Part 9 (1/2)
The decided opposition that Mr Franklin showed to verse- put a damper upon Benjamin's poetical aspirations The air-castle that his youthful iination had built, in consequence of the rapid sale of his literary wares, tumbled to ruin at once He went back to the office and his work quite crest-fallen
”What has happened now?” inquired Ja
”Father doesn't thinkverses ofme a real lecture, so that I am almost ashamed of myself”
”How is that,” said James, ”does he dislike your pieces?”
”Yes; and he will not allow that they have any h to show that there is very little poetry into hi,” answered James, ”and may improve wonderfully in future You can't expect to write either prose or poetry ithout beginning and trying”
”All the trying in the world can do nothing for e from father's talk,” added Benja for Benjamin toto his own confession, his vanity was inflated by the sale of his ballads, and he ht have been puffed up to his future injury, had not his father thus unceremoniously taken the wind out of his sails There was little danger noever
After such a severe handling, he was not likely to overrate his poetical talents It had the effect also to turn his attention to prose writing, which is more substantial and reuished, as we shall see hereafter
The practice of writing down one's thoughts, called in our schools ”colected by the young as it is It proved a valuable exercise to Benjamin, even before he became renowned in the service of his country In several instances, while he was yet a youth, it enabled hiht have been in extreave him the ability to conduct his brother's paper, when only sixteen years of age, at a tiovernment of the Province incarcerated James, so that the paper would have been crushed but for the ability of Benjamin When he first commenced business in Philadelphia, also, it enabled him to produce articles for the ”Pennsylvania Gazette,” which attracted general notice, and opened the way for his beco both proprietor and editor of the same And a little later he was able to write a pamphlet on the ”_Nature and Necessity of a Paper Currency_,” proposing a islature, because the opponents of it had no writer in their ranks competent to answer it These are only a few exa himself to write, even before he had passed the dew of his youth In age he referred to this practice of his boyhood with arded it as one of the fortunate exercises that contributed to his eht be cited upon this subject A far every day, after his as done, in a blank-book which he kept for the purpose He persevered in the practice for several years, and acquired a facility in co a liberal education The consequence was, that his friends becae, where he ranked high as a writer; and he is now about entering theat the commencement of their ministerial work; and it all results from his early self-discipline in the exercise of composition
CHAPTER X
THE DISPUTE
Benjamin was intimate, at this tient, sprightly, and fond of books, so that he was a very agreeable companion They differed somewhat in their opinions upon various subjects, and frequently found theed in earnest disputation When other boys were accusto, Benja some question of importance, well suited to improve the mind One day their conversation related to the education of the sexes
”It would be a waste of hly as boys are educated; for the female sex are inferior to the male in intellectual endowment”
”Pshaw!” exclaiirls are not so simple as you think they are I believe that women are not a whit inferior to men in their mental qualities”
”I should like to knohere you discover the evidence of it?” replied John ”There is no proof of it in the works they have written”
”That may be true, and still they stand upon an equality in respect to intellect For not half so much is done to educate them as there is to educate the male sex How can you tell whether they are mentally inferior or not, until they are peres?”
”As we tell h mental endowments as men, since they are not required to lead off in the different branches of business, or to prosecute the sciences I can see no wisdo talents upon the is o,” said Benjamin, ”but I think you have a weak cause to defend If I had the tiuess,” quickly added John ”We will see, the next time we meet, who can make out a case”
”It will be soain,” responded Benjamin, ”and our ardour will be cooled before that ti But it will do us no harm to discuss the subject”
”If we keep our te his sentence to the last word of Benja, they parted
After Benjamin had revolved the subject still uly, with pen and paper in hand, he sat down to fra the female sex He wrote it in the form of a letter, addressed to his friend Collins, and, after having completed, he copied it in a fair hand, and sent it to hi reply, which made it necessary for Benjamin to pen an answer In this way the correspondence continued, until several letters had passed between theained the victory in his own estimation
One day Benjamin's father met with these letters accidentally, and he read them over, and was somewhat impressed with their character
”What are these, Benja up the letters