Show New Book on Franklin Restores II I I I I Him urn i-urn to His riis Grand rana Dimensions Dimensions' In His Hs Page Biography of the trie Famous American Whose Birthday We Celebrate on January 17 17 Carl Van Von Doren Rescues Him Hm from the Dry Prim People Who Have Claimed Clamed Him as One of Them and Tells What He Really Did Said Thought and Felt C CI Western Newspaper Union By ELMO SCOTT WATSON years year's celebration T TIllS THIS of the anniversary of Benjamin Franklins Franklin's s birth should have a greater significance to his fellow- fellow Americans than ever before Especially is thi this true if they have read a biography of him published recently Perhaps it would be more fitting to refer to it as THE TIlE biography A great many books have been written about him covering every period in his long and remarkable remarkable remarkable remark remark- able career and dealing with every phase of this most versatile American But for forthe forthe forthe the first time in three of a century a biographer has undertaken to bring the whole of his life liCe with all the necessary details into a single single single sin sin- gle narrative long enough to todo todo todo do it justice The biographer who has done this is Carl Van Doren and his page volume published recently by the Viking Viking Viking Vik Vik- ing Press of New York is undoubtedly undoubtedly undoubtedly un un- un- un the last word the final length full portrait of the man who was born years ago ago on on January 17 1704 The general outlines of Franklins Franklin's Frank Fronk- has lin's life story is p J familiar one oneto oneto oneto to most Americans They know of his boyhood in Doston Boston his work as an apprentice printer in the shop of his brother James and his start as a publisher at the age of 17 when James incurred the displeasure of the authorities and young Ben Den had the task of getting out the thc New England Cou Cou- rant They are familiar with the story of his quarrel with his brother his going to Philadelphia Philadel phia there to walk down the street with a huge roll of bread under his arm and to be laughed at by pretty Deborah Read nead who later became his wife Familiar too are the tales of his becoming foreman in the printing office of Samuel Kelmer Keimer his partnership with Hugh Meredith in publishing the Pennsylvania Gazette and his i successful career as a printer and publisher which enabled him to retire from that business at the age of 42 In the meantime his career as asa asa asa a philosopher had begun begun in in his Poor Richards Richard's Almanac which spread his fame throughout through through- out the colonies and in his formation formation formation forma forma- tion of the Junto a club in which I he and his fellows discussed all aU manner of philosophical ques ques- lions Science next attracted him and most familiar of all aU the stories sto ate stories ries rica about him is that which tells of his interest tn in Leyden Jars For that led to the famous incident of the kite the silk handkerchief the rainstorm and the charge of electricity which ran down the twine to the key tied on the end of it Of course Benjamin Franklin didn't discover electricity electricity elec elec- b but t he dramatized it and when he wrote monographs on his experiments Europe began to take toke notice of this American colo cole nial nEal Americans know that he was e FJ j- j jo o e r t df A AT T FRANKLIN IN LONDON From a portrait painted by David Martin l In London In tn 1767 and now owned by the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts also interested in politics and public affairs that affairs that he served as clerk of the Pennsylvania assembly assembly assembly assem assem- bly and afterwards as a member of it that he established the postal post post- I al ni system in this country that he first planted the idea of a union of the colonies with his famous Join or Die snake cartoon that he was indispensable to General General Gen Gen- eral Braddock in securing the thc necessary for hauling that leaders leader's supplies on his disastrous disastrous dis dEs expedition that that- he went to England to represent the colonies col cl- col- col onies onion in the dispute over the Stamp Act and thus started upon the career as a diplomat which was to bring him his greatest tame fame And these are arc only a few of the activities of the sided many Franklin which have been made Vt ir ti b rs I S e eS e'S S S S SS S F J Y 4 S 5 4 5 r q L I 5 5 S S FRANKLIN FRANKLEN IN PARIS From rom a portrait painted In France rance by Joseph Duplessis In 1783 1183 and aDd now owned by the New York Vork Public Library familiar to his fellow-Americans fellow mainly through his Autobiography raphy which he began writing in 1771 But Dut according to Carl Van VanDoren VanDoren VanDoren Doren just because Franklin is b st known from from his Autobiography Autobiography Autobiography raphy he is too little known For says this blo biographer 44 C In that masterpiece of memory and honesty he dealt with his years as a rising tradesman tradesman tradesman trades trades- man and did not reach his more I I memorable years as imperial prophet revolutionary statesman statesman statesman states states- man cosmopolitan diplomatist scientist wit moralist sage sage lie He never found time to carry out the history of himself as he intended But Dut the materials which he would have used still exist scattered in journals letters and miscellaneous ous writings through his manuscripts manuscripts manu manu- scripts and his collected and uncollected un un- collected works So Mr Van Doren set himself to the task of drawing these ma mil materials together and arranging them in something like the order order or or- der he might have given them Nor are they mere raw notes for a book book lie He seldom wrote a line without some characteristic touch of wit and grace Most of these materials need no rewriting to tomake tomake tomake make them match the unfinished story they continue Although the biographer thus makes his task sound simple the fact is that it was a monumental one More than 10 ID years have elapsed between the time he started this biography and its completion The very abundance of the new material which his research research research re re- re- re search unearthed added to his difficulties since it led to the temptation to let his book run beyond beyond beyond be be- yond a readable length However er the completed biography of more than pages full fuU as ItIs it itIs itis is is a biography cut with hard labour to the Ule bone Not the least of the interest and value of the book is the new material material ma- ma erial which the biographer men- men lions Concerning it he says inthe in inthe the he preface Here first in any Franklin bi biography biography biography bi- bi appear in part his elegy elegy elegy el el egy recently discovered and apparently apparently apparently ap ap- ap- ap his earliest writing that has nas survived information about James Franklins Franklin's New England Courant based on the file kept almost certainly by Benjamin Franklin an analysis of the hundreds hundreds hundreds hun hun- of sayings of Poor Richard which Franklin left out of The Way to Wealth thereby much narrowing his reputation as a amaker amaker amaker maker and sharpener of adages various details of his business domestic life and personal expenditures expenditures expenditures ex ex- ex- ex taken from manuscript manuscript manuscript manu manu- script account books and advertisements advertisements advertisements adver adver- in the Pennsylvania Cazette a more exact discussion than has thitherto been printed of his surreptitious writings and of his Reflections on Courtship and Marriage a critical examination exam exam- of the kite-flying kite episode the narrative of Franklins Franklin's first diplomatic mission to the chiefs of th the Ohio Indians at Carlisle the lifelong story of his affectionate affection affection- ate friendship with Catherine Ray flay with unpublished letters from her his campaign as a soldier soldier soldier sol sol- sol sol- dier known in full only to readers readers read read- ers era of a single monograph his record in Pennsylvania politics as shown in fri the executive and legislative journals of the provInce province province ince the insurance company's description description de de- of his house in Phila an unpublished manu manu- script in which he outlined his of opposition to the Stamp Act a note on his meeting meeting meeting meet meet- ing with Baron Daron Munchausen and his chronicler a circumstantial circumstantial circum circum- account of the Grand Ohio company from which Franklin Frank Frank- lin un hoped to make a fortune inland In Inland inland land speculation his acquaintance acquaint acquaint- ance with James Boswell two fables by Franklin published in 1770 but lost sight of until 1936 a comparison of two versions of Wedderburn's attack on Franklin Frank Frank- lin liri one as printed by the British government and one as remembered by Franklins Franklin's friends the neglected record of his activities as chairman of the Pennsylvania Committee of Safety an unpublished unpublished letter to General Schuyler written during the mission to Canada an accurate report of oi the conference with General Genera Howe given directly from tram the minutes the amazing melodrama of the British spies who surrounded surround surround- ed Franklin in Paris new translations translations translations trans trans- lations of three of his Passy bagatelles baga telles written by him so far as asLa asis asis is La known only in French Although Franklin is best known for his prose writings for his ability as a maker and sharpener of adages such as those which he put in his Poor Richards Richard's Almanac the f fact ct is that his writing career started with a It was an Elegy on My Sister Franklin which Van Doren says was only recently recently recently re re- re- re discovered and is now first mentioned in a Franklin raphy The precise date of the elegy is still uncertain as is the name of the sister-in-law sister whose death called it forth The text of the elegy as given in n Van Doren's book follows Warm from my Bret with Grief 8 Woe These melancholy StraIns Strain spontaneous flow Flow from a Sisters Sister's sad aad Decease Decease De Do- cease Plow now from the worthiest of the female Race Race M My dear III my m much loved Sister o O my Friend We In thu this World on nothing ma may depend For Tor soon loon as al we esteem ourselves Of Df every needful Thing to make us UI blest Some Som Friends Friend's Demise like lUke hers hen we now DOW lament Casual Mischance or Event Like an aa Guest GueI wUl will Intervene Frustrate our Hopes and mar our blissful Scene How flow weak I how vain I how void all aU mundane JOIA Joys JOI JoysA A Medley fraught with Nonsense Shew and Noise O 0 what Is Life which we so high esteem A Bubble Dubble Shadow Fleeting Dream From sordid Dust Dusl we sprang Si surety surely must Ot 01 soon loon or 01 late return to native Dust What mortal Man even In his hi best Estate AU All Vanity Pride Folly and Deceit Crowns have their Thorns and Opulence its nan Dane And all aU our Pleasures their Alloy of Pain AU the Vicissitudes of Life Lite declare Uncertainty alone Is certain here No Jo sublunary Blessings Ion long I endure I And from rom Deaths Death's Clutches nought can caD I Ius us ensure Who oer o'er aU all Flesh maintains a sovereign I Sway And Millions fall faU his Victims every Da Day DayNor DayNor I INor Nor Worth Wit Beauty Wealth or Power can free tree From rigid Fates Fate Immutable Decree Else Ebe might this worthy Saint whose whale wa wayward way way- ward Fate Fale We now deplore have claimed a longer Date Of circling Years Yearl her Kin to serve and bless Enjoy her Friends and Lifes Life's good lood Things possess And tho I humbly trust our Friend Is I. f wafted to 10 the Saints eternal Rest Yet her sad aad Exit my Resolves Resolve In la Woes Woe's profound Abyss m my soul 1001 Involves In tn With Sighs Sighs' Groans m my Bosom swells lis lisAnd And down my cheeks checks CrIers mournful Stream Impels May Heaven forgive m me If I ought offend thus thua I t mourn my dear departed Friend Sure Heaven forbids not for our our Friends Frienda to mourn Nor to bedew with Tears Tean their peaceful Urn I r I t I I I s 's sI I I I S S SD SL L D k C rt FRANKLIN IN P PHILADELPHIA From a portrait by Robert Feke C 1 or John Greenwood 1 T painted probably about 1748 and now flow owned by the Fogg Fon Art Museum Museum Mu Mu- seum scum of Harvard university These are perhaps the earliest surviving words of Franklin written when he had not yet finally finally finally final final- ly decided between poetry and prose says his biographer After reading young Bens Ben's first literary effort it was probably written when he was 17 or 18 IS years old one cant can't help being grateful that he decided in favor of prose I C a C CIn C a aIn In explaining why he has gone into such detail in this biography Mr Van Doren says it is because because because be be- cause Franklin led a detailed life which in a general narrative loses colour and savour But the chief aim of the book has been to restore to Franklin so often remembered remembered remembered re re- re- re piecemeal in this or that of his diverse aspects his r magnificent central unity as a a great and wise man moving through great and troubling events No effort has been made to cut his nature to fit any simple scheme of what a good man ought to be Here as truly as i 1 It has been possible to find out is what Franklin did said thought and felt Perhaps these things may help to rescue him from the dry prim people who have claimed him as one of them They praise his thrift But Dut be he himself admitted admitted admitted ad ad- that he could never learn leam frugality and he practiced it no longer than his poverty forced him to They praise his prudence But at seventy he became a leader lead lead- er of a revolution and throughout his hI life he ran bold risks risk They praise him for being a plain man Hardly another man of affairs has ever been more devoted than Franklin to the pleasant graces The dry prim people seem to regard him as a treasure shut up in a savings bank to which they have the lawful key I herewith give him back in his grand di dimensions dimensions dimensions di- di to his hI nation and the world |