American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-02-07
Benjamin Franklin.

! limited their iaIth 10 genuine W allSenQ.-
! Chdnajers's Journal
Benjamin Franklin.
| THIS is the ann iversary of franklin.
! birthday 1t will be observed with grea
reverence by printers throughout The
| United States. The great mans memory
will be drank in copious drauShts of bot
| tied lightning, in commemoratiOn of the
| philosophers experiments with fluid Of
the same name, but different qualities.
Franklin will not take part in any oil
| the festivities in the printing Office to-
day. He is, or rather would be, if he
| was here, too old for such hilarity. He
would be 16S years old, had he remained
with u.s. But ong-continued habits OF
early rising undermined his vigorous con
stitution, and he was suddenly cut off at
the age of 81 years, just 81 years ago
Let US not weep for him. If he had but
lived few years longer, this bright
world, so full of life and hope and pleas
ures, would have been blighted and SCARED
| with more dreary old maxims about
going to bed at dark and getting up be-
fore daylight and about earning dollar
by saving cent and always thinking a
week before we speak minute and SINH
lar stuff, than the United States census
could compile between now and the end
of time.
Franklin's family must have led a
dreary life. The venerable philosopher,
quoting his favorite maxim, Early to
bed''-would drive his helpless family OFF
to their rooms at sunset while he would
go down to the posi-office for an hour or
two, and then come back and play with
an electrical machine for few hours and
then write on his Almanac until two
O'Clock in the morning. He would then
devour a light, digestible lunch of cold
pigs feet, apple pie and cake, after which
he would make every body in the house
get up and dress, assemble in the sitting
room and sing
Early to he'd and early to rise
Makes children healthy and wealthy and wise"
Then bidding them 30 to work and re
remember that the early bird caught the
worm, he would go to bed and sleep until
IL O'Clock a. IN. He always slept as much
as he could during the day time, for it
was one of his favorite sayings, Never
put off till tomorrow what you can do to-
day." This custom, the great printer had
of sitting up all night and sleeping all
day, is what established the heathenish
hours observed by the morning papers TO
this day.
The philosopher was man of the most
bacco that was brought to his house,
using large brier-wood pipe to accom-
plish tins destruction. If any tobacco
found its way into his mouth he would
keep splitting it out until it was all gone.
He could never be induced to eat tobacco
like bread, and was accordingly very Sc
we're in his denunciation of men who used
the filthy weed in any form.
He was born at an early age, and was
a printer on cOmpulsion. He held cases
in his brothers office, after serving his
devilship, but because his brother took all
the PLAT, he went on strike, rated the
office and went out on the tramp. One
evening he entered Philadelphia, on foot,
with loaf of bread under his arm, and
from which he was drawing liberal rations.
History makes no mention of the bottle
in his coat pocket This is the first tramp
printer of whom there is any record.
Franklin was great and good man in
his time, but he was slow. He would not
have been suited to this busy, progressive
generation. He lacked the great compre-
hensive, abstract elements of modern
American craftsmanship. Especially the
abstract. He would hardly have shone in
a Congress where the Hon. Cakes Ames
and his Credit Mobilier friends were his
colleagues. There is an anecdote illus
trative of his fidelity to the principles of
truth HIS 1ather was q tallOw Cnanuler
and soap boiler, and as he used a great
deal of wood he strove to inculcate habits
of industry in his son by letting him saw
and split all the fuel One day, young
Benjamin, was chopping wood with his
little axe, in a very bad humor, because
his work prevented him from going Off
with lot of the boys to steal peaches.
His father came out to see that his son
did not pick out all the easy pieces
to cut, and as he passed by, the
boy broke stick in two with
a terrific blow, and one of the pieces
whirling through the air like an aerolite,
nestled on the part in the venerable mans
back hair, raising lump like baseball.
"Who could be so heartless as to hit a
poor old MANI" tenderly inquired the
stricken soap-boiler, while the members
of his frightened family supported his
dropping frame and rubbed his lump with
camphor. Father, dear father" sobbed
the future philosopher, 81 cannot tell a
lie. 1t was the boy who lives across the
street, and he has just ran around the cor
ner." MY son, my own boy" said his
father, dashing pearly tear-drop from
his loving eyes, "You are cordially invited
to attend matinee, for children only,
which viii be held in the boiler-room in
ten minutes from this moment of speak
ing. Positively no postponement on ac-
count of the weather, and no pains spared
to make things interesting for the audi
."-BurLington Ha,ckeye, january Il.