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1、THEAUTOBIOGRAPHYOFBENJAMINFRANKLINTHEAUTOBIOGRAPHYOFBENJAMINFRANKLINWITHINTRODUCTIONANDNOTESEDITEDBYCHARLESWELIOTLLDPFCOLLIER&SONCOMPANY,NEWYORK(1909)1THEAUTOBIOGRAPHYOFBENJAMINFRANKLININTRODUCTORYNOTEBENJAMINFRANKLINwasborninMilkStreet,Boston,onJanuary6,1706.Hisfat
2、her,JosiahFranklin,wasatallowchandlerwhomarriedtwice,andofhisseventeenchildrenBenjaminwastheyoungestson.Hisschoolingendedatten,andattwelvehewasboundapprenticetohisbrotherJames,aprinter,whopublishedthe"NewEnglandCourant."Tothisjournalhebecameacontributor,andlaterwasf
3、oratimeitsnominaleditor.Butthebrothersquarreled,andBenjaminranaway,goingfirsttoNewYork,andthencetoPhiladelphia,wherehearrivedinOctober,1723.Hesoonobtainedworkasaprinter,butafterafewmonthshewasinducedbyGovernorKeithtogotoLondon,where,findingKeith'spromisesempty,heaga
4、inworkedasacompositortillhewasbroughtbacktoPhiladelphiabyamerchantnamedDenman,whogavehimapositioninhisbusiness.OnDenman'sdeathhereturnedtohisformertrade,andshortlysetupaprintinghouseofhisownfromwhichhepublished"ThePennsylvaniaGazette,"towhichhecontributedmanyessays,
5、andwhichhemadeamediumforagitatingavarietyoflocalreforms.In1732hebegantoissuehisfamous"PoorRichard'sAlmanac"fortheenrichmentofwhichheborrowedorcomposedthosepithyutterancesofworldlywisdomwhicharethebasisofalargepartofhispopularreputation.In1758,theyearinwhichheceasesw
6、ritingfortheAlmanac,heprintedinit"FatherAbraham'sSermon,"nowregardedasthemostfamouspieceofliteratureproducedinColonialAmerica.MeantimeFranklinwasconcerninghimselfmoreandmorewithpublicaffairs.HesetforthaschemeforanAcademy,whichwastakenuplaterandfinallydevelopedintoth
7、eUniversityofPennsylvania;andhefoundedan"AmericanPhilosophicalSociety"forthepurposeofenablingscientificmentocommunicatetheirdiscoveriestooneanother.Hehimselfhadalreadybegunhiselectricalresearches,which,withotherscientificinquiries,hecalledonintheintervalsofmoney-mak
8、ingandpoliticstotheendofhislife.In1748hesoldhisbusinessinordertogetleisureforstudy,havingnowacquiredcomparativewealth;andinafewyearshehadm