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"Ben Franklin"
Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography: Page 53
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being made of the new printing-office at the merchants' Every-night club, the
general opinion was that it must fail, there being already two printers in the
place, Keimer and Bradford; but Dr. Baird (whom you and I saw many years after
at his native place, St. Andrew's in Scotland) gave a contrary opinion: "For the
industry of that Franklin," says he, "is superior to any thing I ever saw of the
kind; I see him still at work when I go home from club, and he is at work again
before his neighbors are out of bed." This struck the rest, and we soon after
had offers from one of them to supply us with stationery; but as yet we did not
chuse to engage in shop business.
I mention this industry the more particularly and the more freely, tho' it seems
to be talking in my own praise, that those of my posterity, who shall read it,
may know the use of that virtue, when they see its effects in my favour
throughout this relation.
George Webb, who had found a female friend that lent him wherewith to purchase
his time of Keimer, now came to offer himself as a journeyman to us. We could
not then employ him; but I foolishly let him know as a secret that I soon
intended to begin a newspaper, and might then have work for him. My hopes of
success, as I told him, were founded on this, that the then only newspaper,
printed by Bradford, was a paltry thing, wretchedly manag'd, no way
entertaining, and yet was profitable to him; I therefore thought a good paper
would scarcely fail of good encouragement. I requested Webb not to mention it;
but he told it to Keimer, who immediately, to be beforehand with me, published
proposals for printing one himself, on which Webb was to be employ'd. I resented
this; and, to counteract them, as I could not yet begin our paper, I wrote
several pieces of entertainment for Bradford's paper, under the title of the
Busy Body, which Breintnal continu'd some months. By this means the attention of
the publick was fixed on that paper, and Keimer's proposals, which we burlesqu'd
and ridicul'd, were disregarded. He began his paper, however, and, after
carrying it on three quarters of a year, with at most only ninety subscribers,
he offered it to me for a trifle; and I, having been ready some time to go on
with it, took it in hand directly; and it prov'd in a few years extremely
profitable to me.
I perceive that I am apt to speak in the singular number, though our partnership
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