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"Ben Franklin"
Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography: Page 60
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affection was revived, but there were now great objections to our union. The
match was indeed looked upon as invalid, a preceding wife being said to be
living in England; but this could not easily be prov'd, because of the distance;
and, tho' there was a report of his death, it was not certain. Then, tho' it
should be true, he had left many debts, which his successor might be call'd upon
to pay. We ventured, however, over all these difficulties, and I took her to
wife, September 1st, 1730. None of the inconveniences happened that we had
apprehended, she proved a good and faithful helpmate, assisted me much by
attending the shop; we throve together, and have ever mutually endeavored to
make each other happy. Thus I corrected that great erratum as well as I could.
About this time, our club meeting, not at a tavern, but in a little room of Mr.
Grace's, set apart for that purpose, a proposition was made by me, that, since
our books were often referr'd to in our disquisitions upon the queries, it might
be convenient to us to have them altogether where we met, that upon occasion
they might be consulted; and by thus clubbing our books to a common library, we
should, while we lik'd to keep them together, have each of us the advantage of
using the books of all the other members, which would be nearly as beneficial as
if each owned the whole. It was lik'd and agreed to, and we fill'd one end of
the room with such books as we could best spare. The number was not so great as
we expected; and tho' they had been of great use, yet some inconveniences
occurring for want of due care of them, the collection, after about a year, was
separated, and each took his books home again
And now I set on foot my first project of a public nature, that for a
subscription library. I drew up the proposals, got them put into form by our
great scrivener, Brockden, and, by the help of my friends in the Junto, procured
fifty subscribers of forty shillings each to begin with, and ten shillings a
year for fifty years, the term our company was to continue. We afterwards
obtain'd a charter, the company being increased to one hundred: this was the
mother of all the North American subscription libraries, now so numerous. It is
become a great thing itself, and continually increasing. These libraries have
improved the general conversation of the Americans, made the common tradesmen
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