Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
_certainly, undoubtedly_, etc., and I adopted, instead of them, _I
conceive, I apprehend_, or _I imagine_ a thing to be so or so; or it
_so appears to me at present_. When another asserted something that I
thought an error, I deny'd myself the pleasure of contradicting him
abruptly, and of showing immediately some absurdity in his
proposition; and in answering I began by observing that in certain
cases or circumstances his opinion would be right, but in the present
case there _appear'd_ or _seem'd_ to me some difference, etc. I soon
found the advantage of this change in my manner; the conversations I
engag'd in went on more pleasantly. The modest way in which I propos'd
my opinions procur'd them a readier reception and less contradiction;
I had less mortification when I was found to be in the wrong, and I
more easily prevail'd with others to give up their mistakes and join
with me when I happened to be in the right.
And this mode, which I at first put on with some violence to natural
inclination, became at length so easy, and so habitual to me, that
perhaps for these fifty years past no one has ever heard a dogmatical
expression escape me. And to this habit (after my character of
integrity) I think it principally owing that I had early so much
weight with my fellow-citizens when I proposed new institutions, or
alterations in the old, and so much influence in public councils when
I became a member; for I was but a bad speaker, never eloquent,
subject to much hesitation in my choice of words, hardly correct in
language, and yet I generally carried my points.
In reality, there is, perhaps, no one of our natural passions so hard
to subdue as _pride_. Disguise it, struggle with it, beat it down,
stifle it, mortify it as much as one pleases, it is still alive, and
will every now and then peep out and show itself; you will see it,
perhaps, often in this history; for, even if I could conceive that I
had compleatly overcome it, I should probably be proud of my humility.
[Thus far written at Passy, 1784.]
[_"I am now about to write at home, August, 1788, but cannot have the
help expected from my papers, many of them being lost in the war. I
have, however, found the following."_][73]
[73] This is a marginal memorandum.--B.
Having mentioned _a great and extensive project_ which I had
conceiv'd, it seems proper that some account should be here given of
that project and its object. Its first rise in my mind appears in the
following little paper, accidentally preserv'd, viz.:
_Observations_ on my reading history, in Library, May 19th, 1731.
"That the great affairs of the world, the wars, revolutions, etc., are
carried on and effected by parties.
"That the view of these parties is their present general interest, or
what they take to be such.
"That the different views of these different parties occasion all
confusion.
"That while a party is carrying on a general design, each man has his
particular private interest in view.
"That as soon as a party has gain'd its general point, each member
becomes intent upon his particular interest; which, thwarting others,
breaks that party into divisions, and occasions more confusion.
"That few in public affairs act from a mere view of the good of their
country, whatever they may pretend; and, tho' their actings bring real
good to their country, yet men primarily considered that their own and
their country's interest was united, and did not act from a principle
of benevolence.
"That fewer still, in public affairs, act with a view to the good of
mankind.
"There seems to me at present to be great occasion for raising a
United Party for Virtue, by forming the virtuous and good men of all
nations into a regular body, to be govern'd by suitable good and wise
rules, which good and wise men may probably be more unanimous in their
obedience to, than common people are to common laws.
"I at present think that whoever attempts this aright, and is well
qualified, cannot fail of pleasing God, and of meeting with success.
B. F."
Revolving this project in my mind, as to be undertaken hereafter, when
my circumstances should afford me the necessary leisure, I put down
from time to time, on pieces of paper, such thoughts as occurr'd to me
respecting it. Most of these are lost; but I find one purporting to be
the substance of an intended creed, containing, as I thought, the
essentials of every known religion, and being free of everything that
might shock the professors of any religion. It is express'd in these
words, viz.:
"That there is one God, who made all things.
"That he governs the world by his providence.
"That he ought to be worshiped by adoration, prayer, and
thanksgiving.
"But that the most acceptable service of God is doing good to man.
"That the soul is immortal.
"And that God will certainly reward virtue and punish vice, either
here or hereafter."
My ideas at that time were, that the sect should be begun and spread
at first among young and single men only; that each person to be
initiated should not only declare his assent to such creed, but should
have exercised himself with the thirteen weeks' examination and
practice of the virtues, as in the beforemention'd model; that the
existence of such a society should be kept a secret, till it was
become considerable, to prevent solicitations for the admission of
improper persons, but that the members should each of them search
among his acquaintance for ingenuous, well-disposed youths, to whom,
with prudent caution, the scheme should be gradually communicated;
that the members should engage to afford their advice, assistance, and
support to each other in promoting one another's interests, business,
and advancement in life; that, for distinction, we should be call'd
_The Society of the Free and Easy_: free, as being, by the general
practice and habit of the virtues, free from the dominion of vice;
and particularly by the practice of industry and frugality, free from
debt, which exposes a man to confinement, and a species of slavery to
his creditors.
This is as much as I can now recollect of the project, except that I
communicated it in part to two young men, who adopted it with some
enthusiasm; but my then narrow circumstances, and the necessity I was
under of sticking close to my business, occasioned my postponing the
further prosecution of it at that time; and my multifarious
occupations, public and private, induc'd me to continue postponing, so
that it has been omitted till I have no longer strength or activity
left sufficient for such an enterprise; though I am still of opinion
that it was a practicable scheme, and might have been very useful, by
forming a great number of good citizens; and I was not discourag'd by
the seeming magnitude of the undertaking, as I have always thought
that one man of tolerable abilities may work great changes, and
accomplish great affairs among mankind, if he first forms a good plan,
and, cutting off all amusements or other employments that would divert
his attention, makes the execution of that same plan his sole study
and business.
X
POOR RICHARD'S ALMANAC AND
OTHER ACTIVITIES
In 1732 I first publish'd my Almanack, under the name of _Richard
Saunders_; it was continu'd by me about twenty-five years, commonly
call'd _Poor Richard's Almanac_.[74] I endeavour'd to make it both
entertaining and useful, and it accordingly came to be in such demand,
that I reap'd considerable profit from it, vending annually near ten
thousand. And observing that it was generally read, scarce any
neighborhood in the province being without it, I consider'd it as a
proper vehicle for conveying instruction among the common people, who
bought scarcely any other books; I therefore filled all the little
spaces that occurr'd between the remarkable days in the calendar with
proverbial sentences, chiefly such as inculcated industry and
frugality, as the means of procuring wealth, and thereby securing
virtue; it being more difficult for a man in want, to act always
honestly, as, to use here one of those proverbs, _it is hard for an
empty sack to stand upright_.
[74] The almanac at that time was a kind of periodical as
well as a guide to natural phenomena and the weather.
Franklin took his title from _Poor Robin_, a famous
English almanac, and from Richard Saunders, a well-known
almanac publisher. For the maxims of Poor Richard, see
pages 331-335.
These proverbs, which contained the wisdom of many ages and nations, I
assembled and form'd into a connected discourse prefix'd to the Almanack
of 1757, as the harangue of a wise old man to the people attending an
auction. The bringing all these scatter'd councils thus into a focus
enabled them to make greater impression. The piece, being universally
approved, was copied in all the newspapers of the Continent; reprinted
in Britain on a broadside, to be stuck up in houses; two translations
were made of it in French, and great numbers bought by the clergy and
gentry, to distribute gratis among their poor parishioners and tenants.
In Pennsylvania, as it discouraged useless expense in foreign
superfluities, some thought it had its share of influence in producing
that growing plenty of money which was observable for several years
after its publication.
Two pages from _Poor Richard's Almanac_ for 1736. Size of original.
Reproduced from a copy at the New York Public Library.
_IV Mon._ June hath xxx days.
Things that are bitter, bitterrer than Gall Physicians
say are always physical: Now Women's Tongues if into
Powder beaten, May in a Potion or a Pill be eaten, And
as there's nought more bitter, I do muse, That Women's
Tongues in Physick they ne'er use. My self and others
who lead restless Lives, Would spare that bitter Member
of our Wives.
1 3 _fine weather_, 4 Le 4 36 8 Moon set 10 12 aft
2 4 Ascension Day 5 19 4 35 8 _He that can have_
3 5 Mars Sat. Ven. _Sudden_ 6 Vi 4 35 8 _Patience, can_
4 6 _showers_ 6h 19 4 35 8 _have what he_
5 7 _of Rain_. 7 Li 4 35 8 First Quarter.
6 C Eraudi 8 19 4 35 8 _will._
7 2 Trine Mars Merc. _thunder_, 9 Sc 4 35 8 Le. Vi. Li.
8 3 _perhaps hail._ 10 17 4 35 8 Sun ent. Cn. today
9 4 7* rise 2 15 10 Sa 4 34 8 making longest
10 5 _very hot_, 11 13 4 34 8 day 14 h. 51 m.
11 6 St. Barnabas. 12 26 4 34 8 Full Moon 12 day,
12 7 _then rain_. 1 Cp 4 34 8 at 1 morn.
13 C Whitsunday. 2 20 4 35 8 Moon rise 8 20 aft.
14 2 2h Aq 4 35 8 _Now I've a sheep_
15 3 K. Geo. II. procl 3 15 4 35 8 _and a cow, every_
16 4 ff. Sun Sat. _wind, rain_, 4 27 4 35 8 _body bids me good_
17 5 Sxtil Sat. Merc. _hail and_ 5 Pi 4 35 8 _morrow._
18 6 _thunder_ 6 21 4 35 8 Moon rise 11 10 af.
19 7 Day shorter 2 m. 6h Ar 4 35 8
20 C Trinity Sund. 7 15 4 36 8 Last Quarter
21 2 _If we have rain about_ 8 27 4 36 8 _God helps them_
22 3 _the Change_, 9 Ta 4 36 8 _that help themselves_
23 4 _Let not my reader_ 10 22 4 36 8
24 5 St. John Bap. 10 Gm 4 36 8 Moon rise 2 morn.
25 6 7* rise 1 8 11 18 4 37 8 _Why does the_
26 7 vc Sun Jup. _think it_ 12 Cn 4 37 8 _blind man's wife_
27 C _strange._ 1 16 4 38 8 New moon 27 day,
28 2 Sxtil Sat. Mars _hail and_ 2 Le 4 38 8 near noon.
29 3 St. Peter & Paul 2h 15 4 39 8 _paint herself._