The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (16 page)

I did not disapprove of the design, but, as Georgia was then
destitute of materials and workmen, and it was proposed to send
them from Philadelphia at a great expense, I thought it would have
been better to have built the house here, and brought the children
to it. This I advis'd; but he was resolute in his first project,
rejected my counsel, and I therefore refus'd to contribute.
I happened soon after to attend one of his sermons, in the course
of which I perceived he intended to finish with a collection,
and I silently resolved he should get nothing from me, I had in my
pocket a handful of copper money, three or four silver dollars,
and five pistoles in gold. As he proceeded I began to soften,
and concluded to give the coppers. Another stroke of his oratory
made me asham'd of that, and determin'd me to give the silver;
and he finish'd so admirably, that I empty'd my pocket wholly into
the collector's dish, gold and all. At this sermon there was also
one of our club, who, being of my sentiments respecting the building
in Georgia, and suspecting a collection might be intended, had,
by precaution, emptied his pockets before he came from home.
Towards the conclusion of the discourse, however, he felt a strong
desire to give, and apply'd to a neighbour, who stood near him,
to borrow some money for the purpose. The application was
unfortunately
(made)
to perhaps the only man in the company who had
the firmness not to be affected by the preacher. His answer was,
"At any other time, Friend Hopkinson, I would lend to thee freely;
but not now, for thee seems to be out of thy right senses."

Some of Mr. Whitefield's enemies affected to suppose that he would
apply these collections to his own private emolument; but I who was
intimately acquainted with him (being employed in printing his Sermons
and Journals, etc.), never had the least suspicion of his integrity,
but am to this day decidedly of opinion that he was in all his conduct
a perfectly honest man, and methinks my testimony in his favour
ought to have the more weight, as we had no religious connection.
He us'd, indeed, sometimes to pray for my conversion, but never
had the satisfaction of believing that his prayers were heard.
Ours was a mere civil friendship, sincere on both sides, and lasted
to his death.

The following instance will show something of the terms on which
we stood. Upon one of his arrivals from England at Boston,
he wrote to me that he should come soon to Philadelphia,
but knew not where he could lodge when there, as he understood
his old friend and host, Mr. Benezet, was removed to Germantown.
My answer was, "You know my house; if you can make shift with
its scanty accommodations, you will be most heartily welcome."
He reply'd, that if I made that kind offer for Christ's sake,
I should not miss of a reward. And I returned, "Don't let me
be mistaken; it was not for Christ's sake, but for your sake."
One of our common acquaintance jocosely remark'd, that, knowing it
to be the custom of the saints, when they received any favour,
to shift the burden of the obligation from off their own shoulders,
and place it in heaven, I had contriv'd to fix it on earth.

The last time I saw Mr. Whitefield was in London, when he consulted
me about his Orphan House concern, and his purpose of appropriating
it to the establishment of a college.

He had a loud and clear voice, and articulated his words and
sentences so perfectly, that he might be heard and understood at
a great distance, especially as his auditories, however numerous,
observ'd the most exact silence. He preach'd one evening from the top
of the Court-house steps, which are in the middle of Market-street,
and on the west side of Second-street, which crosses it at right angles.
Both streets were fill'd with his hearers to a considerable distance.
Being among the hindmost in Market-street, I had the curiosity
to learn how far he could be heard, by retiring backwards down
the street towards the river; and I found his voice distinct till I
came near Front-street, when some noise in that street obscur'd it.
Imagining then a semi-circle, of which my distance should be the radius,
and that it were fill'd with auditors, to each of whom I allow'd
two square feet, I computed that he might well be heard by more
than thirty thousand. This reconcil'd me to the newspaper accounts
of his having preach'd to twenty-five thousand people in the fields,
and to the antient histories of generals haranguing whole armies,
of which I had sometimes doubted.

By hearing him often, I came to distinguish easily between sermons
newly compos'd, and those which he had often preach'd in the course
of his travels. His delivery of the latter was so improv'd by frequent
repetitions that every accent, every emphasis, every modulation
of voice, was so perfectly well turn'd and well plac'd, that,
without being interested in the subject, one could not help being
pleas'd with the discourse; a pleasure of much the same kind with that
receiv'd from an excellent piece of musick. This is an advantage
itinerant preachers have over those who are stationary, as the latter
can not well improve their delivery of a sermon by so many rehearsals.

His writing and printing from time to time gave great advantage
to his enemies; unguarded expressions, and even erroneous opinions,
delivered in preaching, might have been afterwards explain'd
or qualifi'd by supposing others that might have accompani'd them,
or they might have been deny'd; but litera scripta monet.
Critics attack'd his writings violently, and with so much appearance
of reason as to diminish the number of his votaries and prevent
their encrease; so that I am of opinion if he had never written
any thing, he would have left behind him a much more numerous
and important sect, and his reputation might in that case have been
still growing, even after his death, as there being nothing of his
writing on which to found a censure and give him a lower character,
his proselytes would be left at liberty to feign for him as great
a variety of excellence as their enthusiastic admiration might wish
him to have possessed.

My business was now continually augmenting, and my circumstances growing
daily easier, my newspaper having become very profitable, as being
for a time almost the only one in this and the neighbouring provinces.
I experienced, too, the truth of the observation, "that after
getting the first hundred pound, it is more easy to get the second,"
money itself being of a prolific nature.

The partnership at Carolina having succeeded, I was encourag'd
to engage in others, and to promote several of my workmen,
who had behaved well, by establishing them with printing-houses
in different colonies, on the same terms with that in Carolina.
Most of them did well, being enabled at the end of our term, six years,
to purchase the types of me and go on working for themselves,
by which means several families were raised. Partnerships often
finish in quarrels; but I was happy in this, that mine were all
carried on and ended amicably, owing, I think, a good deal to
the precaution of having very explicitly settled, in our articles,
every thing to be done by or expected from each partner, so that
there was nothing to dispute, which precaution I would therefore
recommend to all who enter into partnerships; for, whatever esteem
partners may have for, and confidence in each other at the time
of the contract, little jealousies and disgusts may arise, with ideas
of inequality in the care and burden of the business, etc., which
are attended often with breach of friendship and of the connection,
perhaps with lawsuits and other disagreeable consequences.

I had, on the whole, abundant reason to be satisfied with my being
established in Pennsylvania. There were, however, two things
that I regretted, there being no provision for defense, nor for
a compleat education of youth; no militia, nor any college.
I therefore, in 1743, drew up a proposal for establishing an academy;
and at that time, thinking the Reverend Mr. Peters, who was out
of employ, a fit person to superintend such an institution,
I communicated the project to him; but he, having more profitable
views in the service of the proprietaries, which succeeded,
declin'd the undertaking; and, not knowing another at that time
suitable for such a trust, I let the scheme lie a while dormant.
I succeeded better the next year, 1744, in proposing and establishing
a Philosophical Society. The paper I wrote for that purpose will
be found among my writings, when collected.

With respect to defense, Spain having been several years at war
against Great Britain, and being at length join'd by France,
which brought us into great danger; and the laboured and long-continued
endeavour of our governor, Thomas, to prevail with our Quaker Assembly
to pass a militia law, and make other provisions for the security
of the province, having proved abortive, I determined to try what might
be done by a voluntary association of the people. To promote this,
I first wrote and published a pamphlet, entitled PLAIN TRUTH, in which I
stated our defenceless situation in strong lights, with the necessity
of union and discipline for our defense, and promis'd to propose in
a few days an association, to be generally signed for that purpose.
The pamphlet had a sudden and surprising effect. I was call'd upon
for the instrument of association, and having settled the draft
of it with a few friends, I appointed a meeting of the citizens
in the large building before mentioned. The house was pretty full;
I had prepared a number of printed copies, and provided pens and ink
dispers'd all over the room. I harangued them a little on the subject,
read the paper, and explained it, and then distributed the copies,
which were eagerly signed, not the least objection being made.

When the company separated, and the papers were collected, we found
above twelve hundred hands; and, other copies being dispersed
in the country, the subscribers amounted at length to upward
of ten thousand. These all furnished themselves as soon as they
could with arms, formed themselves into companies and regiments,
chose their own officers, and met every week to be instructed
in the manual exercise, and other parts of military discipline.
The women, by subscriptions among themselves, provided silk colors,
which they presented to the companies, painted with different devices
and mottos, which I supplied.

The officers of the companies composing the Philadelphia regiment,
being met, chose me for their colonel; but, conceiving myself unfit,
I declin'd that station, and recommended Mr. Lawrence, a fine
person, and man of influence, who was accordingly appointed.
I then propos'd a lottery to defray the expense of building
a battery below the town, and furnishing it with cannon.
It filled expeditiously, and the battery was soon erected, the merlons
being fram'd of logs and fill'd with earth. We bought some old
cannon from Boston, but, these not being sufficient, we wrote to
England for more, soliciting, at the same time, our proprietaries
for some assistance, tho' without much expectation of obtaining it.

Meanwhile, Colonel Lawrence, William Allen, Abram Taylor,
Esqr., and myself were sent to New York by the associators,
commission'd to borrow some cannon of Governor Clinton. He at first
refus'd us peremptorily; but at dinner with his council, where there
was great drinking of Madeira wine, as the custom of that place
then was, he softened by degrees, and said he would lend us six.
After a few more bumpers he advanc'd to ten; and at length he
very good-naturedly conceded eighteen. They were fine cannon,
eighteen-pounders, with their carriages, which we soon transported
and mounted on our battery, where the associators kept a nightly
guard while the war lasted, and among the rest I regularly took
my turn of duty there as a common soldier.

My activity in these operations was agreeable to the governor and council;
they took me into confidence, and I was consulted by them in every
measure wherein their concurrence was thought useful to the association.
Calling in the aid of religion, I propos'd to them the proclaiming
a fast, to promote reformation, and implore the blessing of Heaven on
our undertaking. They embrac'd the motion; but, as it was the first
fast ever thought of in the province, the secretary had no precedent
from which to draw the proclamation. My education in New England,
where a fast is proclaimed every year, was here of some advantage:
I drew it in the accustomed stile, it was translated into German,
printed in both languages, and divulg'd thro' the province. This gave
the clergy of the different sects an opportunity of influencing their
congregations to join in the association, and it would probably have
been general among all but Quakers if the peace had not soon interven'd.

It was thought by some of my friends that, by my activity in
these affairs, I should offend that sect, and thereby lose my interest
in the Assembly of the province, where they formed a great majority.
A young gentleman who had likewise some friends in the House,
and wished to succeed me as their clerk, acquainted me that it
was decided to displace me at the next election; and he, therefore,
in good will, advis'd me to resign, as more consistent with my honour
than being turn'd out. My answer to him was, that I had read or heard
of some public man who made it a rule never to ask for an office,
and never to refuse one when offer'd to him. "I approve,"
says I, "of his rule, and will practice it with a small addition;
I shall never ask, never refuse, nor ever resign an office.
If they will have my office of clerk to dispose of to another,
they shall take it from me. I will not, by giving it up, lose my
right of some time or other making reprisals on my adversaries."
I heard, however, no more of this; I was chosen again unanimously
as usual at the next election. Possibly, as they dislik'd my late
intimacy with the members of council, who had join'd the governors
in all the disputes about military preparations, with which the House
had long been harass'd, they might have been pleas'd if I would
voluntarily have left them; but they did not care to displace me
on account merely of my zeal for the association, and they could
not well give another reason.