The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-01-14
BEN FRANKLIN.

| JOuI ueH. % uOtS uOI DOOk6T.
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BEN FRANKLIN.
A Few Hitherto Unwritten Encidents
in His Checkered Career.
January the 18th is the anniversary of
Ben Franklin's birthday. We suppose it
will be observed with great reverence
| by printers throughout the United States.
The great mans memory will be drunk
in cOpious draughts of bottled Lightning
in commemoration of the great philOsO-
piers experiments with fluid of the same
name, but different qualities.
| Franklin will not take part in any OF the
festivities of the printing offices on the
18th. He is, or rather would be if he were
here. too old. for such hilarity. He would
be l69 wears old had he remained with us.
But long continued habit of early-rising
undermined his vigorous constitution, and
gentle death scooped him in at the age of
"a, eighty-five years ago. Let us not weep
| for him. If he had but lived few years
| longer, this bright, beautiful world, so full
of life and hope, would have been blighted
and SCARED with more dreary old maXims
about going to bed at dark and getting up
before daylight, and about earning a dol
| lar by saving a cent, and always think
ing a week before We speak a minute,
and similar 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
post-office for an hour or two, and then
come back and play with an electrical ma
chine for fe " hours, and then write on
his almanac until O'Clock in the morning.
He would then devour lightlunch of cold
pigs feet, apple pie, and fried liver, after
which he would make every body in the
house get up and dress, assemble in the
sitting-room, and lecture to them for over
an hour about eating between meals.
Then begging them to go to work, and re-
member that the early bird caught the
worm, he would 60 to bed and sleep until
u O'Clock m. He always slept as much as
he could during the daytime, 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 of this
day.
The philosopher was a man of the most
rigid mperance. He begged all the to-
bacco he used, and he could never be in
duced to eat tobacco like bread, as some
men do. lie was born at an early age,
and was printer on compulsion. He
held cases in his brothers office after serv-
ing out his devilship; but because his
brother took all the phat, he went on
strike, rated the office and went out on
tramp. One evening he entered Philadel-
pha on foot, with a loaf of bread under
his arm, from which he was drawing lib
eral rations. History makes no mention
of the black bottle in his cOat-tail pocket.
This is the first tramp printer Of whom
there is any record.
He was a great and good man in his
time, but he was slow. He would not
have been suited to this busy, progressive
generation. tie lacked the great cOmpre-
hensive, abstract elements of modern
American craftsmanship. He would
hardly have shown in congress where
the Hon. Oakes Ames and the Hon. John
Morrissey were his colleagues. There is
an anecdote Illustrative of his fidelity to
the principles of truth.
His father was a tallow chandler and
soap boiler, and as he used great deal of
wood he strove to inculcate habits of in
split all the fuel. One day young Ben was
Cropping wood in very bad humor, be-
cause his work prevented him from going
off with lot of boys to steal peaches.
His father came out to see that his son
didn't pick out all the easy pieces TO cut,
and as he passed by, the boy broke stick
in two with terrific blow, and one of the
pieces went whirling through the air like
an aerolite, nestled in the venerable mans
back hair, raising lump like base ball.
'sWho would be so cruel as to hit poor
old man like me? inquired the stricken
soap boiler, while the members of his
frightened family supported his dropping
frame and rubbed his lump with ham-fat.
Father, dear father" sobbed the fu-
ture philosopher, 81 can't tell lie. 1t
was the boy who lives across the street,
and he has just skinned around the cor
ner." "My son, my own dear boy" said
his pa, dashing pearly tear-drOp from his
| loving orbits. = \ Ou are cordially 1nvl ted
to attend a matinee for children only,
which will 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 aims spared
to make things Interesting for the
audience"
A little incident worth relating hap
pened to Ben after he had become mar
ried man, and was living in small village
down in Connecticut. j. W. Dusenber-
rvs great circus and menagerie just ar
rived from Blossenburg, and was goingto
give performance in the evening, and
| Ben's oldest boy was seized with an ire
sistible desire to attend. So at the dinner
table he asked permission of his father to
attend the circus in the evening. "No, no,
my son; you must not 60 to the show. 1t IS
an unfit place for me, as cOnsiderit; how
much more dangerous must 1t be for you !;
I will not allow a son of mine 10 attend a
circus performance where | myself would
blush to be seen. Go to bed, my boy, and
your mother and l will go TO prayer
meeting. Tomorrow | will buy you a
testament for your obedience.
He went to bed but not to sleep.
An hour afterward Ben and his wife
might have been seen seated on top board
under the brilliantly lighted circus tent.
Ben's face glowed with enjoyment and his
laws worked industriously upon big end
of twisted dog-tail tobacco. Once he
bowed his head and allowed half pint OF
Juice to issue from his mouth and descend
between the seats.
A smothered cry of pain came up from
below.
Said old Ben: "Gracious, | do believe
have spitten in some ones face"
Said his wife "Too bad. but, oh.
lust see that man bend the crabp anc
they both became engrossed in the antics
of the clown.
Next morning at breakfast this boy ap
peared with a swollen eye.
Said his father: "My son, what ailest
thine optic?' "Some blamed fool spit il
/ that is-itis darned sore. l don't know
what ails it, said the confused Lad.
Ben and his wife exchanged significan
glances and wisely held their peace, ant
, the promised testament wasn't alluded t
afterward by either father or son.-Ci'ein
nati Saturday Night.