The Printer Boy

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THE HOLIDAY.— THE COPPERS IN BENJAMIN FRANKLIN'S POCKET.
— INQUIRY. - BOUNDING OUT. — THE TOY-SHOP THEN AND NOW. -
THE BOY AND HIS WHISTLE. -RESOLVED TO PURCHASE. THE BAR-

GAIN. - GOING HOME. -MAKING MUSIC. - DISCUSSION ABOUT THE
PRICE. — A POCKET FULL OF GOOD THINGS. BENJAMIN CRYING

OVER HIS WHISTLE. — A BENEFIT. - WHAT FRANKLIN SAID OF IT
SIXTY YEARS AFTER. — BOYS DO NOT LEARN FROM THE PAST. -
OTHER WAYS OF PAYING TOO DEAR FOR A WHISTLE. - DECEIT AND
FALSEHOOD. -TIPPLING. — WORLDLY PLEASURE.

II.

At School

TALK ABOUT SCHOOL. - BROTHERS AT TRADES. - BENJAMIN FOR
THE CHURCH. - EARLY LEARNED TO READ. — LONG PROCESS TO PRE-
PARE FOR MINISTRY.-“UNCLE BENJAMIN'S

REMARKS AND OFFER.
- WHO IS “ UNCLE BENJAMIN. - A HUNDRED YEARS AGO. WHEN
BENJAMIN WAS BORN. - BAPTIZED ON SAME DAY HE WAS BORN.
THE RECORD. DESCRIPTION OF HIS BIRTHPLACE. -EARLY LOVE
OF BOOKS. -HIS FATHER'S VIOLIN. -POOR BUT INDUSTRIOUS. -- SEY-
ENTEEN CHILDREN. — DECISION TO ENTER SCHOOL. — WHERE IT WAS,
AND BY WHOM KEPT. - HIS RAPID PROGRESS. -- MR. FRANKLIN'S
TRUST IN PROVIDENCE. – AT THE HEAD OF HIS CLASS. THE BOY
FATHER OF THE MAN. —DANIEL WEBSTER. DAVID RITTENHOUSE
AND GEORGE STEPHENSON. -HOPES OF BENJAMIN.

CONVERSATION BETWEEN MR. AND MRS. FRANKLIN. — DECISION TO

REMOVE BENJAMIN FROM SCHOOL, TRIALS OF MINISTERS. BREAD
BEFORE LEARNING. - SUBJECT OPENED TO BENJAMIN. - HIS FEEL-
INGS. - CHARACTER OF SCHOOLS THEN. — MR. BROWNWELL'S WRIT-
ING-SCHOOL. BENJAMIN'S OBEDIENCE. HIS FATHER STRICT. -
KEEPING THE SABBATH. - LOVE AND RESPECT FOR HIS FATHER. —

REBUKING THE INQUISITIVE LANDLORD. — ERECTING MARBLE STONE
TO THE MEMORY OF HIS PARENTS. THE STONE REPLACED BY CITI-

ZENS OF BOSTON - OBEDIENCE OF THE PEEL BOYS. HARRY GAR-
LAND. - STEPHENSON'S NOBLE ACT TO HIS PARENTS. — THE EIGHT
BROTHERS AT INAUGURATION OF THE FRANKLIN STATUE. - PROGRESS
IN PENMANSHIP. - BELOVED BY TEACHER.

PUT TO CANDLE-MAKING AT TEN YEARS OF AGE. —HIS FATHER A

TALLOW-CHANDLER, - BENJAMIN OPPOSED TO IT. -IMPORTANCE OF
INDUSTRY. - HIS FATHER'S HIVE WITHOUT DRONES. BENJAMIN'S
MAXIMS ABOUT INDUSTRY IN LATER LIFE. — “THE USED KEY AL-
WAYS BRIGHT." -" DILIGENCE THE MOTHER OF GOOD LUCK." —BAD

LUCK. - BIBLE VIEW.NO SCHOOLING AFTER TEN YEARS OF AGE.

CUTTING CANDLE-WICKS. WHERE WAS THE SHOP. - BENJAMIN

DESIRFS TO GO TO SEA. — HIS MOTHER'S VETO. - AN OLDER BROTHER

WENT TO SEA. - TALK WITH HIS FATHER. — HIS FATHER'S VETO. —

PROMISE OF ANOTHER PURSUIT. - RESPECT FOR A PATERNAL NO.'

-HIS SPORTS ON THE WATER. - NO PROSPECT OF FAME. — GIOTTI

MARKING IN THE SAND. — WEBSTER'S POCKET-HANDKERCHIEF. —

ROGER SHERMAN AT HIS BENCH. BOYS NOT EXCUSED FROM SCHOOL

BY THESE EXAMPLES. -- BENEFIT OF A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE. -SAVED

BENJAMIN RUSSELL IN THUNDER-STORM. — HOW STEPHENSON FELT

FOR HIS SON.

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WHARF. -THE HEAP OF STONES. – PLAN TO STEAL THEM. -TIME

SET IN THE EVENING. - THE PLAN EXECUTED. THE WHARF DONE.
-KEEPING THE SECRET. - BENJAMIN'S FATHER FINDS HIM OUT. -

BENJAMIN IN A TIGHT PLACE. - PROMISES TO DO BETTER. HOW
THE BOYS WERE FOUND OUT. - BENJAMIN'S READING HABITS. -
WHAT BOOKS LIKED. - MATHER'S ESSAYS TO DO GOOD.". -LETTER
TO MATHER's son. — BOYS SHOULD BE IN EVENINGS. — ADVANTAGE
OF READING. — LETTER TO A GIRL ON THE SUBJECT.

VI.

Table-Talk.

. 55

INTERVIEW WITH A FRIEND. HIS ANCESTORS. THEIR

HARD-

SHIPS. -- DENIED LIBERTY OF CONSCIENCE. -THE BIBLE UNDER THE

COUNTRY TO ENJOY RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.-CONVERSATION ON USE-

FUL THEMES AT TABLE.- ALLOWED NO COMPLAINTS ABOUT FOOD. -

INTRODUCED GUESTS AND SENSIBLE REMARKS TO PREVENT. — EF-

FECT ON BENJAMIN.—THE WASHBURNE FAMILY. - BENEFIT OF GOOD

CONVERSATION. HIS FATHER'S REMARKS ABOUT FOOD. - BENJAMIN

TEMPERATE IN EATING AND DRINKING.

THE WATER-AMERICAN."

- NO TEMPERANCE SOCIETIES THEN.-TABLE-TALK NOW. -A TABLE

SCENE.

VII.

Choosing a Trade

STILL OPPOSED TO CANDLE-MAKING. — A DIRTY, SIMPLE BUSINESS.

- WANTS TO DO SOMETHING THAT REQUIRES INGENUITY. - HIS

FATHER AND MOTHER CONFERRING TOGETHER.

"A ROLLING STONE

GATHERS NO MOSS. AFRAID HE WILL GO TO SEA. - BENJAMIN'S

VIEWS AND MAXIMS. — OPPORTUNITY TO CHOOSE A TRADE. - GOING

TO SEE DIFFERENT TRADES. — DEVOTES A DAY TO IT. — JOINER'S,

TURNER'S, AND BRICKLAYER'S WORK. — CUTLERY SHOP, HIS COUSIN'S.

- WHICH TRADE HE CHOSE. - HIS FATHER'S DECISION. — ARRANGE-

MENT TO LEARN TO MAKE CUTLERY. - WISE TO CONSULT TASTE AND

TACT OF BENJAMIN. - HANDEL THE MUSICIAN. SIR JOSHUA REY-

NOLDS. — FATHER OF JOAN SMEATON. - OPPOSING CHILD'S BENT OF

MIND.

TAKEN AWAY FROM COUSIN SAMUEL. - - HIS BROTHER'S RETURN

FROM ENGLAND. SETTING UP PRINTING BUSINESS. - PROPOSAL TO
BENJAMIN.- A LONG APPRENTICESHIP. BENJAMIN DISPOSED TO
TURN PRINTER-BOY. - HIS BROTHER'S OFFER TO TEACH HIM THE
ART OF PRINTING. — BORROWING BOOKS TO READ, AND SITTING UP
NIGHTS. — MR. ADAMS'S LIBRARY AND HIS KINDNESS. — GOING TO IT
FOR BOOKS. --SCARCITY OF BOOKS. COMPARED WITH NOW. - TWO
AND A HALF BOOKS MADE IN A MINUTE. - NO LIBRARIES THEN. -
THEIR ENORMOUS SIZE NOW.- HABIT OF READING MADE HIM PUNC-
TUAL. EXAMPLE OF LORD BROUGHAM.

A PIECE OF POETRY. PRONOUNCED GOOD. PROPOSITION TO

66
PRINT HIS ARTICLES. THE LIGHT-HOUSE TRAGEDY." — A SAILOR'S
SONG. - PRINTING THEM. - SELLING THEM IN THE STREETS. A
SUCCESSFUL ENTERPRISE. HIS FATHER OPPOSES. -CONDEMNS PO-
ETRY IN GENERAL AND BENJAMIN'S IN PARTICULAR. — A SEVERE
REBUKE. CRESTFALLEN. - CONFERENCE WITH JAMES. HIS FA-
THER'S CENSURE A BENEFIT.- PRACTICE OF WRITING COMPOSITION
EXCELLENT. — HOW IT BENEFITED BENJAMIN, EVEN PECUNIARILY.
-THE FARMER'S SON AND MINISTER.

The Dispute

DISPUTE WITH JOHN COLLINS. - A BOOKISH FELLOW. -THE EDU-

CATION OF GIRLS. THE CONTROVERSIAL CORRESPONDENCE. - HIS
FATHER FINDS THE LETTERS. HIS CRITICISMS. — COLLINS MORE
EXCELLENCES THAN BENJAMIN. -BOUGHT A COPY OF THE SPECTA-
TOR AND STUDIED IT LABORIOUSLY. — SORRY THAT HE DID NOT
CONTINUE TO WRITE POETRY.-HIS FATHER'S COUNSEL. —HIS ECON-
OMY OF TIME. - A BOOK ALWAYS BY HIS SIDE. HIS MAXIMS ON
THIS SUBJECT. - - VIOLATING THE SABBATH TO GAIN TIME TO STUDY.

USEFUL CONVERSATION AND TALKING NONSENSE. - HUNDREDS
RUINED BY A SIMILAR CAUSE. WALTER SCOTT HIDING NOVELS
FROM HIS FATHER. -POPE GOING TO THE THEATRE. -EXCEPTIONS

TO THE GENERAL RULE.

XI.

Plain Fare.

103

PROPOSITION TO BOARD HIMSELF. - BECAME A VEGETARIAN BY

READING TRYON'S BOOK. — WHY HE DID IT. — HOW MUCH MONEY

HE SAVED BY DOING IT. -SPENT IT FOR BOOKS. - HOW MUCH

TIME SAVED ALSO. - COCKER'S ARITHMETIC. - OTHER BOOKS READ

AT ODD MOMENTS. HIS PLAN TO SAVE TIME. HIS MAXIMS ON

SAVING TIME. - AIM TO BE USEFUL. THE ENGLISH GRAMMAR. —

SHAFTESBURY'S WORKS. — BENJAMIN A DOUBTER. —MAKES KNOWN

HIS DOUBTS TO COLLINS. - DANGER OF READING ATTACKS UPON THE