at of member of the general assembly of the
colonies, deputy postmaster of Philadelphia and commissioner to treat
with the Indians.

"He saw that the common people should have a better chance to get an
education, and so he published for many years Poor Richard's Almanac,
which provided them with much that they should have known; he founded
the first circulating library, helped to establish the University of
Pennsylvania, and brought into existence the American Philosophical
Society.

"He saw the lightning, just as millions before him had done; but,
unlike the others, he believed the brilliant display was the evidence
of a great and unseen power--electricity. By the use of his now famous
kite and key he proved it to be so, and for a time he was the only man
in the world who knew what lightning really is.

"He saw at the time of the impending Revolutionary war the need of
someone to go to England to intercede in the interests of the
colonies; and so, when the choice fell upon him, he did not shirk the
responsibility.

"He saw many later duties which caused him to become a member of the
Continental Congress which made George Washington the commander-in-chief
of the Colonial army; he helped to write the Declaration of Independence;
he was a commissioner of peace to confer with the British General
Howe; he was a member of the commission to seek the aid of France; he
was America's first postmaster general.

[Illustration: Fig. 14]

"_Did Benjamin Franklin depend upon luck?_ Never! His was,
rather, a five-leaf clover, like this: [Quickly add the fifth leaf to
the drawing, and insert the letter P, completing Fig. 14.] 'Whatsoever
thy hand findeth to do,' says the Bible, 'do it with thy might.' I
believe Benjamin Franklin fulfilled this command; and we can do it
ourselves, if we will. He never stopped to 'knock on wood' to prevent
bad luck! He had better sense. And I hope we have, too."

THE KEG and the BUCKET
--Temperance Day
--Purity

A Temperance Talk Devoted to the Teaching of the Principles of
Purity of Life.

THE LESSON--That water as a beverage stands for purity and
blessing, while spirituous liquors are always an emblem of impurity
and blight.

The chalk talk here outlined contains in its illustration an
interesting transformation which always commands close attention. The
truth it presents cannot fail to leave an impression. It may be well
to vary the application of the temperance thought to