From Printing Office to the Court of St. James

CONTENTS.

Persecution driving Franklin and others away-Discussion
about emigrating-Josiah Franklin-His trade-Benjamin
Franklin-Doctor Franklin's account of his ancestors-
Meetings of Dissenters broken up-Why Josiah decided to
go-Account of their Family Bible-The final decision-
The Franklin family influential-Thomas Franklin-The
Franklin poet-Doctor Franklin about his father-What
Boston was then and now--Exploring the wilderness—
Influence of Franklins in Boston

PAGE

Birth of Benjamin Franklin on Sunday-The fifteenth child-

God's gift-Proposition to baptize him the same day-

Discussion over it-Baptized on that day by Doctor

Willard-The church record-House in which he was

born-Josiah's children-Death of wife and second mar-

riage The Folger family-Named after Uncle Benjamin-

Personal beauty--Words of Parton-Josiah took up trade of

tallow-chandler-The business and place described-Sons

apprenticed-Josiah a good musician--Condition of the

world when Benjamin was born in 1706

III.

PAYING TOO DEAR FOR THE WHISTLE.

Seven years old -First money to spend as he pleased - Advice

gratis--Boy with whistle -Benjamin buys a whistle---Going

into the concert business-Scene in the family- Tormented

by John for paying all his money -Ben breaks down - Father

and mother take his part-The lesson he learned-What

he wrote about it at seventy-two years of age-When boys

pay too dear for the whistle-Dickens-Keeping the

secret-How the secret came out

PAGE

Uncle Benjamin and his poetry -His family-His letter about

Ben-Plans for school and Doctor Willard-Goes to school

at eight years of age-Description of his father-Of his

mother-Inscription on their monument-Nathaniel Williams,

teacher-Description of schoolhouse-His scholarship high

-His teacher praises him-Led the school--Prophecies

about him-Webster-Rittenhouse-Stephenson.

OUT OF SCHOOL.

Poverty forces him to leave school-His mother's view-Hard

time for ministers-Brownell's school of penmanship-How

Ben could help his father-Boys put to work young then-

His obedience A well-disciplined boy--Incident of his

manhood to rebuke a landlord-Robert Peel and Harry

Garland-The eight Hall brothers-His progress

VI.

FROM SCHOOL TO CANDLE-SHOP.

Arrival of Uncle Benjamin-Opposed to taking his nephew out

of school-Thinks Ben is very talented-Prospects of the

business-Benjamin's talk with his mother-Blessings of

industry-Doctor Franklin's proverbs-Became wiser than

his father-Tallow-chandler at ten years of age-His father

saw his dissatisfaction-Josiah, the runaway son, returns-

Wanted to go to sea-The proposition vetoed-Uncle Ben-

jamin against it

PAGE

VII.

CHOOSING A TRADE AND STEALING SPORT.

Love of a trade necessary to success-Following "natural

bent"-Square boys in round holes-Smeaton-Benjamin

pleased with a new plan-Examining different trades-The

cutler, brazier, etc.-Chooses cutler's trade-Enters shop

on trial-Disagreement on terms-The good it did him—

Sport on the water-An evil proposition-Stealing stones-

The wharf built-The thieves detected-How Benjamin's

father found him out--Benjamin's confession and promise—

The end.

VIII.

BECOMING PRINTER-BOY.

James Franklin returns from England a printer-His father's talk

about learning that trade-Benjamin likes it-Arrangement

with James-Printing in its infancy then-Censorship over

printing-Bound to his brother-Form of indenture—

William Tinsley-White slavery-Poor children sold at

auction--A printer-boy and how he liked it-Time for read-

ing-Budgett The printing office, where and what-Being

on time After a book before breakfast-Washington's

punctuality --Franklin's like it

IX.

TABLE-TALK EDUCATION.

What Franklin said of table-talk -What heard at table now-

Its moulding influence-That of his grandfather-The

Franklins good in conversation-Extract from Parton-

Letter of Franklin to his wife in 1758-Pythagoras-Cicero

--Josiah Franklin-His wise counsels--Origin of his temper-

ance principles-No temperance cause then-The Wash-

burne family--The way the twig is bent

PAGE

LEADER OF SPORTS AND THOUGHT.

Love of reading and fun-The best swimmer, etc.-Invention to

promote swimming-His secret of success-The trial of the

apparatus-Hard on the wrists-Another experiment pro-

posed Swimming promoted by a kite-Delight of the boys

-What Franklin said of it in manhood-The seed-thought

of drawing lightning from a cloud with a kite-His experi-

ment and joy-What he wrote about it-Advocate of liberal

female education-Correspondence with Collins-His father's

opinion-How Benjamin tried to improve-How he gained

time-Wise maxims in age-Maxims-C. G. Frost and one

hour a day-What spare moments did for Benjamin.

XI.

STARTING A NEWSPAPER.

Only three newspapers in America-Created a stir-What news-
paper business is in Boston now-How to estimate it-
Benjamin manages the printing of it-His interest in it-
Its warm reception-Proposition to board himself What
he gained by it—His object self-improvement—James selfish,

Penjamin generous-Their talk about the plan—What his

bill-of-fare was-How come to adopt vegetable diet--More

maxims Cocker's arithmetic-His success

XII.

THE RUSE, AND WHAT CAME OF IT.

What Parton says of Courant-The knot of liberals-Ben's first

anonymous article, and his ruse-Discussion over it by the

Courant Club--Decided to publish it-Benjamin puts it in

type-It created a sensation-The second article, better than

first--Excitement over it still greater-Ben's exultation-

James' astonishment-Surprise of the "knot"-Ben

favourite now-How the "Autobiography" tells the story—