From the Writings of Benjamin Franklin in the Pennsylvania Gazette

The Compassion of Captain Croak

On the 3d Inst. arrived here the Rose, of London, Capt. Croak Commander, from whom we have the following Relation, viz.

That on the 17th of June last, being on his Voyage from Newfoundland to this Port, and in the Latitude of 41 Deg. N. and 48 Deg. of Longitude, he espied a Sail that made Signals of Distress; whereupon he came up to her, and found her so near Sinking, that he had only just Time to save the Persons belonging to her, (who were to the Number of 61) for he had no sooner taken them on board his own Vessel, but the other foundered in the Sea. The Persons thus providentially saved, informed him:

That they were for the most part indented Servants and set Sail from Cork for Boston, the 29th of March last, on board the said Vessel, which was called the Speedwell, of which William Stockdale had been Master. That about the 7th of May, their Water and Bread beginning to fall short, they were obliged to touch at the Island of St. Michael's, and having lain there at Anchor, about 5 Days, a boisterous and violent Wind, blowing S W (while the Captain and Super-Cargo, and several others belonging to the Vessel were on Shore) forced her out to Sea, leaving her Anchor and Cable behind. That it was 21 Days before she could recover the Island, and being arrived there, which was on a Friday, those on board were informed, that the Master and those before mentioned, to have been left ashore, had set Sail for Lisbon the Friday before, on Board one Capt. Gillegan. That thereupon the Persons, who had then the Care of the Vessel, put to Sea in order to proceed on their Voyage to Boston. That having met with a hard Gale of Wind, which caused the Vessel's Larboard Quarter to give way, they were obliged to keep two Pumps a going without Intermission, during the Space of three Days, when they most providentially met with the Rose, that saved their Lives, which otherwise were inevitably lost. As it was running a Risque, which few others have cared to do, it was therefore a more remarkable Act of Humanity, in the Commander of the Rose, to take so many additional Mouths on Board, when he had only Provisions for his own Company. This is such an Instance of a laudable Compassion, that it is to be wished it may not be more admired than imitated on the like Occasions.

The Pennsylvania Gazette, August 10, 1738

Octuplets

Aug. 5. We hear that the Wife of a Peasant in the District of Boisleduc was brought to Bed of eight Children, seven Girls and one Boy, who were all living.

The Pennsylvania Gazette, November 24, 1738

Obadiah Plainman Defends the Meaner Sort

To the Author of the Letter in the last Pennsylvania Gazette.

SIR,

On my first hearing of the Outcry that was raised against the Paragraph, that related to the shutting up of the Concert Room, &c. I immediately called for the Gazette; but, tho' I read the Article over and over with the greatest Attention, I was not able to discover in it the least injurious Reflection on the Characters of the Gentlemen concerned. My ill Success, I then attributed to my Stupidity, and concluded that the Abuse, tho' I could not see it, must nevertheless be very perspicuous to the BETTER SORT, otherwise, they would not have made so loud a Complaint against it, as it is publickly known they did, since it was in the publick Street.

I comforted myself with the Hopes, that, on the Appearance of your Letter, the Mist would have been dispelled from my Eyes. But, I can't help declaring, that, notwithstanding all the Assistance you have furnished me with, the Injury complained of, still remains to me as great a Secret as ever.

You tell us the Paragraph manifestly carries in it an Insinuation, that the Persons concerned in the Concert declin'd meeting, as thinking it inconsistent with the Doctrine of the Christian Religion. But, with Submission, I think the Paragraph manifestly insinuates the quite contrary. It mentions, that the Gentlemen concerned in the Concert, &c. caused the Door to be broke open, which was the strongest Evidence that could be given of their Dislike to the Principles on which it had been shut up. Therefore, tho' it immediately follows, that no Company came the last Assembly Night, it was most unnatural to suppose they should so suddenly have changed their Sentiments, and declined their Diversions on any religious Consideration.

Let us admit for Argument's Sake (which, otherwise, can by no Means be admitted) that the Words are guilty of the Insinuation, which you are so fond it should be thought they are. Yet, how does it appear that the Characters of the Gentlemen are injured by it? You tell us, They think so. But, is that a Reason to induce Us to believe it is really so? Since you have appealed to the Mob as Judges of this IMPORTANT Controversy, I must inform you, that the Assertion (and much less, the Belief) of any Man, never passes for Argument at Our impartial Tribunal. For my own Part (I speak with an humble Deference to the rest of my Brethren) I cannot conceive how any Person's Reputation can be prejudiced, tho' it should be reported, that he has left off making of Legs, or cutting of Capers.

Perhaps you will object, that it is not the Fact, but the Motive, which is controverted; That you admit the Company did not meet; but deny, they declined meeting, for the Reason, which, as you pretend, is insinuated in the Gazette. If this be the true State of the Question, we unanimously pronounce the Accusation to be groundless. In Matters of such a Nature, no Man can judge of your Thoughts but yourself: Therefore, your Denial of the Charge was a sufficient, and indeed the only proper Defence you could make.

But you were not contented to stop here, but must needs tell us incoherent Stories of Mr. Whitefield and Mr. Seward, and, under Pretence of a Vindication, foist into the News-Paper Invectives against those two Gentlemen. You might with equal Propriety have entertained Us with the History of Romulus and Remus, and entituled it "an Argument to prove, that you did not think Dancing, or idle Capering an unchristian Diversion."

I hope, Sir, from what I have said, you are now convinced, that you have brought before Us a most ridiculous Complaint against an imaginary Abuse, and consequently you have been all this Time doing nothing more than beating the Air, and fighting without an Adversary.

In the next Place, I am to reprimand you, Sir, for your disrespectful Behaviour to Us, whom you had chosen for your Judges. We take Notice, that you have ranked yourself under the Denomination of the BETTER SORT of People, which is an Expression always made use of in Contradistinction to the meaner Sort, i.e. the Mob, or the Rabble. Tho' We are not displeased with such Appellations when bestowed on Us by our Friends, yet We have ever regarded them as Terms of outrageous Reproach, when applied to Us by our Enemies; for in this (and so it is in many other Cases) the Words are to receive their Construction from the known Mind of the Speaker: Your Demosthenes' and Ciceroes, your Sidneys and Trenchards never approached Us but with Reverence: The High and Mighty Mob, The Majesty of the Rabble, The Honour and Dignity of the Populace, Or such like Terms of Respect, were frequent in their Orations; and what a high Opinion they entertained of the Accuracy of Our Judgment, appears from those elaborate Compositions they addressed to Us.

They never took upon them to make a Difference of Persons, but as they were distinguished by their Virtues or their Vices. But now our present Scriblers expect our Applause for reviling us to our Faces. They consider us as a stupid Herd, in whom the Light of Reason is extinguished. Hence every impertinent Babler thinks himself qualified to harangue us, without Style, Argument or Justness of Sentiment. Your gross Deficiency in the two latter Particulars I have already given Instances of; and as to your Skill in Language you have furnished Us with the following notable Example: You affirm That Mr. Whitefield's Tenets are mischievous: Therefore, on that Supposition, it is impossible they should be contemptible; yet, with the same Breath you assure Us, that you have them in the utmost Contempt. This is the merriest Gibberish I ever met with. Surely, you have not published it as a Sample of the Stile of those polite Folks, who by their own Authority, "contrary to Law and Justice, without any previous Application to or Consent first had" of their Fellow-Citizens, have usurped the Title of the BETTER SORT.

Under these gentle Reprehensions We now dismiss you, hoping you will make a proper Use of them, when you shall judge it convenient to appeal to Us again.

I am, On Behalf of myself and the Rest of my
Brethren of the Meaner Sort,
Yours, &c.
OBADIAH PLAINMAN.

The Pennsylvania Gazette, May 15, 1740

Obadiah Plainman to Tom Trueman

To TOM TRUEMAN.

Dear Tommy,

Tho' there are two Letters addressed to me, one in the Gazette, and the other in the Mercury; yet, from the near Conformity they bear to one another in Sentiment, Reasoning, and Similes, I am apt to conclude they were wrote by the same Hand, Or, if by different Persons, that they communicated their Thoughts to one another, and then club'd them together for the Service of the Public. On the latter Supposition, it would be unnecessary in my Reply, to regard them as distinct Performances of several Writers; I therefore address myself to you as the Author of both.

You tell me you have found out by my Letter, that I imagine myself the Prince and Leader of a mighty People. I wonder how a Genius so penetrating as yours could be led into so gross an Error: For, alas! I am but a poor ordinary Mechanick of this City, obliged to work hard for the Maintenance of myself, my Wife, and several small Children. When my daily Labour is over, instead of going to the Alehouse, I amuse myself with the Books of the Library Company, of which I am an unworthy Member. This Account of my Circumstances, the Meanness of my Education, and my innocent Manner of Life, I hope, will effectually remove those groundless Suspicions, which you seemed to entertain, of my being in a Plot against the State.

You are pleased to inform me, that you are But a young Man, Country-born. In Return for such an important Discovery, I will let you into another Secret of as great Consequence. -- "Hark in your Ear," I am But an old Man not Country-born. In Respect of Soil, I presume neither of us will pretend to any Superiority; but the Pre-eminence being on my Side in Regard to my Age, I shall make Use of that Privilege to Document you a little.

I shall first consider the argumentative Part of your Letter in the Gazette. You there assert, that from the first Facts alledged in the Paragraph, supposing nothing more said, a Stranger would unquestionably imagine that the Rooms were shut up by the Owners. This Assertion is granted you, because you are so kind to allow that It is absolutely destroyed by the Remainder of the Article; which says, the Gentlemen caused the Door to be broke open again. Thus far we have travelled, thro' the Construction of the Paragraph, with a mutual Agreement, and a wonderful Satisfaction on both Sides. But now you ask, What does the Author mean by informing the World that no Company came the, then, last Assembly Night? Ay, what does he mean? This is the "plaguy" Difficulty that has so strangely puzzled, and which still seems to continue to puzzle the Better Sort. You are however sure, for your Part, that his Words must be intended to signify Something or NOTHING. As I shall always be ready to gratify you, when I can do it safely, I agree to your latter Alternative. But then, how can those Words which, on your own Concession, mean NOTHING, carry in them the Insinuation you contend for, or any Insinuation at all. This notwithstanding, you think yourself so absolutely certain of the Truth of your Consequence, that one would imagine you were ready to take your corporal Oath of it, when required, tho' you acknowledge there is not the least Shadow of any Premises from which it can be deduced. This is such strange Reasoning, that doubtless, it has been reserved to this Time, solely, dear Tommy, for a Head so singularly clear and logical as yours. You desire I would show the World the Interpretation the Words will bear. Your Request, my dear Child, is contrary to all Laws of Argument, and therefore (tho' I am heartily sorry it should happen so) I cannot comply with your Desire. If you advance an Assertion, it is at your own Peril to support it with Proofs, which if you fail in, every one has a Right to reject it as false.

In my first I did not give any Construction of the Paragraph, for my Business was to defend it from the Insinuation with which it unjustly stood accused; and therefore, from the Gentlemen's declared Dislike of Mr. Whitefield's Principles, I inferred it was unnatural to suppose they should so suddenly have changed their Sentiments. Against this Defence you object, that the Followers of Mr. Whitefield would naturally believe so sudden a Conversion. Now, that They should be capable of Thinking so, whom, in the first Colume of the Gazette, you regard as irrational Creatures, and, consequently, destitute of the Faculty of Thinking, is to me quite incomprehensible.

I now proceed to your Complaint of the gross Misrepresentation, as you imagine, of the Meaning of the Words, Better Sort, in your first Letter. That notable Epistle was published as the Sentiments of the whole Company concerned in the Concert. Therefore (whether the Fact be so or not; for that is entirely out of the Question) I had NO RIGHT to consider it, but as Theirs, nor Them in any other Light than as they there appeared, namely as Part of the People, which always signifies the Governed, or private Persons. Tho' the Stile be in the third Person, yet, without any Prejudice to the Sense, it may be changed to the first, and then it will run thus, We think our Characters injured by the Paragraph, as tho' Mr. Whitefield had met with great Success among us the BETTER SORT of People of Pennsilvania. This Case has no Manner of Resemblance to those which you have put, of Boys at Bandy-Wicket, young Fellows at Foot-Ball, Magistrates on the Bench, Quakers with their Hats on, or the Library Company with their Hats off or on, for all those Persons are said to be OF the Better Sort, which does not exclude others from the same Rank. But the Denomination of Better Sort in your first Letter (where the Particle of, as applied in the latter Cases, cannot be found) is evidently engrossed by Those who, with such a commendable Modesty, bestowed it on themselves. Now when private Persons publickly stile themselves, exclusively of all others, the BETTER SORT of People of the Province, can it be doubted but that they look on the Rest of their Fellow Subjects in the same Government with Contempt, and consequently regard them as Mob and Rabble. For so gross an Insult on the People in general, I endeavoured (but without respecting any Party in particular, as you groundlessly insinuate) to turn the Writer into Ridicule; and therefore made Use of the Words Mob and Rabble, to expose him more effectually; but with very different Ideas annexed to them in my Mind (of which I was careful to give Notice) from those they receive, when deduced from that extraordinary Epistle. In my Animadversions on it I personated the Public, which you charge as a Crime, tho' it is an allowed Figure in Speech, frequently used, and particularly by those great Assertors of Public Liberty, whose Names I mentioned at the Time.

I imagined my Design lay so apparently on the Surface, that you could not have overlooked it. However, I am far from imitating the Example you have set me, and shall not attribute your Mistake of my Intentions, to an impenetrable Stupidity; but I fairly place it on the Obscurity of my Stile.

This, dear Tommy, will be esteem'd a very liberal Concession, by those who consider your Unskilfulness in Language. You have not, by your Answer, mended the Blunder I remarked in your first: Your saying, that the same Person may be both mischievous and contemptible, is nothing to the Purpose; for you must regard him in different Views before you can properly affirm so differently of him: But Mr. Whitefield's Doctrine you represented simply as mischievous, and, under that Appearance only, you pronounced it the Object of your Contempt. It seems as if you would rather have it believed a Fault in Sentiment than Language: So you admit you understood the Word, but charge the wrong Application of it, to the Defect of your Judgment. In my poor Opinion, you gain nothing by the Change, to furnish Matter of Triumph.

Tho' your Absurdities and Mistakes are such, that no Writer was ever guilty of before; yet, I question not, but you will inform the World in your next, as you did in your last, that my Animadversions on them are only Extracts out of other Men's Works, viz. those of the Party-Writers in England. I have, more than once, told you, that no Man has a Right to bring an Accusation before the Publick, without bringing his Proofs along with it. You have confined your Evidence, which is to support this Charge, to the Party-Writers of Great Britain. I will not limit you to them, but shall admit, that there is a Possibility of its being true, if you can produce any Author, of any Age or Country, that ever was engaged in a Controversy of the like Nature with Ours. The Paragraph in Dispute contains but five Lines. The Insinuation, deduced from it in your first, is also comprized within five; in your second it takes up fifteen; I hope I shall live to see the Day, when It shall have swelled to a large Volume in Folio: For so useful and edifying a Work, as that is likely to be, must redound to the immortal Honour of that IMPORTANT Article of News, in the Reputation and Defence of which I am so deeply interested.

As to the PERSONAL SCANDAL, in both your Letters, it is a Commodity I never deal in; and therefore, cannot make you any Return for those flagrant UNMERITED Civilities, which I have received from your polite Hand. However, if you think that such delicate genteel Touches of Raillery will be of any Service to you, in the farther Prosecution of this worthy Argument, I shall be far from objecting against your Use of them.

And so, my dear Tommy, for the present,
I bid you heartily Farewell.
OBADIAH PLAINMAN.

The Pennsylvania Gazette, May 29, 1740

Religious Mood in Philadelphia

During the Session of the Presbyterian Synod, which began on the 28th of the last Month, and continued to the third of this Instant, there were no less than 14 Sermons preached on Society-Hill to large Audiences, by the Rev. Messrs. the Tennents, Mr. Davenport, Mr. Rowland and Mr. Blair, besides what were deliver'd at the Presbyterian and Baptist Meetings, and Expoundings and Exhortations in private Houses. The Alteration in the Face of Religion here is altogether surprizing. Never did the People show so great a Willingness to attend Sermons, nor the Preachers greater Zeal and Diligence in performing the Duties of their Function. Religion is become the Subject of most Conversations. No Books are in Request but those of Piety and Devotion; and instead of idle Songs and Ballads, the People are every where entertaining themselves with Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs. All which, under God, is owing to the successful Labours of the Reverend Mr. Whitefield.

The Pennsylvania Gazette, June 12, 1740

Statement of Editorial Policy

It is a Principle among Printers, that when Truth has fair Play, it will always prevail over Falshood; therefore, though they have an undoubted Property in their own Press, yet they willingly allow, that any one is entitled to the Use of it, who thinks it necessary to offer his Sentiments on disputable Points to the Publick, and will be at the Expence of it. If what is thus publish'd be good, Mankind has the Benefit of it: If it be bad (I speak now in general without any design'd Application to any particular Piece whatever) the more 'tis made publick, the more its Weakness is expos'd, and the greater Disgrace falls upon the Author, whoever he be; who is at the same Time depriv'd of an Advantage he would otherwise without fail make use of, viz. of Complaining, that Truth is suppress'd, and that he could say MIGHTY MATTERS, had he but the Opportunity of being heard.

The Printers of this City have been unjustly reflected on, as if they were under some undue Influence, and guilty of great Partiality in favour of the Preaching lately admir'd among us, so as to refuse Printing any Thing in Opposition to it, how just or necessary soever. A Reflection entirely false and groundless, and without the least Colour of Fact to support it; which all will be convinc'd of when they see the following Piece from one Press, and the Rev. Mr. Cummings's Sermons against the Doctrines themselves, from the other.

Englishmen thought it an intolerable Hardship, when (tho' by an Act of their own Parliament) Thoughts, which should be free, were fetter'd and confin'd, and an Officer was erected over the Nation, call'd a Licenser of the Press, without whose Consent no Writing could be publish'd. Care might indeed be taken in the Choice of this Officer, that he should be a Man of great Understanding, profound Learning, and extraordinary Piety; yet, as the greatest and best of Men may have some Errors, and have been often found averse to some Truths, it was justly esteem'd a National Grievance, that the People should have Nothing to read but the Opinions, or what was agreeable to the Opinions of ONE MAN. But should every petty Printer (who, if he can read his Hornbook, may be thought to have Learning enough to qualify him for his own Sphere) presume to erect himself into an Officer of this kind, and arbitrarily decide what ought and what ought not to be published, much more justly might the World complain. 'Tis true, where Invectives are contain'd in any Piece, there is no good-natur'd Printer but had much rather be employ'd in Work of another kind: However, tho' many personal Reflections be interwoven in the following Performance, yet as the Author (who has subscrib'd his Name) thought them necessary, to vindicate his own Conduct and Character, it is therefore hoped, on that Consideration, the Reader will excuse the Printer for publishing them.

The Pennsylvania Gazette, July 24, 1740