The Irish standard., 1896-01-18
KIND OF A MAN BEN WAS
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the world and human nature. His repu-
tation was such as to make him persona
grata and credit to the rebellious COL
onies he represented.
It is impossible to know how France
| argued. Old enmity to England had its
part, the menace to New France along
| the Mississippi, but certainly DR.. Frank
| lin gave the impression of the ultimate
and deserved success of the revolution
against England.
That such man could be spared at
such time spoke volumes for the quail
ties of those left behind-Washington
Norris, Greene, Hancock Jefferson,
Paine, Jay and host of others whose
fame spread through the lucid language
of the American representative and
charmed La Fayette, the young Mari
| beau, and De la 'Rochefoucauld. Poland
responded, and did not the spirit of this
great plebeian from America somehow
arouse the invisible STRINGS of the pop
ulace Of France? But little more than
a decade later, in 1890, Mirabeau moved
in the assembly that mourning be worn
for the American apostle of liberty. .
Nothing was small to Franklin. He
missed nothing human. At 20 years Of
age there appeared nothing absurd in his
courtship of Nine. ,Helvetius; though he
urged it with ardor and ingeniousn ess
Of boy, it was yet with the dignity of a
man of the world, and he bore his failure
with the calmness of a philosopher
Coming back he devoted himself to the
organization of the postoffice travelling
|. all over New England and as far south
as Virginia in carriage with his
! daughter, bearing fatigue, establishing
| routes appointing deputies, incidentally
acquiring much knowledge on educa-
tional matters and the intellectual pow
erty of pioneers
He remained in public service until he
was 80, almost without recompense and
wanting none. When conquered eat last
by the infirmities of age there was his
spacious home in Philadelphia, hosts Of
friends, science to lure him On to new
experiments, the largest private library
in the new world and daily life to be
simplified by new inventions.
At the very last he discovered why or
ganic life suffered no change from the
normal temperature no matter what the
outside degree of heat or cold; that
freezing could be accomplished by evap-
oratiOn; that salt mines were probably
produced by evaporation of sea water.
One discovery after another he gave to
the world without compensation, declar
ing: ''As we enjoy advantages from the
inventions of others we should be glad
! to serve others by any invention Of our
own freely and generously
There was scarcely any principle of
right living that he did not touch with
some trenchant sentence: Money is
prolific; the first hundred saved earns
the second"
'.Seest thous man diligent in his call
ing, he shall stand before kings; he shall
not stand before mean men," was a mot
to adopted from Solomon and what he
considered the first element of his every
success. He had many callings and was
diligent in ALL He stood before five
kings in his lifetime, and as he quantity
adds, dined with one without having in
digestion.
"He that has once done you kindness
will be more Ready. to do you another
than he whom you yourself have
Obliged is one which he often put into
practice. II he feared opposition from
someone in power hesintroduced himself
by asking the loan of a book or good
will fora protege Or a subscription to
some public project. :. First and last he
got more fayors out of the public than
any other Philadelrhian or perhaps than
any other in the colonies His rule was
70 ask .'eyery man he knew would give,
every man he was not sure of, and every
ren he was certain would not.'sin that
way he got more than he expected. He
vas never remotely accused Of appropri-
sating anything. Some British officials.
we're once skeptical of his accounts and
not disposed. to allow claims for military
disbursements, never having heard Of a
man who did not recompense himself
1T public expense. = sss .s5$
He enjoyed the e.novelty OF adding CROCK
.rs to his easy chair sfnvet1ting q me-
|sshanical hand and arm to reach books
- d high 81 Il: ff:sinventIng u letter cefs
10 press and lng; aas shds jchaia