COUNT RUMFORD 37 



fu.l horseman, a skillful swordsman, spoke French and German, thus 

 possessing all the accomplishments of a veritable Admirable Crichton. 



When crossing the Channel his fellow voyager was the historian 

 Gibbon, who, in writing to Lord Sheffield, described his companion as 

 " Secretary, Colonel, Admiral and Philosopher Thompson." On arriv- 

 ing at Strasburg he found a military review in progress, commanded 

 by Prince Maximilian of Bavaria, then field-marshal in the service of 

 France. Thompson had taken several blooded horses with him from 

 England, and he appeared at the parade mounted on one of his Eng- 

 lish thoroughbreds in the full uniform of a colonel in the dragoons. 

 He at once attracted the attention of the prince, who invited him to 

 dine, and was so delighted with his company that he asked him to 

 pass through Munich, giving him a letter to his uncle, the elector of 

 Bavaria. 



Although he spent but five days at Munich, he so captivated the 

 elector that he was earnestly invited to enter his service ; but still desir- 

 ing to engage in military service, he continued his journey to Austria. 

 At Vienna he was presented at court, mingled with the first society, 

 and received the most nattering attention. While still at Vienna he 

 received another pressing invitation from the elector of Bavaria to 

 return to Munich. 



Finding that the war with the Turks was at an end, and deciding to 

 accept the elector's offer, he returned to England for the purpose of 

 obtaining the king's permission to serve the elector. In granting his 

 request, George III. conferred on him the title of knighthood. 



This soldier of good fortune now entered Bavaria as Sir Benjamin 

 Thompson, soon to be privy counselor of state to the elector. Only 

 twelve years had elapsed since he had taught school in small New 

 England towns, and only fifteen- years since he stood in the streets 

 of Boston selling fire wood that he had cut with his own hands and 

 hauled to town. On his arrival in Munich, his energy and enterpr'se 

 were allowed full scope. He at once began reforms in the army by 

 improving the arms, clothing and sleeping quarters of the troops. For 

 the production of supplies he established military workshops, employ- 

 ing soldiers that had before been idle. The subject of idleness and 

 pauperism engrossed his attention, and he addressed himself to the 

 solution of their causes and the remedy. Schools were established in 

 all the regiments for teaching reading, writing and arithmetic. The 

 soldiers, their children and the peasants were taught gratuitously. As 

 a result, ignorant, idle soldiers became intelligent laborers, proud of 

 their work. 



Thompson was the inventor of our modern system of charity 

 organization. Bavaria was swarming with beggars. He proposed to 

 make them industrious and self-supporting; to make them happy first 

 and virtuous afterward. A large building called the House of In- 



