World Citizen

FRANKLIN, THE APOSTLE OF MODERN TIMES--Bernard Fayy--Little, Brown($3).

Though Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston (1706), he settled in Philadelphia, often visited Manhattan, spent some years in England, traveled on the Continent, reached the peak of his career in France. It is not inappropriate that this comprehensive and readable biography of the first U. S. world-citizen has been written by a Frenchman.

As a small child, Ben was "courageous, active and clever, rather than firm in his principles." He once amused his father by advising him to cut out the blessing before meals, instead to bless the pantry cupboard once for all and thus save valuable time. Though he was destined for the ministry, after two years' schooling his father realized that Ben would do better in trade, took him out of school, made him assist in the family candle-shop. When Ben was twelve he was made apprentice to his older brother James, a printer; soon he was contributing anonymous articles, signed Mrs. Silence Dogood, to his brother's New England Courant. But Ben and James could not get along; at 17 Ben ran away, sailed to Manhattan, walked to Philadelphia. There he worked in the printing shop of one Keimer. He made many friends, among them Governor William Keith of Pennsylvania. At Keith's advice he went to London to finish his typographical education. In London "already there were three daily newspapers, the leading ones of the world, ten tri-weeklies, and five weeklies."

In London Ben had his ups and downs: friends failed him, he got into near-scrapes over women. "Thus his moral renovation began. Like a good Bostonian, he gave moral lectures to others to cure himself." In 1726 he returned to Philadelphia, went to work in earnest. Soon he was a figure in the community: founded a club (the Junto), married, joined the

Masons, printed an almanac (Poor Richard's), was a colonel in the French & Indian War, founded a hospital. He became the biggest printer in the Colonies and was made deputy postmaster-general. His electrical experiments (demonstration of the identity of lightning and electricity) won him a Fellowship in the Royal Society. He was sent to London to get Pennsylvania freed of the Penns and made a crown colony.

When the Revolution came he was a big man. He corrected Thomas Jefferson's rhetorical Declaration of Independence, went to France as Commissioner, crowned his career by persuading France to recognize U.S. independence (March 20, 1778). In France he became the rage, his plain, shrewd honesty a cult. Turgot wrote a verse about him: Eripuit coelo fulmen sceptrumque tyrannis--"He has snatched from heaven the thunderbolt and the scepter from tyrants." Ladies kissed him. Said he: "Somebody, it seems, gave it out that I lov'd Ladies; and then everybody presented me their Ladies (or the Ladies presented themselves) to be embraced, that is to have their Necks kissed. For as to kissing of Lips or Cheeks it is not the Mode here; the first is reckon'd rude, and the other may rub off the Paint." At 78, his great task accomplished, he sailed for home, kept himself occupied on the voyage by writing two treatises: The Causes & Cures of Smoky Chimneys, Description of a New Stove for Burning of Pitcoal and Consuming All Its Smoke. In 1790, at the age of 84, he died.

Says Author Fay: "The secret of Franklin was his memory and his shrewd cleverness. It was easy for him to recall the slightest detail of even distant events, and he had a plan for everything." In spite of his careful creed of moderation, Ben was "cheerful and fond of good living, a hearty drinker and a good story teller." Also, though Author Fay does not labor the point, Ben had little saintliness in his blood: in 1785 he had a great-grandson, the illegitimate son of the illegitimate son of his illegitimate son. Author Fay, ironic but appreciative, thus describes the meeting of Franklin and Voltaire: when Ben presented his grandson to the philosopher and asked for a blessing, Voltaire "blessed him in the name of God and Liberty. None in the audience could restrain their tears. Love was such a pressing need in the 18th Century! They had forgotten that Monsieur de Voltaire had scarcely any faith in Liberty and none at all in God. . . ."

The Author. Bernard Fay, 36, unmarried, was born in Paris, has taken all possible French professorial degrees, is Professor in the Faculty of Letters in the University of Clermont-Ferrand. During the War he served as captain, won the Croix de Guerre, Medaille de Leopold II. Since 1921 he has spent alternate years in France and the U. S. lecturing at Columbia, Chicago, Northwestern, Iowa State universities. Other Fa books: A Panorama of Contemporary French Literature, The Revolutionary Spirit in France and America at the Close of the Eighteenth Century, Since Victor Hugo: French Literature of Today. Franklin was the December choice of the Book-of-the-Month Club.

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