220 The Franklin Bi-centennial 



had been probed and illustrated by the Colonial Philoso- 

 phers in many aspects, with a directness and insight 

 which might in more settled times have given promise 

 of an earlier Faraday. They recall that soon after, in 

 I753> the Copley Medal was conferred upon Franklin 

 for his achievement in the identification and control of 

 the forces of lightning: that he was elected a Fellow 

 of the Royal Society in 1756, his name by a special 

 resolution being inserted on the register without waiting 

 his attendance for admission, and the customary annual 

 payments of a Fellow being foregone: that he began a 

 period of active administrative connexion by serving 

 on the Council in 1760: that he used his ability and in- 

 fluence to uphold Priestley when in trouble in 1767: 

 that he took a prominent part in the Committees which 

 in 1769 advised on the protection from lightning of St. 

 Paul's Cathedral and the magazines at Purfleet. 



When by stress of political disturbance he was called 

 upon to play the part of a citizen in times of danger, 

 by the efficiency and dignity of simple intellect he moved 

 as a power among the controlling social forces of the 

 world. As in another famous case, the fraternity of 

 Science and its aim towards the intellectual develop- 

 ment of mankind were hardly allowed to be interrupted 

 by the passion of those discordant activities, against any 

 possible recurrence of which it is now our own duty 

 to provide. Had the intense and steadfast genius of 



