in
his own judgment, in discussions with his associates. But the Socratic
method of argumentation, so different from that in which he had been
accustomed to indulge, at once secured his approval and admiration.
Socrates was never guilty of the discourtesy of assailing an opponent
with flat contradiction or positive assertion. With a politeness which
never failed him, and a modesty of demeanor which won the regard of
all others, he would lead his fellow disputant, by a series of
questions, to assent to the views which he advocated. Franklin
immediately commenced practicing upon this newly discovered art. He
was remarkably successful, and became one of the most agreeable and
beloved of companions. But ere long he became satisfied of the folly
of these disputations, in which each party struggles, not for
truth, but for victory. It is simply an exercise of intellectual
gladiatorship, in which the man who has the most skill and muscle
discomfits his antagonist. Jefferson warned his nephew to avoid
disputation. He says, "I have never known, during my long life, any
persons' engage in a dispute in which they did not separate, each more
firmly convinced than before of the correctness of his own views."

Franklin enjoyed marvellous health. His digestive powers were perfect.
He could live upon any thing and almost upon nothing without
experiencing any inconvenience. A book advocating purely vegetable
diet accidentally fell into his hands. It urged the pecuniary economy
and the saving of time in adopting a vegetarian diet. Eagerly he
adopted the views presented. He could safely do so, had the author
advocated raw onions and carrots. The stomach of Franklin would have
received them and assimilated them without any remonstrance. He
succeeded in inducing his brother to relinquish one half of his board
and allow him to board himself. Benjamin found that in this way, he
saved much time and much money. A handful of raisins, a roll of bread,
and a glass of water afforded him a dinner. This he could dispose of
in from five to ten minutes, and have the remainder of the dinner hour
for reading.

The hours of the night were his own. He often sat up late and rose
early, his soul all absorbed in intellectual vigils.

There are two platforms of morality, in some respects inseparably
blended, in others quite distinctly separated from each other. The one
of these platforms constitutes the low standard of mere worldly
morality. It says,