AMEBICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. 11 



ophy, to be discussed by the Company; and once in 

 three months, produce and read an essay of his own, 

 on any subject he pleased. Their debates were to 

 be under the direction of a President, and to be 

 conducted in the sincere spirit of enquiry after truth, 

 without fondness for dispute or desire of victory; 

 and to prevent warmth, all expressions of positive- 

 ness in opinions, or direct contradiction, were after 

 sometime, made contraband, and prohibited under 

 small pecuniary penalties. 11 



The number of the members was limited to twelve. 12 



The first members of the Society were himself, 

 Joseph Breintnall, Thomas Godfrey, Nicholas Scull, 

 Wm. Parsons, William Mangridge, Hugh Meredith, 

 Stephen Potts, George Webb, Robert Grace, and 

 William Coleman, who, with Franklin, were the only 

 survivors at the time of the union of the two Societies. 



This is all that is found in Franklin's autobiog- 

 raphy respecting the Junto, except the character of 

 its first members, which are too well known to need 

 to be repeated here. But in some loose sheets found 

 among his papers, and which have been preserved 

 by Mr. Sparks, some further light is thrown upon 

 the subject. 



Among those scraps (if anything from Franklin 

 may be so called) we find a paper entitled: " Rules 

 for a Club established for mutual improvement,' 7 



11 1 Sparks' Franklin," 81. 

 12 Ibid., 129. 



