Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1931-01-22

named Denham who offered the youth
a position in a store he was opening
in Philadelphia. Accordingly, Franklin
returned to that city in 1726 after hav-
ing spent nearly two years in London.
Within short time Denham died, and
Franklin found himself out of job,
but this may have been good thing
for the youth because his next step
was an important one.
In 1928 Franklin established a print
ing house with Hugh Meredith, and in
ten years had made it the most sue
cessful business of its kind in America
At this time he also purchased the
Pennsylvania Gazette, moribund
newspaper which under his manage
ment gained circulation of about TO-
600 and became one of the most promi-
nent papers in the country. Soon af-
terward he began to publish his ia
nous. Poor Richards Almanac" con-
tanning the pithy maxinls which retain
their popularity to this day, and from
which he made his fortune He also
became public printer of Pennsylvania,
which added to his prestige, and in
1880 he married Deborah Read with
whom he had fallen in love some years
before.
During the next twenty years
Franklin's popularity and activity
steadily increased He organized and
became prominent in the Leathern-
apron Club, which he called the Junto
and in which he learned the essentials
of leadership. He organized the
| first fire company in PHILADELPHIA,
! founded the American Philosophical
Society, became postmaster of Phila-
delphia, invented stove, acquired in
terests in several of the Continental
colonies and in Jamaica and became
clerk Of the Pennsylvania assembly,
In 1745 he began to experiment with
a Leyden jar sent to him from England,
and his investigation in this field led
to the discovery which made him ia
nous as a scientist Every schoolboy is
familiar with Franklin's experiments
with kite and key by which he made
the Identification of lightning and cleo
tricity, and which he was the first to
/ prove. He also framed the theory OF
two kinds of electricity which he called
negative and postive--a theory which
still holds With the lightning rod
which he invented, he was able to
! overcome to some extent the devastat-
ing effects of lightning, and this made
him the best known scientist of the
i day.
i In the Pennsylvania assembly,
Franklin had been prominent in the
fight to obtain taxes from the propri-
etary interests Of the Penns, and in
Il 1757 he was sent to England to lay the
!. case before the throne. Here he was
received cordially by his old friends
and he made many new ones. After
!. five years he returned to the colonies
only to be sent back to England to
4 protest the imposition of the Stamp
!, Act He was called to testify in fla
nous examination before the House
Of Commons in which his tact and abil :
i ity was largely responsible in having
!, the obnoxious act repealed He became
!. the best known American in Europe
. ana was popular everywhere
Franklin returned to America in
/ time to attend the first Confidential
Congress as DELICATE from Pennsyl-
! vania. AS member of that body he
, was appointed to the committee which
, drafted the Declaration Of Independ-
! ence. He was made postmaster general
of the colonies, and soon afterwarc
. went to France to secure the aid ol
that nation. By the French he was re-
l ceived enthusiastically, and they re-
/ q ad Is t1,e f~,rv ,{on
men in all history. This popularity
was SO great that the British were
irked by il, but 1T enabled him to OBJ
! tanned the much-needed money for the
Anglican treasury. When the war was
5 over, he was called upon to act as onf
of the peace commissioners, and ir
! framing the Treaty Of Paris, Franklin.
activities were most eminent and use
full In TBS he returned to Philadel-
I phia, but he had one more importan
service to perform for his country Thi.
was his participation, as delegate
from Pennsylvania, in the Constitu-
tional Convention of 1887. frankie,
was then 81 years old and his age pre-
vented him from taking part in thu
debates of that body. The influence ht
welded in keeping the convention ir
order, however, was Unreasonable.
On April II, 1880, three years after
he had seen the government OF hi.
country firmly established, the life o.
Benjamin Franklin came to a CLOSE
Philosopher, statesman, philanthropist
writer, patriot and scientist, he was one
of the most remarkable men of the age
He admired and loved Washington
whose measure he seems to have ac-
curately taken, for in his will he wrote
my fine crab-tree walking stick, will
gold head curiously wrought in thu
form of the cap Of liberty, ! give to m,
friend and the friend Of mankind
General Washington. II it were a scep-
tire, he has merited it and would be-
come it,