Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1899-03-30
Franklin, the Printer.

In the April Century, Mr.. Paul L.
Ford follows UP his chapters on
FranklIn's interest in religion, in ed
ucal.on, and in medicine, with a very
readable setting-forth of his relations
to "the art preservative."
A Scotch journeyman, David Hall
whom Franklin took in his employment
in 1743, was admitted to a partnership
FIVE years later. He took off my
hands all care of the printing office
paying me punctually my share of the
profits" and Franklin in congratulate
ing friend on a return to your be-
loved retirement" wrote with evident
pleasure that he, too, was taking the
proper measures for obtaining leisure
to enjoy life and my friends more than
hitherto, having put my printing
house under the care of my partner,
David Hall, absolutely left off book
selling, and removed to a more quiet
part of the town, where l am settling
my old accounts, and hope soon to be
quite master of my own time"
This partnership continued eighteen
years, successfully for us BOTH" at the
end of which time Hall became the
purchaser of the outfit.
This did not mean that Franklin
wholly retired from his connection
with printing, for long before this he
mad established a number of printing
offices in other towns. For instance, in
1873, II sent one of my journeymen to
Charleston, South Carolina, where a
printer was wanting. furnished him
with press and letters, on the agree
ment of partnership by which / was to
receive one-third of the profits of the
business, paying one-third of the ex-
penses. The partnership in Carolina
having succeeded, was encouraged
to engage in others and to promote
several of my workmen who had be-
haved we'll by establishing them with
printing houses in different colonies,
on the same terms as tnat in Carolina.
One of these was James Parker, whom
he established in New York, and by
1743 he had "three printing houses in
three different colonies, and purpose
to set up a fourth if l can meet with a
proper person to manage it, having all
the materials ready for that purpose" ="
Five years later he sent an outfit to
Antigua, in the West Indies, under
charge of a journeyman who had
worked with me here and in my
printing house in New York three or
four years" He was also interested
in a printing house in kingston, ia
macia, and, as already noted, he took
two of his nephews as apprentices,and
when they were trained helped them to
establish themselves as printers
Most of them did well, being enabled
at he end Of our term, six years, to
purchase the types of me and go on
working for themselves, by which
means several families were raised
Partnerships often finished in quar-
rels; but l was happy in this that mine
were all carried on and ended amicab-
ly."
Nor did his retirement from active
printing lessen his interest in his
trade, and every possible improvement
in the art received attention from him.
Nothing proved better the printers
attachment for his calling than an
amusement of his during his diplomat
ic service in France. In his own home
he set up press and types, all of
which he or his servants cast and with
them often printed little bagatelles
of both his friends writingand his own
in very small editions These
printing materials, consisting of
great variety of fonts" he brought
with him on his return to America and
sold fifteen boxes of type to Francis
Childs, the New York printer, and
still more to Matthew Carey. The re-
maiLder he used to establish his
grandson, Benjamin Franklin Bache,
in business as a printer the original
occupation of his grandfather"
Despite the many honors that had
come to him, to the last he held him
self to be the first and foremost print
er, and began his will, Il, Benjamin
Franklin, Printer, late Minister Plen-
ipotentrary from the United States of
America to the Court of France, and
now President of the State of Pennsyl-
vania." 1t was at his own request that
the Printers of the city, with their
Journeymen and Apprentices" were
given a prominent position in his fun
eral procession.
DIR. Bulls Cough Syrup is still in the
lead, The people seem to like this old IelIa
Die cough medicine, and we dont blame them /,