n
people opposed it with all their might.

Scarcely had Franklin been at home two years when he was again sent to
England to plead the cause of his countrymen.

This time he remained abroad for more than ten years; but he was not so
successful as before.

In 1774 he appeared before the King's council to present a petition from
the people of Massachusetts.

He was now a venerable man nearly seventy years of age. He was the most
famous man of America.

His petition was rejected. He himself was shamefully insulted and abused
by one of the members of the council. The next day he was dismissed
from the office of deputy postmaster-general of America.

In May, 1775, he was again at home in Philadelphia.

Two weeks before his arrival the battle of Lexington had been fought,
and the war of the Revolution had been begun.

Franklin had done all that he could to persuade the English king to deal
justly with the American colonies. But the king and his counsellors had
refused to listen to him.

During his ten years abroad he had not stayed all the time in England.
He had traveled in many countries of Europe, and had visited Paris
several times.

Many changes had taken place while he was absent.

His wife, Mrs. Deborah Franklin, had died. His parents and fifteen of
his brothers and sisters had also been laid in the grave.

The rest of his days were to be spent in the service of his country, to
which he had already given nearly twenty years of his life.

* * * * *

XIV.--FRANKLIN'S WONDERFUL KITE.

Benjamin Franklin was not only a printer, politician, and statesman, he
was the first scientist of America. In the midst of perplexing cares it
was his delight to study the laws of nature and try to understand some
of the mysteries of creation.

In his time no very great discoveries had yet been made. The steam
engine was unknown. The telegraph had not so much as been dreamed about.
Thousands of comforts which we now enjoy through the discoveries of
science were then unthought of; or if thought of, they were deemed to be
impossible.

Franklin began to make experiments in electricity when he was about
forty years old.

He was the first person to discover that lightning is caused by
electricity. He had long thought that this was true, but he had no means
of proving it.

He thought that if he could stand on some high tower during a
thunder-storm, he might be able to draw some of the ele