The Life of Benjamin Franklin, Illustrated by Tales, Sketches, and AnecdotesGoodrich, Samuel G. (Samuel Griswold)
History
The Life of Benjamin Franklin, Illustrated by Tales, Sketches, and Anecdotes
Goodrich, Samuel G. (Samuel Griswold)
Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790; Statesmen -- United States -- Biography
Then shall thy hide-bound pocket soon begin to thrive, and will never
again cry with the empty belly-ache; neither will creditors insult
thee, nor want oppress, nor hunger bite, nor nakedness freeze thee.
The whole hemisphere will shine brighter, and pleasure spring up in
every corner of thy heart. Now, therefore, embrace these rules and be
happy. Banish the bleak winds of sorrow from thy mind, and live
independent. Then shalt thou be a man, and not hide thy face at the
approach of the rich, nor suffer the pain of feeling little when the
sons of fortune walk at thy right hand; for independency, whether with
little or much, is good fortune, and placeth thee on even ground with
the proudest of the golden fleece. Oh, then, be wise, and let industry
walk with thee in the morning, and attend thee until thou reachest the
evening hour for rest. Let honesty be as the breath of thy soul, and
never forget to have a penny, when all thy expenses are enumerated and
paid; then shalt thou reach the point of happiness, and independence
shall be thy shield and buckler, thy helmet and crown; then shall thy
soul walk upright, nor stoop to the silken wretch because he hath
riches, nor pocket an abuse because the hand which offers it wears a
ring set with diamonds.
MORALS OF CHESS.
Playing at chess is the most ancient and universal game known among
men; for its original is beyond the memory of history, and it has, for
numberless ages, been the amusement of all the civilized nations of
Asia--the Persians, the Indians, and the Chinese. Europe has had it
above a thousand years; the Spaniards have spread it over their parts
of America, and it begins to make its appearance in these States. It
is so interesting in itself as not to need the view of gain to induce
engaging in it; and thence it is never played for money. Those,
therefore, who have leisure for such diversions, cannot find one that
is more innocent; and the following piece, written with a view to
correct (among a few young friends) some little improprieties in the
practice of it, shows, at the same time, that it may, in its effects
on the mind, be not merely innocent, but advantageous, to the
vanquished as well as the victor.
The game of chess is not merely an idle amusement. Several very
valuable qualities of the mind, useful in the course of human life,
are to be acquired or strengthened by it, so as to become habits ready
on all occasions. For life is a kind of chess, in which we have points
to gain, and competitors or adversaries to contend with, and in which
there is a vast variety of good and ill events, that are, in some
degree, the effects of prudence or the want of it. By playing at
chess, then, we learn,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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