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Show , -' w ?',"tri tip K 1 V M I -M vr '' ) J, J, ( n ' Replica of Franklin's VV ' I ; - V . v I f;"YP . :VB C CVo;-x yy) sMA?iajct pvi.iNXp e-e ' 'eeL ' . " '''''''''' p Franklin's fJ " i 4 7 J 3 -p , f " I . which he placed ander the management of h tK i y 4 t wJ1 -rlramg PreSS H'CfvI grandson, Benjamin Franklin Bache, the son of If st " U J 1 nis beloved daughter, Sarah Franklin Bache. jto s : 4 fci p'iiS V, 5l!t Franklin retained his interest in this printing I U p t ?V " I business to the end-of his days, constantly giv- y L g k J ( i"". v- J& inS llis grandson the benefit of his experience J "!jiK .-A u htd j'v & ' i s and having a sort of general supervision over i. ! 1 p, U J&t A the enterprise. fThen on April 17, 1790, the busy I .s!!:.;,. :& p;!ii " I career of Benjamin Franklin ended in the city p i P iXfrw"'''' s.-' where he had risen to his first fame Philadel- I j i -V K V phia. He was buried in Christ Church Burying f ' NV" ""s"-7 il i5 1:1 - Ground there. However much his simple soul f S f!'! wanted to be- remembered as "B. Franklin, ' N. h 1 P "'k --"r" 'JM" ,I W;l Printer," his relatives evidently thought that an j'Vj T"' vn 9 w llS?! 1 M M epitaph befitting his world-wide fame was more 'v jw-1,rfVa V J II appropriate than likening him to an "old book." ' I T T.f l- r W l'w I, -wjsfN So the epitaph which he had written for him- - WOrK laoXQ rM J" S 'T self nearly a half century before was not placed : 1 " i , uPn tlle stone of his grave. V : s ?ril.i&'f 1 ."" -" In attempting to evaluate the services of Ben- By ELMO SCOTT WATSON , " Jamin Franklin as a printer and a publisher, one ANUARY 17 is the anniversary of the ?.Stt1 jf f - is- confronted with the same wealth of material tj birth of Benjamin Franklin and many jM which characterized all of his other activities. j Americans of many different trades f So it is difficult to pick out the things which can and professions who claim him as one be designated as his greatest contribution to the j of their own will join in honoring his L2L journalism of .this nation. This general state- which he placed under the management of hi grandson, Benjamin Franklin Bache, the son of his beloved daughter, Sarah Franklin Bache. Franklin retained his interest in this printing business to the end- of his days, constantly giving giv-ing his grandson the benefit of his experience and having a sort of general supervision over the enterprise. fThen on April 17, 1790, the busy career of Benjamin Franklin ended in the city where he had risen to his first fame Philadelphia. Philadel-phia. He was buried in Christ Church Burying Ground there. However much his simple soul wanted to be remembered as "B. Franklin, Printer," his relatives evidently thought that an epitaph befitting his world-wide fame was more appropriate than likening him to an "old book." So the epitaph which he had written for himself him-self nearly a half century before was not placed upon the stone of his grave. In attempting to evaluate the services of Benjamin Ben-jamin Franklin as a printer and a publisher, one is confronted with the same wealth of material which characterized all of his other activities. So it is difficult to pick out the things which can be designated as his greatest contribution to the journalism of .this nation. This general statement, state-ment, however, can be made: Franklin was as far in advance of his times as an editor and a publisher as he was in many of his other roles. Many of the innovations in the newspaper business busi-ness which we regard as modern developments are nothing more than a repetition of their successful suc-cessful use by Franklin. Among his outstanding achievements in the printing and publishing business and allied industries in-dustries are these : He was the first to attempt to illustrate the news in an American newspaper and also the first to publish questions and answers in a newspaper. news-paper. He made the first newspaper cartoon, the , famous picture of a snake cut into sections to represent the colonies before the Revolution a powerful pictorial editorial which was widely copied and used by other patriot newspapers. He was instrumental in establishing 18 paper mills in the colonies. Pie was the first "to turn to great account the engine of advertising, now an indispensable element ele-ment in modern business." He was the first proponent of the "chain newspaper news-paper idea." He did this by setting up in business busi-ness young journeymen printers, supplying printing print-ing office equipment, paying one-third of the running expenses and receiving one-third of the net profits, an arrangement which was an advantage ad-vantage to all concerned. He established such "branches" In seven different places: Charleston, Charles-ton, S. C. ; Antigua and Jamaica in the West Indies ; New York city ; Lancaster, Pa. ; New n Haven, Conn., and in Georgia. Of Franklin's idealism in his work as a printer print-er and an editor, we find this revealing statement state-ment in his autobiography ! "In the conduct of my newspaper, I carefully excluded all libelling and personal abuse, which has of late years become so disgraceful to our country. Whenever I was solicited to insert anything any-thing of that kind, and the writers pleaded, as they generally did, the liberty of the press, and that a newspaper was like a stage-coach, in which anyone who would pay had a right to a place, my answer was that I would print the piece separately if desired, and the author might have as many copies as he pleased to distribute himself, but that I would not take upon me to spread his detraction; and that, having contracted con-tracted with my subscribers to furnish them with what might be either useful or entertaining, entertain-ing, I could not fill their papers with private altercation, al-tercation, in which they had no concern, without with-out doing them manifest injustice. "Now, many of our printers make no scruple of gratifying the malice of individuals by false accusations of the fairest characters among ourselves, our-selves, augmenting animosity even to the producing pro-ducing of duels ; and are, moreover, so indiscreet indis-creet as to print scurrilous reflections On the government of neighboring states, and even on the conduct of our best national allies, which may be attended with the most pernicious consequences. con-sequences. These things I mention as a caution to young printers, and that they may be encouraged encour-aged not to pollute their presses and disgrace their profession by such infamous practices, but refuse steadily, as they may see by my example that such a course of conduct will not, on the whole, be Injurious to their Interests." ( by W'oatern Newspaper Union.) 4 By EL'MO SCOTT WATSON JANUARY 17 is the anniversary of the J birth of Benjamin Franklin and many tj Americans of many different trades LfJ and professions who claim him as one of their own will join in honoring his memory on that date. For "the many-sided many-sided Franklin" and "Franklin, the -1'-J versatile," have become proverbial in referring to this man. But no trade or profession has a better claim on him nor a better reason to celebrate his birthday than the printers and publishers of this country. For It was as a printer that he got his start in life, It was as "B. Franklin, Printer," that he first made his mark in the affairs of colonial America, It was under that title that he first became a publisher pub-lisher and, for all the world-wide fame that he attained as a statesman, a philosopher and a scientist, he retained a keen interest in printing and publishing to the end of his days. "I doubt if Franklin would have attained to his eminence among the immortals, If it were not for his good fortune and the world's good fortune, for-tune, to have learned the printing trade," writes Henry Lewis Bullen, founder of the Typographic Library and Museum at Jersey City, N. J., in the book "The Amazing Benjamin Franklin, published In recent years by the Frederick A. Stokes company. "His father wanted him to be a tallow candler. Had he obeyed, I fear that his fame, if any, would have been local to Boston. Bos-ton. There is nothing inspiring or forceful in tallow or its products, but which of all civilization's civiliza-tion's greater forces can equal the power of the printer's types? truly none. "Franklin was a diffident man, by no means an orator, timid about rising to speak an unwilling un-willing speakei- averse to the arts by which politicians gain their fame and purposes. Invariably In-variably he sought to influence his countrymen and their friends by means of his leaden types, composed in his own shop. They gained him a world-wide audience, which was convinced by their silent but wide-extended voices that their master was uttering the profoundest wisdom in the guise of common sense the most uncom- nion element in men's conduct. Benjamin Franklin used many forces successfully in his k paralleled career, but his most powerful -iiuulerbolts were found in the cases holding his Invincible printing types." Franklin's career as a printer started in 171S when he was twelve years old. He was apprenticed appren-ticed to his brother, James Franklin, a printer, who was publishing the New England Courant in Boston. Young Ben secretly wrote articles for the Courant and was delighted when his brother, not knowing their authorship, published pub-lished them until James Franklin discovered the sources of them and severely lectured young Ben for his presumption. But when James Franklin was imprisoned for printing in the Courant articles which gave offense to the colonial assembly and prohibited from printing the Courant any longer, he was glad enough to have it issued under the name of his brother, whose indenture was thereupon cancelled. So at the early age of seventeen, young Ben became be-came a newspaper editor and publisher. This arrangement did not last very long, however, and because of differences which arose between the two brothers, Ben left the Courant and started out for new fields. Disappointed Jn his hope of finding work as a printer in New York, he went on to Philadelphia and there he obtained a position as a printer for Samuel Keimer, who had one of the two printing establishments es-tablishments in the Quaker city. Encouraged by Sir William Keith, the governor of Pennsylvania, to set up in business for himself, Franklin started to go to London to buy equipment for a print shop. The help which Keith had promised to give him was not forthcoming and young Ben found himself stranded in the British capital. But the energetic young colonial was soon employed em-ployed at Samuel Palmer's printing house in London and after that in the printery of John Watts, one of the leading craftsmen of the time. Franklin spent 14 months in England, then returned to Philadelphia and went to work again in Keimer's shop, this time as foreman. At once he demonstrated the initiative and ingenuity in-genuity which was to characterize his whole life. Keimer's supply of type was limited and his wants could not be satisfied without sending to England. So Foreman Franklin made a mold for casting letters and supplied his employer with the type which he needed. In 1728 he formed a partnership with a certain cer-tain Hugh Meredith, with Meredith furnishing most of the money for the enterprises and Franklin Frank-lin most of the brains. It was at this time that he wrote the famous epitaph which he hoped would, be placed on his gravestone when he died and which, from its tone, indicated that he desired de-sired no higher honor than to be known as "B. Franklin, Printer." That was the name which appeared over his print shop when Meredith withdrew from the partnership two years later. In the meantime Franklin had bought out the Pennsylvania Gazette, a newspaper started by " Keimer soon after Franklin left his employ. A short time after he had assumed sole management manage-ment of the printing business, he was appointed public printer by the Pennsylvania assembly. In 1732 he wrote and began publication of his famous "Poor Richard's Almanack," the average sale of which was for 25 years more than 10,000 copies annually. Franklin was not only a good printer and a good editor but he was also a good business man. so his printing enterprise flourished so well that In 1748 at the age of forty-two he was able to retire from active business. busi-ness. He had accumulated a substantial fortune for-tune and was now ready to devote his time to his scientific experiments and his great variety of other interests. Although his partner, David Hall, took active charge of the printing business in 1748, Franklin retained a financial interest in it until 17G5. Then the wider field of statesmanship states-manship called him. He went to London as agent for Pennsylvania in the dispute with the Mother Country over taxation and soon fund himself the bold defender of the rights of all the American colonies. But even though the years which followed found him busy with many other affairs. Franklin Frank-lin never got entirely away from his first love the printing business. In the memorable year of 1776 while be was representing the new nation na-tion in Paris, he established a small printing office of-fice in the French capital to be used for propaganda propa-ganda purposes and incidentally as a school of printing for his two grandsons. When he left France he was one of the most famous men of his time. But at heart he was still "B. Franklin, Frank-lin, Printer" so he brought home to America with him the printing equipment he had used In Paris and a complete type foundry, both of |