*% BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 7 



Having published propositions relating to the education of 

 youth in Pennsylvania, Franklin started a subscription for an 

 academy that was opened in 1749. He was a member of the 

 building committee of the institution and of the board of 

 trustees. It was incorporated as " the College, Academy, and 

 Charitable School of Philadelphia " in 1755 ; its funds were in- 

 creased by contributions from Great Britain ; land was granted 

 to it by the proprietaries and other land was added by the 

 Assembly ; and the institution grew into the University of 

 Pennsylvania. 



In 1742 Franklin invented the Franklin stove, with pro- 

 vision for warming the fresh air on its entering. The merits 

 and advantages of this new method of warming rooms, which 

 was claimed also to be superior in economy to the former 

 methods, were set forth in detail in his pamphlet on " The New- 

 invented Pennsylvania Freplaces." Franklin made a present 

 of* the model of the stove to his friend Robert Grace, who, 

 being the proprietor of an iron furnace, found the casting of 

 them profitable. Governor Thomas was so pleased with 

 Franklin's description of the stoves that he offered him a 

 patent upon them ; but this Franklin declined from a principle 

 which he says had ever weighed upon him on such occasions 

 "that as we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of 

 others, we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by 

 an invention of ours ; and this we should do freely and gener- 

 ously." An ironmonger of London, having made some small 

 changes in the stove, " which rather hurt its operation," pat- 

 ented it and made a little fortune out of it. " And this," says 

 Franklin, " is not the only instance of patents taken out for 

 my inventions by others, though not always with the same 

 success, which I never contested, having no desire to profit by 

 patents myself, and hating disputes." 



In time Franklin yielded to his taste for investigation and 

 public discussions and retired from private business, flattering 

 himself, as he said, that by the sufficient though moderate for- 

 tune he had acquired he had secured leisure during the rest of 

 his life for philosophical studies and amusements. But the 

 public, he complained, now considering him a man of leisure, 

 laid hold of him for their purposes, every part of the civil 

 government, and almost at the same time, imposing some duty 

 upon him. 



