The Collected Works of Benjamin Franklin

Бенджамин Франклин

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MEMOIRS OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN; WRITTEN BY HIMSELF.

WITH HIS

MOST INTERESTING ESSAYS, LETTERS, AND MISCELLANEOUS WRITINGS; FAMILIAR, MORAL, POLITICAL, ECONOMICAL, AND PHILOSOPHICAL.

SELECTED WITH CARE

FROM ALL HIS PUBLISHED PRODUCTIONS, AND COMPRISING WHATEVER IS MOST ENTERTAINING AND VALUABLE TO THE GENERAL READER.

IN TWO VOLUMES.

VOL. I.

PUBLISHERS' ADVERTISEMENT.

CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME.

MEMOIRS OF FRANKLIN.

PART I.

FOOTNOTES:

PART II.

FOOTNOTES:

PART III.

FOOTNOTES:

WRITINGS OF FRANKLIN.

MEMOIRSOF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN;WRITTEN BY HIMSELF.

CONTENTSOF THE SECOND VOLUME.

ESSAYS, HUMOROUS, MORAL, ECONOMICAL, AND POLITICAL.

THE WAY TO WEALTH,

ON TRUE HAPPINESS.

PUBLIC MEN

THE WASTE OF LIFE.

SELF-DENIAL NOT THE ESSENCE OF VIRTUE.

ON THE USEFULNESS OF THE MATHEMATICS.

THE ART OF PROCURING PLEASANT DREAMS.

ADVICE TO A YOUNG TRADESMAN.

RULES OF HEALTH.

THE EPHEMERA; AN EMBLEM OF HUMAN LIFE.

THE WHISTLE.

ON LUXURY, IDLENESS, AND INDUSTRY.[2]

ON TRUTH AND FALSEHOOD.

NECESSARY HINTS TO THOSE THAT WOULD BE RICH.

THE WAY TO MAKE MONEY PLENTY IN EVERY MAN'S POCKET.

THE HANDSOME AND DEFORMED LEG.

ON HUMAN VANITY.

ON SMUGGLING, AND ITS VARIOUS SPECIES.

REMARKS CONCERNING THE SAVAGES OF NORTH AMERICA.

ON FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND THE PRESS.

ON THE PRICE OF CORN, AND THE MANAGEMENT OF THE POOR.

SINGULAR CUSTOM AMONG THE AMERICANS, ENTITLED WHITEWASHING.

ON THE CRIMINAL LAWS AND THE PRACTICE OF PRIVATEERING.

LETTER FROM ANTHONY AFTERWIT.

LETTERS.

PHILOSOPHICAL SUBJECTS.

THE OXFORD BOOK OF AMERICAN ESSAYS

INTRODUCTION

THE EPHEMERA: AN EMBLEM OF HUMAN LIFE TO MADAME BRILLON, OF PASSY BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

THE WHISTLE TO MADAME BRILLON BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

DIALOGUE BETWEEN FRANKLIN AND THE GOUT

CONSOLATION FOR THE OLD BACHELOR FRANCIS HOPKINSON

JOHN BULL WASHINGTON IRVING

THE MUTABILITY OF LITERATURE A COLLOQUY IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY WASHINGTON IRVING

KEAN’S ACTING RICHARD HENRY DANA

GIFTS RALPH WALDO EMERSON

USES OF GREAT MEN RALPH WALDO EMERSON

BUDS AND BIRD-VOICES NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE

THE PHILOSOPHY OF COMPOSITION EDGAR ALLAN POE

BREAD AND THE NEWSPAPER OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES

WALKING HENRY DAVID THOREAU

ON A CERTAIN CONDESCENSION IN FOREIGNERS[5] JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL

PREFACE TO "LEAVES OF GRASS" 1855 WALT WHITMAN

AMERICANISM IN LITERATURE THOMAS WENTWORTH HIGGINSON

THACKERAY IN AMERICA GEORGE WILLIAM CURTIS

OUR MARCH TO WASHINGTON THEODORE WINTHROP THROUGH THE CITY

PHILADELPHIA

THE "BOSTON"

ANNAPOLIS

WHAT THE MASSACHUSETTS EIGHTH HAD BEEN DOING

OUR MORNING MARCH

ON GUARD WITH HOWITZER NO. TWO

THE BRIDGE

THE NIGHT-MARCH

MORNING

WASHINGTON

CALVIN A STUDY OF CHARACTER CHARLES DUDLEY WARNER

FIVE AMERICAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO CIVILIZATION CHARLES WILLIAM ELIOT

I TALK OF DREAMS W. D. Howells

III

VII

AN IDYL OF THE HONEY-BEE JOHN BURROUGHS

CUT-OFF COPPLES’S CLARENCE KING

THE THÉÂTRE FRANÇAIS HENRY JAMES

THEOCRITUS ON CAPE COD HAMILTON WRIGHT MABIE

COLONIALISM IN THE UNITED STATES[9] HENRY CABOT LODGE

NEW YORK AFTER PARIS W. C. Brownell

THE TYRANNY OF THINGS EDWARD SANDFORD MARTIN

FREE TRADE VS. PROTECTION IN LITERATURE SAMUEL MCCHORD CROTHERS

DANTE AND THE BOWERY THEODORE ROOSEVELT

THE REVOLT OF THE UNFIT NICHOLAS MURRAY BUTLER

ON TRANSLATING THE ODES OF HORACE W. P. TRENT

THE WAY TO WEALTH.

Benjamin Franklin and the First Balloons

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AND THE FIRST BALLOONS.

(THE FIRST HYDROGEN BALLOON.)

(A HOT AIR BALLOON CARRYING ANIMALS.)

(THE FIRST AERIAL VOYAGE BY MAN.)

(POSTPONEMENT OF CHARLES’ AND ROBERT’S ASCENSION.)

(THE SECOND AERIAL VOYAGE BY MAN.)

(SOME PARTICULARS OF THE SECOND VOYAGE.)

NOTES CONCERNING THE LETTERS.

EXPERIMENTS AND OBSERVATIONS ON ELECTRICITY,

The PREFACE.

LETTER I.

LETTER II.

LETTER III.

LETTER IV.

ADDITIONAL PAPERS.

CORRECTIONS and ADDITIONS to the Preceding Papers.

FOOTNOTES.

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

WITH INTRODUCTION AND NOTES

EDITED BY CHARLES W ELIOT LLD

INTRODUCTORY NOTE

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY

It would be difficult, and perhaps impossible, to gather from the history and labours of any individual mind, a summary of practical wisdom as rich in varied instruction as the memoirs and writings presented in these volumes will be found to afford. If, on account of the most distinguished public services, the name of Franklin has become inseparably associated with his country's glory, the works which he has left behind him no less justly entitle him to be considered as the benefactor not only of his own country, but of mankind for all coming time. So admirable, indeed, are these productions, that they can only cease being read when the love of beauty and of simplicity, of moral power and of truth, has no longer a place in the hearts of men.

"This self-taught American," to quote from the Edinburgh Review of 1806, "is the most rational, perhaps, of all philosophers. He never loses[Pg viii]sight of common sense in any of his speculations. No individual, perhaps, ever possessed a juster understanding, or was so seldom obstructed in the use of it by indolence, enthusiasm, or authority. * * * * There are not many among the thoroughbred scholars and philosophers of Europe who can lay claim to distinction in more than one or two departments of science and literature. The uneducated tradesman of America has left writings which call for our attention in natural philosophy, in politics, in political economy, and in general literature and morality." And again: "Nothing can be more perfectly and beautifully adapted to its object than most of the moral compositions of Dr. Franklin. The tone of familiarity, of good-will, and harmless jocularity; the plain and pointed illustrations; the short sentences, made up of short words; and the strong sense, clear information, and obvious conviction of the author himself, make most of his moral exhortations perfect models of popular eloquence, and often the finest specimens of a style which has been too little cultivated in his native country.

"The most remarkable thing, however, in these, and indeed in the whole of his physical speculations, is the unparalleled simplicity and facility with which the reader is conducted from one stage of the inquiry to another. The author never appears for a moment to labour or[Pg ix]be at a loss. The most ingenious and profound explanations are suggested, as if they were the most natural and obvious way of accounting for the phenomena; and the author seems to value himself so little on his most important discoveries, that it is necessary to compare him with others before we can form a just notion of his merits."

While to every age these volumes cannot fail of being deeply interesting, to the young more especially they may be made of invaluable use. What an animating example do they present of the power of industry, and of frugality and temperance, of moral rectitude, and unremitting perseverance, to overcome every difficulty! And what youth, fired with the generous love of knowledge, and an ardent desire of honourable distinction, need ever despair of success after reading the memoirs of Benjamin Franklin; who, from the humble station of a printer's apprentice, without fortune or other extraneous aid, through a manly confidence in his own powers, elevated himself to the highest stations of honour and usefulness.

It is from these and other considerations scarcely less interesting, that the publishers feel great confidence and pleasure in presenting this work to the public favour. Great care has been taken in selecting the matter of which these volumes are composed;[Pg x]and, it is believed, that they will be found to comprise nearly all that is most entertaining and useful to the general reader, in the writings of Franklin.

H. & B.

New-York, Sept., 1839.

[Pg xi]

CONTENTS

OF

THE FIRST VOLUME.

PART I. Page Life of Dr. Franklin, written by himself 13 PART II. Letter from Mr. Abel James 91 Letter from Mr. Benjamin Vaughan 92 Continuation of Life, begun at Passy, near Paris, 1784 98 Memorandum 115 PART III. Life of Franklin, continued by Dr. Stuber 191 Extracts from Franklin's Will 227 WRITINGS OF FRANKLIN. The Examination of Dr. Franklin before the British House of Commons, relative to the Repeal of the American Stamp-act 237 Narrative of the Massacre of Friendly Indians in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 1764 264 Introduction to Historical Review of the Constitution and Government of Pennsylvania 282 Dr. Franklin's Motion for Prayers in the Convention at Philadelphia, 1787, to revise the then existing Articles of Confederation 286

[Pg 13]

MEMOIRS OF FRANKLIN.

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