FRANKLIN. 
knowledge, proposed that the books should 
be lent out for paying a small sum for the 
indulgence. Thus, in a few years, the soci- 
ety became rich, and possessed more books 
than were, perhaps, to be found in all the 
other colonies. The collection was ad- 
vanced into a public library, and the other 
colonies, sensible of its advantage, began 
to form similar plans, from whence origi- 
nated the libraries at Boston, New York, 
Charlestown, &c. ; that of Philadelphia be- 
ing now scarcely inferior to any in Europe. 
About 1728, or 1729, young Franklin set 
up a newspaper, the second in Philadel- 
phia, which proved very profitable, and 
otherwise useful, as affording an opportu- 
nity of making himself known as a political 
writer, by inserting several of his writings 
of that kind into it. In addition to his 
printing-house, he set up a shop to sell 
books and stationary, and in 1730 he mar- 
ried his wife, who proved very useful in 
assisting to manage the shop, &c. He af- 
terwards began to have some leisure, both 
for reading books and writing them, of 
which he gave many specimens from time 
to time. In 1732 he began to publish Poor 
Richard’s Almanack, which was continued 
for many years. It was always remarkable 
for the numerous and valuable concise max- 
ims it contained for the economy of human 
life, all tending to exhort to industry and 
frugality ; and, in the almanack for the 
last year, all the maxims were collected in 
an address to the reader, entitled the Way 
to Wealth. This has been translated into 
various languages, and inserted in various 
publications. It. has also been printed on a 
large sheet, proper to be framed and hung 
up in conspicuous places in ail houses, as it 
very well deserves to be. Mr. Franklin 
became gradually more known for his po- 
litical talents, and in the year 1736, he 
was appointed clerk to the general assem- 
bly at Pennsylvania, and was re-elected by 
succeeding assemblies for several years, till 
he was chosen representative for the city 
of Philadelphia ; and in 1737 he was ap- 
pointed post-master to that city. In 1738 
he formed the first fire company there, to 
extinguish and prevent fires and the burn- 
ing of houses ; an example which was soon 
followed by other persons and other places. 
And soon after he suggested the plan for an 
association for insuring houses and ships 
from losses by fire, which was adopted, and 
the association continues to this day. In 
the year 1744, during a war between France 
and Great Britain, some French and Indi- 
ans made inroads upon the frontier inhabi- 
tants of the province, who were unprovided 
for such an attack; the situation of the 
province was at that time truly alarming, 
being destitute of every means of defence. 
At this crisis Franklin stepped forth, and 
proposed to a meeting of the citizens of 
Philadelphia, a plan of a voluntary associ- 
ation for the defence of the province. 
— This was approved of, and signed by 
1200 persons immediately. Copies of it 
were circulated through the province, and 
in a short time the number of signatures 
amounted to 10,000. Franklin was chosen 
colonel of the Philadelphia regiment, but 
he did not think proper to accept of the 
honour. 
Pursuits of a different nature now occu- 
pied the greatest part of his attention for 
some years. Being always much addicted to 
the study of natural philosophy, and the dis- 
covery of the Leyden experiment in electri- 
city having rendered that science of gene- 
ral curiosity, Mr. Franklin applied himself 
to it, and soon began to distinguish himself 
in that way. He engaged in a course of 
electrical experiments with all the ardour 
and thirst for discovery which characterized 
the philosophers of that day. By these he 
was enabled to make a number of impor- 
tant discoveries, and to propose theories to 
account for various phenomena, which 
have been generally adopted, and will 
probably endure for a long time. His obser- 
vations he communicated in a series of let- 
ters to his friend Mr. Collinson, the first of 
which is dated March 28, 1747. In these 
he makes known the power of points in 
drawing and throwing off the electric mat- 
ter, which had hitherto escaped the notice 
of electricians. He also made the disco- 
very of plus and minus, and of positive and 
negative state of electricity ; from whence, 
in a satisfactory manner, he explained the 
phenomena of the Leyden phial, first ob- 
served by Cuneus,or Muschenbroech, which 
had much perplexed philosophers. He shew- 
ed that the bottle, wben charged, contained 
no more electricity than before, but that 
as much was taken from one side as was 
thrown on the other, and that to discharge 
it, it was necessary to make a communication 
between the two sides, by which the equili- 
brium might be restored, and that then no 
signs of electricity would remain. He then 
demonstrated, by experiments, that the 
electricity did not reside in the coating, 
as had been supposed, but in or upon the 
glass itself. After a phial was .charged, he 
