A History of the University of Pennsylvania from Its Foundation to A. D. 1770/Chapter 8
The birth of the university marks the half way point in Franklin's life; in the pursuit of its history we cannot fail to note his work from time to time in behalf of his native country, for we must watch the events by his share in which he was elevated more and more to public notoriety, and some of which nearly concerned the institution whose trusteeship he faithfully continued in to his last days, though his long absences in his country's service deprived it for many consecutive years of that prudent and skilful counsel, which, if exercised, had perhaps spared it from its great disaster of 1779.
The attempt of 1743 had not been forgotten by him, and though he had not within view any capable or experienced person to take it in charge, he sought counsel of his friends, Mr. Peters included, and now made public his designs. "Peace being concluded,"[1] he says in his Narrative,
and the association business therefore at an end, I turn'd my thoughts again to the affair of establishing an academy. The first step I took was to associate in the design a number of active friends, of whom the Junto furnished a good part; the next was to write and publish a pamphlet, entitled, Proposals relating to the Education of Youth in Pennsylvania. This I distributed among the principal inhabitants gratis; and as soon as I could suppose their minds a little prepared by the perusal of it, I set on foot a subscription for opening and supporting an academy.
And he adds a sentence in his usual vein showing how little anxious he was to claim the authorship of the plan:
In the introduction to these proposals, I started their publication not as an act of mine, but of more publick spirited gentlemen; avoiding as much as I could, according to my usual rule, the presenting myself to the public as the author of any scheme for their benefit.
We can name the time of the issue of this remarkable paper by his advertisement already quoted.
His first section of the Proposals opens with the well known axiom that "the good education of youth has been esteemed by wise men in all ages, as the surest foundation of the happiness of both private families and commonwealths," and proceeds to state the further fact that "almost all governments have therefore made it a principal object of their attention, to establish and endow with proper revenues such seminaries of learning, as might supply the succeeding age with men qualified to serve the public with honor to themselves and to their country."
The present necessity lying on the colonists to restore and maintain a "good education" is well stated in the next section. "Many of the first settlers of these provinces were men who had received a good education in Europe; and to their wisdom and good management we owe much of our present prosperity. But their hands were full, and they could not do all things. The present race are not thought to be generally of equal ability: for, though the American youth are allowed not to want capacity, yet the best capacities require cultivation; it being truly with them, as with the best ground, which, unless well tilled and sowed with profitable seed, produces only ranker weeds." He then proceeds: "that we may obtain the advantages arising from an increase of knowledge, and prevent, as much as may be, the mischievous consequences that would attend a general ignorance among us, the following hints are offered towards forming a plan for the education of the youth of Pennsylvania."
The entire text of the paper will be found elsewhere, but there are some propositions it submits which call for especial note as they are as fruitful in suggestions now as then. One of the first points to a paternal management, giving this preference over the scholastic:
That the members of the corporation make it their pleasure, and in some degree their business, to visit the Academy often, encourage and countenance the youth, countenance and assist the masters, and by all means in their power advance the usefulness and reputation of the design; that they look on the students as in some sort their children, treat them with familiarity and affection, and, when they have behaved well, and gone through their studies, and are to enter the world, zealously unite, and make all the interest that can be made to establish them, whether in business, offices, marriages, or any other thing for their advantage, preferably to all other persons whatsoever, even of equal merit.
The next is a proper habitation:
That a house be provided for the Academy, if not in the town, not many miles from it; the situation high and dry, and, if it may be, not far from a river, having a garden, orchard, meadow, and a field or two. [And,] that the house be furnished with a library if in the country, (if in the town, the town libraries may serve.)[2]
And further, that the Rector be a man of good understanding, good morals, diligent and patient, learned in the languages and sciences, and a correct, pure speaker and writer of the English tongue.
As to the students,
it would be well if they could be taught everything that is useful, and everything that is ornamental. But art is long, and their time is short.[3] It is therefore proposed, that they learn those things that are likely to be the most useful and most ornamental; regard being had to the several professions for which they are intended. * * * Reading should also be taught, and pronouncing properly, distinctly, emphatically; not with an even tone, which under-does, nor a theatrical, which over-does nature. To form their style, they should be put in writing letters to each other, making abstracts of what they read, or writing the same things in their own words; telling or writing stories lately read, in their own expressions.
Here we are reminded of Franklin's own early experiments in composition; when a lad of but thirteen or fourteen years reading the Spectator made him ambitious to excel in style.[4] And with the view, if possible, of imitating it, his narrative tells us
I took some of the papers, and making short hints of the sentiment in each sentence, laid them by a few days, and then, without looking at the book, try'd to compleat the papers again, by expressing each hinted sentiment at length, and as fully as it had been expressed before, in any suitable words that should occur to me. Then I compared my Spectator with the original, discovered some of my faults, and corrected them. But I found I wanted a stock of words, or a readiness in recollecting and using them, which I thought I should have acquired before that time if I had gone on making verses; since the continual occasion for words of the same import, but of different length to suit the measure, or of different sound for the rhyme, would have laid me under a constant necessity of searching for variety, and also have tended to fix that variety in my mind, and make me master of it. Therefore I took some of the tales and turned them into verse; and, after a time, when I had pretty well forgotten the prose, turned them back again. * * * By comparing my work afterwards with the original, I discovered my faults, and amended them; but I sometimes had the pleasure of fancying that, in certain particulars of small import, I had been lucky enough to improve the method or the language, and this encouraged me to think, that I might possibly in time come to be a tolerable English writer; of which I was extremely ambitious.
Franklin became more than a tolerable English writer, and he remained to his latest years a master in the art; and the foundation of this was laid in the strenuous efforts of his boyhood for success, the memory of which must have been in his mind even when he was writing his Proposals, to which after this digression we must turn again.
He recurs to History, as embracing Geography, Chronology, Ancient Customs, Morals, Politics, and Oratory:
History will also give occasion to expatiate on the advantage of civil orders and constitutions; how men and their properties are protected by joining in societies and establishing government; their industry encouraged and rewarded, arts invented, and life made more comfortable; the advantages of liberty, mischiefs of licentiousness, benefits arising from good laws and a due execution of justice, &c. Thus may the first principles of sound politics be fixed in the minds of youth. On historical occasions, questions of right and wrong, justice and injustice, will naturally arise, and may be put to youth, which they may debate in conversation and in writing. * * * Public disputes warm the imagination, whet the industry, and strengthen the natural abilities.
And of the ancient languages, hear how the master in English writes:
When youth are told, that the great men, whose lives and actions they read in history, spoke two of the best languages that ever were, the most expressive, copious, beautiful; and that the finest writings, the most correct compositions, the most perfect productions of human wit and wisdom, are in those languages, which have endured for ages, and will endure while there are men; that no translation can do them justice, or give the pleasure found in reading the originals; that those languages contain all science; that one of them is become almost universal, being the language of learned men in all countries; that to understand them is a distinguishing ornament; &c., &c., they may be thereby made desirous of learning those languages, and their industry sharpened in the acquisition of them. All intended for divinity, should be taught the Latin and Greek; for physic, the Latin, Greek, and French; for law, the Latin and French; merchants, the French, German, and Spanish; and, though all should not be compelled to learn Latin, Greek, or the modern foreign languages, yet none that have an ardent desire to learn them should be refused; their English, arithmetic and other studies absolutely necessary, being at the same time not neglected. * * * With the history of men, times, and nations, should be read at proper hours or days, some of the best histories of nature, which would not only be delightful to youth, and furnish them with matter for their letters, &c., as well as other history; but afterwards of great use to them, whether they are merchants, handicrafts, or divines; enabling the first the better to understand many commodities, drugs, &c., the second to improve his trade in handicraft by new mixtures, materials, &c., and the last to adorn his discourses by beautiful comparisons, and strengthen them by new proofs of divine providence. The conversation of all will be improved by it, as occasions frequently occur of making natural observations, which are instructive, agreeable, and entertaining in almost all companies. * * * While they are reading natural history, might not a little gardening, planting, grafting, inoculating, &c., be taught and practised; and now and then excursions made to the neighboring plantations of the best farmers, their methods observed and reasoned upon for the information of youth. * * * The history of commerce, of the invention of arts, rise of manufactures, progress of trade, change of its seats, with the reasons, causes, &c., may also be made entertaining to youth, and will be useful to all.
And the concluding lines enforce yet higher aims:
With the whole should be constantly inculcated and cultivated that benignity of mind, which shows itself in searching for and seizing every opportunity to serve and to oblige; and is the foundation of what is called good breeding; highly useful to the possessor, and most agreeable to all. The idea of what is true merit should also be often presented to youth, explained and impressed on their minds, as consisting in an inclination, joined with an ability, to serve mankind, one's country, friends, and family; which ability is, (with the blessing of God), to be acquired or greatly increased by true learning; and should, indeed, be the great aim and end of all learning.
- ↑ Bigelow, 224, 25. These Proposals of 1749 are not found in Mr. Bigelow's Complete Works of Franklin. See Sparks, i. 569, where they are inserted with Mr. Spark's literary freedom; but will be found herein correctly recorded in Appendix I, without however carrying the author's copious and many notes wherein he transcribed authorities endorsing his objects and his methods. Upon the appearance of Volumes i. and ii. of Mr. Bigelow's valuable work, his attention was called to the omission of the Proposals, and he replied, 23 April, 1887, "it will appear in one of the later volumes which is now in the hands of the printer. Why it was assigned to a later date I do not remember, nor could I satisfy myself without reference to the copy, which at present would be inconvenient. It will serve your purpose, I hope, to know that it had not been overlooked." Doubtless the failure to obtain a copy of the original prevented this consummation. Of this rare publication but three copies are now known to be preserved, one of them, happily, is in the possession of the University, the Pennsylvania Historical Society and the Boston Athenæum owning the other two.
- ↑ Upon the site of a College we have Antony a Woods loving reference to Oxford: "First a good and pleasant site, where there is a wholesome and temperate constitution of the air; composed with waters, springs or wells, woods and pleasant fields; which being obtained, those commodities are enough to invite students to stay and abide there. As the Athenians in ancient times were happy for their conveniences, so also were the Britons, when by a remnant of the Grecians that came amongst them, they or their successors selected such a place in Britain to plant a school or schools therein, which for its pleasant situation was afterwards called Bellositum or Belosite now Oxford, privileged with all those conveniences before mentioned." Quoted by John Henry Newman in his Office and Work of Universities, London, 1856, p. 40. In a previous page Cardinal Newman had said, "If I were asked to describe as briefly and popularly as I could what a University was, I should draw my answer from its ancient designation of a Studiam Generale, or school of Universal Learning * * * a school of knowledge of every kind, consisting of teachers and learners from every quarter * * * a place for the communication and circulation of thought by means of personal intercourse through a wide extent of country," p. 9.
- ↑ Ars longa, vita brevis. Hippocrates, Aphorism.
- ↑ Bigelow, i. 48.