The Columbus journal. (Columbus, Neb.) 1874-1911, 1909-01-27
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN.

of the birth of . man passed almost
unnoticed. In the list of great men
America has produced, Benjamin
Franklin stands at the head, and by
some he is regarded as the greatest
man known in history. Born in Bos-
ton at a period when opposition to the
rule of the mother country was slowly
but surely crystalizing into physical
protest, he was Instrumental in shap-
ing the destinies of the colonies and
creating a sentiment against the acts
of the English parliament which made
him q central and commanding figure
when the hour for action arrived.
Coming to Philadelphia at the age of
II, with less than two dollars in his
pocket, he commenced a career which
placed him in the front rank in litera-
ture, diplomacy and invention. As
the representative of the colonies in
England before the Revolution. and
the representative of the United Colo
MES abroad after the war had been
fought to a successful issue, he dis
played such genius that he was re.
garded by European governments as
the greatest diplomat of his day. His
success in making treaty with the
English government after the Revolu.
ton withou: dictation from France,
and at the same time retaining the
friendship and good will of our allie
in the war for Independence, could
not have been accomplished by any
other American statesman. Not only
in diplomacy and statecraft did Frank
lin excel, but he was also philoso-
pher, inventor, scientist, and a promo
ter of things that tended to Intellectual
and moral development. Not only
did he draw lightning from the clouds
and blaze the way for Morse and
Edison, but he invented the cook
stove, organized the first fire depart
ment, the first building and loan asso-
citation, and established the first public
library in America. Franklin was
the first man in America to take q
stand against the use Of intoxicating
drinks as a beverage, and during his
scjourn in London as 'jour" printer
he was alluded to as the water Amer
ican." When he refused to contribute
to the ale fund of the printing estab-
lishment where he was employed, he
was alluded to as mean and stingy, but
within six months he had converted
his brother printers and enlisted them
in the cause of total abstinence.
Franklin was member of the colo
NAL congress that passed the Declare
ton of Independence and was a men,
Der of the committee that drafted the
declaration. He served as a member
of the convention that formed and
adopted the constitution of our coun-
try, and organized the first postal
system of the colonies. 1t was on
Franklin's sage advice that the signers
of the Declaration of Independence
relied, and it was through his efforts
that La Fayette crossed the ocean to
fight for liberty and France became q
friend and allie of the colonies and
sent to our shores her money, ships
and men in the dark hour of the
struggle for separation from the
mother country. Franklin, like JEFF
erson, was opposed to the slavery of
the negro, and early in his career took
strong grounds against the extension
of the slave system. He was a foe of
religious oppression, and although he
was not protesting christian and did
not believe in creeds, he always main
tanned that man should have the right
to worship God under his own vine
and fig tree. Mangasarian says of
Franklin: HE was the Socrates of
America. He, too, was the father of
his country-of intellectual America.
His thought was the first fruit to ripen
on the tree planted in the soil of the
new world. You are the first philoso-
pher, the first man of letters, for whom
we are beholden to America, wrote
Hume to Franklin. If we we're to
use commercial phrase, we would say
that few men have done more to ad-
vertise this country than Benjamin
Franklin. He made America the
vogue in the old country. He gave
tone to our struggle for independence.
Before bis day Europe looked to
America for cereals and minerals, for
cotton and tobacco-for things
men. But Benjamin Franklin gave
to America an intellectual standing