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"Ben Franklin"
Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography: Page 83
of 154
newspapers of the Continent; reprinted in Britain on a broad side, to be stuck
up in houses; two translations were made of it in French, and great numbers
bought by the clergy and gentry, to distribute gratis among their poor
parishioners and tenants. In Pennsylvania, as it discouraged useless expense in
foreign superfluities, some thought it had its share of influence in producing
that growing plenty of money which was observable for several years after its
publication.
I considered my newspaper, also, as another means of communicating instruction,
and in that view frequently reprinted in it extracts from the Spectator, and
other moral writers; and sometimes publish'd little pieces of my own, which had
been first compos'd for reading in our Junto. Of these are a Socratic dialogue,
tending to prove that, whatever might be his parts and abilities, a vicious man
could not properly be called a man of sense; and a discourse on self-denial,
showing that virtue was not secure till its practice became a habitude, and was
free from the opposition of contrary inclinations. These may be found in the
papers about the beginning of 1735.
In the conduct of my newspaper, I carefully excluded all libelling and personal
abuse, which is of late years become so disgraceful to our country. Whenever I
was solicited to insert anything of that kind, and the writers pleaded, as they
generally did, the liberty of the press, and that a newspaper was like a
stagecoach, in which any one who would pay had a right to a place, my answer
was, that I would print the piece separately if desired, and the author might
have as many copies as he pleased to distribute himself, but that I would not
take upon me to spread his detraction; and that, having contracted with my
subscribers to furnish them with what might be either useful or entertaining, I
could not fill their papers with private altercation, in which they had no
concern, without doing them manifest injustice. Now, many of our printers make
no scruple of gratifying the malice of individuals by false accusations of the
fairest characters among ourselves, augmenting animosity even to the producing
of duels; and are, moreover, so indiscreet as to print scurrilous reflections on
the government of neighboring states, and even on the conduct of our best
national allies, which may be attended with the most pernicious consequences.
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