The Argosy — page 136: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

123 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, By NARISSA ROSAVO. =e assumed no black garb for the gallant boy born in her purple, yet doomed never to wear a crown; but, long years since, in the days of Mirabeau—that esprit-fort, beautiful through his excess Of ugliness—on the eve of the first French Republic, a three days’ mourning was voted by acclamation on the death of the youngest son in a family of seventeen children, all the progeny of a poor, hard-working New England emigrant dyer and soap boiler. How true we often find that utterance, ‘‘ The first shall be last and the last first !” Benjamin Franklin died in his eighty-fifth year. Few, indeed, would willingly undertake to retrace all the steps of so long an earthly pilgrimage, but that is what the subject of this sketch desired to do just before the final scene. “‘‘ All I would ask should be the privilege of an author, to correct, in a second edition, certain errors of the first. Were this, however, denied me, st#z/7 would I not decline the offer [” Benjamin was, as a boy, sturdy, masterful, and impatient; but so quick to learn some things that reading seemed to come by instinct, although all arithmetic was apparently beyond his powers. Huis father resolved to make a chaplain of his youngest son. He was encouraged to do this by his brother, who followed Josiah from England to America, and aided him in business. This uncle was the boy’s godfather, and of a preaching turn himself. He had written a volume of sermons, in shorthand of his own inven- tion, and promised this boak, hereafter, to his godson if he would trouble to learn how to read the crabbed characters. Benjamin was as eager over the matter as King Alfred had been on a similar occa- sion. He succeeded, but soon forgot them again, as his father quickly found the .expenses of keeping the boy at school, to say nothing of the future college he should attend, were quite beyond him. ‘The plan was relinquished. Josiah told his little son he was not good enough to be made a parson of. Benjamin was guilty of chafing over long prayers and the very lengthy graces said before and after meals. When the frugal family stores were being laid in for a season, he had once wickedly, though very gravely, entreated of his father to come and bless them wholesale, so that the frequent retail supplications and thanksgivings might be done away with. It is easy to imagine how such utter depravity was lectured in a nonconformist family. Theculprit confessed he was not good enough for home life. He wanted badly to go and be asailor. This was CONNICOOKS.EO im