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BACKGROUND INFORMATION
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN was born in Milk Street, Boston, on January 6, 1706. His father, Josiah Franklin, was a tallow chandler who married twice, and of his seventeen children Benjamin was the youngest son. His schooling ended at ten, and at twelve he was bound apprentice to his brother James, a printer, who published the "New England Courant." To this journal he became a contributor, and later was for a time its nominal editor. But the brothers quarreled, and Benjamin ran away, going first to New York, and then to Philadelphia, where he arrived in October, 1723. Below is an excerpt from his Autobiography describing his arrival in Philadelphia as a seventeen-year-old in 1723.
Then I walked up the street, gazing about till near the market-house
I met a boy with bread. I had made many a meal on bread, and, inquiring
where he got it, I went immediately to the baker's he directed me to, in
Second street, and ask'd for bisket, intending such as we had in Boston;
but they, it seems, were not made in Philadelphia. Then I asked for a three-penny
loaf, and was told they had none such. So not considering or knowing the
difference of money, and the greater cheapness nor the names of his bread,
I made him give me three-penny worth of any sort. He gave me, accordingly,
three great puffy rolls. I was surpriz'd at the quantity, but took it,
and, having no room in my pockets, walk'd off with a roll under each arm,
and eating the other. Thus I went up Market-street as far as Fourth-street,
passing by the door of Mr. Read, my future wife's father; when she, standing
at the door, saw me, and thought I made, as I certainly did, a most awkward,
ridiculous appearance. Then I turned and went down Chestnut-street and
part of Walnut-street, eating my roll all the way, and, corning round,
found myself again at Market-street wharf, near the boat I came in, to
which I went for a draught of the river water; and, being filled with one
of my rolls, gave the other two to a woman and her child that came down
the river in the boat with us, and were waiting to go farther.
Thus refreshed, I walked again up the street, which by this time had
many clean-dressed people in it, who were all walking the same way. I joined
them, and thereby was led into the great meeting-house of the Quakers near
the market. I sat down among them, and, after looking round awhile and
hearing nothing said, being very drowsy thro' labor and want of rest the
preceding night, I fell fast asleep, and continued so till the meeting
broke up, when one was kind enough to rouse me. This was, therefore, the
first house I was in, or slept in, in Philadelphia.
Walking down again toward the river, and, looking in the faces of people,
I met a young Quaker man, whose countenance I lik'd, and, accosting him,
requested he would tell me where a stranger could get lodging. We were
then near the sign of the Three Mariners. "Here," says he, "is one place
that entertains strangers, but it is not a reputable house; if thee wilt
walk with me, I'll show thee a better." He brought me to the Crooked Billet
in Water-street. Here I got a dinner; and, while I was eating it, several
sly questions were asked me, as it seemed to be suspected from my youth
and appearance, that I might be some runaway.
After dinner, my sleepiness return'd, and being shown to a bed, I lay
down without undressing, and slept till six in the evening, was call'd
to supper, went to bed again very early, and slept soundly till next morning.
Then I made myself as tidy as I could, and went to Andrew Bradford the
printer's. I found in the shop the old man his father, whom I had seen
at New York, and who, travelling on horseback, had got to Philadelphia
before me. He introduc'd me to his son, who receiv'd me civilly, gave me
a breakfast, but told me he did not at present want a hand, being lately
suppli'd with one; but there was another printer in town, lately set up,
one Keimer, who, perhaps, might employ me; if not, I should be welcome
to lodge at his house, and he would give me a little work to do now and
then till fuller business should offer.
The old gentleman said he would go with me to the new printer; and when
we found him, "Neighbor," says Bradford, "I have brought to see you a young
man of your business; perhaps you may want such a one." He ask'd me a few
questions, put a composing stick in my hand to see how I work'd, and then
said he would employ me soon, though he had just then nothing for me to
do; and, taking old Bradford, whom he had never seen before, to be one
of the town's people that had a good will for him, enter'd into a conversation
on his present undertaking and projects; while Bradford, not discovering
that he was the other printer's father, on Keimer's saying he expected
soon to get the greatest part of the business into his own hands, drew
him on by artful questions, and starting little doubts, to explain all
his views, what interests he reli'd on, and in what manner he intended
to proceed. I, who stood by and heard all, saw immediately that one of
them was a crafty old sophister, and the other a mere novice. Bradford
left me with Keimer, who was greatly surpris'd when I told him who the
old man was.
Keimer's printing-house, I found, consisted of an old shatter'd press,
and one small, worn-out font of English which he was then using himself,
composing an Elegy on Aquila Rose, before mentioned, an ingenious young
man, of excellent character, much respected in the town, clerk of the Assembly,
and a pretty poet. Keimer made verses too, but very indifferently. He could
not be said to write them, for his manner was to compose them in the types
directly out of his head. So there being no copy, but one pair of cases,
and the Elegy likely to require all the letter, no one could help him.
I endeavor'd to put his press (which he had not yet us'd, and of which
he understood nothing) into order fit to be work'd with; and, promising
to come and print off his Elegy as soon as he should have got it ready,
I return'd to Bradford's, who gave me a little job to do for the present,
and there I lodged and dieted, A few days after, Keimer sent for me to
print off the Elegy. And now he had got another pair of cases, and a pamphlet
to reprint, on which he set me to work.
These two printers I found poorly qualified for their business. Bradford
had not been bred to it, and was very illiterate; and Keimer, tho' something
of a scholar, was a mere compositor, knowing nothing of presswork. He had
been one of the French prophets, and could act their enthusiastic agitations.
At this time he did not profess any particular religion, but something
of all on occasion; was very ignorant of the world, and had, as I afterward
found, a good deal of the knave in his composition. He did not like my
lodging at Bradford's while I work'd with him. He had a house, indeed,
but without furniture, so he could not lodge me; but he got me a lodging
at Mr. Read's, before mentioned, who was the owner of his house; and, my
chest and clothes being come by this time, I made rather a more respectable
appearance in the eyes of Miss Read than I had done when she first happen'd
to see me eating my roll in the street.
I began now to have some acquaintance among the young people of the
town, that were lovers of reading, with whom I spent my evenings very pleasantly;
and gaining money by my industry and frugality, I lived very agreeably,
forgetting Boston as much as I could, and not desiring that any there should
know where I resided, except my friend Collins, who was in my secret, and
kept it when I wrote to him. At length, an incident happened that sent
me back again much sooner than I had intended. I had a brother-in-law,
Robert Holmes, master of a sloop that traded between Boston and Delaware.
He being at Newcastle, forty miles below Philadelphia, heard there of me,
and wrote me a letter mentioning the concern of my friends in Boston at
my abrupt departure, assuring me of their good will to me, and that every
thing would be accommodated to my mind if I would return, to which he exhorted
me very earnestly. I wrote an answer to his letter, thank'd him for his
advice, but stated my reasons for quitting Boston fully and in such a light
as to convince him I was not so wrong as he had apprehended.
Sir William Keith, governor of the province, was then at Newcastle,
and Captain Holmes, happening to be in company with him when my letter
came to hand, spoke to him of me, and show'd him the letter. The governor
read it, and seem'd surpris'd when he was told my age. He said I appear'd
a young man of promising parts, and therefore should be encouraged; the
printers at Philadelphia were wretched ones; and, if I would set up there,
he made no doubt I should succeed; for his part, he would procure me the
public business, and do me every other service in his power. This my brother-in-law
afterwards told me in Boston, but I knew as yet nothing of it; when, one
day, Keimer and I being at work together near the window, we saw the governor
and another gentleman (which proved to be Colonel French, of Newcastle),
finely dress'd, come directly across the street to our house, and heard
them at the door.
Keimer ran down immediately, thinking it a visit to him; but the governor
inquir'd for me, came up, and with a condescension of politeness I had
been quite unus'd to, made me many compliments, desired to be acquainted
with me, blam'd me kindly for not having made myself known to him when
I first came to the place, and would have me away with him to the tavern,
where he was going with Colonel French to taste, as he said, some excellent
Madeira. I was not a little surprised, and Keimer star'd like a pig poison'd.
I went, however, with the governor and Colonel French to a tavern, at the
corner of Third-street, and over the Madeira he propos'd my setting up
my business, laid before me the probabilities of success, and both he and
Colonel French assur'd me I should have their interest and influence in
procuring the public business of both governments. On my doubting whether
my father would assist me in it, Sir William said he would give me a letter
to him, in which he would state the advantages, and he did not doubt of
prevailing with him. So it was concluded I should return to Boston in the
first vessel, with the governor's letter recommending me to my father.
In the mean time the intention was to be kept a secret, and I went on working
with Keimer as usual, the governor sending for me now and then to dine
with him, a very great honor I thought it, and conversing with me in the
most affable, familiar, and friendly manner imaginable....
...Our city, tho' laid out with a beautiful regularity, the streets
large, strait, and crossing each other at
right angles, had the disgrace of suffering those streets to remain
long unpav'd, and in wet weather
the wheels of heavy carriages plough'd them into a quagmire, so that
it was difficult to cross them;
and in dry weather the dust was offensive. I had liv'd near what was
call'd the Jersey Market, and
saw with pain the inhabitants wading in mud while purchasing their
provisions. A strip of ground
down the middle of that market was at length pav'd with brick, so that,
being once in the market,
they had firm footing, but were often over shoes in dirt to get there.
By talking and writing on the
subject, I was at length instrumental in getting the street pav'd with
stone between the market and the
brick'd foot-pavement, that was on each side next the houses. This,
for some time, gave an easy
access to the market dry-shod; but, the rest of the street not being
pav'd, whenever a carriage came
out of the mud upon this pavement, it shook off and left its dirt upon
it, and it was soon cover'd with
mire, which was not remov'd, the city as yet having no scavengers.
After some inquiry I found a poor industrious man, who
was willing to undertake keeping the
pavement clean, by sweeping it twice a week, carrying off the dirt
from before all the neighbours'
doors, for the sum of sixpence per month, to be paid by each house.
I then wrote and printed a
paper setting forth the advantages to the neighbourhood that might
be obtain'd by this small expense;
the greater ease in keeping our houses clean, so much dirt not being
brought in by people's feet; the
benefit to the shops by more custom, etc., etc., as buyers could more
easily get at them; and by not
having, in windy weather, the dust blown in upon their goods, etc.,
etc. I sent one of these papers to
each house, and in a day or two went round to see who would subscribe
an agreement to pay these sixpences; it was unanimously sign'd, and for
a time well executed. All the inhabitants of the city were delighted with
the cleanliness of the pavement that surrounded the market, it being a
convenience to all, and this rais'd a general desire to have all the streets
paved, and made the people more willing to submit to a tax for that purpose.
After some time I drew a bill for paving the city, and
brought it into the Assembly. It was just
before I went to England, in 1757, and did not pass till I was gone,
and then with an alteration in the mode of assessment, which I thought
not for the better, but with an additional provision for lighting as well
as paving the streets, which was a great improvement. It was by a private
person, the late Mr. John Clifton, his giving a sample of the utility of
lamps, by placing one at his door, that the people were first impress'd
with the idea of enlighting all the city. The honour of this public benefit
has also been ascrib'd to me but it belongs truly to that gentleman. I
did but follow his example, and have only some merit to claim respecting
the form of our lamps, as differing from the globe lamps we were at first
supply'd with from London. Those we found inconvenient in these respects:
they admitted no air below; the smoke, therefore, did not readily go out
above, but circulated in the globe, lodg'd on its inside, and soon obstructed
the light they were intended to afford; giving, besides, the daily trouble
of wiping them clean; and an accidental stroke on one of them would demolish
it, and render it totally useless. I therefore suggested the composing
them of four flat panes, with a long funnel above to draw up the smoke,
and crevices admitting air below, to facilitate the ascent of the smoke;
by this means they were kept clean, and did not grow dark in a few hours,
as the London lamps do, but continu'd bright till morning, and an accidental
stroke would generally break but a single pane, easily repair'd.
I have sometimes wonder'd that the Londoners did not, from
the effect holes in the bottom of the
globe lamps us'd at Vauxhall have in keeping them clean, learn to have
such holes in their street lamps. But, these holes being made for another
purpose, viz., to communicate flame more suddenly to the wick by a little
flax hanging down thro' them, the other use, of letting in air, seems not
to have been thought of; and therefore, after the lamps have been lit a
few hours, the streets of London are very poorly illuminated.
The mention of these improvements puts me in mind of one
I propos'd, when in London, to Dr.
Fothergill, who was among the best men I have known, and a great promoter
of useful projects. I
had observ'd that the streets, when dry, were never swept, and the
light dust carried away; but it
was suffer'd to accumulate till wet weather reduc'd it to mud, and
then, after lying some days so
deep on the pavement that there was no crossing but in paths kept clean
by poor people with
brooms, it was with great labour rak'd together and thrown up into
carts open above, the sides of
which suffer'd some of the slush at every jolt on the pavement to shake
out and fall, sometimes to the
annoyance of foot-passengers. The reason given for not sweeping the
dusty streets was, that the dust
would fly into the windows of shops and houses.
An accidental occurrence had instructed me how much sweeping
might be done in a little time. I
found at my door in Craven-street, one morning, a poor woman sweeping
my pavement with a birch
broom; she appeared very pale and feeble, as just come out of a fit
of sickness. I ask'd who
employ'd her to sweep there; she said, "Nobody, but I am very poor
and in distress, and I sweeps
before gentlefolkses doors, and hopes they will give me something."
I bid her sweep the whole street
clean, and I would give her a shilling; this was at nine o'clock; at
12 she came for the shilling. From
the slowness I saw at first in her working, I could scarce believe
that the work was done so soon,
and sent my servant to examine it, who reported that the whole street
was swept perfectly clean, and
all the dust plac'd in the gutter, which was in the middle; and the
next rain wash'd it quite away, so
that the pavement and even the kennel were perfectly clean.
I then judg'd that, if that feeble woman could sweep such a street in three hours, a strong, active man might have done it in half the time. And here let me remark the convenience of having but one gutter in such a narrow street, running down its middle, instead of two, one on each side, near the footway; for where all the rain that falls on a street runs from the sides and meets in the middle, it forms there a current strong enough to wash away all the mud it meets with; but when divided into two channels, it is often too weak to cleanse either, and only makes the mud it finds more fluid, so that the wheels of carriages and feet of horses throw and dash it upon the foot-pavement, which is thereby rendered foul and slippery, and sometimes splash it upon those who are walking. My proposal, communicated to the good doctor, was as follows:
"For the more effectual cleaning and keeping clean the
streets of London and Westminster, it is
proposed that the several watchmen be contracted with to have the dust
swept up in dry seasons,
and the mud rak'd up at other times, each in the several streets and
lanes of his round; that they be
furnish'd with brooms and other proper instruments for these purposes,
to be kept at their respective
stands, ready to furnish the poor people they may employ in the service.
"That in the dry summer months the dust be all swept up
into heaps at proper distances, before the
shops and windows of houses are usually opened, when the scavengers,
with close-covered carts,
shall also carry it all away.
"That the mud, when rak'd up, be not left in heaps to be
spread abroad again by the wheels of
carriages and trampling of horses, but that the scavengers be provided
with bodies of carts, not
plac'd high upon wheels, but low upon sliders, with lattice bottoms,
which, being cover'd with straw,
will retain the mud thrown into them, and permit the water to drain
from it, whereby it will become
much lighter, water making the greatest part of its weight; these bodies
of carts to be plac'd at
convenient distances, and the mud brought to them in wheel-barrows;
they remaining where plac'd
till the mud is drain'd, and then horses brought to draw them away."
I have since had doubts of the practicability of the latter
part of this proposal, on account of the
narrowness of some streets, and the difficulty of placing the draining-sleds
so as not to encumber too much the passage; but I am still of opinion that
the former, requiring the dust to be swept up and carry'd away before the
shops are open, is very practicable in the summer, when the days are long;
for, in walking thro' the Strand and Fleet-street one morning at seven
o'clock, I observ'd there was not one shop open, tho' it had been daylight
and the sun up above three hours; the inhabitants of London chusing voluntarily
to live much by candle-light, and sleep by sunshine, and yet often complain,
a little absurdly, of the duty on candles and the high price of tallow.
Some may think these trifling matters not worth minding
or relating; but when they consider that
tho' dust blown into the eyes of a single person, or into a single
shop on a windy day, is but of small
importance, yet the great number of the instances in a populous city,
and its frequent repetitions give
it weight and consequence, perhaps they will not censure very severely
those who bestow some
attention to affairs of this seemingly low nature. Human felicity is
produc'd not so much by great
pieces of good fortune that seldom happen, as by little advantages
that occur every day. Thus, if you
teach a poor young man to shave himself, and keep his razor in order,
you may contribute more to
the happiness of his life than in giving him a thousand guineas. The
money may be soon spent, the
regret only remaining of having foolishly consumed it; but in the other
case, he escapes the frequent
vexation of waiting for barbers, and of their sometimes dirty fingers,
offensive breaths, and dull
razors; he shaves when most convenient to him, and enjoys daily the
pleasure of its being done with
a good instrument. With these sentiments I have hazarded the few preceding
pages, hoping they may
afford hints which some time or other may be useful to a city I love,
having lived many years in it very
happily, and perhaps to some of our towns in America....
Reasons and Motives for the Albany Plan of Union Place of
first Meeting.
-- who shall meet for the first time at the city of Philadelphia
in Pensylvania, being called by the President General as soon as conveniently
may be after his appointment.
Philadelphia was named as being near the center of the colonies and where the Commissioners would be well and cheaply accommodated. The high-roads through the whole extent, are for the most part very good, in which forty or fifty miles a day may very well be and frequently are travelled. Great part of the way may likewise be gone by water. -- In summer-time the passages are frequently performed in a week from Charles Town to Philadelphia and New York; and from Rhode Island to New York through the Sound in two or three days; and from New York to Philadelphia by water and land in two days, by stage-boats and wheel-carriages that set out every other day. The journey from Charles Town to Philadelphia may likewise be facilitated by boats running up Chesapeak Bay three hundred miles. -- But if the whole journey be performed on horseback, the most distant members, (viz. the two from New Hampshire and from South Carolina) may probably render themselves at Philadelphia in fifteen or twenty-days; -- the majority may be there in much less time.
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