The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1932-01-08


or profession has better claim on him nor a
better reason to celebrate his birthday than the
printers and publishers of this country. For it
was as printer that he got his start in life, it
was "B. Franklin, Printer" that he first made
his mark in the affairs of colonial America it
was under that title that he first became a pub
Usher and, for all the worldwide fame that he
attained as a statesman, a philosopher and a
scientist, he retained a keen interest in printing
and publishing to the end of his days.
81 doubt if Franklin would have attained to
his eminence among the immortals, if it were not
for his good fortune-and the worlds good for
tune to have learned the printing trade" writes
Henry Lewis Bullen, founder of the Topographic
Library and Museum at Jersey City, n. j., in
the book "The Amazing Benjamin Franklin"
published in recent years by the Frederick A.
Stokes company. "His father wanted him to be
tallow Gambler Had he obeyed, fear that
his fame if any, would have been local to Bos-
ton. There is nothing inspiring or forceful in
tallow or its products but which Of all civiliza-
TONS greater forces equal the power of the
printers types?-truy none.
Franklin was a diffdent man, by no means
an orator, timid about rising to speak-an I'M
willing speaker-averse to the arts by which
politicians gain their fame and purposes. In
variably he sought to influence his countrymen
and their friends by means Of his leaden types,
composed in his own shop. They gained him
a worldwide audience, which was convinced by
their silent but wideextended voices that their
master was uttering the profoundest wisdom in
the guise of common sense-the most uncom-
element in mems conduct BENJAMIN
Franklin used many forces successfully in his
unparalleled career, but his most powerful
thunderbolts found in the cases holding his
invincible printing types"
Franklin's career as printer started in 171S
when he was twelve years old. He was appren-
ticed to his brother James Franklin, printer
who was publishing the New England Courant
In Boston. Young Ben secretly wrote articles
for the Courant and was delighted when his
brother, not knowing their authorship, pub
lished them until James Franklin discovered
the sources of them and severely lectured young
Ben for his presumption. But when James
Franklin imprisoned for printing in the
Courant articles which gave Offense to the
colonial assembly and prohibited from printing
the Courant any longer, he was glad enough to
have it issued under the name of his brother,
whose indenture thereupon cancelled. So
at the early age of seventeen. young Ben be-
came a newspaper editor and publisher.
This arrangement did not last very long,
however, and because of differences which arose
between the two brothers, Ben left the Courant
and started out for fields. Disappointed
In his hope of finding work as a printer In New
York. he went on to Philadelphia and there he
obtained position as a printer for Samuel
Keimer, who had one Of the two printing es-
Establishments in the Quaker city. Encouraged by
Sir William Keith, the governor of Pennsylvania,
to set up in business for himself, Franklin
started to sc to London to buy equipment for
print shop The help which Keith had promised
to give him was not forthcoming and young Ben
found himself stranded in the British capital.
But the energetic young colonial was en-
ployed at Samuel Palmer's printing house in
London and after that in the printery of John
Watts. one of the leading craftsmen of the
time. 5000
- Franklin spent IA months in England. then
returned to Philadelphia and went to work
again In keimer's shop. this time as foreman.
At once he demonstrated the initiative and in
genuity which was to characterize his whole