The spectacle of their dark colored
bodies, half naked, and seen only by the gloomy light of the fire, running
after and beating one another with firebrands, accompanied by the most
unearthly yellings, presented a dreadful scene. The frenzy of the people
was so great that there was no possibility of restraining it, and the
commissioners were obliged to retire and leave the savages to themselves.

[Illustration.]

After this Franklin returned to Philadelphia and devoted his attention to
a variety of plans for the improvement of the city, in all of which his
characteristic ingenuity in devising means for the accomplishment of his
plans, and his calm and quiet, but efficient energy in carrying them into
effect, were as conspicuous as ever. One of the first enterprises in which
he engaged was the founding of a hospital for the reception and cure of
sick persons. The institution which he was the means of establishing has
since become one of the most prominent and useful institutions of the
country. He caused a petition to be prepared and presented to the
Assembly, asking for a grant from the public funds in aid of this
undertaking. The country members were at first opposed to the plan,
thinking that it would mainly benefit the city. In order to diminish this
opposition, Franklin framed the petition so as not to ask for a direct and
absolute grant of the money that was required, but caused a resolve to be
drawn up granting the sum of two thousand pounds from the public treasury
on condition that the same sum should previously be raised by private
subscription. Many of the members were willing to vote for this, who would
not have voted for an unconditional donation; and so the vote was passed
without much opposition.

After this the private subscriptions went on very prosperously; for each
person who was applied to considered the conditional promise of the
Assembly as an additional motive to give, since every man's donation would
be doubled by the public grant, if the required amount was made up. This
consideration had so powerful an influence that the subscriptions soon
exceeded the requisite sum. Thus the hospital was founded.

[Illustration: Poor Woman.]

Franklin interested himself also in introducing plans for paving, sweeping
and lighting the streets of the city. Before this time the streets had
been kept in very bad condition. This was the case, in fact, at that
pe