Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1901-12-25


simply telling you some of the rea-
sons why I cannot entertain the be-
lief that the earlier men of the world
were greater or better than the men
of modern times.
''But let me tell you more about
Franklin; not because he stands forth
alone in greatness, but because he is
type of what a modern giant of in
telIect has accomplished and has been
capable of accomplishing. It was
Franklin who made the first chart of
the gulf stream. Every schoolboy and
girl to-day knows all about that
stream which flows through the ocean,
and understands the value of that
knowledge to navigation and civiliza-
ton. But very few know that it was
Franklin who, in 1770, made the first
chart of that stream. Capt. Folger,
mariner of Nantucket, was a brother
of Franklin's mother, and he was
successful mariner in those days It
was from data obtained from him that
Franklin made his chart.
''That was not small work, for it
was of international value. The re-
suit of his work was of great value
to his country. The ships of the Royal
Packet company, of England, were
from Is to IS days longer in crossing
the ocean than the heavily laden Amer
lean ships of that day. Thus it hap
pened that the colonists were in
formed many days in advance of
King Georges officials in this country
OF what was going on in the councils
of the oppressor.
Franklin did not discover the gulf
stream, but he was the only man liv-
ing who realized it's vastness and its
worth to his country. His uncle, Capt.
Folger, kept a log from 1884 to 1866,
in which he made notes showing that
during all of those years the right
whale as it was known, never entered
the waters of the gulf stream because
they were SO warm, but swan along
the edges of the stream seeking food.
It was from that log that Franklin
learned positively of the existence of
the gulf stream, and he at once chart
ed it. He did not realize immediate
ly what value it would be to his coun-
try to have that knowledge, and pre-
scented a copy of his chart, handsome
ly engraved, to the lords of the royal
treasury; but they did not appreci-
ate it and never used it; not even when
war was coming on, nor while the war
was being waged which resulted>in the
independence of our republic. The
American ships sailed right across the
gulf stream. The British ships, of
lighter build, spread their sails and
stemmed the invisible tide, being thus
put back from 60 to so nautical miles
ships outsailed them, and brought
valuable news many days in advance
of the royal ships"
Senator Stewart spoke at length and
eloquently of the mental power of
Franklin, saying that his electrical in
ventions numbered 10, and that out
of them have grown several thousand
modern patents which have developed
great industries which give employ
ment to upwards of 100000 people.
''He lived to see the fruition of much
of his work. said the senator, ''but
he probably had no idea of the vast
ness of the value of his work Like
many another earnest toiler he build
ed better than he knew"
He concluded: 81 was an intimate
friend of Lincoln, the greatest and
grandest of all great men. 1 init
mately knew Garfield and Mckinley.
All of them fell by the wayside SEEM
ingly before their works were done.
The olden times never produced such
statesmen as they were; and all re-
mote time did not produce such intel
lectual giants as PaImerston, Glad
stone, Bismarck and Ii Hung Chang.
The human race is growing stronger
and better. That is the reason I do
not worship at the old shrines. Plato,
Socrates, Aristotle, xenophon, Homer.
Virgil, all did good work and bettered
the world. But our own times are big.
ger and better, and we have bigger
and better men. In our schools to-day
we are developing great men, or the
fathers and mothers of great men,
who viii even eclipse Napoleon, Glad
stone. Edison or Franklin. Nv idea is
that we should be proud of our own
day and generation, and not mere hero
Worshipers Of the remote past.
uTH D FIX.