The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-07-24
French Anecdotes of Franklin.

Throughout the year 1890 there ap.
peared occasional anecdotes of Franklin
in the Moniteur of Paris. As Franklin
was resident of Paris for some years,
between 1776 and 1855, where he was
received with enthusiasm by the best
classes, and rs his memoirs were not
translated into French until the present
century-it is fair to suppose that these
anecdotes were those with which lie
used to amuse his French admirers.
Regarded in this line they will be in
teresting, whether they have or not ap-
peared elsewhere than in the 1oniteur.
One day, when Franklin was a printer
in Philadelphia, he said to one of his
employees, a skillfui workman, who
never came to his work before Wednes-
day of the week. "Francis you do
not think of the future. If you would
keep steadily at your work, you might
live comfortably by and by" To this
the workman answered: CT have made
my calculation. L have an uncle who is
a druggist in Cheapside, London. He
has determined to work hard for twenty
years, when he will have laid up four
thousand pounds sterling, and then he
proposes to live like gentleman. His
idea is to purchase pleasure at whole
sale. 1 rather have it at retail. I pre-
fer half the week for amusement during
twenty years to the whole week when l
am twenty years older.
After the Declaration of Indepen-
dence in the United States, each State
commenced the task of drawing up and
passing new laws and form of govern
ment to replace those which they had
destroyed. During this time there were
tedious and bitter debates in the Penn
sylvania assembly, and at the end of
two or three months they found them
selves just where they started. Mean
while, everything went on as usual in
the community there were no troubles,
no public disorder of any kind, and one
day Franklin said to misrepresentation
CT deputies Gentlemen, 1 would
call your attention to the fact that while
we are here in a state of perfect anarchy
the people are conducting their affairs
just as usual. Take care ! If our dis
putes continue much longer they may
find out that they can do without u.s."
Franklin explained, by the following
apologize, how we may correct by time
and patience the faults of character and
manner. 81 was," said he, Gin an
iron-monger's shop one day, when a
man came in to buy an axe. The work
man had not polished it much, except
Just at the blade, and the buyer ex-
pressed desire to have it polished all
over. That would be long task, the
workman said, and he had no one to
turn the grindstsne. The buyer offered
to turn it himself, and soon the two
were hard at work.
"After little while the buyer wanted
to examine the progress of the polish
ing, and seemed rather disappointed.
Very soon he examined the axe again,
were polished after all his trouble, he
exclaimed : Faith, I'll take the axe as
it is I won't bother any more about
the polish. So with our manners"
said Franklin, "we like to see them
polished, but we have no patience to
turn the grindstone f.; and, indeed, pro-
vided an axe cuts well, it doesn't matter
much if it isn't so polished"
Franklin went one day to see the
mills of great manufacturer at Nor
wich. The owner took him all over the
establishment, saying Here we make
fabrics for Italy; here for Germany
these are for the islands of America
these for the Continent" and so on.
During the exhibition, Franklin noticed
that the operatives We're half-naked or
in rags, and turning to his guide, he
said And a0here, pray, are the goods
that yOu make for NorWich ?"
Franklin assisted "once at literary
reunion where several original articles
were read, and not understanding well
the French when read or declaimed,
and wishing to show himself polite and
appreciative, he resolved to applaud
whenever he saw Madame Bouflers, a
friend of his, show marks of approba-
ton. After the reunion, his little son
said to him: "Papa, you applauded
everything, and more than anybody else
,Ohen they praised yOu" Franklin
used to describe his embarrassment and
the effort he made to recover himself.