DATE OF THE FOUNDATION OF THE SOCIETY. 189 



as the second group of evidences, we are immediately 

 faced with the fact that the writers of these letters, 

 during the same period of time as that covered by the 

 minutes, use expressions about the Junto which are 

 difficult if not impossible to conciliate with the minutes. 

 The body which is referred to in this correspondence 

 is repeatedly spoken of as "the ancient Junto," "the 

 old Junto," "the good old Junto," "the good old club, 

 the Junto." Its members are described as "the re- 

 maining members of the good old Junto," "the worthy 

 remains of the ancient Junto," "our old friends of the 

 Junto, Hospital and Insurance." Its members are 

 spoken of by Franklin as having "grown gray to- 

 gether " ; it is described in 1765 as t i wanting but about 

 two years of 40 since it was established." Eoberts 

 speaks of the "trivial chat" that went on at its meet- 

 ings, and Franklin says, "I love company . . . and relish 

 even better than I used to do the grave observations 

 and wise sentences of old men's conversation, so that I 

 am sure the Junto will be still agreeable to me as it 

 ever has been. I therefore hope it will not be discon- 

 tinued as long as we are able to crawl together." 5 One 

 obtains from these letters an impression of a very dif- 

 ferent body from that described in the minutes. 



The body described in the correspondence seems to 

 be a group of elderly men, bound together by old asso- 



s Keport, pp. 129, 130, 132-3, 135, 137-8. Franklin to Koberts, July 

 16, 1753, Sept. 15, 1758, Feb. 16, 1761, July 7, 1765, Feb. 27, 1766. 



Eoberts to Franklin, May 15, 1760, May 20, 1765, Oct. 12, 1765, June 

 24, 1785. 



Syng to Franklin, May 1, 1766. 



