Franklin had many talents, probably the most noteworthy (because it kept food on the table) was his operation of a printing/publishing house. This and other facets of his life are obscured by his position as a statesman, his being an inventor and publisher of Poor Richard's Almanac.
Franklin was also a friend. From a collection of his letters it is clear that he remained loyal to his friends in Philadelphia. On one occasion, he specifically asked his wife to make sure that John Bartram was aware of his difficulties due to storm damage of his house. In addition, he gave support to William Bartram, encouraging him to travel, paint and write. No doubt without Franklin's and other prominent men of the day, support, William Bartram would have not succeeded in accomplishing his descriptive writing of our country in the period 1760 -1790.
Franklin had a great sense of humor and seemed to be able to intertwine a good story with a moral. Noteworthy is his own epitaph and the following to a friend's pet squirrel. The following epitaph offers a moral to those who seek freedom.
On the Loss of an American Squirrel, Who, Escaping from His Cage, was Killed by a Shepherd's Dog.
Alas: poor Mungo!
Happy wert thou, hadst thou known
Thy own felicity.
Remote from the fierce bald eagle,
Tyrant of thy native woods,
Thou hadst nought to fear from his piercing talons,
Nor from the murdering gun
of the thoughtless sportsman.
Safe in thy wired castle,
Grimalkin never could annoy thee.
Daily wert thou fed with the choicest viands,
By the fair hand of an indulgent mistress;
But, discontented,
Thou wouldst have more freedom.
Too soon, alas! didst thou obtain it;
And wandering,
Thou art fallen by the fangs of wanton, cruel Ranger!
Learn hence,
Ye who blindly seek more liberty,
Whether subject, son, squirrels or daughters,
That apparent restraint may be real protection,
Yielding peace and plenty
With security.
---
The message is clear. Before one undertakes to throw off the shackles which bind, consider the consequences. Freedom is fleeting when one tyrant is substituted for another. Consider the fate of the Bosnians, Chechens, tribes of Africa, or the peoples of Latin America. Or on a political note; the Republicans who voted for Ross Perot rather than George Bush. How do they like the Democrat alternative??
So what is one to do? Remain forever in bondage? Don't take chances? Don't question the status quo? While the writer gave no answer, it is clear that when it came to seeking freedom from England's grip, he was much on the side of risking the consequences.
This has been revisited of late and in his letters and diaries, it is clear that he wished to maintain the linkage between England and the "Colonies". Only when it became clear that it was impossible, and tea was floating in the harbor, did he recognize the impossibility of his task, and returned to America where he became one of the more strident advocates of separation.
Oh yes, this was written in 1772 by Benjamin Franklin in condolence to a dear friend, Miss Georgiana Shipley, whose pet squirrel had escaped from his cage.
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