olboys interrogating the master.

With the voice and tongue of a prophet, Franklin foretold the English
people what the outcome of their treatment of America would be. Pitt and a
few others knew the greatness of Franklin, and saw that he was right, but
the rest smiled in derision.

He sailed for home in Seventeen Hundred Seventy-five, and urged the
Continental Congress to the Declaration of Independence, of which he
became a signer. Then the war came, and had not Franklin gone to Paris and
made an ally of France, and borrowed money, the Continental Army could not
have been maintained in the field.

He remained in France for nine years, and was the pride and pet of the
people. His sound sense, his good humor, his distinguished personality,
gave him the freedom of society everywhere. He had the ability to adapt
himself to conditions, and was everywhere at home.

Once, he attended a memorable banquet in Paris shortly after the close of
the Revolutionary War. Among the speakers was the English Ambassador, who
responded to the toast, "Great Britain." The Ambassador dwelt at length on
England's greatness, and likened her to the sun that sheds its beneficent
rays on all. The next toast was "America," and Franklin was called on to
respond. He began very modestly by saying: "The Republic is too young to
be spoken of in terms of praise; her career is yet to come, and so,
instead of America, I will name you a man, George Washington--the Joshua
who successfully commanded the sun to stand still." The Frenchmen at the
board forgot the courtesy due their English guest, and laughed needlessly
loud.

Franklin was regarded in Paris as the man who had both planned the War of
the Revolution, and fought it. They said, "He despoiled the thunderbolt of
its danger and snatched sovereignty out of the hand of King George of
England." No doubt that his ovation was largely owing to the fact that he
was supposed to have plucked whole handfuls of feathers from England's
glory, and surely they were pretty nearly right.

In point of all-round development, Franklin must stand as the foremost
American. The one intent of his mind was to purify his own spirit, to
develop his intellect on every side, and make his body the servant of his
soul. His passion was to acquire knowledge, and the desire of his heart
was to communicate it.

The writings of Franklin--simple, clear, concise, direct, impartial,
brimful of commonsense--form a model which may be s