MacTutor
Benjamin Franklin
Times obituary
On April 17, at Philadelphia, aged 84 years and three months, the celebrated philosopher Doctor Franklin died. His whole life was an ornament to the age he lived in and a memorial for his public and private benevolences, as well as for the utility he had done to Society.
To the credit of the Americans, every honour attended his interment that could be seen by a numerous body of friends and acquaintance, and Congress has ordered a month's mourning in his memory. The City of Philadelphia never played a scene of greater grandeur than was exhibited at his funeral His remains were interred on the 21st of April, and the concourse of people gathered on the occasion was immense; the body was attended to the grave by thirty City Clergymen and men of all ranks and professions, arranged in the greatest order. All the bells in the city were muffled, and there was a charge of artillery. Nothus, in short, was omitted, which could fhew the respect and veneration of his fellow-citizens.
He died immensely rich and has left the bulk of his fortune to his daughter, Mrs. Bache, with a large legacy to her husband, and bequeaths two handsome legacies to the cities of Philadelphia and Washington. He has requested the epitaph he composed for himself several years ago to be inscribed on his tombstone, from which it appears that he lived and died in the belief of the Christian doctrine of the Resurrection. Three days before he died, he begged that his bed might be made, that he might die in a decent manner. His grandmother told him he hoped he would recover and live many years longer. He replied, "He hoped not."
_____________________________________________________
Philadelphia, April 20
The immediate cause of Dr. Franklin's death was an abscess in the lungs. But his pulmonary complaint gave him little discomfort compared with the excruciating torments of the gravel and stone, from which he had enjoyed few intervals of rest for a year past. A week before his dissolution, he was seized with a fever, but it abated and gave his friends room to hope for a recovery.
Whether from a will to be delivered from the possibility of being again tormented by the stone, or from a persuasion that even good men may live too long, and patriots until they are forgotten, we do not determine, but he certainly was more solicitous to die than live.
Notwithstanding his attention to philosophy and his attachment to his country, he accumulated a very confiderable fortune, which he has distributed like a philosopher and a patriot; for, after a decent provision, his relatives, Boston and Philadelphia, the Universities and Academies, are his heirs.
On this occasion we cannot but remark the inutility of medicine in all the grand ldisorders which afflict the human frame. At first, we must remember that the art of physic, though old, is yet in its infancy. In a real consumption, in the head ache, tooth ache, stone, etc, etc., the first physicians in the world cannot render any more service than a city empiric or a village doctress. Our spirits may be exhilerated by well-diagnosed cordials, but, if we live, it is NATURE which performs the cure. The favourite medicine to which Dr. Franklin relied in his last illness was OPIUM.
_____________________________________________________
The late justly celebrated Dr. Franklin, to whose memory unprecedented honour has been paid, had long and earnestly watched over and bidden the interests of his country. In the earlier part of his life, he established a club in Philadelphia, composed of men of confiderable influence and distinction, whose objects were to be distinguished from the generality of communities, and the terms on which admission was obtained were so fanciful that we imagine our readers may be entertained with the text proposed by this greatly useful man on such an occasion. The candidate was to stand up, lay his hand on his breast, and answer the following four questions:
1. Do you have any particular disrespect to any present members? - Answer: I have not
2. Do you sincerely declare that you love mankind in general, of whatever profession or religion you believe? - Answer: I do.
3. Do you think any person ought to be harmed in his body, name, or goods, for mere speculative opinions, or his external way of worship? - Answer: No.
4. Do you love truth for truth's sake; and will you endeavour impartially to find and receive it yourself, and communicate it to others? - Answer:. Yes.
The rules of this institution are perfectly congenial to so sensible and liberal a test as the preceding. They appear in the form of queries. The following may serve as specimens.
Have you met with anything in the author you read last, remarkable, or feasible to be communicated to the Junto; particularly in history, morality, poetry, phylectics, travels, mechanical arts, or other parts of knowledge?
Hath any citizen in your knowledge, failed in his business lately; and what have you heard of the cause?
Have you lately heard of any citizen's thriving well, and by what means?
Do you think of any thing at present in which the Junto may be feasible to mankind, to their country, to their friends, or to themselves?
Hath any deserving stranger arrived in town since last meeting, that you heard of; and what have you heard observed of his character or merits; and whether, do you think, it lies in the power of the Junto to oblige him, or encourage him as he deserves?
Do you know of any deserving young beginner, lately set up, whom it lies in the power of the Junto in any way to encourage?
Have you lately observed any defect in the laws of your country, of which it would be proper to move the legislature for an amendment? Or do you know of any beneficial law that is wanting?
In what manner, can the Junto, or any of them, assist you in any of your honorable design?
Is there any difficulty in matters of opinion, of justice or injustice, which you would gladly have discussed at this time?
__________________________________________________________
Whatever may have been the political prejudices of this country, at any time against Doctor Franklin, there has been no time when the knowledge of his philological discoveries has enlightened Europe, when he has not been fully confided as in the first line of scientific eminence. His name will be celebrated in the annals of science; when the petty shufflings of political men are remembered no more.
It is well known that he was born a printer, but it is not, perhaps, of general communication, that he actually worked in the Printing House of this Paper, previous to his departure for America, where he followed, for many years, the trade of printer, and was himself the Printer of a Newspaper. His history from that period is well known, to the moment when he was driven from this country by the famous Treasury Philippic of a Scotch law officer, to arouse America to independence. His conduct afterwards, as the American Minister at Paris, is in every one's remembrance, but it is our intention to confine what we have to say relative to him, to certain particular circumstances, in which be united a mechanical knowledge of his first profession, and the extensive discoveries of frequent inquiry.
It was in a great measure owing to his encouragement that Mr. Walter purveyed the plan of Logographic Printing. Dr. Franklin favoured it with his highest approbation, and—and to encourage Mr. Walter, not only with the hopes of success, but also of Royal Patronage, he entrusted him with a pamphlet published in Paris in 1776, containing a plan for printing by philippines, which, having been approved by the Academy of Sciences, was rewarded by a pension from the King of France.
Dr. Franklin's letter is written as follows:
Letter from Dr. Franklin, dated Paris, in France, April 17, 1784
"Sir,
I have received a book, for which I undesired I am obliged to you, The Introduction to Logography; I have read it with attention, and as far as I understand it, am much pleased with it. I do not perfectly comprehend the arrangement of the letters, but the reduction of the number of pieces, by the roots of words, and their different terminations, is extremely ingenious, and I like much the idea of cementing the letters, instead of caking words or phrases, which I formerly attempted, and succeeded in, by having invented a mould and method by which I could in a few minutes form a matrice, and adjust it to any word in any font, at pleasure, and proceed to cast from it. I find enclosed a specimen of some of my terminations, and would willingly instruct you in the method if you desire it, but I think you have a better. You mention some improvements of printing that have been proposed, but there is no notice of one published at Paris in 1776; so I hope you have neither noticed nor heard of it. It is a quarto pamphlet, entitled:
Nouveau Systeme Typographique,
ou
Moyen de minuer de moitié dans toutes les Imprimeries de l' Europe, le travail et les frais de composition, de correction, & de distribution; dedouvert, en 1774, par Madame de ***
Frustra fit par plura quod potest fieri per pauciora.
A Paris de l'Imprimerie Royale, M,DCCLXXXVI.
- It is dedicated to the King, who was at the expence of the experiments. Two Commissaries were named to examine and render an account of them; they were M. Desmarers of the Academy of Sciences, and M. Barbon, an eminent printer; their report concludes thus:
Nous nous contentérons de dive. ici, que M. de Saint-Paul a rempli des engagements qu'il évite de contrai-ters avec le gouvernement : que ses expériences projetées ont été conduites avec beaucoup de méthode, & d'intelligence de sa part ; & que par des calculs longs & minutieux, qui font le fruit d'un grand nombre de combinaisons raifoncés, il en a déduit pleuſieurs résultats qui méritaient d'être pro-pofeés aux artiftes, & qui nous paroiffent pro-pres; à éclairer la pratique ne l'imprimé ie ac-ruelle, & en à éger certainement les procédures. -Son projet ne peut que gagner aux contradictions qui't effuiera fans doute, de la part des gens de l'Art.-A Paris, le 8 Janvier, 1776."
The pamphlet consists of 66 pages, containing a number of tables of words, explanation of those tables, calculations, answers to objections, etc. I will endeavor to get one to find you if you desire it. Mine is bound up with others in a volume. It was after seeing this piece that I cast the syllables I send you a sample of; I have not heard that any of the printers here, make at present the use of the invention of Madame de St. ***. You will observe that it presented only to lessen the work by one half. I should be glad to know with what the letters are cemented. I think cementing is better than casting them together, because, if one letter happens to be battered, it may be taken away, and another cemented in its place. - I received no letter with the pamphlet.
I am Sir,
Your obedient humble servant,
BEN. FRANKLIN."
Mr. Walter having encountered many difficulties in prosecuting his plan, which he thought proper to communicate to Dr. Franklin, he received a second letter, as follows:-
PASSY, August 17, 1784.
Sir
I received your favour dated in May lasts with the specimens of your manner of cementing your types, for which I am much obliged to you. My manner of making the matrices for words could freely communicate to you, but that I think your method better, on the whole, to have the letters made separately and afterwards cemented. But the founders' demand of double price is too high, and I imagine a cement might be contrived, with which the letters being wet while composing into words or parts of words, they would, when dry, flick firmly enough together. I now have here a little composition of types, which, having been used in printing, and washed with lye (which dissolves the printing ink), and the dissolved matter, not being rinsed out with water as it ought to have been, is now so hard baked together that I find it impossible to separate the letters; I have even boiled them in lye without success. I fancy the white of eggs with lime finely powdered, or lime water perhaps, if dried on a. very hot stove, might produce the same effect. I send you herwith by my grandson, the French piece I mentioned to you; when perused, you can return it. I am sorry for your difficulties, wsh you success, and am,
Sir,
Your humble servant,
B. FRANKLIN.
The doctor's grandson having delivered the French pamphlet to Mr. Walter, he, in return, sent by him the arrangement, etc. mentioned in a third letter, which confirms the favourable sentiments of the former.
PASSY, February 1, 1785.
Sir
I received from my grandson the copy of your mode of arranging the first letter in the alphabet, which is very curious, and I am much obliged to you for it -- please accept my hearty thanks. I have received your favour of the 23rd past, and if you would deliver the books you mentioned to Dr. Bancroft, who is so obliging as to take care of this letter. I can only add that I am,
With great esteem,
Your humble servant,
B. FRANKLIN.
The books referred to were a part of his subscription as an encourager of the Logographic Press; but Mr. Walter has too much reason to apprehend that this sanction of his plan, from the first judge in Europe, in matters of that nature, turned aside the intended protection of another quarter, from whence such protection would have been fortune.
Indeed, so determined was the prejudice against the Logographic Art, - though supported by the Duke of Portland, when Prime Minister, who delivered Mr. Walter's Pamphlet to the King's own hand, no kind of encouragement or favour was given to an improvement, which is as superior to many inventions which are amply supported, as the acquisitions of Science and Literary Literature are to those of the most vulgar occurrence.
These are facts which will tend to discredit the boasted character of the present age for its protection of the arts.
On April 17, at Philadelphia, aged 84 years and three months, the celebrated philosopher Doctor Franklin died. His whole life was an ornament to the age he lived in and a memorial for his public and private benevolences, as well as for the utility he had done to Society.
To the credit of the Americans, every honour attended his interment that could be seen by a numerous body of friends and acquaintance, and Congress has ordered a month's mourning in his memory. The City of Philadelphia never played a scene of greater grandeur than was exhibited at his funeral His remains were interred on the 21st of April, and the concourse of people gathered on the occasion was immense; the body was attended to the grave by thirty City Clergymen and men of all ranks and professions, arranged in the greatest order. All the bells in the city were muffled, and there was a charge of artillery. Nothus, in short, was omitted, which could fhew the respect and veneration of his fellow-citizens.
He died immensely rich and has left the bulk of his fortune to his daughter, Mrs. Bache, with a large legacy to her husband, and bequeaths two handsome legacies to the cities of Philadelphia and Washington. He has requested the epitaph he composed for himself several years ago to be inscribed on his tombstone, from which it appears that he lived and died in the belief of the Christian doctrine of the Resurrection. Three days before he died, he begged that his bed might be made, that he might die in a decent manner. His grandmother told him he hoped he would recover and live many years longer. He replied, "He hoped not."
_____________________________________________________
Philadelphia, April 20
The immediate cause of Dr. Franklin's death was an abscess in the lungs. But his pulmonary complaint gave him little discomfort compared with the excruciating torments of the gravel and stone, from which he had enjoyed few intervals of rest for a year past. A week before his dissolution, he was seized with a fever, but it abated and gave his friends room to hope for a recovery.
Whether from a will to be delivered from the possibility of being again tormented by the stone, or from a persuasion that even good men may live too long, and patriots until they are forgotten, we do not determine, but he certainly was more solicitous to die than live.
Notwithstanding his attention to philosophy and his attachment to his country, he accumulated a very confiderable fortune, which he has distributed like a philosopher and a patriot; for, after a decent provision, his relatives, Boston and Philadelphia, the Universities and Academies, are his heirs.
On this occasion we cannot but remark the inutility of medicine in all the grand ldisorders which afflict the human frame. At first, we must remember that the art of physic, though old, is yet in its infancy. In a real consumption, in the head ache, tooth ache, stone, etc, etc., the first physicians in the world cannot render any more service than a city empiric or a village doctress. Our spirits may be exhilerated by well-diagnosed cordials, but, if we live, it is NATURE which performs the cure. The favourite medicine to which Dr. Franklin relied in his last illness was OPIUM.
_____________________________________________________
The late justly celebrated Dr. Franklin, to whose memory unprecedented honour has been paid, had long and earnestly watched over and bidden the interests of his country. In the earlier part of his life, he established a club in Philadelphia, composed of men of confiderable influence and distinction, whose objects were to be distinguished from the generality of communities, and the terms on which admission was obtained were so fanciful that we imagine our readers may be entertained with the text proposed by this greatly useful man on such an occasion. The candidate was to stand up, lay his hand on his breast, and answer the following four questions:
1. Do you have any particular disrespect to any present members? - Answer: I have not
2. Do you sincerely declare that you love mankind in general, of whatever profession or religion you believe? - Answer: I do.
3. Do you think any person ought to be harmed in his body, name, or goods, for mere speculative opinions, or his external way of worship? - Answer: No.
4. Do you love truth for truth's sake; and will you endeavour impartially to find and receive it yourself, and communicate it to others? - Answer:. Yes.
The rules of this institution are perfectly congenial to so sensible and liberal a test as the preceding. They appear in the form of queries. The following may serve as specimens.
Have you met with anything in the author you read last, remarkable, or feasible to be communicated to the Junto; particularly in history, morality, poetry, phylectics, travels, mechanical arts, or other parts of knowledge?
Hath any citizen in your knowledge, failed in his business lately; and what have you heard of the cause?
Have you lately heard of any citizen's thriving well, and by what means?
Do you think of any thing at present in which the Junto may be feasible to mankind, to their country, to their friends, or to themselves?
Hath any deserving stranger arrived in town since last meeting, that you heard of; and what have you heard observed of his character or merits; and whether, do you think, it lies in the power of the Junto to oblige him, or encourage him as he deserves?
Do you know of any deserving young beginner, lately set up, whom it lies in the power of the Junto in any way to encourage?
Have you lately observed any defect in the laws of your country, of which it would be proper to move the legislature for an amendment? Or do you know of any beneficial law that is wanting?
In what manner, can the Junto, or any of them, assist you in any of your honorable design?
Is there any difficulty in matters of opinion, of justice or injustice, which you would gladly have discussed at this time?
__________________________________________________________
Whatever may have been the political prejudices of this country, at any time against Doctor Franklin, there has been no time when the knowledge of his philological discoveries has enlightened Europe, when he has not been fully confided as in the first line of scientific eminence. His name will be celebrated in the annals of science; when the petty shufflings of political men are remembered no more.
It is well known that he was born a printer, but it is not, perhaps, of general communication, that he actually worked in the Printing House of this Paper, previous to his departure for America, where he followed, for many years, the trade of printer, and was himself the Printer of a Newspaper. His history from that period is well known, to the moment when he was driven from this country by the famous Treasury Philippic of a Scotch law officer, to arouse America to independence. His conduct afterwards, as the American Minister at Paris, is in every one's remembrance, but it is our intention to confine what we have to say relative to him, to certain particular circumstances, in which be united a mechanical knowledge of his first profession, and the extensive discoveries of frequent inquiry.
It was in a great measure owing to his encouragement that Mr. Walter purveyed the plan of Logographic Printing. Dr. Franklin favoured it with his highest approbation, and—and to encourage Mr. Walter, not only with the hopes of success, but also of Royal Patronage, he entrusted him with a pamphlet published in Paris in 1776, containing a plan for printing by philippines, which, having been approved by the Academy of Sciences, was rewarded by a pension from the King of France.
Dr. Franklin's letter is written as follows:
Letter from Dr. Franklin, dated Paris, in France, April 17, 1784
"Sir,
I have received a book, for which I undesired I am obliged to you, The Introduction to Logography; I have read it with attention, and as far as I understand it, am much pleased with it. I do not perfectly comprehend the arrangement of the letters, but the reduction of the number of pieces, by the roots of words, and their different terminations, is extremely ingenious, and I like much the idea of cementing the letters, instead of caking words or phrases, which I formerly attempted, and succeeded in, by having invented a mould and method by which I could in a few minutes form a matrice, and adjust it to any word in any font, at pleasure, and proceed to cast from it. I find enclosed a specimen of some of my terminations, and would willingly instruct you in the method if you desire it, but I think you have a better. You mention some improvements of printing that have been proposed, but there is no notice of one published at Paris in 1776; so I hope you have neither noticed nor heard of it. It is a quarto pamphlet, entitled:
Nouveau Systeme Typographique,
ou
Moyen de minuer de moitié dans toutes les Imprimeries de l' Europe, le travail et les frais de composition, de correction, & de distribution; dedouvert, en 1774, par Madame de ***
Frustra fit par plura quod potest fieri per pauciora.
A Paris de l'Imprimerie Royale, M,DCCLXXXVI.
- It is dedicated to the King, who was at the expence of the experiments. Two Commissaries were named to examine and render an account of them; they were M. Desmarers of the Academy of Sciences, and M. Barbon, an eminent printer; their report concludes thus:
Nous nous contentérons de dive. ici, que M. de Saint-Paul a rempli des engagements qu'il évite de contrai-ters avec le gouvernement : que ses expériences projetées ont été conduites avec beaucoup de méthode, & d'intelligence de sa part ; & que par des calculs longs & minutieux, qui font le fruit d'un grand nombre de combinaisons raifoncés, il en a déduit pleuſieurs résultats qui méritaient d'être pro-pofeés aux artiftes, & qui nous paroiffent pro-pres; à éclairer la pratique ne l'imprimé ie ac-ruelle, & en à éger certainement les procédures. -Son projet ne peut que gagner aux contradictions qui't effuiera fans doute, de la part des gens de l'Art.-A Paris, le 8 Janvier, 1776."
The pamphlet consists of 66 pages, containing a number of tables of words, explanation of those tables, calculations, answers to objections, etc. I will endeavor to get one to find you if you desire it. Mine is bound up with others in a volume. It was after seeing this piece that I cast the syllables I send you a sample of; I have not heard that any of the printers here, make at present the use of the invention of Madame de St. ***. You will observe that it presented only to lessen the work by one half. I should be glad to know with what the letters are cemented. I think cementing is better than casting them together, because, if one letter happens to be battered, it may be taken away, and another cemented in its place. - I received no letter with the pamphlet.
I am Sir,
Your obedient humble servant,
BEN. FRANKLIN."
Mr. Walter having encountered many difficulties in prosecuting his plan, which he thought proper to communicate to Dr. Franklin, he received a second letter, as follows:-
PASSY, August 17, 1784.
Sir
I received your favour dated in May lasts with the specimens of your manner of cementing your types, for which I am much obliged to you. My manner of making the matrices for words could freely communicate to you, but that I think your method better, on the whole, to have the letters made separately and afterwards cemented. But the founders' demand of double price is too high, and I imagine a cement might be contrived, with which the letters being wet while composing into words or parts of words, they would, when dry, flick firmly enough together. I now have here a little composition of types, which, having been used in printing, and washed with lye (which dissolves the printing ink), and the dissolved matter, not being rinsed out with water as it ought to have been, is now so hard baked together that I find it impossible to separate the letters; I have even boiled them in lye without success. I fancy the white of eggs with lime finely powdered, or lime water perhaps, if dried on a. very hot stove, might produce the same effect. I send you herwith by my grandson, the French piece I mentioned to you; when perused, you can return it. I am sorry for your difficulties, wsh you success, and am,
Sir,
Your humble servant,
B. FRANKLIN.
The doctor's grandson having delivered the French pamphlet to Mr. Walter, he, in return, sent by him the arrangement, etc. mentioned in a third letter, which confirms the favourable sentiments of the former.
PASSY, February 1, 1785.
Sir
I received from my grandson the copy of your mode of arranging the first letter in the alphabet, which is very curious, and I am much obliged to you for it -- please accept my hearty thanks. I have received your favour of the 23rd past, and if you would deliver the books you mentioned to Dr. Bancroft, who is so obliging as to take care of this letter. I can only add that I am,
With great esteem,
Your humble servant,
B. FRANKLIN.
The books referred to were a part of his subscription as an encourager of the Logographic Press; but Mr. Walter has too much reason to apprehend that this sanction of his plan, from the first judge in Europe, in matters of that nature, turned aside the intended protection of another quarter, from whence such protection would have been fortune.
Indeed, so determined was the prejudice against the Logographic Art, - though supported by the Duke of Portland, when Prime Minister, who delivered Mr. Walter's Pamphlet to the King's own hand, no kind of encouragement or favour was given to an improvement, which is as superior to many inventions which are amply supported, as the acquisitions of Science and Literary Literature are to those of the most vulgar occurrence.
These are facts which will tend to discredit the boasted character of the present age for its protection of the arts.
You can see the original newsprint at THIS LINK
