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of his work on the activities of the present day, to an extent that 
is unparalleled. To a large degree he had a knack of doing the 
right thing at the right time, which is epitomized by the American 
people as horse sense, —a quality which justly assigns him to a high 
place among men of worldly wisdom. He had a faculty of per- 
forming the most arduous labors on the most momentous occasions 
in such a quiet way that even his nearest friends often were entirely 
ignorant of his agency in the matter; and little did he care whether 
the credit of the deed came to him or went elsewhere. He seemed to 
turn off work of the highest order as easily as the sun shines or the rain 
falls, and just as unconsciously. A marked peculiarity with him was 
doing his whole duty on all occasions, without making a fuss about it. 
An estimate of his father’s character, given in Franklin’s own 
words, would apply equally well to himself: ‘‘ His great excellence 
was his sound understanding, and his solid judgment in prudential 
matters, both in private and public affairs.’’ 
In order to trace some of these qualities towards their source, it 
is necessary to examine the causes at work during Franklin’s early 
life, and even to go back still further and learn what influences had 
been brought to bear on his ancestors ; since the influence of hered- 
ity must in this, as in every such case, be considered. It has been 
wittily said by a writer—so distinguished in many ways that I 
hardly know whether to speak of him as a poet or a physician, but 
whom all will recognize as ‘‘ the Autocrat of the Breakfast Table ”’ 
—that a man’s education begins a hundred years before he is born. 
I am almost tempted to add that even then he is putting on only 
the finishing touches of his training. A man is a composite being, 
both in body and soul, with a long line of ancestry whose begin- 
ning it is impossible to trace ; and every succeeding generation only 
helps to bind and weld together the various and innumerable quali- 
ties which make up his personality, though they be modified by 
countless circumstances that form his later education, and for which 
he alone is responsible. Of Franklin it may be said that he came 
of sturdy stock, none better in New England, poor in this world’s 
goods, but rich in faith and the hope of immortality. On both 
sides of the family his ancestors, as far back as the records go, were 
pious folk, hard-working and God-fearing. They knew the value of 
time and money, and they also placed a high estimate on learning 
and wisdom. From such a source it fell to his lot to inherit life, 
and his heritage was better than silver or gold. 
