Franklin on Franklin

FRANKLIN ON FRANKLIN EDITED BY PAUL M. ZALL UNIVERSITY PRESS OF KENTUCKY 2005, 318 PAGES, $18.00

His round face and balding pate adorn the $100 bill. He was the inventor of the lightning rod, and a petitioner for the turkey, instead of the eagle, as our national bird. He also was a printer and newspaper editor and, at a critical period of time in the country's quest for independence, one of our most important diplomats. Spending years in England and France, he persuaded the latter to help us in our Revolution. During his lifetime, he was the world's most famous American. His name was Benjamin Franklin.

This book is the autobiography which Franklin wrote and which first was published in French. However, since Franklin completed it in his middle 40s, with over four more decades of a busy and important life ahead of him, the work was incomplete. No longer. Paul M. Zall, a senior researcher at California's Huntington Library, begins where Franklin left off, using only authentic Franklin notes.

Born in 1706 in Boston, Franklin eventually gravitated to Philadelphia. Of a creative mind, he always sought self improvement and listed various rules by which to live a life that would be personally virtuous, yet benefit mankind. One of his young sons died of smallpox and Franklin partly blamed himself for not having had the boy vaccinated. Another son went to England with him, but Franklin complained that the latter "acquired the habit of idleness." In fact, that son gave his allegiance to England instead of the new states, which infuriated Franklin, who cut the boy out of his will. Franklin eventually was perceived as a spy there because of his liberal attitudes toward the colonies, especially in the latter's quest for independence. This was the Age of Enlightenment and Franklin advanced its cause considerably. He was a great organizer and loved small discussion groups and seeing others grow from them. He also put together the Pennsylvania militia, something the Quakers were loath to do.

Franklin was able to retire in his early 40s because of the success of his newspaper entrepreneurship. Yet, he did not flaunt his wealth. In fact, he never took out patents on some of his greatest inventions, as he said others did not either, thus granting accessibility to the public at large. He preferred to spend his time on Sundays studying rather than going to church, which he regarded as boring. To help others, especially those in a lower station in life, he wrote The Road to Wealth. He advocated making connections with important people to get ahead. His Poor Richard's Almanac sold well, too, with its pithy sayings, such as "A penny saved is a penny earned" and "Fish and company stink after three days." "Haste makes waste" was another.

Following his own advice, he sought out a wife who had a considerable dowry, but did not succeed. In France the young coquettes were fascinated with their "Papa," as they called him. Without question, he enjoyed playing the role of a ladies man. He also delighted in discussions with the intellectuals of the day. As an aside, he invented swimming fins and, at one time, wanted to start a swimming school. Of course, his Franklin stove was well received as it generated more heat with less fuel than the day's current models.

Franklin was a quick learner concerning languages, and was fluent in French and German. He also spoke some Spanish. He already was 70 at the time of the American Revolution, yet his greatest diplomatic accomplishments lie ahead of him. Toward the end of his life, he suffered from a kidney stone and eventually succumbed to pleurisy, dying in 1790. Fittingly, a tri-centennial celebration of his birth is scheduled in Philadelphia.

Reviewed by GERALD F. KREYCHE American Thought Editor

COPYRIGHT 2005 Society for the Advancement of Education
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group