ry taste, and his
remarkable success as a writer, led him ever to cherish, as a darling
project, the idea of the establishing of a newspaper. In a few months
he had quite deliberately formed his plan; but in some way Keimer got
wind of it, and immediately issued a prospectus for the establishment
of a paper of his own. Though he was totally unqualified for the task
of editorship, yet his project was quite hurtful to the plans of
Franklin.

Very much annoyed by the treachery which had revealed his plans to
Keimer, and perceiving that his paper was unpopular and heavy,
Franklin very wisely decided to establish his own reputation as a
vivacious writer, before entering upon the important undertaking of
issuing a journal in his own name. There was a small paper then
published in the city called "The Mercury." He commenced writing a
series of very witty and satirical articles over the signature of
"Busy Body." The first number contained the following sentences as
intimations of what was to come.

"It is probable that I may displease a great number of your
readers who will not very well like to pay ten shillings a
year for being told of their faults, but as most people
delight in censure when they themselves are not the object of
it, if any are offended at my publicly exposing their private
vices, I promise they shall have the satisfaction in a very
little time, in seeing their good friends and neighbors in
the same circumstances."

These sparkling contributions of Franklin attracted much attention,
and created for him a growing literary reputation. The subject of
paper money which agitated our country, was then being discussed in
Pennsylvania with intense interest. Franklin wrote a carefully studied
pamphlet entitled "A Modest Inquiry into the Nature and Necessity of a
Paper Currency."

This treatise, written by a young printer of but twenty-three years,
upon one of the most difficult questions of finance, displayed great
ability. Warmly he advocated a paper currency. His arguments, however,
were such as would not now probably exert much influence upon the
public mind. The main proposition he endeavored to sustain was, that
there was not a sufficiency of gold and silver in Pennsylvania, for
carrying on the trade of the province. He therefore argued that all
branches of industry must languish unless the currency were increased
by an issue of paper.[12]

[Footnote 12: This pamphle