106 CONVERSATIONS ON 



whom your book meant was Dr. Franklin. 

 Did you ever hear of him ?" 



" Oh, yes ; he was born in Boston, and was 

 a printer, and afterward became a very great 



man." 



" That is true. He was a man of excellent 

 sense, who both read and thought a great 

 deal ; and in the war which the people of this 

 country had with England to get their free- 

 dom, Dr. Franklin's sound sense was of great 

 use to his countrymen." 



" But, Uncle Philip, how did the kite help 

 him ?" 



" I will tell you. If you take a proper piece 

 of glass, or sulphur, or sealing-wax, or rosin, 

 and rub it for some time, and then hold 

 it near to small bits of thread or paper, the 

 thread or paper will fly towards the glass or 

 sealing-wax, and stick to it for a short time. 

 That which makes them fly to the glass and 

 stick there, is called electricity. After this 

 was found out, men went on slowly finding 

 out more and more, until at last a man named 

 Hawksbee made a large machine with a glass 

 barrel, which could be turned around by a han- 

 dle like that which you see to a grindstone ; 

 and with this machine (which I will show you 



