
his varied fortunes in that place of
steady habits: his sail to Europe,
where he landed ragged, hungry and
almost peniless his Introduction in
to London printing Office and apt
ness at the case securing to him de-
sirsbls situation: his profound dis
gust at royalty, and consequent re
turn to his native land to engage in
printing and publishing q pape.- Of
his own, that was destined in q few
years TO be the mightisst exponent Of
public opinion in the Colonies-all
these events have fascination for
the young student of history, az en-
ticing as the pictures OF imagination
in Robinson Crusoe, or the Arabian
tales.
Thus grain by grain had he been
unconsciously sowing the SEEDS that
were soon to blossom in success aud
renown These struggles and pri-
vations in youth these patient, un-
endeavors; the manly
that dared to rely on
self and God as its only supports all
lay at the base of his great, sublime,
historic future.
From this point we lose sight of
Benjamin Franklin, the mere Printer.
His future was no multiform of pub
lie and private duties, that We can on
allude to them now. He wrote Poor
Richards almanic which was trans
lated into most of the languages Of
Continental Europe. Without the
aid of schools he acquired an accurate
knowledge of the Latin, French,
Spanish and Italian languages. He
served the state as public printer and
Clerk of the General Assembly.
The flames of the American Revo-
lutIonlit mp, and he whole sky was in
u lurid glow. Franklin the Printer,
WIS made member of the Continen-
tai Congress. Franklin the Printer,
revised and signed, with his own
naud, Jefferson's immortal Declara-
ton of Independence which made the
Colonies free. sovereign and indepen-
ient states. 1t was Franklin the
Printer. who was appointed by Gov
ernment to meet L nrd Howe on Stat
en- Island to confer on terms ofpeace.
1t was Franklin the Printer. who was
entrusted with the responsibility of
Comm ssioners to the Court of France
tn negotiate treaty Of alliance: and,
it was Franklin the Printer, who sign
ed the Treaty Of Peace between Great
Britain and the United States.
In the Summer of 1866 I stood by
the grave OF this same Benjamin
Franklin, Printer, in quiet, Quaker
burial place in the very heart of Phil
adelphia. No.
'-Storied urn or animated bust:''
no monumental granite, whose lofty
summit catches the first rays of the
sun, spoke of his great life
and noble deeds. A simple marble
slap lying prone upon the,grave, has
this inscription, no more: Benjamin
and Deborah Franklin, 1890" look
cd in vain for the epitaph that his
tory records he wrote for himself:
THE PoDY OF
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, PRINTER,
uike the cover of an old book. its
Contents torn out, and stripped of its
lettering
And gilding,) lies here food for worms;
YET THE WORK ITSELF SHALL NOT BE
LOST, FOR
1t will as he believed appear once more
NEW AND MORE PEATIFUL EDITION, COR
RRCTED AND
AMENDED BY THE AUTHOR.
But such a man needs no storied
urn, no animsted bust. no monumen-
tai pile Frsnklin lives in the hearts
Of the people and all future times will
his momory. Icannot
so well conclude this poor tribute to
him whom the craft holds in such
pious veneration, as by adopting the
eulogium pronounced by Mirabeau.
in the National Assembly of France
'Frankl:n is dead The genius which
gave freedom to america, and scatter
ed torrents of light upon Europe, is
to the bosom of the Divinity
The sage whom two worlds claim
he man disputed by the history of
he sciences, and the history of en-
oires, holds. most undoubtedly, an
elevated rank among tie human spec
es. Political cabinets have too long
lotified the death of those funeral or
atoms the etiquette of courts have
90 long sanctioned hypocritical
grief. Nations ought only to mourn
or their benefantors Antiquity |
would have elevated affairs to that
Mortal, who, for the advantage of |