USA > Pennsylvania > Lives of the governors of Pennsylvania : with the incidental history of the state, from 1609 to 1873 > Part 20
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Mr. Dickinson at all times manifested an abiding interest in the subject of liberal education, and contributed largely of his fortune and his influence to the establishment of the college at Carlisle, the charter for which was granted during his administration. Happily the name of the most famous political writer of that period is perpetuated in this noble institution. "In memory of the great and important services rendered to his country by his Excellency, John Dickinson, Esq., President of the Supreme Executive Council, and in commemoration of his very liberal donation to the institu- tion, the said college shall be forever hereafter called and known by the name of DICKINSON COLLEGE." Mr. Dickinson
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was made the first President of its Board, and continued to act in that capacity until the day of his death. Through his influence and that of Benjamin Rush, Dr. Nisbet, a Scotch divine of great learning and ability, was induced to accept the presidency of the institution, through whom a foundation was laid for giving thorough and erudite training.
In the Convention of 1789, which framed the Constitution of the United States, and over which Washington presided, Mr. Dickinson was a member from the State of Delaware. Schooled in the early government of the Colonies, a chief actor in bringing the people to united effort against the en- croachments of power, and in drawing the Articles of Con- federation, he came to the task of preparing a new frame of government suited to the nation in its changed condition, with the most abundant resources. In framing that instru- ment he performed a most important part. But when it came to be promulgated, though it bore the sanction and the great name of the Father of his Country, it met with violent opposition. In supporting it and urging its adoption, no pen was more busy or more effective than that of Mr. Dickinson. The Letters of Fabius, nine in number, devoted to an ex- position of the instrument and an illustration of the great advantages to be derived from its acceptance, were written by him, and contributed in a good degree to allaying oppo- sition and winning the popular mind.
In 1792 he was a delegate to the convention which sat for the revision of the Constitution of the State of Delaware, where, as would be anticipated, he exerted an overshadowing influence. In 1797, when France was in the throes of revo- , lution, Mr. Dickinson again took up his pen to plead the inalienable rights of man, which in the morning of life he had so eloquently advocated, and the result was a series of letters over the signature of Fabius, which attested that the fountains of patriotism had not been dried by age.
John Adams visited Mr. Dickinson at his country seat at Fair Hill, near Philadelphia, in 1774, and notices the beauti- ful prospect of the city, the river, and the country, fine gar-
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dens, and a very grand library, mostly collected by his father- in-law, Mr. Norris. Mr. Dickinson he describes as a very modest man, and very ingenuous as well as agreeable. In personal appearance, says Adams, " he is a shadow; tall, but slender as a reed; pale as ashes; one would think at first sight that he could not live a month; yet, upon a more attentive inspection, he looks as if the springs of life were strong enough to last many years."
Mr. Dickinson married, on the 19th of July, 1770, Mary Norris, only daughter of Isaac Norris, eminent in the gov- ernment of the Colony. Two daughters survived him. He died at Wilmington, Delaware, where he had taken up his residence, on the 14th of February, 1808, aged seventy-five years.
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BENJAMIN FRANKLIN,
PRESIDENT OF THE SUPREME EXECUTIVE COUNCIL, October 18, 1785, to October 14, 1788.
B ENJAMIN FRANKLIN, fifth President of the Supreme Council, was born at Boston on the 17th of January, 1706. IIe was the youngest son of a family of seventeen children, by two marriages - seven by the first and ten by the last - and "was the youngest son of the youngest son for five generations back." For three hundred years the family had lived on a freehold of about thirty acres in Ecton, Northamptonshire, England, the eldest son during that whole time having been bred to the business of a smith, which was prosecuted in connection with that of the farm. Josias, the father of Benjamin, with his wife and three chil- dren, emigrated to America about the year 1682. He was induced to abandon the land, where for so long a period the family had dwelt, by religious persecution. "Conventicles being at that time prohibited," says Dr. Franklin, in that enchanting piece of autobiography which he has left, " and frequently disturbed, some considerable persons of his ac- quaintance determined to go to America, where they hoped to enjoy the free exercise of their religion, and my father was prevailed on to accompany them." The devise which the family adopted to read unmolested the Scriptures was ingenious. "They had an English Bible, and to conceal it the more securely they conceived the project of fastening it, open, with packthreads across the leaves, on the inside of the lid of the close-stool. When my great-grandfather wished to read to his family, he reversed the lid of the close-stool
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upon his knees, and passed the leaves from one side to the other, which were held down on each by the packthread. One of the children was stationed at the door to give notice if he saw the proctor (an officer of the spiritual court) make his appearance. In that case the lid was restored to its place, with the Bible concealed under it as before."
The mother was Abiah Folger, daughter of Peter Folger, one of the first colonists of New England, of whom Cotton Mather, in his Ecclesiastical History, speaks as " a pious and learned Englishman." Benjamin was put to a grammar- school at the age of eight, being destined by his father for the Church ; but at the end of a year of wonderful progress, the father, overburdened with the support of a large family, was obliged to change his purpose, and removed the son to a school for writing and arithmetic, preparatory to a business life. At the age of ten he was called home to assist his father, who was a soap-boiler and tallow-chandler, and the education obtained during this brief interval of less than two years was all the school instruction he ever received.
Not satisfied with this occupation, he felt, he says, a strong inclination for a sea life; but his father set his face against it. After suggesting a variety of occupations, that of a printer was settled upon, and he passed forever from the paternal roof. Of the excellent qualities of his parents he everywhere speaks in the most unqualified terms. "My father had an excellent constitution, was of a middle size, but well made and strong. . . . His greatest excellence was a sound understanding and solid judgment in matters of pru- dence, both in public and private life. ... My mother was likewise possessed of an excellent constitution. She suckled all her ten children, and I never heard either her or my father complain of any other disorder than that of which they died - my father at the age of eighty-seven, and my mother at eighty-five."
Naturally given to books, by great industry during the intervals of the hours of labor, often protracted till late at night, he soon acquired a great fund of information, which
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he turned to account by composing anonymous articles for a newspaper published by his brother, to whom he was ap- prenticed. By chance, some of his writing fell into the hands of his father, who commended the sentiment, the spelling, and pointing, but sharply criticised its style. The lesson was not lost, for he was induced to give greater heed to the structure and finish of his compositions, using with great advantage as a model some of the essays of Addison, which he chanced to find in an odd volume of the Spectator.
Dissatisfied with the treatment of his brother, who seems to have manifested little fraternal affection, at the age of sev- enteen, without giving any intimation of his purpose to his friends, he left Boston, and proceeded to New York, where he sought employment of William Bradford. Having no place for him, Bradford recommended him to his son in Philadelphia, and thither he proceeded. He has himself given a most graphic account of his first entrance into that city; of his arrival weary and hungry; of the purchase of the three rolls, and his wandering through the streets with one under each arm, cating the third; of being seen and noticed, as he passed along, by Miss Read, whom he after- wards married; of his entering the Quaker meeting-house, and, overcome by fatigue, of sleeping till all had departed; and of his employment by Keimer as a journeyman printer. Of the character of Keimer, he furnishes a very good inci- dent. Knowing him to be a great glutton, he induced him, by skilful arguments, to adopt a purely vegetable diet. For three months they together adhered to it. "I," he says, "continued it cheerfully; but poor Keimer suf- fered terribly. Tired of the project, he sighed for the flesh- pots of Egypt. At length he ordered a roast pig, and invited me and two of our female acquaintances to dine with him; but the pig being ready a little too soon, he could not resist the temptation, and ate it all up before we arrived."
It was in the year 1723, during the administration of Sir William Keith, that he first arrived in Philadelphia. Through
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a letter written to a brother-in-law, Holmes, at New Castle, the Governor, to whom it was shown, at once conceived a high opinion of the writer, and, upon returning to Philadel- phia, sought him out, showed him many civilities, and con- cluded by urging him to set up in business for himself, offering to give him all the Government printing, and to fur- nish him with letters of credit in London for the purchase of the necessary outfit. Keith had no credit there for him- self, much less for others. But this, Franklin did not know, and, relying upon his sincerity, was induced to make a voyage to England. Finding upon his arrival that he had been deceived, and that the Governor was noted for making promises which he never meant to fulfil, he sought employ- ment as a printer, and for a year and a half worked diligently at his trade, writing and publishing, in the mean time, a pamphlet on "Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain," in answer to certain passages in "Woolaston's Religion of Nature."
At the end of that time he returned to Philadelphia, and, after working awhile with his old employer, Keimer, com- menced business on his own account. He was industrious, frugal, temperate, careful of his credit, and prosperity soon marked his every step. Of his moral convictions at this period he says : " I was at last convinced that truth, probity, and sincerity in transactions between man and man were of the utmost importance to the happiness of life ; and I resolved from that moment, and wrote the resolution in my journal, to practise them as long as I lived." And of his business habits he says : "Thus, before I entered on my own new career, I had imbibed solid principles and a character of probity. I knew their value, and I made a solemn engage- ment with myself never to depart from them."
At about this time Franklin was the moving spirit in establishing a lyceum or debating society, called the Junto, in which each member was obliged to propose in turn some question in morality, politics, or philosophy, for discussion, and once in three months read an essay of his own compo-
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sition. It served Franklin a double purpose : it was an ex- cellent school for politics and philosophy, a week being always given for preparation, and it procured him the ac- quaintance of the leading young men, who were thus inter- ested to secure for him whatever business came in their way. In searching for the means by which he acquired the character of a wise and learned man, the Junto should not be overlooked, for here he not only attained to skill in speaking and writing, and the exact information necessary to perform his part, but he discovered the great power he was capable of exerting over his fellow-men.
In 1729 he purchased the Pennsylvania Gazette, which, by his skilful management, in time became the leading paper of the Province. The question of a re-issue of paper money being under discussion in the Assembly, he wrote and pub- lished a pamphlet entitled A Modest Enquiry into the Nature and Necessity of Paper Currency. He had debated the ques- tion in the Junto, and was master of the subject. His view prevailed in the Assembly. Though in a private station, his influence began thus early to be felt in legislation. A propo- sition was made by Franklin, in the Junto, that the mem- bers should bring what books they could spare to the room where the meetings were held, that they might be convenient for reference during their discussions, and serve the purpose of a general library; but this plan was attended with incon- veniences and was soon after abandoned, cach taking away the books he had contributed. Franklin now issued pro- posals for establishing a public library. Fifty persons at first subscribed each forty shillings, and, in addition, agreed to pay ten shillings annually. The number increased, and ten years later, in 1742, the association was incorporated as the Library Company of Philadelphia. Thomas Penn, who was most given to literary pursuits of any of the sons of William Penn, became a patron, giving money, several lots in the city for a building, and a large tract of unimproved land in Bucks County.
In 1732, Franklin commenced the publication of Poor
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Richard's Almanac, which was continued for twenty-six years, and became very popular, having an annual sale of ten thou- sand copies. Its chief attraction was due to the bits of wit and wisdom it contained, maxims for the practice of industry and economy, thrusts at folly, and an occasional playful ele- gance. In the last number was published a collection of these sayings in the form of an harangue to the people, entitled the Way to Wealth. This was received with unbounded satisfac- tion, and the sayings of Poor Richard were in everybody's mouth. That money soon after became plenty in Philadelphia was attributed to the practice of its precepts. It was pub- lished on a broad sheet, to be framed for use and adornment to the walls of dwellings. Three translations of it were made into French, and it was published in modern Greek. The matter is often rough and homely, but always pointed, the dullest never being at a loss to apprehend its force. "Sloth," he says, " by bringing on diseases, absolutely shortens life. Sloth, like rust, consumes faster than labor wears; while the key often turned is always bright. But dost thou love life ? then do not squander time; for that is the stuff life is made of. How much more than is necessary do we spend in sleep ! forgetting that the sleeping fox catches no poultry, and that there will be sleeping enough in the grave. If time be of all things the most precious, wasting time must be the great- est prodigality. At the workingman's house hunger looks in, but dares not enter. Nor will the bailiff nor the consta- ble enter; for Industry pays debts, but Despair increaseth them. Diligence is the mother of good luck. God gives all things to industry ; then plough deep while sluggards sleep, and you will have corn to sell and to keep. One to-day is worth two to-morrows. If you were a servant, would you not be ashamed that a good master should catch you idle ? Are you, then, your own master ? be ashamed to catch your- self idle.
I never saw an oft-removed tree, Nor yet an oft-removed family, That throve so well as one that settled be.
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Three removes are as bad as a fire. If you would have your business done, go; if not, send. The eye of the master will do more work than both his hands. If you would have a faithful servant, and one that you like, serve yourself. If one knows not how to save as he gets, he may keep his nose all his life to the grindstone, and die not worth a groat at last. A fat kitchen makes a lean will.
Women and wine, game and deceit, Make the wealth small, and the want great.
What maintains one vice would bring up two children. A small leak will sink a great ship. Fools make feasts, and wise men eat them. Buy what thou hast no need of, and ere long thou shalt sell thy necessaries. At a great penny- worth, pause awhile. Silk and satins, scarlet and velvets put out the kitchen fire. A ploughman on his legs is higher than a gentleman on his knees. Pride is as loud a beggar as want, and a great deal more saucy. It is hard for an empty sack to stand upright. Drink water, put the money in your pocket, and leave the dry belly-ache in the punch-bowl. Pride breakfasted . with Plenty, dined with Poverty, and supped with Infamy.
If you ride a horse, sit close and tight; If you ride a man, sit easy and light."
These trite sayings, thrown into the pages of an almanac to fill up vacant spaces, were little regarded by their author at the time; but they were caught up, and soon passed cur- rent even in foreign tongues, Bon Homme Richard attaining to as common use in France as Poor Richard at home, and it is doubtful if any of his more elaborate works will be as long treasured as these short sayings.
In 1736, he was chosen Clerk of the Assembly, which office he continued to fill till his election to that body, in 1747. But he did not allow this duty to interfere with the regular prosecution of his business as a printer and publisher of a newspaper. In the following year he was appointed Post- 17
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master of Philadelphia. As early as 1683, William Penn had established a system of posts from Philadelphia to the principal settlements in Pennsylvania and Maryland. An Act of Assembly, regulating this system, was passed in 1700, eleven years before the Act of Anne, which established the system in England. In 1753, Franklin was appointed Dep- uty Postmaster-General of the Colonies, and by his judicious management, and close scrutiny of its affairs, caused it to pro- duce a revenue to the Crown, whereas it had before been a considerable burden. At the opening of the quarrel between the Colonies and the mother country, he was removed ; but in 1775, when Congress assumed the Colonial Government, he was appointed the first Postmaster-General under the new power. It was as Postmaster that Franklin went to Brad- dock, at Frederick, Maryland, when that general, in a fit of discouragement, was about giving up his campaign against the French and Indians at Fort Du Quesne, for want of trans- portation. And then was seen his great personal popularity; for, going among the farmers, he soon had all the wagons he desired, and horses in large numbers, with only his simple security for payment. When, after the defeat and death of Braddock, settlement was demanded, it came near involving Franklin in utter ruin; and would have done so had it not been for the timely assistance of Government.
When, in 1755, soon after this defeat, the French and In- dians were laying waste the frontier, perpetrating the most fiendish barbarities, and the Government, by reason of the disagreements between the Assembly and the Governor, was powerless to protect, Franklin proposed a voluntary associa- tion for defence, as he had done in a like emergency ten years before, and soon had a large force enrolled. He marched at the head of his regiment to the scene of the massacres, estab- lished a line of posts in mid-winter, and put the frontier in an attitude of defence. By his influence an Act was passed authorizing volunteer militia organizations, provided each volunteer furnished his own arms and equipments.
At this period Franklin was much absorbed by his investi-
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gations in the science of electricity. The account of the pre- vious experiments and studies of philosophers upon the sub- ject were sent to him in 1745, and by the year 1752 he had completed his grand discoveries by which he had demon- strated the identity of the electricity excited by friction of glass and that of the clouds. Patiently, in the intervals of business, he had perfected his theory, and going forth, armed with a simple kite, to meet the thunder-storm, - making his son his sole confidant, for fear of ridicule, -he patiently awaited the descent of the fluid from the passing cloud; and when, at length, he saw indications of its presence, and, reaching forth his hand, received the shock, to his unspeak- able joy he saw his theory demonstrated and fit to take its place as a portion of verified science. The memoirs detailing his experiments were published in Europe, and at once ex- cited the interest and the admiration of the learned. The reigning monarch of France commanded a return of his thanks to Mr. Franklin, " for his useful discoveries in elec- tricity." Sir Humphrey Davy said of him: "A singular felicity of induction guided all his researches, and by very small means he established very grand truths. The style and manner of his publications on electricity are almost as worthy of admiration as the doctrine it contains. He has endeavored to remove all mystery and obscurity from the subject. He has written equally for the uninitiated and for the philoso- pher; and he has rendered his details amusing and perspic- uous, elegant as well as simple. Science appears in his lan- guage in a dress wonderfully decorous, best adapted to display her native loveliness. He has in no instance exhib- ited that false dignity by which philosophy is kept aloof from common applications, and he has sought rather to make her a useful inmate and servant in the common habitations of man than to preserve her merely as an object of admiration in temples and palaces."
Franklin was elected a member of the Legislature in 1747, where he at once took a prominent part, leading the party which opposed the Proprietary claims, and writing many of
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the answers to the messages of the Deputy Governors. In 1749, he drew the plan for establishing an Academy, which finally resulted in the present University of Pennsylvania. Twenty-four of the most respectable citizens were named as trustees, and when the plan was published, so popular was it, that eight hundred pounds a year for five years were sub- scribed for its support, and in the beginning of the following year three schools, that of Latin and Greek, of Mathematics, and of English, were opened. A charity school and college were afterwards engrafted upon the plan, and it soon grew to great usefulness and prosperity. He was also instrumen- tal, in connection with his friend, Dr. Bond, in establishing the Pennsylvania Hospital.
At the first Colonial Congress held at Albany, in 1754, he was a member, and brought forward his plan of a general government, vested in a President-General appointed by the Crown, and a Legislature of forty-eight members, appor- tioned among the States in numbers proportioned to popula- tion and wealth. It was discussed and adopted nearly as proposed, but was rejected by both Crown and Colonies. It is a singular circumstance that the plan which Franklin here advocated for raising revenue by stamp-duties was the iden- tical one which was subsequently adopted by the British Par- liament, but with this vital difference : in the one case it was to be laid by themselves, and in the other by the British Government, a power foreign to them.
The long disputes between the Proprietors and the Assem- bly respecting the taxing of Proprietary estates finally culmi- nated in the issuing an address by the former to the Crown, praying its interposition to save the Colony from the power- ful Proprietary interests; and Franklin was appointed as agent to represent the cause of the Assembly at Court. The contest was now transferred to a new theatre, the Proprietors resisting the demands at every step. It was finally settled by the Proprietors yielding the chief point in dispute. He re- mained in England as the agent of Pennsylvania, and he was, in addition, made the representative of Massachusetts,
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Maryland, and Georgia. Franklin's presence in England was the occasion of interest to the learned on account of his dis- coveries in Electricity. The Royal Society of London elected him one of its members. The University of St. Andrews, Scotland, conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Laws, and the Universities of Edinburgh and Oxford hastened to bestow the like distinction.
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