The Third Day of Christmas
Love Can Turn the World

Wise Words

There are some very clever people in the world - not just in these current times, but also in the past.

And there's no doubt that included in their number is one Benjamin Franklin who was not just one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America and one of those who drafted and signed the United States Declaration of Independence,  but so much more.

He's described as a 'polymath', someone who is knowledgeable in a substantial number of subjects, and draws on all that knowledge to solve specific problems.

As well as being an American stateman, Franklin was a writer, scientist, printer, publisher, political philosopher and a diplomat. Franklin earned the title of "The First American" for his early and untiring campaigning for unity among the first colonies of the USA. initially as an author and spokesman for several of those early colonies while based in London. As the first United States ambassador to Francehe became the personification of the new American nation as it emerged on the world scene.

Benjamin Franklin became the first United States Postmaster General - he took up the important post almost exactly a year before the Declaration of Independence by those first American colonies on July 4, 1776. He was a major figure in the American Enlightenment movement and founded many important civic organizations, including the Library Company, the first fire department of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania.  It's reckoned that Franklin was fundamental in defining the American ethos - practical values like thrift, hard work, education, community spirit, self-governing institutions, and opposition to political and religious authoritarianism balanced with the scientific and tolerant values which marked the Enlightenment.

Many of us know Benjamin Franklin for being a scientist and he is an important name in the history of physics for his discoveries and theories about electricity. He is known as the inventor of the lightning rodbifocal spectacles, and the Franklin stove - just some of his inventions.

I've already mentioned that he was an influential writer and he actually first rose to fame as a writer and printer.

And on this day - December 28th - in the year 1732, the 26-year-old Franklin published the first “Poor Richard's Almanack - some say it was published on December 19th but what's a week or two among friends? And the reference to 'Poor Richard' ... well that was just a clever pseudonym.

The almanack (or almanac as it is now spelt) wasn't invented by Franklin - they were already common in England and even the American colonies, and apart from the Bible and religious texts almanacs were the most popular secular books for many years.

As with other books of miscellany, Franklin's almanac contained all kinds of interesting information - the calendar for the year 1733, weather predictions and details about the nation and communities, sayings and proverbs, puzzles, games, medical and other advice, poems, recipes and trivia. Franklin, who was a self-made man and had by this time become a canny businessman who had promoted the use of the printing press and was already influential through his publishing endeavours. He had taught himself to read, was a great reader and wanted the almanac to be for ordinary people who couldn't afford books.

In fact, after that first publication, he put an almanac out once a year for the next 25 years. It proved a best seller in the American colonies printing up to 10,000 copies a year and that success made Benjamin Franklin very wealthy. But it was also successful further afield - Poor Richard’s Almanack was so popular that Napoleon ordered it translated into Italian and later it was also translated into French.

Although Benjamin Franklin had no scientific basis for his forecasts, many readers swore by his predictions and he provided weather forecasts to help farmers decide when to plant and harvest their crops. But what made his annual almanacs so popular was the inclusion of those witty sayings.

He blatantly copied and reproduced works of poets, writers and satirists like Alexander Pope, John Dryden and Jonathan Swift. Anything that he thought might interest and inspire others.

Many of the sayings included in the almanacs were also about frugality and industry, because although he wasn't entirely perfect himself, Benjamin Franklin tried to influence American moral life, through his printing business, the creation of the first newspaper chain and some of the sayings in his almanacs. So over the years, Poor Richard’s Almanack would include maxims like ...

* Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.
* No gain without pain. 
* A friend in need is a friend indeed.  
* A brother may not be a friend, but a friend will always be a brother.
* Be civil to all, sociable to many, familiar with few, friend to one, enemy to none.
* Speak little, do much.

 
There's a saying - or proverb, maxim, aphorism, axiom or adage ... however you want to describe it - which is attributed to Benjamin Franklin and which is a source of encouragement to me as a writer. I hope it was included in one of his Poor Richard Almanacs but I can't be sure. 
 
This is a constant reminder to me ... and as I continue with my quest to be a better writer every day, One Day at a Time, I think about Benjamin Franklin's brilliance, his life and his achievements and his influence not just on his own time but on succeeding generations.
 
And it inspires me to be better, experience more and attempt to articulate my thoughts in a more constructive and creative way.
 
 So - thanks Mr Franklin - I'll keep trying!
 
 
Writing - Benjamin Franklin



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