Chapter 19
Swift, Lindsay. _Benjamin Franklin._ Beacon Biographies of Eminent Americans. Boston: 1910. (Brief series of biographical "impressions"
arranged chronologically.)
Weems, Mason L. _The Life of Benjamin Franklin, with many Choice Anecdotes and Admirable Sayings of this Great Man._ Baltimore: 1815.
(One would think it unfair to smile at a writer who had the wit to describe Franklin as one who "with such equal ease, could play the _Newton_ or the _Chesterfield_, and charm alike the lightnings and the ladies." Contains some imaginative, though intuitive, remarks on Franklin's religion.)
IV. BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL STUDIES
Abbe, C. "Benjamin Franklin as Meteorologist," _Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society_, XLV, 117-28 (1906). ("Worthy co-laborer" with Newton, Huygens, Descartes, Boyle, and Gay-Lussac.
He is "the first meteorologist of America," "pioneer of the rational long-range forecasters.")
Abbot, G. M. _A Short History of the Library Company of Philadelphia: Compiled from the Minutes, together with some personal reminiscences._ Philadelphia: 1913.
Amiable, L. _Une loge maconnique d'avant 1789. La R.. L.. Les Neuf Surs._ Paris: 1897. (Fullest account of Franklin's activities in French Freemasonry.)
_a.n.a.lectic Magazine_, XI, 449-84 (June, 1818). (Review of W. T.
Franklin's edition of Franklin's works. Complexion of this eulogy suggested by: "His name is now exalted in Europe above any others of the eighteenth century.")
Angoff, Charles. _A Literary History of the American People._ New York: 1931. II, 295-310. (It would be difficult to match the debonair ignorance of this violently hostile essay.)
"A Poem on the Death of Franklin," _Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society_, XV, 109 (Jan., 1930). (A typical elegy based on theme suggested by Turgot's epigram on Franklin.)
Bache, R. M. "Smoky Torches in Franklin's Honor," _Critic_, XLVIII, 561-6 (June, 1906). (Charming in its caustic though just view that "articles on Franklin have verged on superfluity.")
Bache, R. M. "The So-Called 'Franklin Prayer-Book,'" _Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography_, XXI, 225-34 (1897). (See Rev. John Wright's account of the same in _Early Prayer Books of America_ [St.
Paul: 1896], pp. 386-99.)
Biddison, P. "The Magazine Franklin Failed to Remember," _American Literature_, IV, 177-80 (May, 1932). (Survey of the Franklin-Webbe altercation concerning the inauguration of Franklin's _General Magazine, and Historical Chronicle..._, 1741.)
Bigelow, John. "Franklin as the Man," _Independent_, LX, 69-72 (Jan. 11, 1906). (Stresses his tolerance, common sense, and "const.i.tutional unwillingness to dogmatize.")
Bleyer, W. G. _Main Currents in the History of American Journalism._ Boston: 1927. (Chapters I-II contain excellent survey of the _New England Courant_, and the _Pennsylvania Gazette_ during its formative years. Bibliography, pp. 431-41.)
Bloore, Stephen. "Joseph Breintnall, First Secretary of the Library Company," _Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography_, LIX, 42-56 (Jan., 1935). (Valuable notes on Franklin's collaborator in _Busy-Body_ series.)
Bloore, Stephen. "Samuel Keimer. A Foot-note to the Life of Franklin,"
_Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography_, LIV, 255-87 (July, 1930). (Readers of the _Autobiography_ will appreciate this excellent study of one who figures prominently in its
Brett-James, N. G. _The Life of Peter Collinson._ London: [1917]. (Many notes on Franklin-Collinson friends.h.i.+p. Collinson, it is remembered, "started Franklin on his career as a researcher in electricity.")
Buckingham, J. T. _Specimens of Newspaper Literature; with Personal Memoirs, Anecdotes, and Reminiscences._ 2 vols. Boston: 1850. (Vol. I, 49-88, discusses _New England Courant_. Identifies _Dogood Papers_ as Franklin's.)
Bullen, H. L. "Benjamin Franklin and What Printing Did for Him,"
_American Collector_, II, 284-91 (May, 1926).
Butler, Ruth L. _Doctor Franklin, Postmaster General._ Garden City, N.
Y.: 1928. (A st.u.r.dily doc.u.mented study ill.u.s.trating that Franklin "furnished the most highly efficient administration to the postal system during the colonial period.")
Canby, H. S. "Benjamin Franklin," in _Cla.s.sic Americans_. New York: 1931, pp. 34-45. (Spirited estimate partly vitiated by excessive emphasis on influence of Quakerism; Canby observes that Franklin's mind represents "Quakerism conventionalized, stylized, and Deicized.")
*Carey, Lewis J. _Franklin's Economic Views._ Garden City, N. Y.: 1928.
(Excellent survey.)
Cestre, Charles. "Franklin, homme representatif," _Revue Anglo-Americaine_, 409-23, 505-22 (June, August, 1928).
Choate, J. H. "Benjamin Franklin," in _Abraham Lincoln, and Other Addresses in England_. New York: 1910, pp. 47-94. (Sanely eulogistic biographical survey.)
Condorcet, Marquis de. _eloge de M. Franklin, lu a la seance publique de l'Academie des Sciences, le 13 Nov., 1790...._ Paris: 1791. (Both a eulogy, and an interpretation of _why_ France, as representative of the Enlightenment, eulogized the Philadelphia tradesman. By the most sublime of the _philosophes_.)
Cook, E. C. _Literary Influences in Colonial Newspapers, 1704-1750._ New York: 1912. (Trenchant a.n.a.lysis of Franklin's indebtedness to Addison and Steele--especially in the _Dogood Papers_--the character of the _New England Courant_, advertis.e.m.e.nts of books in _Pennsylvania Gazette_, etc. "Benjamin Franklin was the only prominent man of the period who deliberately attempted to spread the knowledge and love of literature among his countrymen.")
Crane, V. W. "Certain Writings of Benjamin Franklin on the British Empire and the American Colonies," _Papers of the Bibliographical Society_, XXVIII, Pt. 1, 1-27 (1934). (Newly identified Franklin papers more than double existing canon. He becomes "the chief agent of the American propaganda in England, especially between 1765 and 1770."
New canon promises to "illuminate the development of Franklin's political ideas." Very significant.)
c.u.mston, C. G. "Benjamin Franklin from the Medical Viewpoint," _New York Medical Journal_, Lx.x.xIX, 3-12 (Jan. 2, 1909). (Useful survey.)
Cutler, W. P., and Cutler, J. P. _Life, Journals and Correspondence of Rev. Mana.s.seh Cutler._ 2 vols. Cincinnati: 1888. (Portrait of patriarchal Franklin at age of eighty-four.)
d.i.c.kinson, A. D. "Benjamin Franklin, Bookman," _Bookman_, LIII, 197-205 (May, 1921). (Brief account of Franklin imprints.)
_Discours du Comte de Mirabeau. Dans la seance du 11 Juin, sur la mort de Benjamin Francklin_ [_sic_]. Imprime par ordre de l'a.s.semblee National. Paris: 1790.
Draper, J. W. "Franklin's Place in the Science of the Last Century,"
_Harper's Magazine_, LXI, 265-75 (July, 1880). (Franklin's discoveries "were only embellishments of his life." Superficial.)
Duniway, C. A. _The Development of Freedom of the Press in Ma.s.sachusetts._ Cambridge, Ma.s.s.: 1906. (Chapter VI includes account of James Franklin and the _New England Courant_.)
Eddy, G. S. "Dr. Benjamin Franklin's Library," _Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society_, N. S. x.x.xIV, 206-26 (Oct., 1924). (This indefatigable scholar has ascertained the t.i.tles of 1350 volumes in Franklin's library. This survey article does not list the t.i.tles.)
*Eiselen, M. R. _Franklin's Political Theories._ Garden City, N. Y.: 1928. (Thoughtful survey.)
Eiselen, M. R. _The Rise of Pennsylvania Protectionism._ Philadelphia: 1932. (University of Pennsylvania dissertation. Chapter I describes Franklin's holding to laissez faire in a state dominantly protectionist.)
Eliot, T. D. "The Relations Between Adam Smith and Benjamin Franklin before 1776," _Political Science Quarterly_, x.x.xIX, 67-96 (March, 1924). (Exhaustive doc.u.mentary data which fails to establish specific and incontrovertible Franklin influence on Smith.)
"Excerpts from the Papers of Dr. Benjamin Rush," _Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography_, XXIX, 15-30 (Jan., 1905). (Includes "Conversations with Franklin," pp. 23-8: Franklin terms Latin and Greek the "quackery of literature"; is alleged to have reprobated the Pennsylvania Const.i.tution of 1776, in that it placed "the Supreme power of the State in the hands of a Single legislature." Other interesting sidelights.)
Farrand, Max, ed. _The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787._ 3 vols. New Haven: 1911. (Records show Franklin as a sober moderator: when rival factions tended to render the convention impotent, he said, "When a broad table is to be made, and the edges the artist takes a little from both, and makes a good joint.")
Fauchet, Claude. _eloge civique de Benjamin Franklin, p.r.o.nonce, le 21 Juillet 1790, dans la Rotonde, au nom de la Commune de Paris._ Paris: 1790.
Fa, Bernard. "Franklin et Mirabeau collaborateurs," _Revue de Litterature Comparee_, VIII, 5-28 (1928). (Franklin furnished materials for Mirabeau's _Considerations on the Order of Cincinnatus_.)
Fa, Bernard. "Learned Societies in Europe and America in the Eighteenth Century," _American Historical Review_, x.x.xVII, 255-66 (Jan., 1932).
(Urges that like all learned societies in the eighteenth century, Franklin's Junto and American Philosophical Society "had Masonic leanings.")
Fa, Bernard. "Le credo de Franklin," _Correspondant_, 570-8 (Feb. 25, 1930).