The Life of Benjamin Franklin, Illustrated by Tales, Sketches, and Anecdotes

by Samuel G. Goodrich

1. It was in the year 1746, that Franklin first attended to the branch of philosophy in which he afterwards became so distinguished. During that year he was in Boston, and there met with a Dr. Spence, who showed him some experiments in electricity. It was a subject altogether new to him, and, though the experiments were not very well performed, they surprised and pleased him.

2. If you take a stick of sealing-wax, or a glass tube, or a piece of amber which has been a long time untouched, and bring it near some small pieces of paper, chaff, or other light substance, it produces no impression upon them. But if you first rub lightly and briskly the wax, the tube, or the amber, with a piece of dry woollen cloth, or cat skin, and then bring it near any of these light substances, you will find that they fly to it, and remain upon it. The power which attracts these substances, and which is excited by the rubbing, is called electricity.

3. It is so called from a Greek word which signifies amber, the substance in which this power was first observed. Amber is a brittle mineral substance, of a yellow, and sometimes a reddish brown color. It is found in several countries in Europe, and has recently been found in the United States, at Cape Sable, in Maryland. This is the substance with which the first electrical experiment was performed, ages ago, by a Greek philosopher of the name of Thales.

4. Several centuries passed without any thing being known upon this subject, beyond the fact that these substances possessed this power. At length it began to attract the attention of modern philosophers. In 1742, several ingenious Germans engaged in the subject, and the results of their researches astonished all Europe. They obtained large apparatus, by means of which they were enabled to collect large quantities of the electric fluid, and produce several wonders which had been before unobserved.

5. These experiments excited the curiosity of other philosophers. Mr. Peter Collinson, fellow of the Royal Society of London, about the year 1745, sent to the library company of Philadelphia a glass tube, with some account of its use in making such experiments. Franklin eagerly seized the opportunity of repeating those which he had seen at Boston, and, by much practice, acquired great readiness in performing those of which they had an account from England.

6. He was soon enabled to make a number of important discoveries, and his house was, for some time, continually full of people who came to see the new wonders. His observations upon the subject were, from time to time, communicated to his friend Collinson, in a series of letters, the first of which is dated March 28, 1747. These were read before the Royal Society, where they were not at first thought worthy of much attention.

7. In the year 1749, Franklin first suggested the idea of explaining the sameness of electricity with lightning. A paper upon this subject, which he wrote for Mr. Kinnersly, was read before the members of the Royal Society, and excited a hearty laugh. But it was the lot of this neglected theory to be generally adopted by philosophers, and to bid fair to endure for ages.

8. It was in the same year, that Franklin started the plan of proving the truth of his doctrine, by actually drawing down the lightning, by means of sharp-pointed iron rods raised high into the clouds. It was not until the summer of 1752, that he was enabled to complete his grand discovery by actual experiment.

9. The plan which he had first proposed was, to erect a box on some high tower, or other elevated place, from which should rise a pointed iron rod. He thought that electrified clouds, passing over it, would impart a portion of their electricity, which would be made evident by presenting a key or the knuckle to it. There was at this time, in Philadelphia, no opportunity of trying an experiment of the kind. But while Franklin was waiting for the erection of a spire, it occurred to him that he might have a more ready access to the clouds by means of a common kite.

10. He prepared a kite by fastening two cross sticks to a silk handkerchief, which would not suffer from the rain so much as paper. To the upright stick he affixed an iron point. The string was, as usual, of hemp, excepting the lower end, which was made of silk, because this substance does not give a free passage to the electricity.