The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1879-04-17
ErankEn's ReRaOn

EUelinq Post, who has been studying the
life of Franklin, writes:
From child, Franklin was so fond O
reading that all the little money tha
came into his hands was always laid Ou
in books. And the very first collection
of books he ever made, the very nest-egg
of his library, was Of John Bunyan'i
work. in separate little Volumes Dur
chase induced by his love of the "PiL
gr1m's Progress" That and 'Plutarch'c
Lives" with the book of De Foes called
can Essay on Projects" and another oi
DR.. Mather's called Essays to Do Good, p
gave him, he says, turn of thinking
that had an influence on some of the
principal future events of his life. It was
This bookish inclination" that deter.
mined his father to make him printer
and he began his iourneymanship under
his brother James at the age of twelve
years. At the age of fifteen, "afteT
doubling by turns of several points OF
principles and mOralsif as he found them
disputed in the different books he read,
he began, he says, to doubt Of revelation
itself, till 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 1730, at the age of tWenty-four,
hewrote a 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 so clever
a performance as he once thought it, ("
and his doubts now took the form of
self-doubtinR. He doubted whether
perceived, into his argument, so as to in
fest all that followed, as is common in
metaphysical reasonings.
At the age Of fifty-eight, in 1884, 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 (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 I
wish you would never miss the prayer
lays. 1 pray that Gods blessing may
attend you, which is more than a thOus-
and of mine, though they are never
From this impressive record we pass
On to the age of seYenty-eight, in 1854.
We find Franklin reviewing the course
IF his own and his early partner, Stra-
lan's, prosperity, and the causes of the
American revolution. "But after all, my
lear friend, do not imagine that I am
yain enough to ascribe our success to any
in any of these points. I am
90 well acquainted with all the Strings
md levers of our machine not to see
hat our human means were UNEQUAL to
,ur undertaking; and that, if it had not
)een for the justice of our cause and the
consequent interposition of Providence,
q which we had faith, we must have
,een ruined. IF I had ever before been
n atheist, should now have been con-
'inced Of the being and government of a
DEITY. 1t is He who aliases the proud
nd favors the humble. May we never
Orge5 His goodness to US, and may our
uture conduct manifest our gratitude"
Let me close this notice of Franklin's
eligious convictions and habits with a
uotatiOn from his speech in the federal
at the age of eighty-one, in
ehalf Of his mOtiRa-for opening with
rayer, after four or five weeks spent in
onfusion Of coUnsels, and without pro-
ress. Let the focus of this lens of
pinion and advice be directed upon
congressional sessions Of the present day,
fter nearly a hundred years.
'.In the situation Of this assembly"
aid franklin, "groping, as it were, in
be dark to find political truth, and
carce able to distinguish it when pre-
snted to. US, how has it happened, sir,
nat we have not hitherto thought of ap-
lying humbly to the Father of Light to
lumine our understandings In the
eginning of the contest with Britain, |
hen we were sensible of danger, we |
sd daily prayers in this room for the !
fvine protection. Our prayers, sir, were
card, and they were graciously an
Tered. All of US who were engaged in
le struggle must have observed frequent |
lstances of a experimenting providence |
1 our favor. To that kind providence
re owe this happy opportunity Of con-
1lting IN peace on the means Of estab- /
shing our future national felicity. And /
ave we now forgotten that powerful
lend, or do we imagine we no longer
eed his assistance? I have lived, sir, a
,ng time, and the longer I live the more !
1nYincing truths I see of this fact-that /
cd governs in the affairs of men. And
a sparrow cannot fall to the ground
ithout His notice, is it probable that
i empire can rise without his aid We
ave been assured, sir, in the sacred
riting, that except the Lord build the
Ouse, they labor in vain that build it.
firmly believe this, and I also believe
lat without His cOnCuITing aid we shall
lcceed in the political building no better
ian the builders of Babel we shall be
Vided by our little, partial, local inter-
It's; our projects will be confounded,
Id we ourselves shall become d re-
'oach and a byword down to future
res. And what is worse, mankind may
sFeafter. from this unfortunate instance,
sspair of establishing government by
imam wisdom, and leave it to chance,
ar and conquest. 1, therefore, beg
ave to move that henceforth prayers,
lploring the assistance of heaven, and
j blessings on our deliberations, be held
this assembly every morning before
3 proceed to business, and that one or
ore of the clergy of the city be re-
ested to offiCiate in that service"
The only notice by DR.. Franklin Of the
sult7of his motion was that of simple .
thus: "The convention,
eept three or four persons, though
ayers unnecessary"