ded. These things made Jenny's
heart ache, but she never ceased to believe in Ben.

Few boys ever left the city in provincial times with less promise of any
great future, so far as public opinion is concerned. But,
notwithstanding these errors of judgment, he still carried with him a
purpose of being a benefactor, and his dream was to help the world. The
star of this purpose ever shone before him in the deserts of his
wanderings.

But how was he to succeed, after thus following his own personal feeling
in matters like these? By correcting his own errors as soon as he saw
them, and never repeating them again. This he did; he openly
acknowledged his faults, and tried to make amends for them. He who
confesses his errors, and seeks to retrieve them, has a heart and
purpose that the public will love. But it is a higher and nobler life
not to fall into such errors.

This was about the year 1723. A curious incident happened on the voyage
to New York. Young Franklin had become a vegetarian--that is, he had
been convinced that it was wrong to kill animals for food, and wrong to
eat flesh of any kind.

The ship became becalmed, and the sailors betook themselves to fishing.
Franklin loved to argue still, notwithstanding his unhappy experiences.

"Fishing is murder," said he. "Why should these inhabitants of the sea
be deprived of their lives and opportunities of enjoyment? They have
never done any one harm, and they live the lives for which Nature made
them. They have the same right to liberty that they have to life."

This indicated a true heart. But when the steward began to cook the fish
that the sailors had caught, the frying of them did have a savory smell.

Young Franklin now began to be tempted from theory by appetite. How
could he get over his principles and share the meal with the sailors?
The cook seized a large fish to prepare it for the frying-pan. As he cut
off its head and opened him he found in him a little fish.

"So you eat fish," said Franklin, addressing the prize; "then why may I
not eat _you_?" He did so, and from this time left off his vegetarian
habits, which habits, like his aspiration to be a poet, did credit to
his heart.

His argument in this case had no force. The fish had not a moral nature,
and because an animal or reptile without such a nature should eat other
animals or reptiles would furnish no reason why a being governed by laws
outside of himself should do the same.

October found him