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Posted on 05/20/2025 7:45:34 AM PDT by ProgressingAmerica
Franklin wrote his autobiography in the form of an extended letter to his son. While recording the events of his life, he adds instructions for good living which makes this work America’s first “How to Succeed” book. Edited by Frank Woodworth Pine (1869-1919).
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Rush:
https://librivox.org/dr-benjamin-rush-a-memorial-by-dr-benjamin-rush/
Franklin’s autobiography is very entertaining. He mentions many places that are close to home for me, so that really helped contextualize things. I was also intrigued by how much Franklin studied and practiced personal morality. This seems to be at odds with the stories of him being something of a womanizer in Europe.
Ping
Also, Robin McKown has a bio of Franklin that seemed to me to be pretty good, but I am not a particular subject matter expert.
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4191596/posts
Excellent-I am going to download it tonight! Thank you-
He basically abandoned his wife in the US. She pleaded with him to come home and he ignored her. She died when he was in France.
“Personal morality?” He had an illegitimate son...so much for that. Remember, this is an “AUTObiography” aka.....”All About Me”...by ME”.
June 25, 1745
My dear Friend,
I know of no Medicine fit to diminish the violent natural Inclinations you mention; and if I did, I think I should not communicate it to you. Marriage is the proper Remedy. It is the most natural State of Man, and therefore the State in which you are most likely to find solid Happiness. Your Reasons against entring into it at present, appear to me not well-founded. The circumstantial Advantages you have in View by postponing it, are not only uncertain, but they are small in comparison with that of the Thing itself, the being married and settled. It is the Man and Woman united that make the compleat human Being. Separate, she wants his Force of Body and Strength of Reason; he, her Softness, Sensibility and acute Discernment. Together they are more likely to succeed in the World. A single Man has not nearly the Value he would have in that State of Union. He is an incomplete Animal. He resembles the odd Half of a Pair of Scissars. If you get a prudent healthy Wife, your Industry in your Profession, with her good Œconomy, will be a Fortune sufficient.
But if you will not take this Counsel, and persist in thinking a Commerce with the Sex inevitable, then I repeat my former Advice, that in all your Amours you should prefer old Women to young ones. You call this a Paradox, and demand my Reasons. They are these:
Because as they have more Knowledge of the World and their Minds are better stor’d with Observations, their Conversation is more improving and more lastingly agreable.
Because when Women cease to be handsome, they study to be good. To maintain their Influence over Men, they supply the Diminution of Beauty by an Augmentation of Utility. They learn to do a 1000 Services small and great, and are the most tender and useful of all Friends when you are sick. Thus they continue amiable. And hence there is hardly such a thing to be found as an old Woman who is not a good Woman.
Because there is no hazard of Children, which irregularly produc’d may be attended with much Inconvenience.
Because thro’ more Experience, they are more prudent and discreet in conducting an Intrigue to prevent Suspicion. The Commerce with them is therefore safer with regard to your Reputation. And with regard to theirs, if the Affair should happen to be known, considerate People might be rather inclin’d to excuse an old Woman who would kindly take care of a young Man, form his Manners by her good Counsels, and prevent his ruining his Health and Fortune among mercenary Prostitutes.
Because in every Animal that walks upright, the Deficiency of the Fluids that fill the Muscles appears first in the highest Part: The Face first grows lank and wrinkled; then the Neck; then the Breast and Arms; the lower Parts continuing to the last as plump as ever: So that covering all above with a Basket, and regarding only what is below the Girdle, it is impossible of two Women to know an old from a young one. And as in the dark all Cats are grey, the Pleasure of corporal Enjoyment with an old Woman is at least equal, and frequently superior, every Knack being by Practice capable of Improvement.
Because the Sin is less. The debauching a Virgin may be her Ruin, and make her for Life unhappy.
Because the Compunction is less. The having made a young Girl miserable may give you frequent bitter Reflections; none of which can attend the making an old Woman happy.
[thly and Lastly] They are so grateful!!
Thus much for my Paradox. But still I advise you to marry directly; being sincerely Your affectionate Friend.
B. Franklin
Thanks for the ping, PA!
I believe he was in England at the time, agent for several of the colonies (1774). He had also pleaded with her to join him there. Like most of the other founders, other than Sam Adams, he was still against independence and thought it likely he would remain in London for the rest of his life as he saw himself most valuable to America in that sphere.
Bump for later
He had rock star status in Europe & according to his biography, took full advantage of it while there.
As a young man in 1728, Franklin had composed his own mock epitaph which read:
The Body of
B. Franklin
Printer;
Like the Cover of an old Book,
Its Contents torn out,
And stript of its Lettering and Gilding,
Lies here, Food for Worms.
But the Work shall not be whlly lost:
For it will, as he believ’d, appear once more,
In a new & more perfect Edition,
Corrected and Amended
By the Author.
He was born on January 6, 1706.
Died 17
His gravestone would simply read:
BENJAMIN
And FRANKLIN
DEBORAH
https://www.ushistory.org/franklin/philadelphia/grave.htm
1790
It’s good to be King.
Should be catalogued as fiction.
bookmark
IIRC from other biographies, being pilloried to his face in a session of Parliament because he received and secretly shared another man’s correspondence was a conversion event that turned him from British subject to fully American. He knew we would always be considered and treated as inferiors to the lowliest Englishman. Australians still deal with that attitude.
I have the book in my kindle app, but I haven’t read much of it. I joined a book club, so it fell off my radar (and my 20 most recently read/accessed books).
I should get back to it.
I keep Franklin’s autobiography in my Kindle library.
The letters were from Thomas Hutchinson, at the time the letters were written, royal governor of Massachusetts, long time foil of James Otis and Sam Adams in run up to Revolution. The recipient had died and the letters fell into someone else’s hands. That third party apparently allowed them to slip into Franklin’s hands, then in London as agent for Massachusetts. Although Hutchinson, an American, loved America, he was a loyalist to the end, and could see the Boston scene pushing toward independence, though it was not spoken of. One of the letters included the phrase “ abridgement of British liberties;” when Franklin sent the letters back to Boston, under strict instructions not to divulge them, he was breaking every protocol, especially as he was being paid 3000 pounds/ year as royal postmaster. The letters leaked out in Boston, were widely publicized , and cooked Hutchinson’s goose for the last time ( a mob had descended on his home and destroyed it some years before). Although it wasn’t known who had actually released the letters, Franklin owned up to it when a duel was fought when an innocent party was accused. The outcome of the duel was not fatal, so they were going to do another go around, when Franklin stepped forward. They hauled him before the Privy Council and he was denounced in a savage manner by the solicitor. Nonetheless, he continued to hold out hope there could be a reconciliation. Sam Adams was instrumental in seeing that didn’t happen.
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