they bought anything and everything at unheard of prices. For this reason, an auction was a good place to preach economy, temperance and honest work.

The fame of Father Abraham's Speech spread everywhere. Newspapers printed it again and again. It traveled to England. It crossed the English Channel to France. In time it reached every corner of Europe, and was translated into many different tongues. It is still read by the peoples of France, of sunny Italy and of modern Greece; by the blue eyed Germans of the North and the Spaniards and Portuguese of the South. It is today for sale in the book shops of Russia and Bohemia. You can buy it in Holland. It has even been translated into Gaelic, in order that the Irish may read it in their native language. Nothing else, written in the time of the colonies, is so famous and so widely read today.

Here are some of "Poor Richard's" proverbs, taken from Father Abraham's Speech:

"Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise."

"God helps them that help themselves."

"Little strokes fell great oaks."

"The rotten apple spoils his companion."

"Never leave that till tomorrow, which you can do today."

"A small leak will sink a great ship."

"Silks and satins, scarlets and velvet's put out the kitchen fire."

"When the well is dry they know the worth of water." "Experience keeps a dear school, but fools will learn in

no other."

"He that goes a borrowing, goes a sorrowing; and, indeed, so does he that lends to such people, when he goes to

get it again. Rather to bed supperless than rise in debt." "Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of."

A copy of Poor Richard fell into the hands of John Paul Jones, the famous sea hero of the American Revolution, while he was waiting for his promised ship at the great harbor of Brest, in the northwest of France. Month after month passed. He wrote letter after letter to Paris, begging for his vessel. One day, almost beside himself, he chanced to pick up the almanac in a restaurant and read: "If you would have your business done, go; if not, send." He sprang to his feet, crying: "That was written for me!" and started immediately for Versailles, where King Louis XVI and his court then were. Delays were ended. At once he got his ship, and the very first thing he did was to paint out its name. Then, in gratitude to Franklin and in compliment to the French, on prow and stern he printed the words: "Bon Homme Richard" -"Goodman Richard."

"THE FRIEND OF HUMAN KIND"

Franklin and his friends had already formed a club for debate, the Junto. Later he suggested that the members keep their books in a common room. In some ways the plan did not work well, so he started a public subscription library. This was the beginning not only of the public library of Philadelphia, but of the present great public library system of America.

Franklin, from now on, took deeper and deeper interest in public matters. When a reform was needed, he would first write an article on the subject and read it at his Club. If the members thought well of it, he would then print it in his newspaper, that had now

become popular. These articles would lead to other articles and letters to the paper; these also were published, and in a few weeks, the proposed reform would become such a public question that it would be taken up by the government of the city or of the colony.

Stirring up the interest of his fellow citizens in this way, Franklin had regular watchmen hired to guard Philadelphia at night, and so prepared the way for our police system of today. Rousing their pride and interest in the same way, Franklin had the streets of Philadelphia paved and better lighted, the pavements about the market swept, and the first militia organized. In this way, too, he started a Union Fire Company, the first of its kind in the province. Before that time, at the cry of fire, every one in the city stopped work, men snatched their buckets and rushed along the streets. There was no one to command, no system in putting out the fire. Every man did what first came into his head to do, and hopeless disorder followed.

Franklin invented an open stove which he called "The Pennsylvania Fireplace." It gave out more heat and used less wood than the stoves then in use. This was a great blessing to the colonists and the beginning of the American stove industry of today. Though a patent was offered to Franklin by the governor, which would have given him alone the right to make and sell his stove, he refused to profit by his invention "from a principle," he said, "which has ever weighed with me on such occasions, namely,—that as we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours; and this we should do freely and generously." A London stove-maker,

not so high-minded, made some small changes in the stove, got a patent for it in England and made a small fortune.

Franklin invented a copper-plate press, and printed the first paper money used in New Jersey. He invented, and his clever hands shaped, many original and useful things: A mangle for pressing linen; a clock that showed the hours, minutes and seconds, on three revolving wheels; a mechanical arm for taking books down from high shelves in his library. And he first, for his own use, made spectacles with double lenses, so arranged that they could be used equally well for reading and for seeing at a distance.

He made many experiments to learn the laws of heat, light and sound. By laying pieces of colored cloth on the snow, he discovered which colors are the best conductors of heat. He seemed forever working over some new scientific or mechanical problem. He was deeply interested in the new improvements in such different things as air pumps, guns and carriage wheels. As a result of his many experiments and studies, he wrote about fire and heat, light and sound, sun spots and shooting stars, the tides; and about air, the wind and ventilation.

Finding one day in a ditch a sprouting twig of willow, part of a broken basket, in which some foreign goods had been brought into the country, he planted it. From this tree all the yellow basket-willows in America are said to have come.

In 1750 he started an academy which grew to be Philadelphia College, and today has become the great University of Pennsylvania. Though Franklin's days were full of work, he learned by himself to read with ease French, Spanish and Italian. He found time, also, to play the harp, guitar and violin.

SEIZING THE LIGHTNING

To be free from business, so that he could give himself to the study of electricity, Franklin sold his newspaper and printing house to his partner for eighteen thousand pounds-more than $90,000 of our money. This, paid in yearly sums, gave Franklin, at the age of forty-two an income large enough to live upon for the rest of his life. He now made endless experiments in electricity, of which men at that time knew almost nothing. And in June, 1752, he made the discovery that gave him world-wide fame. During a thunderstorm in Philadelphia, Franklin flew his famous silk kite, with its metal point and its wet string of hemp. From a key, tied to this string, he drew an electric spark and caught the electricity in a jar, which he had made for that purpose. In this way Franklin first proved that the power of the lightning could be captured, and that lightning and electricity are the same. And so, he made possible many great discoveries and inventions by other men. Because of him, we have the telegraph and the telephone of today. And because of him, electricity has become man's useful servant. It runs his engines, turns his machinery, drives his street cars and automobiles, rings his bells, cooks his food, and heats and lights his home. And Franklin took the first step to guard man against the dangers of electricity, for he it was who invented the lightning rod. The Royal Society of London that first laughed at Franklin now did him honor; the Royal Academies of Paris and of Madrid elected him one of their members; the colleges of Yale and Harvard gave him the degree of Master of Arts. And people in admiration began to call him "Doctor Franklin."