Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-10-31
FRANKLIN AND EDWARDS.
Prof Phelps on the Character of Two
Representative Wen of New
England.

| VINO ncdrd frOi. william Lyon Phelps of
| Yale University speak on 1.-TWO Repre-
sentative Men Of Now England, Benjamin
| Franklin and Jonathan Edwards" Pro-
fessor Fhcpss charm as speaker, like
| that of good authors. lies in the fact that
he has something interesting to say and
says IT, He clearly defined the two cx-
tremc characters of Edwards and Frank
| lin. tho dralist and the practical man Of
the world. and when he had finished
everyone in the large audience was able
| to sympathize with both men and to
clearly understand their different points
of view and the good that they had done
| in the world.
| g The meeting opened with a selection by
\ quartet composed of Miss Crandall
! Mrs Whtcomb and Mcssrs. Blake AMI
Gotta. Professor Phelps said in part
1t is a singular thing that the lives Of
two colonals give in n single chara cter
the lives of Americans to-day. Edwards
was born in 17o3 and died in 175S Frank
lin was born in 1906 and died in 1880 Both
men were born in New England and in in
! telliCcnce and characteristics were as far
apart as the East is from the West. Ed
wards was missionary to the Indians in
Massachusetts and later was president
OF Princeton College. AS n man he put
13 hours day into study and was n deep
student in philosophy ana physics Ed
warde's resolutions and diary showed a
constant introspecuon' constant Dur
den ~ SIN "hl'h hlade up MS character
lie WAS always airald mat ne "ad com
mitt'd or Wonld commit some SIN ne
not only enjoyed r'he''n 'motionalIy hut
enjoyed religion Intcn'c'uhlF' Inc doc-
tr'ne that the majority OF IN" people
Wer" pftdeSuned 10 nc damned WAS olS-
'%r"'ah'' 10 MN III hrSt put tlHt thouPn'
finally came TO h" sweet To nm IN the
pulpit f.d"ards was peil''' cdihlucSs' MS
quiet tones adding 10 IN" intensity Oh MS
utteranc's. ADMIRE MS intensity Oh
preaching because ne was sincere we
cannot deny Edwards great ana remark
''Ie powers IN feiN'ph' We lar" lI4
'hl'l fartS OF interest," OF f'dWdr"S nv
from ms p'irN. rankin - eNpreSStu III
his autobiography
Franklin reprosontatcd the tEp''al
Yankee. his career being strlklnEly re-
preventative of American IRE 1aNen
together, tn" character OF the two men
represent the ideal character OF to-day.
Franklin LETT his autobiography incom-
plete ana it was FIRST published in faris
In 1929, thro" years after his death. In
tn" year ISIS William Temple FranRhn.
grandson, translated the autobiography
bat h. made over 200 changes In the
text He thought that his grandfather
was smart man. but that he could
improve the thing by polishing it up.
Nine out of ten of the autohagraphies
read to-day are those of William Tenn
pies and people therefore lose much OF
the true sense and worth of the original
manuscript. The original copy was
handed down from one French grand
father to another until it was finally
lost.
John Bigelow. the American minister
70 France in 1868, found the original
manuscript nearly Il" years after it had
been written and published it in Eng
fish as Franklin wrote it. The charm of
the Autobiography is Ike that OF Robin
son 'rusoe IN reading IL We listen 10
an oid man taxing NothinE IS or more
i'i'e'eS' Una" ''l'us'I's Win oio men,
c'o seems 70 80 "'Su"''' the" at inc
.ra,,,,,. ~ t,,.' Wv ',., az,
,,.,sa,, ~ 10, ,,,a. o,.as ,,,.1, w." Wv
T., s,id +hot IA ,,.o,,,1 i,,.a w.. It,
lifo o,.o.. aa,i,, -rh,,,. A..
do,,s on.ir,,ts,, w.. -.
Ola COMBINATIONS oro an, ~ s,,. u,a, -
NV dav tho ,ou,r vor. so,iors ,,iraoa
hut every 90 hos s,id i, rra,,r,,,'
nevcr had any NJ mat to,Ii,n w. en,,
The future with that cboerfu,rcss ,hot
characterized all tho actlons ~ hfs ,Ifo
There was a peculiar personal charm, to
Franklin. for he really had vhat thov
call personal magnetism. He spont the