Citizens, a splendid day to you this February 17 !

I deliberately left you in suspense last week, with the fate of my career as an almanac writer hanging in the air, and one reader has already asked, presumably with baited breath, for the “next installment” of this  affair.  You may recall that I was trying to outdo my rival, Mr. Titan Leeds, by using witty sayings supposedly written by Richard Saunders, the original “poor Richard” of my imagination, as the means.  The public was not used to humor in their almanacs and it was a business gamble not entirely without arrogance for a young man such as myself to compete thusly with an older and more experienced almanac publisher like Titan Leeds.

Well, not to mince words, the technique worked! And far better than I had dared hope. To my delight, it was these expressions, some adapted from other sources and some which I invented, that made my “Poor Richard’s Almanac” the best selling publication in all the colonies—and for over twenty years. That’s right!  It sold even better than the Bible!

Note from Christopher Lowell:  Ben proved an astute businessman in this instance.   Homes in his time often had one or, at the most, two Bibles, but his almanac they had to buy every year!  He created the demand, then met it.

People became fond of working the phrase, “As Poor Richard says,” into their conversations and enjoyed citing my Ben Franklin quotations to each other with a smile or a wink. I had Poor Richard give advice about love and marriage, about thrift, about health, sobriety, vanity, and so forth. My memory isn’t what it used to me, but I do remember a couple of my personal favorites; maybe you know them as well and so I’ll put some in during my next chat with you.  I’ll also tell you then about a little joke I played on Titan Leeds, one which he didn’t care for in the least, and how that pleasantry resulted in greatly increased sales for my almanac. You see, I had determined that I could woo some of Mr. Leeds’s customers over to my “Poor Richard’s Almanac” by an unusual gambit.  And I chuckle in remembering that he rose to that bait as a fish to the worm.   I look forward to further chats with you on all this and until my next entry in this journal next week, an entry which will certainly please a certain Madam Haas, whose query from last week is very much in my mind, I remain,

yr faithful and obedient servant,

Benj. Franklin

Ben Franklin’s Reflections – #3A – How “Poor Richard’s Almanac” came to be Part 1

Citizens, good day to you!  In this space last week, I promised you that I’d tell you how my “Poor Richard’s Almanac” got its name.  Many seem interested in the subject, and ever your faithful servant, I am happy to oblige beginning this day, 10 February 2012.

I had been in business as a printer for almost five years when, at 26 , I made the decision to write and publish an almanac for the citizens of Philadelphia, my adopted home town.  Almanacs were useful and I certainly wanted to print useful things for my readers.  An almanac, I thought, would be just the thing.  Almanacs helped farmers know when to plant and reap, they helped sailors and shippers know when the tides were high or low, and they helped travelers know when there might be a full moon to light their journeys, for a good almanac always provided accurate astronomical information on the phases of the moon.  Well, I knew I had a rival in Philadelphia, Mr.Titan Leeds, whose almanac was well established, but  it was a dull little tome in the extreme. I knew I could write a more interesting almanac than his.  I considered long and hard as to how my almanac could stand out and be competitive.

I had already had success in publishing letters under a false name.  In fact, I’ll talk with you about all that on another occasion and tell more about how “Silence Dogood,” my first pseudonym, came into being.  “Silence” had been a great success and so I decided to invent another false personage for my new almanac. And so, as you may know,  I invented a character I called Richard Saunders, and decided that “Poor Richard,” as I called him, was a hen-pecked little man, whose wife made him work constantly in order to provide her with the finery to which she thought herself entitled!  And to make my “Poor Richard’s” almanac more enjoyable than that of my competitor, I decided to fill it with useful and, I hoped, witty phrases, supposedly from the pen of poor Richard Saunders.

Would this be sufficient to interest the public?  Would I be able to outsmart an older, more experienced almanac maker?  Ah, dear readers, for that you must read Part II of this tale next week!  Until then, I remain,

Yr faithful and obedient servant,

Benj. Franklin

Citizens,

Today, Friday, 3 February 2012, I will continue the reflections I began last week about the origins of America’s government and what I observe today.

As I go around the country now, visiting with citizens in conventions, association meetings, schools and so forth, many ask me what my view is of the present American government or what recommendations I would have for positive change. As a humble visitor to your time, I would not have the presumption to advise you on your 21st century affairs.  But I admit to  a certain puzzlement about your reliance on state caucuses and political parties to choose your president.  From my very limited perspective, it seems overly cumbersome. And it is my perception that sometimes, loyalty to political party seems to eclipse loyalty to nation.  If this all-too-brief impression is one you find correct, I would hope you would be outraged and move to change it.  On the other hand, I am absolutely delighted to see that the Republic, despite creaking a bit, is still standing and still flourishing (Not unlike your humble servant!)

The essential, the core of our Constitution is, miraculously, still intact:  each of you over the age of eighteen, in keeping with the ideals we embodied so long ago, has a voice in choosing your representatives.  This is the essence of a Republic and, at the same time, both simple and complex.  And I am particularly gratified to note that this now includes women! Such inclusiveness is a core strength of the nation!  Neither our first President and Congress nor those of today are formed in secret, by appointment, or by the elite, but by you and me, the ordinary citizens of the land. It was to throw out the concept of elite government, so typified by the British Empire and the arrogance of George III and his House of Lords, and to place our faith in the people’s will that we created our Republic during that Constitutional Convention I mentioned earlier.  Now, 225 years later, you still have regular opportunity to recreate a government responsive to your needs and wishes.  Few nations give their citizens this trust and this power! Seize the privilege! Become engaged in the exciting process of charting your own destiny and your children’s future! Vote, yes, but vote not on looks, charm, nor wit, but on ideas, heart, and perceived ability.

I am eager to see how the political process works in your times and look forward to your comments.  And next week, I shall begin the story of how my “Poor Richard’s” Almanac came to be. Until then, I remain, your faithful, and humble servant,

Benj. Franklin

Citizens,

My often irritating business manager, Mr. Christopher Lowell, informs me that it is the “caucus” season here in your century and time, and that different states will soon be busy choosing delegates to elect candidates who reflect their views.  These candidates will later cast votes, presumably for these candidates, at your national conventions.   This makes me reflect on but one of the great questions we endeavored to resolve during the Constitutional Convention of 1787:  what kind of government did we want and how was it to be put into actual practice?  Although I shall reflect a good deal more about that Convention in future writings, let this be a beginning.

When, after over four months of strenuous effort, we delegates finally emerged from our debates on September 17, the wife of the Philadelphia mayor greeted me with the not unexpected question “What kind of government have you got for us, Dr. Franklin?”  I answered, “A Republic, madam, if you can keep it.”  I meant two things by this:  that we had created a representational form of government and that only by the informed and engaged participation of us all can we truly keep the Republic we Founding Fathers had so laboriously crafted. I am happy to see that it is the same in your time:  it is not for the elite, for the landowners, for the “in” group but for all citizens to hold our public officials accountable to us and therefore to continue to make government a servant of the people and not the other way around.  This reflected our core belief; a belief in you, our posterity whom we would not know. I am greatly pleased that even though you have changed much about the process of elections since my day, this core belief has not changed!  In fact… well I shall leave that until next time, when I shall continue these musings.  I have been told that 21st century readers are not as used to reading long documents as we all were in our time. To accommodate you, then, I shall pause.  Until next week, I remain, dear readers,

yr humble and ever obedient servant,

Benj. Franklin

Citizens, I’m proud to be able to make use of your newest ways to communicate and begin here a series of discussions about my life and times. I was told, by my 21st century business manager, Mr. Christopher Lowell of Colorado Springs, that one of the topics that seem to interest a great number of you today is those little witticisms and aphorisms that I developed for my almanac, back when I was a young businessman in Philadelphia in the early 1730’s. So I’ll begin my chats with you by telling you how that all came about.

When I was 26 and had decided to write and publish an almanac for the citizens of Philadelphia, it was for for both altruistic and selfish reasons. I wanted to live usefully, and I’ll write in the future more about this. But I also wanted to make a profit, and use my skills, such as they were, in both writing and printing to do so. I knew I had a rival in Philadelphia, whose almanac was, although to my mind boring in the extreme, well established. His name was Titan Leeds, and I mulled how my almanac could stand out and be different from his.

Now when I was only 16, I managed to have my first writings published by my older half-brother, James, to whom I was apprenticed. Because he would never have published anything from me, a lowly apprentice, knowingly, I had disguised my writing with the obviously false name of Silence Dogood. The successes I had known as “Silence” gave me the impetus to write under another assumed name. And so it was that I again enjoyed the pretense of being somebody else. This time I invented a character I called Richard Saunders, and I decided that “Poor Richard,” as I called him, was a hen-pecked little man, always under the thumb of his wife, who made him work hard in order to be able to buy the finery she thought herself entitled to! But just before my “Poor Richard’s Almanac” went to press in 1732, I noticed, with some horror, that there was a great deal of white space unfilled in my almanac. Thinking that this would never do, I determined to fill much of it with useful and, I hoped, witty phrases that might help make the almanac be a bit different. Far less stodgy than the one Mr. Titan Leeds was putting out.

To my delight, it was these phrases, some remembered from other sources and adapted, some invented, that made my “Poor Richard’s Almanac” the best selling publication in all the colonies—and for over 20 years. People went around with, “As Poor Richard says,” on their lips, and citing the quotations that I, Ben Franklin, had incorporated into the almanac. I had Poor Richard give advice about love and marriage, about thrift, about health and so forth. My memory isn’t what it used to me, but I do recall a couple of favorites; maybe you know them as well. About love and fidelity, I said that “if there is marriage without love, there will be love without marriage.” That just might be as true for you today as it was for us, then. About thrift, I said that “a penny saved is a penny earned,” and “better go to bed without supper than rise in debt.”

About health and what you call today “wellness,” I had much to say, but a couple of my favorites, and they became favorite Benjamin Franklin quotations from many of my readers were, “To lengthen thy life, lessen thy meals,” (which I believed in but had trouble in following), and “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” By the way, I’ve heard an insidious rumor but wish to deny it publicly here. I never said, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away…if aimed right.” I had no such animosity towards doctors; in fact, one of my closest friends, Benjamin Rush, was a doctor, himself. This didn’t preclude my kidding doctors though. “God heals, and the doctor takes the fee!”, as Poor Richard says! Well, I look forward to further chats with you and until that time, I remain,

yr faithful and obedient servant,

Benj. Franklin