The Life of Benjamin Franklin, Illustrated by Tales, Sketches, and Anecdotes

17. What did Mr. Gilbert Tennent request of Franklin? How was his request treated?

18. What advice did Franklin give?

19. To what smaller matters of public interest did Franklin now attend?

CHAPTER XI

Spence's Experiments in Electricity. Franklin repeats them. Makes important Discoveries. Letters to Collinson. Experiment with the Kite. Publication of his Letters. Anecdote of the Abbé Nollet. Fame of Franklin. Elected a Member of the Royal Society.

1. It was in the year 1746, that Franklin first attended to the branch of philosophy in which he afterwards became so distinguished. During that year he was in Boston, and there met with a Dr. Spence, who showed him some experiments in electricity. It was a subject altogether new to him, and, though the experiments were not very well performed, they surprised and pleased him.

2. If you take a stick of sealing-wax, or a glass tube, or a piece of amber which has been a long time untouched, and bring it near some small pieces of paper, chaff, or other light substance, it produces no impression upon them. But if you first rub lightly and briskly the wax, the tube, or the amber, with a piece of dry woollen cloth, or cat skin, and then bring it near any of these light substances, you will find that they fly to it, and remain upon it. The power which attracts these substances, and which is excited by the rubbing, is called electricity.

3. It is so called from a Greek word which signifies amber, the substance in which this power was first observed. Amber is a brittle mineral substance, of a yellow, and sometimes a reddish brown color. It is found in several countries in Europe, and has recently been found in the United States, at Cape Sable, in Maryland. This is the substance with which the first electrical experiment was performed, ages ago, by a Greek philosopher of the name of Thales.

4. Several centuries passed without any thing being known upon this subject, beyond the fact that these substances possessed this power. At length it began to attract the attention of modern philosophers. In 1742, several ingenious Germans engaged in the subject, and the results of their researches astonished all Europe. They obtained large apparatus, by means of which they were enabled to collect large quantities of the electric fluid, and produce several wonders which had been before unobserved.

5. These experiments excited the curiosity of other philosophers. Mr. Peter Collinson, fellow of the Royal Society of London, about the year 1745, sent to the library company of Philadelphia a glass tube, with some account of its use in making such experiments. Franklin eagerly seized the opportunity of repeating those which he had seen at Boston, and, by much practice, acquired great readiness in performing those of which they had an account from England.

6. He was soon enabled to make a number of important discoveries, and his house was, for some time, continually full of people who came to see the new wonders. His observations upon the subject were, from time to time, communicated to his friend Collinson, in a series of letters, the first of which is dated March 28, 1747. These were read before the Royal Society, where they were not at first thought worthy of much attention.

7. In the year 1749, Franklin first suggested the idea of explaining the sameness of electricity with lightning. A paper upon this subject, which he wrote for Mr. Kinnersly, was read before the members of the Royal Society, and excited a hearty laugh. But it was the lot of this neglected theory to be generally adopted by philosophers, and to bid fair to endure for ages.

8. It was in the same year, that Franklin started the plan of proving the truth of his doctrine, by actually drawing down the lightning, by means of sharp-pointed iron rods raised high into the clouds. It was not until the summer of 1752, that he was enabled to complete his grand discovery by actual experiment.

9. The plan which he had first proposed was, to erect a box on some high tower, or other elevated place, from which should rise a pointed iron rod. He thought that electrified clouds, passing over it, would impart a portion of their electricity, which would be made evident by presenting a key or the knuckle to it. There was at this time, in Philadelphia, no opportunity of trying an experiment of the kind. But while Franklin was waiting for the erection of a spire, it occurred to him that he might have a more ready access to the clouds by means of a common kite.

10. He prepared a kite by fastening two cross sticks to a silk handkerchief, which would not suffer from the rain so much as paper. To the upright stick he affixed an iron point. The string was, as usual, of hemp, excepting the lower end, which was made of silk, because this substance does not give a free passage to the electricity.

11. With this kite, on the appearance of a thunder storm, he went out into the commons with his son, to whom alone he had communicated his intentions. He placed himself under a shed to avoid the rain; his kite was raised – a thunder cloud passed over it, but no sign of electricity appeared. The experiment had almost been given up in despair, when he perceived, in the loose fibres of the string, evident appearances of electricity. By continued observation the fact was most clearly proved; and the honor of establishing the sameness of electricity and lightning was won by Franklin.

12. The letters which Franklin had sent to Mr. Collinson were published by that gentleman in a separate volume, under the title of "New Experiments and Observations on Electricity, made at Philadelphia, in America." They were read with great eagerness, and soon translated into different languages. A very incorrect French translation fell into the hands of the celebrated Buffon, who was much pleased with it, and performed the experiments with success. A more correct translation was undertaken at his request, and contributed much towards spreading a knowledge of Franklin's principles in France. His experiments were repeated by most of the distinguished philosophers throughout Europe.

13. By these experiments, the truth of Franklin's doctrine was established in the firmest manner. When it could no longer be doubted, some men were anxious to take away from its merit. It was considered at that time rather mortifying to the European philosophers, to admit that an American could make important discoveries which had escaped their notice.

14. The Abbé Nollet, preceptor in natural philosophy to the royal family of France, was exceedingly offended at the publication of Franklin's letters. He had himself written about electricity, and could not at first believe that such a work had really come from America. He said it must have been composed by his enemies in Paris, to oppose his system. Afterwards, having been assured that there really existed such a person as Franklin at Philadelphia, he published a volume of letters, in defence of his own ideas upon the subject, and denying the propositions of the American philosopher.

15. Franklin thought at one time of writing a letter in reply to the abbé, and actually began one. But on considering that any one might repeat his experiments, and ascertain for himself whether or not they were true, he concluded to let his papers shift for themselves; believing it was better to spend what time he could spare in making new experiments than in disputing about those already made.

16. The event gave him no cause to repent of his silence. His friend, Monsieur Le Roy, of the Royal Academy of Sciences, took up his cause, and refuted the abbé. Franklin's volume was translated into the Italian, German and Latin languages; and the doctrine it contained was, by degrees, generally adopted by the philosophers of Europe, in preference to that of Nollet.

17. What gave his book the more sudden and general celebrity was the success of one of its proposed experiments, made at Marly, for drawing lightning from the clouds. This engaged the public attention every where. The "Philadelphia experiments," as they were called, were performed before the king and court, and all the curious of Paris flocked to see them.

18. Dr. Wright, an English physician, was at Paris when they were the talk and wonder of the day. He wrote to a member of the Royal Society an account of the high esteem in which the experiments of Franklin were held by learned men abroad and of their surprise that his writings had been so little noticed in England. The society, on this, resumed the consideration of the letters that had been read to them, and a summary account of their doctrines was drawn up and published among their philosophical essays and transactions.

19. To make Franklin some amends for the slight with which they had before treated him, the society chose him a member, without his having made the usual application. They also presented him with the gold medal of Sir Godfrey Copley for the year 1753, the delivery of which was accompanied by a very complimentary speech from the president, Lord Macclesfield.

1. When did Franklin first attend to electricity?

2. Relate the substance of the second paragraph.

3. From what is the word electricity derived? What is amber? Where is it found?

4. When was the subject first examined by modern philosophers?

5. What did Mr. Collinson send to Philadelphia?

7. When did Franklin first suggest that electricity and lightning were the same?

8. How did he propose to prove the truth of his doctrine? When did he prove it by actual experiment?

9. What plans had he at first proposed? What occurred to him afterwards?

10. How did he prepare the kite?

11. Relate the progress of the experiment.

12. Under what title were Franklin's letters on the subject printed? How were they received? By whose request was a correct French translation made?

13. What was the result of the establishment of Franklin's doctrine?

14. What was the conduct of the Abbé Nollet?

15. What course did Franklin pursue on the subject?

16. Did he regret his silence? State the substance of this paragraph.

17. What gave the book the more general celebrity?

18. Who was Dr. Wright? What communication did he make to the Royal Society?

19. What honors did the society confer upon him?

CHAPTER XII

Appointed Postmaster-General. Journey to New England. Receives Degrees from two Colleges. Story of the Visit to his Mother.

1. Having been some time employed by the postmaster-general of America in regulating the several offices, and bringing the officers to account, upon his death, in 1753, Franklin was appointed, jointly with another gentleman, to succeed him. The American office had before this time never paid any thing to that of Great Britain; and the new postmasters were to have six hundred pounds between them, if they could make that sum out of the profits of the office.

2. To do this, a variety of improvements were necessary, some of which were at first very expensive; so that, for the first four years, the office became more than nine hundred pounds in debt to them. Afterwards they began to be repaid, and before Franklin was displaced, they had brought it to yield three times as much clear profit to the crown, as the post-office of Ireland. After Franklin's dismission, they never received a farthing from it.

3. The business of the post-office occasioned his taking a journey to New England, where the College of Cambridge presented him with the degree of Master of Arts. Yale College, in Connecticut, had before paid him a similar compliment. Thus, without studying in any college, he came to partake of their honors. They were conferred in consideration of his discoveries and improvements in natural philosophy.

4. It was either during this or his former journey that the story of the visit to his mother originated. He had been some years absent from his native city, and was at that period of life when the greatest and most rapid alteration is made in the human appearance. Franklin was sensible that his person had been so much changed that his mother would not know him, unless there were some instinct to point out, at a single glance, the child to its parent.

5. To discover the existence of this instinct by actual experiment, Franklin determined to introduce himself to his mother as a stranger, and to watch narrowly for the moment in which she should discover her son. On the afternoon of a sullen cold day, in the month of January, he knocked at his mother's door, and asked to speak with Mrs. Franklin. He found the old lady knitting before the parlor fire, introduced himself, by observing that he had been informed she entertained travellers, and requested a night's lodging.

6. She eyed him with coldness, and assured him that he had been misinformed – that she did not keep a tavern; though, to oblige some members of the legislature, she took a number of them into her family during the session; and at that time had four members of the council and six of the house of representatives who boarded with her. She added that all her beds were full, and went on knitting with a great deal of vehemence.