White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1933-01-05

several years ago a historian an
swered that 1estion in the affirmative and gave
as his the following:
L.. The EXPIRE sion of Franklin's greatness did
not depend events beyond his control.
2 He would have been a great man in any
period of worlds history, in any land
8. He would have been among the great even
If his endeavors had been confined to only
of sereval lines of activity in which his achieve
ments were of the highest rank.
a. He would be great man if he were living
today.
B. Franklin was known throughout the world
as a great man long before the Revolution, in
which he played a part as big as that of any
other great man of the period Washington's
greatness began with the Revolution.
g. There is no exact standard by which human
greatness be measured or compared. But
one criterion is the opinion of citizens of other
nations-free from the prejudices, either for or
against, held by the fellow-citizens of a great
man. Outside the United States Franklin would
be named more than any other American as the
greatest American and as one of the few greatest
men Of all time
And in comparing these two great Americans
what finer tribute could be paid to the greatness
of Benjamin Franklin than was once paid by
Washington himself? Writing from New York
on September 3d. 1885, to express his sympathy
for an illness which had struck Franklin down.
Washington said: "Would to God, my dear
Sir, that I could congratulate you upon the re-
moval of that excruciating pain, under which you
labor, and that your existence might close with
as much ease to yourself as it's continuance has
been beneficial to country and useful to man.
kind; or, if the united wishes of free people,
Joined with the earnest prayers of every friend
of science and humanity, could relieve the body
from pains or intirmties that you could claim
an exemption on this score. But this cannot be,
and you have within yourself the only resource
fn WIFI +lu fo~
phosophic mind. . If to be venerated for
benevolence, if to be admired for talents, If
to be esteemed for patriotism, If to be
loved for philanthropy, can crafty the human
mind, you must have the pleasing consolation
to know that you have not lived in vain"
But dispensing with any invidious COMPARE
son between two great men, the listing of the
following outstanding achievements of BENJAMIN
Franklin should be ample proof Of the business
of characterizng him as "The Greatest
American:
He discovered that lightning is electricity:
proved it first by observation and logic and sec
ond by actual test with his kite; also invented
the lightning rod which Dr. Charles steinmetz
said is still the best and most reliable protection
we have against lightning.
He was the first to discover that current of
electricity has magnetic effect, l. e. that If can
magnetic piece of steel. This is the funda-
mental principle on which the telegraph the tee-
phone and the electric motor are based
He gave the world the best theory of cleo
tricity and modern science has adopted his early
conclusions. These were that electricity consists
of very minute particles, so small that they can
pass between the atoms or ordinary matter.
They are now called electrons, and have made
possible the radio.
He invented the Franklin stove the first sue
cessful woodworking stove used in this country
and he invented the invaluable contrivance by
which fire consumes its own smoke, and made
the first understanding stove or furnace
He helped establish the first chartered fire in
surance company in America.
Among his many inventions should be in
cluded a threewheel clock a library chair that