AS Printer and Philosopher 57 



used against any scab in a unionized printing office. 

 He says in his autobiography: " I had so many little 

 pieces of private mischief done me by mixing my sorts, 

 transposing my pages, breaking my matter, and so forth, 

 if I were ever so little out of the room . . . that, not- 

 withstanding the master's protection, I found myself 

 obliged to comply and pay the money, convinced of the 

 folly of being on ill terms with those one is to live with 

 continually." He was stronger than any of his mates, 

 kept his head clearer because he did not fuddle it with 

 beer, and availed himself of the liberty which then 

 existed of working as fast and as much as he chose. On 

 this point he says: "My constant attendance (I never 

 making a St. Monday) recommended me to the master; 

 and my uncommon quickness at composing occasioned 

 my being put upon all work of dispatch, which was gen- 

 erally better paid. So I went on now very agreeably." 

 On his return to Philadelphia Franklin obtained for a 

 few months another occupation than that of printer; but 

 this employment failing through the death of his em- 

 ployer, Franklin again returned to printing, becoming 

 the manager of a small printing office, in which he was 

 the only skilled workman and was expected to teach sev- 

 eral green hands. At that time he was only twenty-one 

 years of age. This printing office often wanted sorts, 

 and there was no type-foundry in America. Franklin 

 succeeded in contriving a mold, struck the matrices in 



