We all heard a lot about “American dream”, but never seen its personification within the human. That human did exist, we even know how he looked like, because his face is always looking upon us for the decades from the US 100 dollar bill. Meet Benjamin Franklin – politician, scientist, writer, philosopher, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America.
Life on a whiff
His biography should be studied by those who don’t believe that human’s possibilities are unlimited. Benjamin was born on 17-th of January, 1706 in Boston. He became the 10-th and the youngest son of the tallow chandler, a maker of candles and soap, who had 17 children. The young boy studied at school only for two years, and since he became 10 – he was earning for his life at the candle works, then printing house. When he got 17, Benjamin went to Philadelphia without a coin in his pocket; there he was employed at the printing house. Some time passed and Benjamin became the master of the printing business, and even improved some equipment there. During his leisure time Benjamin self-educated himself on many topics like ancient and modern languages, philosophy, physics, and literature.
At 1729 Benjamin started to publish “The Pennsylvania Gazette” which soon became the most popular publication in Northern America. It was Franklin’s idea to create the Public library that could be visited by anybody. First of these libraries in English colonies were opened in 1731. The same year Benjamin Franklin was accepted to the freemasons at the St. John’s Craft in Philadelphia, three years later he already was the Great Master of the Great Craft. He was getting more and more worried about the future of English colonies, about their freedom and development prospects. Franklin started to publish his opinions not just in newspapers, but in “Poor Richard’s Almanac” also, which made him popular.
Shortly people started to consider his opinion – he became very respectable person. That’s how Franklin became politician, in 1737 he was chosen as the secretary of the Pennsylvania Assembly, in 1753 he was appointed as the general postmaster of North American colonies. During his staying at this post he cardinally reformed post service, and for the long time it was the most advanced in the world.
In 1743 Franklin founded the American Philosophical Society, and in 1751 – Academy of Philadelphia, which was reorganized into the University of Pennsylvania. It was Franklin, who in 1754 offered the plan to unite English colonies, which was though rejected by the colonies themselves. After the war for independence he was participating actively in preparation of Declaration of Independence and signed it in 1776. He was amongst the ones who participated in development of symbolic of the Great Seal of The United.
At the same time Franklin carried on extensive economic research, which initiated the beginning of labor theory of value. Moreover he didn’t put an end to the study of essential sciences.
He invented lightning rod, which helped during the storms, he invented the theory of storm winds (northeasters) and participated in the studies of Gulfstream. His research in the electricity received international acknowledgement. Last years of his life, Benjamin Franklin devoted to his work on Constitution of the United States and struggle against slavery in all its forms. Few days before his death he signed the famous petition against slavery. And not long before that he received a letter from George Washington, where he expressed the attitude of all the Americans to the Founding Father of United States:
“… If to be venerated for benevolence, if to be admired for talents, if to be esteemed for patriotism, if to be beloved for philanthropy can gratify the human mind, you must have the pleasing consolation to know that you have not lived in vain; and I flatter myself that it will not be ranked among the least grateful occurrences of your life to be assured that so long as I retain my Memory, you will be thought on with respect, veneration and affection by Dear Sir Your sincere friend and Obedient Humble Servant, G. Washington”
Franklin’s Journal
They often say that people like Franklin were born under the lucky star. Indeed it is easier to explain the impetuous spiritual growth of human by prophesy or some fortunate foresight, than discern behind the outer successes laborious and continuous task. But we are fortunate: When Franklin was at the age of 79 – he wrote his autobiography, that clarifies the true motives of his successes. Here are some quotations out of it:
“It was about this time I conceived the bold and arduous project of arriving at moral perfection. I wished to live without committing any fault at any time; I would conquer all that either natural inclination, custom, or company might lead me into. As I knew, or thought I knew, what was right and wrong, I did not see why I might not always do the one and avoid the other. But I soon found I had undertaken a task of more difficulty than I had imagined. While my care was employed in guarding against one fault, I was often surprised by another; habit took the advantage of inattention; inclination was sometimes too strong for reason. I concluded, at length, that the mere speculative conviction that it was our interest to be completely virtuous was not sufficient to prevent our slipping, and that the contrary habits must be broken, and good ones acquired and established, before we can have any dependence on a steady, uniform rectitude of conduct. For this purpose I therefore contrived the following method.
In the various enumerations of the moral virtues I met in my reading, I found the catalogue more or less numerous, as different writers included more or fewer ideas under the same name. Temperance, for example, was by some confined to eating and drinking, while by others it was extended to mean the moderating every other pleasure, appetite, inclination, or passion, bodily or mental, even to our avarice and ambition. I proposed to myself, for the sake of clearness, to use rather more names, with fewer ideas annexed to each, than a few names with more ideas; and I included under thirteen names of virtues all that at that time occurred to me as necessary or desirable, and annexed to each a short precept, which fully expressed the extent I gave to its meaning.
These names of virtues, with their precepts were:
1. Temperance – Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
2. Silence – Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
3. Order – Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
4. Resolution – Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
5. Frugality – Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself, i.e., waste nothing.
6. Industry – Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
7. Sincerity – Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
8. Justice – Wrong none by doing injuries or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
9. Moderation – Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
10. Cleanliness – Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation.
11. Tranquillity – Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
12. Chastity – Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.
13. Humility – Imitate Jesus and Socrates.
My intention being to acquire the habitude of all these virtues, I judged it would be well not to distract my attention by attempting the whole at once, but to fix it on one of them at a time, and, when I should be master of that, then to proceed to another, and so on, till I should have gone thro' the thirteen; and, as the previous acquisition of some might facilitate the acquisition of certain others, I arranged them with that view, as they stand above. Temperance first, as it tends to procure that coolness and clearness of head which is so necessary where constant vigilance was to be kept up, and guard maintained against the unremitting attraction of ancient habits and the force of perpetual temptations. This being acquired and established, Silence would be more easy; and my desire being to gain knowledge at the same time that I improved in virtue, and considering that in conversation it was obtained rather by the use of the ears than of the tongue, and therefore wishing to break a habit I was getting into prattling, punning, and joking, which only made me acceptable to trifling company, I gave Silence the second place. This and the next, Order, I expected would allow me more time for attending to my project and my studies. Resolution, once because habitual, would keep me firm in my endeavors to obtain all the subsequent virtues; Frugality and Industry, freeing me from my remaining debt, and producing affluence and independence, would make more easy the practice of Sincerity and Justice, etc., Conceiving, then, that, agreeably to the advice of Pythagoras in his Garden Verses, daily examination would be necessary, I contrived the following method for conducting that examination.
I made a little book, in which I allotted a page for each of the virtues. I ruled each page with red ink, so as to have seven columns, one for each day of the week, marking each column with a letter for the day. I crossed these columns with thirteen red lines, marking the beginning of each line with the first letter of one of the virtues, on which line, and in its proper column, I might mark, by a little black spot, every fault I found upon examination to have been committed respecting that virtue upon that day.
Sample of Franklin's Journal Page
| TEMPERANCE | |||||||
| Eat Not to Dulness; Drink Not to Elevation | |||||||
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S | |
| T | |||||||
| S | ** | * | * | * | |||
| O | * | * | * | * | * | * | |
| R | * | * | |||||
| F | * | * | |||||
| I | * | ||||||
| S | |||||||
| J | |||||||
| M | |||||||
| Cl | |||||||
| T | |||||||
| Ch | |||||||
| H | |||||||
I determined to give a week's strict attention to each of the virtues successively. Thus, in the first week, my great guard was to avoid every the least offense against Temperance, leaving the other virtues to their ordinary chance, only marking every evening the faults of the day. Thus, if in the first week I could keep my first line, marked T, clear of spots, I supposed the habit of that virtue so much strengthened, and its opposite weakened, that I might venture extending my attention to include the next, and for the following week keep both lines clear of spots. Proceeding thus to the last, I could go thro' a course complete in thirteen weeks, and four courses in a years. And like him who, having a garden to weed, does not attempt to eradicate all the bad herbs at once, which would exceed his reach and his strength, but works on one of the beds at a time, and, having accomplished the first, proceeds to a second, so I should have, I hoped, the encouraging pleasure of seeing on my pages the progress I made in virtue, by clearing successively my lines of their spots, till in the end, by a number of courses, I should be happy in viewing a clean book, after a thirteen weeks' daily examination.”
Later this method was called “Franklin Journal” and was actively used by those, who were excited about their inner life and self development, like Franklin. Leo Tolstoy lead his “Franklin Journal” since the age of 15.
What’s left “behind the scene”
Though Franklin’s social activity was in full view of everybody, only underlying principles of inner work were entrusted to his “Autobiography”. No wonder that the most important and crucial events of his life were not written on paper: it world be untimely to publish them. One of those crucial events could be considered his collaboration with the mysterious Professor, who was once in Washington's and Franklin's circle. Robert Campbell, the author of the book “Our Flag”, writes about him: “Little seems to have been known concerning this old gentleman; and in the materials from which this account is compiled, his name is not even once mentioned, for he is uniformly spoken of or referred to as 'the Professor.' He was evidently far beyond his threescore and ten years; and he often referred to historical events of more than a century previous just as if he had been a living witness to their occurrence; still he was erect, vigorous and active—hale, hearty and clear-minded, as strong and energetic every way as in the prime of life. He was tall, of fine figure, perfectly easy, very dignified in his manners, being at once courteous, gracious and commanding. He was, for those times, and considering the customs of the Colonists, very peculiar in his method of living; for he ate no flesh, fowl or fish; he never used for food any 'green thing', any roots or anything unripe; he drank no liquor, wine or ale; but confined his diet to cereals and their products, fruits that were ripened on the stem in the sun, nuts, mild tea and the sweet of honey, sugar and molasses.”
"He was well educated, highly cultivated, of extensive as well as varied information, and very studious. He spent considerable of his time in the patient and persistent scanning of a number of very rare old books and ancient manuscripts which he seemed to be deciphering, translating or rewriting. These books, and manuscripts, together with his own writings, he never showed to anyone; and he did not even mention them in his conversations with the family, except in the most casual way; and he always locked them up carefully in a large, old-fashioned, cubically shaped, iron-bound, heavy oaken chest, whenever he left his room, even for his meals. He took long and frequent walks alone, sat on the brows of the neighboring hills, or mused in the midst of the green and flower-gemmed meadows. He was fairly liberal—but in no way lavish—in spending his money, with which he was well supplied. He was a quiet, though a very genial and very interesting member of the family; and he was seemingly at home upon any and every topic coming up in conversation. He was, in short, one whom everyone would notice and respect, whom few would feel well acquainted with, and whom no one would presume to question concerning himself - as to whence he came, why he tarried or whither he journeyed.” It was Professor who offered the image of American Flag. His advisory was accepted, after that he just disappeared, and was never seen again.
This little significant, at first sight, episode of Franklin’s biography is indeed a key to understanding the task of his life, his mission. Being an enlightened man and a philanthropist, he forged ahead the idea of service to the people. For more than 50 years, everyday, by his own confession, he appealed to God with the prayer: "O powerful Goodness! Bountiful Father! Merciful Guide! Increase in me that wisdom which discovers my truest interest. Strengthen my resolutions to perform what that wisdom dictates. Accept my kind offices to thy other children as the only return in my power for thy continual favors to me." Such a pure and unselfish aspiration just couldn’t be unnoticed and unsupported by the wise ones of this world, and the appearance of mysterious Professor in Franklin’s circle is definitely not accidental.
Finishing his life path with dignity, Franklin composed an epitaph for himself, which unfolds his conception of life and death as an immortal life:
“The Body of B. Franklin Printer; Like the Cover of an old Book, Its Contents torn out, And stript of its Lettering and Gilding, Lies here, Food for Worms. But the Work shall not be wholly lost: For it will, as he believ'd, appear once more, In a new & more perfect Edition, Corrected and Amended By the Author”
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