Book: The
Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, as contained in The Harvard Classics,
Volume 1, as part of The Five Foot Shelf of Books, © P.F. Collier & Son
1909, 1937, and printed in its 56th Printing by P.F. Collier &
Son Corporation, New York, 1965.
Author:
Benjamin Franklin
Reading Completed:
20150415
Reaction:
As I read this autobiography penned by Mr. Franklin in
two separate periods of his life, I developed a better understanding of how
this man by determination, diligence, focus, frugality, sagacity, and cunning rose from
poverty to a position of means, influence, and popularity among his peers,
before the public, and in service to his nation.
Mr. Franklin was very successful in most ventures to
which he put his hand, displaying ingenuity, creativity, and a willingness to
go above and beyond his peers to achieve the goals he desired. He was widely read, opinionated, and
relatively wise. However, he was also
egotistic and proud, and thought rather highly of himself, though it could be
argued that he did relatively well managing this vice compared to what other
men might have done in his stead. He did
greatly admire virtue, the ability to think and reason, and knowledge to be
gained through reading, experience, observation, experimentation, and
conversation.
Mr. Franklin was not a devout Christian, though he
professed a deep faith in a sovereign God and a belief that His hand was at
work in our world. He regularly
supported the church of his choosing and went often to hear sermons though not
always pleased by their structure, content, or presentation. He seemed to imply a longing for a church
that was practically engaged in the matters of the world rather than one that
spoke only of dry and distant concepts that were not anchored to practical
reality. Mr. Franklin also developed his
own prayers and once conceived of beginning his own sect which he never
actually pursued.
Mr. Franklin began many organizations or practices that
endure even to the present time including public libraries, volunteer fire
companies, and what is today the University of Pennsylvania. He was instrumental in bringing printed money
into common use in the colonies and was deeply involved in influencing public
opinion on many matters by his writing and printing. In my observation of his own accounting of
some of these matters, it seemed to me that sometimes he worked very hard to
advance what he believed to be in the common good even if it might in some
instances trample on what we would today term a “right.” Of course, in context, it is true that he was
operating in a monarchical environment and the democratic republic of the
United States had not yet been born.
Thus, it may be argued that he was not at fault for endeavoring to
better his fellow men, even if it was not as advanced as the environment in
which we now understand ourselves.
One point upon which he was very keen was equity. He constantly strove to ensure the common
people were treated with equity in comparison to the “proprietaries” of the
province and that those in positions of power were treated the same as the
common people in reference to the law especially in particular regard to
equitable taxation.
Two lessons stood out most strongly to me from his
account:
1.
Speak always with grace and equity and remain
self-deprecating even in the face of those you oppose. Not only will this cause men to regard you
with good will when you propose an opinion, but it will often save unnecessary
embarrassment if one is found to be in the wrong. It may also often take an opponent off guard
and possibly allow coherent conversation to occur in the place of bombastic
denunciations. In this way I think the
merits of an idea may be better judged on their own integrity when they are not
obfuscated by the personality or the presentation of their proponent. In the words of Jesus, “The Meek Shall
Inherit the Earth.”
2.
Spend every opportunity to work hard, labor with
diligence, commit to frequent regular study, and listen well to the
perspectives of others. This formula
will go a long way toward contributing to the success of the person who follows
it.
Finally, as a pastor, I found great interest in Mr.
Franklin’s perspective of ministers.
Though often profoundly influenced by his interactions with the Quakers
and the Moravians and even though he developed a personal friendship with the
great George Whitfield, he was officially a Presbyterian. However, he found the dry dogmatic
theology-based sermons expounded by these men to be un-stimulating and
impractical. He much preferred the
preaching of men who extolled people to live practically virtuous lives connecting
Bible truths with life as people lived it. He implied that he thought Christianity should
also lend to making men good citizens.
When it did not contribute to this end, Mr. Franklin was
frustrated. In my opinion he would
probably have been greatly intrigued by intellectual articulate Christians of
our time such as Os Guinness and Ravi Zacharias.
Overall, though this book was dry reading at times, I
enjoyed it very much and have a new-found respect for Mr. Franklin and the
context in which he lived and served.
