Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-11-24
rs MANY SIDED GENIUS is CLEARLY REVEAL

life and his work. There are half dozen
lives of him ON the market as well as
his own story of it, But as the world
progresses and the store of knowledge i'll
creases we get new standards of meas
urement so that we can more correctly
appraisc him. This new life which is an
attempt to reveal the man by a critical
study of his writings, disclosos his views
on the removal of the grievances of the
colonies. AS one reads it one is forci-
bly, reminded of the likeness between his
views and those of Cecil Rhodes. The
American was big enough and forcscclng
enough TO formulate a plan which, if
adopted, would have made the British
Empire virtually indestructibc by the
creation of an Imperial Parliament such
as Rhodes in later years urged, and such
as tho British statesmen are only just
beginning to think seriously Of William
Cabcll Bruce, who has written the book,
does not connect Frankln's plan with
the later movements i'm the British En-
pire, but he sets it forth in such a way
that the Informed reader at once per-
ceivcs the breadth Of the craftsmanship
which conceived it In the scientific
field Mr. Bruce links Franklin's investi.
cations more closely with the work of
the moderns, when he tells us that he
came near to anticipating lIcrt2's discov-
cry of the action of strong light ON the
discharge of gases.
"Of course you know that Franklin
was the first Colonial American to
achieve a European fame. When Wash
ington wjt- only twenty years old Frank.
Inns discovery of tho identity of lightning
and his experiments in electricity had
thrilled the Imagination of Europe and
year later tho British Royal Society
awarded to him the Copley medal in rec.
ogntion Of his discoveries. He was long
tho only Colonial known on the other side
of the ocean. lie made his reputation as
a man of science long before it was rccog-
uizcd that he was Il philosopher, a states
man and a man of letters
"Franhliu's life could be studied with
profit 10y those persons who arc worry
ing about the mcirectiycness of modern
systems of education. No school can
make or break a man if he have native
ability. trankiu's formal education
ceased when nc was ten years old. He
did not go to a school "a single day there
after but hC was one of the most broadly
educated mcu Of his time. lie read Latin,
French. italian and Spanish and he spoke
aud wrote French with some degree Of
facility He overcome his carly lack of
opportunities by the force of am insatia.
bl" intellectual curiosity, and i'm spite Of
his business aud political activities he
was continually charging his store of
knowledge. Did you know that he retired
from active business Whom he was only
forty-two Years old"
IF I did know it ! had forgotten it,"
said owen.
'lIc had a partner in his printing bust.
ness. and at the age Of forty.two he made
AN arrangement 10y which he should be
relieved of all cares and should receive
Il thousand pounds a year for eighteen
years, when his Partner would own the
whole business. lie had investments at
the time which gave him AN annual i'm.
come of about seven hundred pounds
all made since he came to Philadelphia
a. poor poy AT thc age OF seventeen. you
soc, he applied To some purpose the max.
inns of thrift which he put in the mouth
of Poor Richard l5ut he did not walt
until he had retired from business to
begun his publicspirited work. lie is rc-
sponsible for the organization of more
educational and phianthropic institutions
i'm this city than any other one man. lie
started the first circulating library; he
founded the University, his influence was
the deciding factor in the establishment
of the Pennsylvania Hospital, he was
one of the founders of the American
Philosophical Society; he secured the paw
ing of the streets; he organized the first
fire department and the first paid police
department. InGeed, it would almost bc
easier to cnumerate the institutions lie
did not originate than those he did. His
political activities were boundless. You
know he signed the Declaration of Inde.
pendence, the treaty of alliance with
France, the treaty of peace with Eng.
land and the Constitution. And if he had