where God
would have me; but he has certainly hedged up his way to the
ministry."

This subject was very thoroughly considered before it was opened to
Benjamin. His father was too anxious to educate him to change his
purpose without much patient thought and circumspection. Nothing but
absolute necessity induced him to come to this decision. The hard hand
of poverty was laid upon him, and he must have "bread before learning"
for his children.

One evening, as the school term was drawing to a close, Mr. Franklin
said to Benjamin--

"I think I shall be under the necessity of taking you away from school
at the close of the term. The times are so hard, that I find, with my
best exertions, I can do little more than supply you with food and
clothes."

"And not go to school any more?" anxiously inquired Benjamin.

"Perhaps not. Such appears to be your prospect now, though I cannot
say that God may not open a way hereafter; I hope he will. You are but
nine years old, and there is time yet for a way to be provided."

"Why can I not attend school till I am old enough to help you?"

"You are old enough to help me now. I could find a plenty for you to
do every day, so that you could make yourself very useful."

In those days boys were put to work much earlier than they are now.
They had very small opportunities for acquiring knowledge, and the
boys who did not go to school after they were ten years old were more
in number than those who did. Besides, the schools were very poor in
comparison with those of the present age. They offered very limited
advantages to the young. It was not unusual, therefore, for lads as
young as Benjamin to be made to work.

"But I do not intend to set you to work immediately," continued Mr.
Franklin. "You ought to give some attention to penmanship and
arithmetic, and I shall send you to Mr. Brownwell's writing-school for
a season."

"I shall like that, for I want to know how to write well. Some of the
boys no older than I am have been to his school some time."

"It is equally important that you learn to cipher, and Mr. Brownwell
is an excellent teacher of arithmetic. It will not take you many
months to become a good penman under his tuition, and to acquire
considerable knowledge of numbers."

"I care more about writing than I do about arithmetic," said Benjamin.
"I don't think I shall like arithmetic very well."

"Boys have to study some things they don't like," responded his
father. "It