New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-01-20
=. admirably Edited Collection OF
FrankGn's Writings.

sro illustrated, o Miu II and III PIP xxi. 4Ss
photogTayu,ifie as The Macmillan Company
1A -o-+hv tribute TO the great phllos-
NO HlO- .a.riot the bi-centennial OF "hOso
opas' = ne,ehrated this week. could WEI.
sFlh = +-,,sd than the wholly aoInllaoia -
eseH r,s writings which Professor 0iiS ~
noh - and edited with SO much
eONeor, and painstaking research 1ho
scHO. $3.50 has largely been conIlileo "
Is' s,nererogatory and impertlne!it 49,.
iHs "a concentrations" OF previous eui'o- =
''0D' che writings 10 their orisliHi
10 fes .5,s Professor Snyth has laporlous4s
10 - +bs original manuscripts ID '"e
sas-'.- -,I..+ions in America and Europe IA
o-s 40 raproduce Franklin's words eAao'-s
'el'-- them. observing strictly tle i''''o
nc c.,,+siIins and Pointing. on which
ins co insistent when he was aliEe'
SUI. N-,o, has been made in the Aulopios4"
e.. n.,, only so far as the capltall%a'Io
p-, -,s5 the text otherwise being 'he
0O-s-.+ of the original made by JoIlh DIS CIV
,-,nortance OF Professor Sn1yth S WI m -
iHe ,' 10. can be estimated from MS own
- NJ the results he has ootalIleu IL '--
s-s.-,arc.ton'' 10 the first volume ne "Ii'es
- +bese fresh copies from the orlglol -1t
u na.s1+s have corrected more tH I ~ these
ord errors II me pre- the result of carelessness
sEroIs Them represent important alel go lions
language Pc 1stafls Many letters hitherto MAJ neu
Ct neeeoT1-lete' 'Inutilated, ETC. A4Ee ~ leaves
completed :. besr -aYeessly assigned 10
Letter. % tSev were never addressed an -I,or1
% ThoLLhl 5es been ascrbed TO persons pS 49, w.
,gthoTsLlp rn-ar written \ thorough exalnlial1os
ne! originals has resulted IN ING - Of the
many OF &c., mat have hitherto been resaroeo
3 doabtfuL 49, hos
NV valuable editorial contribution mas
49, - careful indication Of the colleclloh'
"a. ~ priva1e, IN which each man ~
P-D- ,.d nv the editor is now preserved Ihese
- evidences Of intelligent editorsnlp "ouAO'
= themselves. have been sufficient 10 JUSTLY
y issue Of Franklins writings even SO sooii
So the publication Of the revised edition OF MI
,.~,o7.s excellent work But Professor snayth
-. eone further and made sysIeHld'Ic
...rcb through the flies Of THE New-Ehslallu
,.r-ont" THE Pennsylvania Gazette Inc
.-.-,csn Weekly Mercury" The London
e. Advertiser" The London Chronicle
=. otber eighteenth century newspapers
-, some Of the best Of F,ranklin's VIII
,-rs have long been hidden away AS re-
rit NJ The present editors industry and 1nVesLi-
r..on Ia has been able to add TO the pupEsheo
Ills of Franklin 3S5 letters and 40 articles not
--sv5c1Isly printed by any editor Notable
smong these are The Dogwood Papers, the
earliest Of young Franklin's compositions con-
trsbuted anonymously by him to his brothers
,sner. THE New-England Courant," while he
vas an apprentice in the Office
The writings are as noteworthy for their
emissions as they are for their additions. A
number Of articles which, in their zeal for the
fame Of Franklin, his editors have too hastlIy
sscrbed 10 him. Professor Snyth. after deter
mining their real authorship, has rejected
Among these are THE Principles OF TRADE
written by George Whatley; essays "On Govern
,usnt-" written by John Webbe; An Humble
Petition Presented to Madame Helvetius by Her
Cats." written by Able Marollet; "A True state
Of the Proceedings in the Parliament Of Great
Britain" written by arthur Lee; the voIuHlinous
Historical Review OF Pennsylvania which
Franklin assured Hume was not OF his writing,
and last but by no means least, "A Speech In
landed 10 Have Been Spoken on the Bill for
Altering the Charters of the Colony Of Massa-
chusetrs Bay" which has always been attr1b-
uted 10 Jonathan Shipley, Bishop Of st. Asaph,
but which was included by Mr.. Bigelow in the
fifth edition Of his life of Benjamin Franklin.
Nj Bigelow seems TO have based his opinion that
franklin was the author Of the speech on purely
internal evidence which, considering Franklin's
close relations with the Bishop, Professor Smyth
does not regard as at all conclusive. The
Bishop he declares, looked upon the political
situation through the spectacles Of Franklin"
and he adds 1T is not surprising that out Of the
Jurisprudence and conversation Of these two
friends, so sympathetic and patriotic, should
come from the lesser man works which expressed
fhe Of the
greater one" The memorandum in F'ranklin's
handwriting il regard TO this paper. Speech in
tended to be delivered by the Bishop OF St
Asaph in the House OF Lords" is perhaps non
conmittal as to the authorship. but Franklins
Reference 10 the speech in his letter Of con-
dOlsncs to the Bishops daughter on the death
q her father would seem 10 settle the matter
beyond dispute. His Cthe Bishop's) departure
Is loss not 70 his family and friends only"
writes Franklin, but 10 his nation and to the
World, Cor he was intent on doing good had
wisdom 10 devise the means. and talents to pro-
nete them. His Sermon Before the Society for
Pfopagating the Gospel and his Speech intend
q TO have been spoken are proofs Of his ability
Is well as Of his humanity" Professor Smyth,
commenting on this expression, remarks: Il can
ho' believe that. If the facts were as Mr.. Big
-"4~s-Ai~ss 7 itll4htit. III WTtIlIlS Ip dSSNS5o
daughters grief. would have thus referred
L terms Of high eulogy to a work of his own
pu' forth TO tho world under the others name.
As praise would have been an idle mockery and
rs professions OF sympathy a shallow pretence."
BESIDES this conscientious ralIing over, cor
'ecng and Weighing Of material available. If
~ Always utilized, by previous editors, Profess
s0s smyth has had the advantage Of being the
n 5,-oH
V ". ranklins private papers brought to light in
100 and now belonging to the University OF
.7lnsslvania. Franklin bequeathed TO his friend
se0fge Fox ali the papers left by him in Phila-
4sipAia' and through the latter's son they camo
ueO TIE possession OF the American Phiiosophi-
= Society. OF those now owned by the univer-