The Printer Boy; Or, How Benjamin Franklin Made His Mark: An Example for Youth.Thayer, William Makepeace
History
The Printer Boy; Or, How Benjamin Franklin Made His Mark: An Example for Youth.
Thayer, William Makepeace
Franklin, Benjamin, 1706-1790
Benjamin was reared under such family regulations. He was expected to
regard them with becoming filial respect. Nor did he grow restless and
impatient under them, nor cherish less affection for his father in
consequence. We have no reason to believe that he sought to evade
them; and there is no doubt that the influence of such discipline was
good in forming his character. He certainly loved and respected his
father as long as he lived. Many years thereafter, when his father was
old and infirm, he was wont to perform frequent journeys from
Philadelphia to Boston, to visit him. It was on one of these journeys
that he rebuked the inquisitiveness of a landlord, by requesting him,
as soon as he entered his tavern, to assemble all the members of his
family together, as he had something important to communicate. The
landlord proceeded to gratify him, and as soon as they were brought
together in one room, he said, "My name is Benjamin Franklin; I am a
printer by trade; I live, when at home, in Philadelphia; in Boston I
have a father, a good old man, who taught me, when I was a boy, to
read my book, and say my prayers; I have ever since thought it was my
duty to visit and pay my respects to such a father, and I am on that
errand to Boston now. This is all I can recollect at present of myself
that I think worth telling you. But if you can think of anything else
that you wish to know about me, I beg you to out with it at once, that
I may answer, and so give you an opportunity to get me something to
eat, for I long to be on my journey that I may return as soon as
possible to my family and business, where I most of all delight to
be." This was a keen rebuke to a landlord who was disposed to be
inquisitive, and interrogate his guests in an ungentlemanly way. But
we have cited the incident to show that the filial love and respect
which Benjamin had for his parents continued as long as they lived.
The last act of affection and reverence that he could possibly perform
to them was cheerfully made. It was the erection of a marble stone
over their remains in Boston, bearing the following inscription:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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