The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1930-01-03
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BY ELMO SCOTT WATSON

~. that was not overstat-
ATN ing the case. For. in
~ their enthusiasm for
his American. the French could not
6nd out too much about him. The
newspapers carried column upon col
umn about him; historians and biog-
raphers Wed with each other in writ
ing about his career and he was pic
tured in innumerable engravings.
The flood of Franklin literature
that started then has continued ever
since, especially in his native land.
Few Americans have been more writ
ten about than Benjamin Franklin,
until it would seem that American
historians and biographers had ex-
hausted the possibility of telling any
thing new about him. But it has re-
NAMED for brilliant French scholar
TO write a new biography which stud
les the whole field of his life and &C
tivities in the light Of innumerable
documents, among them more than
six hundred letters, hitherto unpub-
lished. and which presents what is
probably the most complete view of
BENJAMIN Franklin that has yet been
written. The author is Bernard Fay
and the book is Franklin, The Apos-
tie of Modern Times" published by
Little, Brown and Company of Bos-
ton.
Out of this new work, based upon
facts which have been gathered to-
gether for the first time, energies
new Franklin. The Franklin which
Americans have hitherto known has
always been a figure which challenges
our admiration because he was such
a versatile. many-sided man. But "hu-
man" as was this Eighteenth century
character, he has not always been I'M
derstandable to Twentieth century
Americans. Through the interpreta-
ton of Professor Fay he becomes
more understandable and more easily
understood. But the title of the book
gives the clew to the reason why
Franklin was "the apostle of modern
times" Another historian, Philip Cue
dalla, once characterized Franklin as
"the first Rotarian" and Professor
Fay phrases the same thought in
these words "His career was the apo
theosis of the good fellow"
''The innumerable facts that 1 have
gathered here for the first time bring
us closer to Franklin and show him
to be more picturesque, more in con-
trast to the background of his epoch,
the Eighteenth century," he writes in
his preface. "This biography is neither
local nor national, but is the story of
one of the great leaders of men in the
Eighteenth century. Thus, one can
judge and estimate his immense in
fluence, which was also varied, as he
dominated the political, scientific and
philosophic world of his time. But of
all his titles to glory, the most out
standing one is that he was the. first
bourgeois of the world.
''In this Eighteenth century which
attempted to do away with aristoc-
racy, and to orient itself to the DOM
ination of the middle-class, Franklin
was the great precursor, the great eX-
ample. He defined the principles of
the bourgeois in his works, and made
his life a pattern to follow. He exem-
plified it by Poor Richard and this
was why the entire universe submit
ted to his influence. To understand
the amplitude and Importance of this
influence, Franklin had to be consid-
cred from an international standpoint,
and his activity in science. religion
and philosophy had to be fully stud
fed"
Considered from that standpoint
Franklin stands revealed not as pro-
vincial Yankee who glorified common
sense, as so many of his biographers
have portrayed him, nor simply as a
great American, but one of the great
men of his century and a man who
lived in perfect harmony with his
times, even though in his wisdom and
his foresight he was far in advance
of his times.
Professor Fay's use of the new
Franklin material which he discovered
has enabled him to clear up many
matters in regard to Franklin's reli-
gion, morals and social activities
which have heretofore been but little
understood. AS to his religious be-
liefs it can now be seen that he be-
iieved in a Supreme Being He re-
garded Jesus as great moral teach
er and in regard to the immortality of
the soul he subscribed to the Pytha-
gorean doctrine Of survival in new
body with new senses and new ideas.
That belief is reflected in the cpl
taph which he wrote for himself ear
ly In life and which reads: