bf chp 28-39

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Ben Franklin (Chapter 28- Chapter 39)

Chapter 28 (Reflecting on My Morals)

y Persons principles & values are central to determining his success.y Franklins character developmenty

At 15 he had doubts that God ever revealed himself to humankind in person or Holy Scripturey Ben became a Deisty After thinking about his actions toward Vernon and Deborah Read Ben began to doubt that Deism could

serve as the foundation of his moral thinking

y Pamphlet on morality in London these lines from Dryden on first pageWhatever is, is right. Mankind is almost blind and

Sees but part of the chain, the nearest link:

His eyes cannot carry to the perfect beam,

That holds the weight above

y If God has infinite wisdom, goodness, & power everything in the world must be good as well~Poor Richard once said, Success has ruind many a man.~

Chapter 29 (Getting Started)

y Whom can I help today?y Thomas Godfrey: glass makery 1st customer: needed 5 shillings worth of printingy Favors done for young beginners are long remembered and always repaidy Quakers printing some of their historyy Good work ethicy Samuel Mickle: negative person who made Ben depressed

~Poor Richard once said, Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.~

Chapter 30 (A Strategic Response to a Competitive Betrayal)

y Bens paper: the Pennsylvania gazette in 1729.(most widely read paper in the colonies that decade)y Ben paid back Mr. Vernony Ben told Webb to keep the paper a secret but Webb betrayed Beny Ben tried to counteract Webb by publishing witty essays in the Bradford paper under the name Busy Bodyy Keimers paper lasted for 9 months with 90 subscribersy Keimer sold his paper to Beny William Burnet: governor of Massachusettsy Mr. Hamilton: lawyer who Ben helped on his trip to Londony 15,000 pounds of paper money (6 years earlier)y The Nature and Necessity of a Paper Currencyy Ben prints the paper money for New Castley Apprentice: son ofAquila Rosey Meredith was useless

Chapter 31 (Setting Up My Own Shop at Last)

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y Merediths dad promised to pay for the start up costs of the business but ended up only paying 100 pounds. Theygot sewed for not being able to pay the 100 more pounds owed in time.

y Bens friends offer: advance him all the $ necessary to settle the debt and then buy out his partner (WilliamColeman & Robert Grace)

y Ben felt like he owed the Meredith family great obligation and he would go as far as possible with them.y Merediths father disappointed but also genially unable to pay the debty Meredith wanted to go to North Carolina to farm

-Meredith would leave Ben the whole partnership if Ben took care of the debts, paid back his initial 100 pounds,

pay a few of his own personal debts, give him 30 pounds, and a new saddle .

y Ben was 24 years old at the time~Poor Richard once said, Sell not virtue to purchase wealth, nor liberty to purchase power ~

Chapter 32 (The Power of a Good Reputation)

y Design your institutions assuming you may not always be the one in powery David Harry: Keimers old apprentice, bought Keimers old stuff and set up shop (ended up being a bad business

man)y Bradford used his title as postmaster to forbid his riders from delivering Bens paper by post (people also thought

that because he was the post master he would be more knowledgeable about the news there for his paper stayed

popular)

-no new Bradford did this because Ben got his papers delivered by post by paying Bradfords riders on the side.

y Latter when Ben became post master he made sure any newspaper willing to pay the fee could send their papersthrough the post

~Poor Richard once said, Diligence is the mother of good luck. ~

Chapter 33 (Getting Married)

y Ben and Deborah Read formed a common-law union in September 1st 1730 (stayed together until her death in1774)

y A child turned up on Bens doorstep a few months after Deborah moved in and Deborah took him in- They named him William Franklin, and he opposed his father during the Revolutionary War

y Bradford told the family of the girl Ben was courting that the printing business was both unprofitable and costly tomaintain, as a result the family no longer approved of the courtship

-Ben asked the family for 100 pounds to marry their daughter

y Ben didnt further pursue the girl and the Godfrey family took it as a insult and moved out of Bens housey Most people believed the printing business to be a poor one

~Poor Richard once said, Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, half-shut afterwards. ~

Chapter 34 (Founding the First Library in Philadelphia)

y Bens club meet in a rented private room for their Friday meetings (experimental library)y Ben envisioned a larger library funded on membership feesy Found 50 people interested in reading and wealthy enough to pay the 40 shilling initiation fee, & commit to

paying 10 shillings a year thereafter for the next 50 years

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y Library open 1 day a weeky Members charged double the value of the book if they failed to return it on timey Mr. Brockden, You are all young men, but I predict that none of you will live to see the end of you 50-year

commitment

y Not wise to present oneself as the champion of any public project that might improve your reputation above thatof your neighbors especially when you need your neighbors cooperation to make that project a reality

~ Poor Richard once said, The Noblest question in the world id what good may I do in it? ~

Chapter 35 (Proverbs and Productivity)

y Published poor Richard almanacs December 1732 continued series for 25 years.y Concentrates more on styley Reading only amusement he allowed himself (focused all his energies on his print shop)y Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men.y He that would thrive, must ask his wife.y Deborah bought fine china for Ben

~Poor Richard once said, God helps them that help themselves. ~

Chapter 36 (Thoughts on Religion)

y Religiously educated as a Presbyteriany Sunday= Bens study dayy Greatest service to God is our doing to other peopley Religion should inspire and promote moral behavior or publicly confirm its existence when privately practicedy Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,

whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things.

-bad pastor said this was about

1. Keep the Sabbath Day holy

2. Read our bibles everyday

3. Go to church every time there is an assembly

4. Participate in the Holy Communion

5. Respect Gods ministers

y Articles of Belief and Acts of Religion~Poor Richard once said, The master piece of man, is to live to the purpose. ~

Chapter 37 (My Plan to Achieve Moral Perfection)

y The Art of Virtue :Bens grand scheme for achieving moral perfectiony Bens 13 moral virtues

1. SELF-CONTROL: Avoid dullness from overeating. Avoid drunkenness from overdrinking.2. SILENCE: Say only those things that benefit others or yourself. Avoid all petty conversation.3. ORDER: Keep all your possessions in their proper place. Give each part of your business its necessary time.4. DETERMINATION: Commit to what you ought to do and always carry out your commitments.5. ECONOMY: Dont waist your money. Let your only expenses be the doing of good to others or yourself.

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6. PRODUCTIVITY: Dont waist your time. Spend your time on useful matters and refrain from unnecessaryactivities

7. TRUTHFULNESS: Avoid lies that harm others. Think without prejudice and, if you speak, speak accordingly8. JUSTICE: Avoid injuring others by your actions, or withholding from them the benefits they deserve.9. MODERATION: Avoid extremes. This applies especially to the holding of grudges against those who have

harmed you.

10.CLEANLINESS: Keep body, and living spaces clean at all times.11.PEACE: Dont be overtaken by either small irritants or by the larger troubles that are sure to come.12.CHASTITY: Indulge you sexual appetites for the sake of health and offspring only. Never indulge to the

point of dullness or weakness. Never injure your own or anothers peace or reputation.

13.HUMILITY: Imitate Jesus and Socrates- Focused on 1 moral virtue at a time (1 virtue each week)- Most essential virtues at the top

y to improve your knowledge use ones ears more than ones tonguey Ben created a book where he allotted 1 page for each 13 moral virtues

- If he could go a whole week without any self- control offenses he would consider that virtue mastered andmove on to the next one

- Repeated the 13 week cycle 4 times in a year- Gave him a visual method for tracking the otherwise invisible path of moral progress

y 3 mottos of front page of each book1. Upon this idea I stand: If theres a Power above us (And all nature cries aloud through her works that this is

so), He surely delights in virtue; And that in which he delights must bring happiness. ADDISONS CATO

2. O, Philosophy, guide of life! O teacher of virtue and corrector of vice. One day of virtue is better than aneternity of vice. CICERO

3. Long life is in Wisdoms right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and allher paths are peace. PROVERBS 3:16-17

y Prayers-O powerful Goodness! Bountiful Father! Merciful Guide!

Increase in me that wisdom which leads me to my best interest.

Strengthen my determination to do what asks of me.

Accept my good deed done to your other children as the best response

I can make in return for the blessings you have first given me

-Father of light and life, you are the Supreme Good!

Teach me what is good; teach me Thyself!

Save me from foolishness, pride, and vice

And all petty pursuits. Fill my soul.

With knowledge, conscious peace, and pure virtue;

Sacred, substantial, never- fading bliss!

~Poor Richard once said, Well done is better than well said. ~

Chapter 38 (Reflections on the Pursuit of Moral Perfection)

y Found it hardest to practice the virtue of ordery A wise person allows himself a few faults so as to be tolerable company

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y 79 years old as he writes this- SELF-CONTROL: long & healthy life- PRODUCTIVITY & ECONOMY: helped him become independently wealthy, motivated him towards greater

learning

- TRUTHFULNESS & JUSTICE: confidence in his country and the great work it asked him to undertake on itsbehalf

- ALL 13: tranquil demeanor & cheerfulness in conversationy Tried to make it non religiousy Good people are in short supply, and you wont stay unemployed for long.

~Poor Richard once said, How few there are who have courage enough to own their faults, or resolution enough

to mend them! ~

Chapter 39 (Additional Thoughts on Humility)

y Ben models humility by listening to the counsel of well-meaning friendsy A friend told Ben he was thought to be arrogant, overbearing and even haughtyy Ben would not use phrases like certainly or without a doubt because it suggested a fixed opinion about a

matter.

y Proposing my opinions in a humble fashion assured them more attentive and less defensive listenery Pride is probably the most difficult of our natural passions to tame.

~Poor Richard once said, Humility makes great men twice honorable. ~