Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1878-12-13
. FralnkEa,s Rehqioo

life of FranSlih, writes. .'
\ From child, Franklin was so fond OF
heading that all the little money that
eame into his hands, was always hid out
in books. Alt1stbe very FIRST collection
of books he ever made, tkeHery nest-egg
of his library, WAS of John .Bunyan's
work; IN separate little volumes "a pur-
chase induced by his love of the "Pil-
gr1in's Progress" That and 'Piutarch's
Lives" with The. book Of De Foes called
can Essay on Projects, and another of
DR.. Matherscalled Essays to Do Good,
gave him, he says, 8 turn of thinking
that had an influence on some, of the
principal future events Of his life. It was
"his bookish inclination" that deter
mined his father to make him a printer,
and he began his iourneymanship under
his brother James at the age Of twelve
years. At the age of fifteen, "after
doubling by turns of several points of
principlesand morals as he found them
disputed in the different books he read,
he began, he says, to doubt of revelation
itself ill he became q thorough deist.
and at the age Of nineteen he wrote a
pamphlet to prove the doctrines of fate.
from the supposed attributes of God.
But, IN 1880, at the age Of tWenty-four,
he wrote pamphlet on the other side Of
the question, (which began with laying
for its foundation this fact, that almost
all men in all ages and countries have at
times made use of prayer" His earlier
performance appeared not near 80 clever
a performance as he once thought it, !"
and his doubts now took the form Of
self-dOubting. He "doubted whether
some error had not insinuated itself, un-
perceived, into his argument, so as to in
fest all that followed, as is common in
metaphysical reasoningsP
At the age of fifty-eight, in 1874, we
find him writing to his daughter Sarah:
go constantly to church, whoever
breaches. The act of devotion in the
common, prayer is your principal bust
ness there, and, if properly attended to,
will do more toward amending your
heart than sermons generally can do.
For they 1.-THE prayers) were composed
by men Of much greater piety and wis
dom than our common composers of ser.
mons can pretend to be; and therefore /
wish you would meyer miss the prayer
days. pray that Gods blessing may
sttend you, which is more than thous-
and of mine, though they are never
wanting -gr- Il
From this impressive record we pass
on to the age of f,seventy-eight, in 1884.
We find Franklin reviewing the course
Of his own and his essEy PastReF Sta.
Amerifa0 Gans FesoTdb aies ali II ne Ipe
dear friend, do not imagine that am
vain enough TO ascribe our success to any
superiority in any of these points. ] am
hurol1
and levers of our machine not to see
that our human means were unequal to
our Undertaking; and that, if it had not
been for the justice of-eaF cause and the
consequent interpOsitIOn of Providence,
in which we had faith, we must have
been ruined. If / had ever before been
an atheist, l should now have been con-
WINGED of the being and government Of a I
Deity. 1t is He who aliases the proud
and faTOrs the humble. May We never
forge His goodness TO us, aud may our
future conduct manifest our gTSititude."
Let me close this notice Of Frankin's |
convictions and habits with
quotation from his speech in the federal |
convention, at the age Of eighty-one, in
behalf Of his motion for opening with |
prayer, after four or FIVE weeks spent in |
COAlll6lDA u COu1loCA6n dnO.r M4LlOub DlO-
gress. Let the focus of this lens of |
opinion, and advice be directed Tupon
congressional sessions Of the present day, /
after nearly a hundred years. So. s.....
"In the situation of this assembly, |
said Franklin, "groping, as 1t were, IN |
the dark to find political truth, and |
scarce able to distinguish it when pre-
sented to US, how has it happened, sir, |
hat We have not hitherto thought of APP 1
plying hnlnbly to the Father of Light to
our understandings? In the |
Of the contest with Britain, |
when we were sensible of danger, we /
had daily prayers in this room for the |
divine protection. Oar prayers, sir, were
heard, and they were graciously an !
sWered. All of US who were engaged il /
the struggle must have observed frequent l
instances of a supefints nding providence
n our favor. To that kind providence
we owe this happy opportunity OF con
sHlting IN peace on the means OF estab-
lishing our future national felicity. And
have we now forgotten that powerful
friend, or do we imagine we no longer
need his assistance? have lived, g1r,
long time, and the longer live the more
= truths see of this faet-that
Sod governs in the affairs Of men. And
# a sparrow cannot fall to the ground
without His notice, is it probable that
an empire can rise without his aid? We
have bees assured, sir, in the sacred
writing, that Except the Lord build the
house, they labor fnrvain that build it.
{ firmly believe this9 and also believe
that without His concnrTing aid we shall
succeed IN the political building no better
han the builders Of Babel I'VE shall be
divided by our little, paftia1s local inter
ests; our projects vii be eonfounded,
and we ourselves shall become a re-
proach and byWord down to future
s9es. And what is worse, mankind may
hereafter from this unfortunate instance,
despair of establishing government by /
human wisdom, and leave it to chance, i
war and conquest. I, therefore, beg
leaYe to move that henceforth prayers,
.mploring the assistance Of heaven, and
It's blessings on our deliberations, be held
IN this assembly every morning before
We proceed to business, and that one or
more of the clergy of the city be re-
luested to officiate in that service"
The only notice by DIR. Franklin Of the
result of his motion was that of simple
thus: SThe convention,
except three or four persons, though
prayers unnecessary Sc