Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1912-03-07
Success Under Difficulties
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN-From Penny Roll Eaten in the
Streets of Philadelphia to World Wide Fame as
Scientist and Statesman.
BY MADISON c. T

from the United States OF America to
the Court of France and now President
OF the State of Pennsylvania 1t was
at his own request that the printers of
the city. with their %journeymen and
apprentices We're given a prominent
position i'm his funeral procession.
The tide in the affairs OF Franklin
turned when he Guarreled with his
brother in the printing shop in Boston
and fan away from that city to make
his w way i'm the world. When out
OF work and tralmping the streets of
both philadelphia and London in search
or employment he often regretted this
incident and wished he had stayed at
the printing case in Boston. but had
ne done SO ii is probable that the world
would never have heard of him as pat
riot. philosopher and scientist. Had
he remained he doubtless would have
grown into AN ordinary tradesman,
with no ambition above the type stick.
His brother James With whom he quar-
relied never oun to much and died
at an early age. There is nothing on
which to base any contrary belief that
Benjamin would not have followed his
brothers footsteps n thus have never
been heard of beyond the narrow limits
of Boston.
Benjamin had been i~ndentured to his
brother James for a period of seven
years, and only for the order forbidding
the elder brother to publish the Cou-
rant, Benjamin could have been forced
to live up to the letter of the contract.
Franklin in his autobiography tells us
that 1t vas proposed to evada the order
by changing the name of the paper.
My brother" he says, seeing incon-
V%enfences in that. it was finally con-
cluded on as a better way, to let it be
printed for the future under the name
of Benjamin IEranklin: and to avoid
the censure of the assembly that might
fall on him as still printing it by his
apprentices, the continuance was that
my old indenture should be returned
to me with a full discharge on the back
of it to be shown on OCCASION. but to
secure to him the benefit of my serv-
ice. ! was to sign new indcntures for
the remainder of the term, which We're
to be kept private They awaited
themselves of the scheme and the pa
per was continued for several months
in Benjamin's name
For the sake of continuing the pub
l~ication the brothers united In their
fight against church and state, but pri-
vately they could agree on nothing. In
speaking of these quarrels, Franklin
writes: lat length Il fresh difference
arising between my brother and me, 1
took it upon me to assert my freedom,
presuming that he would not venture
to produce the new indentures. 1t was
not fair in me to take his advantage.
but the unfa1rneSS OF 1T weighed little
with me when under the Impressions
of resentment for the blows his passion
too often urged him to bestow upon me.
Perhaps 1 was saucy and provoking.
When he found l o leave him, he
took care to prevent my getting en-
ployment in any other printing house
OF the town by going round and speak
ing to every master. who accordingly
refused to give me work.
Well for Benjamin the quarrel and
well that his brother prevented his
getting work in Boston. Both circum-
stances combined to give America one
of the brightest stars in the mann
Of fame and the world a scientist and
philosopher as we'll as a man of letters
who conferred q glory on the race.