The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-05-30
THE PENALTY OF HUMoR.
How 1t Enforced Itself in Ben Fran1s1in,s
Case.
(Brander Matthews in Harper's Maya.
zine.)

(Brander Matthews in Harper's Maya.
zine.)
When the time came for the neon1s of
the thirteen united colonies to nroolaim
to.the world that they were free. and
that they held themselves absolyed from
all allegiance to the British crown and
that all political connection between
them and Great Britain was totally dis
solved, committee of the Continental
Congress was appointed to draw up a
declaration of Independence. The mem
bers of this committee were BENJAMIN
Franklin of Pennsylvania, John Adams
Massachusetts, Roger Sherman of
Connecticut, Robert r. Livingston of
New York and Thomas Jefferson of Vir-
ginia. Why was it that their colleagues
committed the writing of the Declaration
Of Independence to Thomas Jefferson,
and not to Benjamin Franklin? The
V1rginian was not the most prominent
man even of his own section, and al
though his reputation could not fairly be
termed local. 1t was but little more,
while the name of the Pennsylvanian
was well known through out the whole
civilized W orld. Franklin was not only
the foremost citizen of PHILADELPHIA,
where the Congress was sitting, he was
the most experienced publicist and the
most accomplished man of letters in all
the thirteen colonies; and he was espeo-
tally well equipped for the drawing up
| nF n
just returned from London, where he had
been pleading the cause Of his country
men with indomitable courage and indis.
putable skill. Yet franklin was not
asked to write the Declaration of Inde-
pendence; and although he and Adams
made a few verbal amendments, the
| credit Of that great state paper belongs to
Jefferson. And why was it that this
responsibility was placed on Jefferson,
and not on Franklin?
l think the explanation lies In the fact
that Franklin was humorist. Not only
was Franklin's sturdy common sense
felt to be too plain home spun for wear
In the courts of Europe, when the
thought needed to be attired in all the
lofty rhetoric that the most fervid enthu-
siasm could produce, but also, fear me
greatly, his colleagues were afraid that
franklin would have his joke. 1t would
very good joke; but the very best Of jokes
would not be in keeping with the stately
| occasion. They were acute, those leaders
of the Continental Congress, and they
knew that every man has the defects of
his qualities, and that humorist is
likely to be lacking in reverence, and
that the writer of the Declaration of In
dependence had theme which demanded
the most reverential treatment.
So it was that benjamin franklin had
to pay the penalty Of humor In the last
century, just as Abraham Lincoln had to
pay it in this century. Because Lincoln
was swift to seize upon an incongruity,
and because he sought relief for his abid-
ing melancholy In playfulness, there
were not few who irefused to take him
seriously.
e Even after his death there were honest
folk who held the shrewdest and loftiest
of our statesmen to have been little bet
ter than buffoon. OF the three greatest
Americans, franklin. Washington and
Lincoln, two were humorists; and it ie
perhaps his deficiency of humor which
makes Washington seem more remot G
from us and less friendly than either OF
the others.