The Coolidge examiner., 1933-01-13

words, that storms travel in an opposite direc-
the weather resulted in the establishment of our
United States weather bureau of which he is to-
day acknowledged to be the father
He conceived and organized the Junto, the
forerunner of all Rotary, Kiwanis Lions and
Civitan clubs of today The Junto developed
into the American Philosophical society. Amer
ica's first organization of scientists, in which he
took great interest and pride and of which he
is justly acknowledged to be the founder
He conceived the idea and established in Phil
adelphia the first successful circulating library,
the mother of all our free circulating libraries of
today.
He founded the University of Pennsylvania
and originated the elective system of college
studies and also the so-called group system.
adopted later by many of Americas leading uni
versities. He was the first writer on education
to recommend the teaching of modern Languages
such as French and German. in preference to the
exclusive study Of Latin and Greek. He was
the first American educator to appreciate the i'm
portance of advanced teaching of history, pOlit
ical economy. and the science of government
also of technical training in agriculture and in
the arts and sciences. He was likewise the first
to prescribe athletics as an adjunct TO college
education.
He introduced the following useful plants or
grains into America: Scotch kale, the kohlrabi
Chinese rhubarb and Swiss barley. He pro-
NOTED silk culture in Pennsylvania. He intro
duced the yellow willow into America for basket
making He taught the farmers of Pennsyl-
vania to plaster their land. He introduced
broom corn into Pennsylvania from Virginia
. He was probably the first American to d-
rect attention in published writing to the
value of education in agricultural science; and
probably the first also to suggest the insurance
of crops against storms, plant diseases and insect
pests.
He was the first American economist. He was
the first president of the Society for Political
Inquiries Of Philadelphia. the first society in the
United States interested in promoting the study
of political economy.
He started the first thrift campaign. His
maxims OF Poor Richard" did more to encourage
thrift and industry in the Colonies than any
other one thing and they were circulated all
over the world They have been more often
translated and printed than any other work of
an American author.
He was the first TO propose daylight saving.
He devised a reformed alphabet which was
based on simplifed or phonetic spelling
He devised the first scheme for uniting the
Colonies more than 90 years before the Revolu-
ton, and his plan of confederation was finally
adopted in all it's essential features and binds
our Union together today.
He organized our postal service and was our
first postmaster general
He helped Jefferson write the Declaration of
independence
He was our greatest diplomat and secured for
us the aid of France in the Revolution and mil
lions in money without which our independence
at that time could not have been established.
He edited the best newspaper and the most
successful newspaper in the Colonies. He was
the first to attempt to illustrate the news in an
American newspaper. and also the first to pub
lish questions and answers in a newspaper. He
is said to have drawn the first newspaper car
toon, the picture of a snake cut In sections to
represent the Colonies before the Revolution.
He was "the first to turn to great account the
engine of advertising, now an indispensable ele-
ment in modern business"
He established in 1882 the Philadelphia Zel-
tung, the first American newspaper to be printed
In foreign language.
He was a master OpagandiSt-Americas s
first. He constantly issued pamphlets, or wrote
newspaper articles, to promote the interests of
his city, or his country, or the good of mankind.
His methods were always the same in promoting
a cause: To develop informed public opinion
on the question he first wrote something for pub
licatfon that would attract public attention
| OF all the patriots, Franklin was the only one
to sign all five Of the great state papers-the
| Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of
Amity and Commerce with France the Treaty of
Alliance with France, the Treaty of Peace with
England and the Constitution of the United
States.
He was the originator of the idea of a League
of Nations. He suggested "a united party of
virtue, an international organization which
would consider world matters from the view
point of all nations He the first advocate
| in the United States of policy of illegal con.
demnation and punishment of a nation which
commits aggressive warfare"
20 by Western Newspaper Union.)