The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-01-13
BEN FRANKLIN'S JOKES.
The Philosophers Reception At the
Court Of France.

Wanted to Turn Him Out of Doors
In Snowstorm Late at Night.
From the Boston Herald.
Your anecdote of F'ranklin's shabby
dress at the court of St. James, Ben, ,,
said Uncle Joshua, recalls a somewhat
similar one that happened on the other
side of the channel. When DR.. Franklin
was about to be received at the French
court as American minister, he felt some
scruples of conscienceiin complying with
| the court of fashions as to dress. He
| hoped, he said to the French prime minis
| ter, that as he was himself a very plain
| man, and represented a plain republican
people, the king would indulge his desire
to appear at court in his usual dress. In
dependent of this, the season of the year.
he said, redered the change from warm
yarn stockings to fine silk somewhat
dangerous.
The French minister, it is related,
made him low bow, but said that the
fashion was too sacred a thing for him TO
NEEDLE with, but he would do himself the
| honor TO mention it to his majesty The
! king smiled, and returned word that DIR.
! Franklin was welcome to appear at court
In any dress he pleased.
! In spite of that delicate respect for
strangers for which the French are so re-
markable the courtiers could not help star
ing at first at the doctors Quaker-like
dress, and especially his blue yarn stock
ings. But it soon appeared that his
great genius lifted him above the aids of
mere personal adornmcnt, and the court
was so dazzled with the brilliancy of his
MIND that they never again looked at his
stockings
Eyes" observed Squire Ben, latter all,
the mind is the true standard of the man
he was bright and original fellow, as
we all know. How many to-day, think
you, remember his visit to his mother to
solve certain matter he had in mind,
which was, briefly, if affection was an in
stlnctive attribute of the human mind
and heart, or if it was merely
THE RESULT OF ASSOCIATION.
'Some time after his fathers death
Franklin returned to Boston in order to
| pay his respects to his widowed mother,
| who still resided here. He had been alb
! sent several years, and at a period of life
when great changes are wrought in the
human EXPERIMENTATION the feminine
| voice of the stripping changes to the
| deeper tone of the adult, and the smooth
and characterless features of youth are
| succeeded by the strong lines and more
| mature expression of manhood The doc
! tor was aware that such an alteration
had taken place in him that his mother
would not know him, except by that in
| stinct which, it is believed, can cause a
mothers heart to beat violently in the
| presence of a child, and direct the ma
ternal eye, with quick and sudden
| glance, to a beloved son.
ITO discover the existence of this in
stinct by actual experience, Franklin re-
| solved to introduce himself to his mother
as stranger, and TO narrowly watch for
| the moment in which she should discover
her son, and then to determine. with the
cool precision of the philosopher, whether
| the discovery was the result of that in
stinct of affection-that intuitive love
that innate attachment which is con-
| jectured to cement relatives of the same
blood, and which, by according the pas
| sions of parent and child, like we'll
| tuned viol, would at first touch cause
them to Vibrate in unison, and thus at
once demonstrate that they were but diff
ferent chords of the same instrument.
''On a sullen, chilly day in the month
of January, in the afternoon, the doctor
knocked at his mothers door and asked
20 speak with Mrs. Franklin. He found
the old lady seated before the parlor fire
engaged in knitting, and introducing him
self by observing that he had been in
formed she entertained travellers, and re-
quested nights lodging.
"She eyed him with that cold look of
disapprobation which most people assume
when they imagine themselves inSulted
by being supposed to exercise an employ
ment but one degree below their occupation
in life Then she assured him that he
had been miSinfOrmed-that she did not
keep tavern; but that it was true that
to oblige some members of the legislature
she took some of them into her family
during the session; that she then had four
members of the Council and six of the
House of Representatives, who boarded
with her, and that
ALL HER BEDS WERE ENGAGED.
"Having vouchsafed so much. she re-
sumed her knitting with intense applica-
ton, which expressed as forciblyas action
could do. If you have concluded your
business the sooner you leave the house
the better But, upon the stranger wrap
ping his coat around him, affecting to
SILVER with cold and, observing that it
was chilly weather, she pointed to a chair,
and gave him leave TO warm himself.
The entrance of her boarders pre-
cluded all further conversation. Coffee
was soon served, and the doctor partook
with The family. To the coffee. accord
ing to the good old custom of the times,
succeeded plate of pippins and pipes,
when the whole family formed cheer
full, smoking semi-circle before the ire.
Perhaps no man ever possessed the col
louuial powers to a more fascinating de-
gree than DR.. Franklin, and never was
there an occasion when he displayed
those powers TO greater advantage than
at this time.
HE drew the attention of the com
pany by the solidity of his modest re-
marks; instructed them by the varied,
new and striking lights in which he
| placed his subject, and delighted them
with apt aud amusing anecdotes. Thus
| employed, the hours passed quickly until
it was S O'Clock, when, punctual to
moment. Mrs. Franklin announced sup
per Busted with her household affairs,
She fancied the intruding stranger had
Quilted the house Immediately after
coffee, and it was with difficulty she
could restrain her resentment when she
saw him, without invitation, seat him
self at the table with the freedom of a
member of the family.
Immediately after supper she called an
elderly gentleman, a member of the coun-
Gil. in whom she was accustomed to con-
fde. to another room, where she com
plained bitterly of the rudeness of the
stranger; told the manner of his introduce
ton of the house; observed that he APP
reared like an outlandish man; and. she
thought, had something very suspicious
in his appearance. She concluded by
soliciting her friends advice with respect
to the way in which she could most easily