BOOKS rupted by the little cares and fatigues of business." By then, his skill as editor and chiefreporter had made Franklin's PetmsylvaniaGazette the most widely read paper in the colonies, and he was the public printer for several ofthe colonies. HisFoorRichard's practical aims, but by his playful curiosi Almanack, launched in 1732, was a best-sell BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, by Edmund S. ty—which often became obsessive. Also erfor25 years andfosteredhis reputation Morgan, Yale University Press, 2002, 339not generally appreciated is the importance for wit and wisdom. He had also become pages, $24.95 (ISBN 0-300-09532-5) of Franklin's scientific reputation in en a bookseller, established a circulating li hancing his efforts to obtain French sup brary, organized a debating club that in 1743 developed into the American Philosophi port for the American Revolution. REVIEWED BY DUDLEY R. HERSCHBACH Franklin was born in Boston on Jan. 17, cal Society, and was soon to helpfoundan academy that evolved into the 1706, the youngest of 10 sons. ENJAMIN FRANKLIN, HIMSELF University of Pennsylvania, as a prolific writer of exceptional He attended the Boston Latin well as promoting many other grace and vigor, would surely School only two years, but be civic projects. be delighted with Edmund S. came an avid, lifelong student Morgan's sparkling biography of literature, philosophy, sci While Franklin was always Morgan, Sterling Professor of History ence, and languages. At age 10, alertforpractical applications, Emeritus at Yale University, is a distin he began assisting his father in in his work on electricity and guished scholar ofcolonial and early-Amer his business of candle- and most of his other scientific stud ican history. Yale is home for Franklin's soap-making. He was appren ies his style was that of an ex papers, comprising more than 30,000 doc ticed at 12 to his half-brother plorer, eagerforadventure and uments, about a quarter of them letters James, a printer. WhenJames insight rather than profit orutiland manuscripts in his own handwriting. launched a weekly newspaper, ity. During the several years Four decades of work by many devoted Benjamin, then 16, began con when he was chiefly occupied scholars has produced 36 volumes of a de tributing anonymous articles in which he with his electrical studies, about 1745-52, finitive, annotated edition of the papers, critiqued many aspects ofsociety under the Franklin often confessed apologetically to which, when complete in another few guise of a poor young widow, "Silence Do- friends that he had become obsessed with good." Resentful of beatings by his broth his experiments. He called them "philo years, will extend to 47 volumes. Morgan says he was "enabled... no, com er, Benjamin at 17 ran off to Philadelphia. sophical amusements," which he pursued despite what seemed then an almost total pelled" to write the book when he received Thus began his extraordinary odyssey a CD-ROM containing all the Franklin pa Only 25 years later, Franklin retired from lack of prospective applications. In 1747, pers, a philanthropic gift from David W his prosperous printing business, turning three years before he conceived ofthe ligfitPackard of the Packard Humanities Insti it over to a partner for a share of the prof ning rod, Franklin wrote: "In going on with tute. The book, intended as "a letter of in its. His purpose was "to have leisure to read, the experiments, how many pretty systems troduction,'' is a joy to read. like a brisk, study and make experiments... uninter- do we build, which we soonfindourselves ο obliged to destroy! If there is no other sprightly conversation, it is spiced with S use discovered ofElectricity, this, howperceptive observations and wit that l ever is something considerable, that it Franklin would have relished I may help to keep a vain man humble." As an American icon, Benjamin * Franklin devised, executed, and cor Franklin is often portrayed as wise and rectly interpreted a series of simple, canny in business and politics, earnest compelling experiments and formu ly pursuing and extolling diligence, sen lated lucid explanations. Foremost sible conduct, pragmatism, and good among his several major discoveries works. Also legendary are some of his was his concept of electricity as a sin inventions, particularly the lightning glefluid,manifest as a positive or neg rod, bifocals, and an efficient woodative charge, depending on whether burning stove. thefluidwas present in excess or deficit The iconic image is misleading in relative to the neutral condition. He major respects. Today, surprisingly few also explained the distinction between people appreciate that, in the 18th cen insulators and conductors, the role of tury, Franklin was greatly esteemed grounding, and the operation of a ca throughout Europe as a scientist pacitor such as the Leyden jar. All of (termed then a "natural philosopher"). these concepts came together in his He was hailed as the "Newton of Elec most celebrated result, the elucidation tricity.'' Indeed, until Franklin, elec and taming of lightning. tricity seemed more mysterious than gravity had in Newton's time, and light Franklin introduced into the elec ning was looked on as the wrath of trical lexicon terms such as charge, phis God. By his own account, Franklin's or minus, positive or negative, arma studies of electricity and many other AMERICAN ICON Ben Franklin, a legend in ture, battery and conductor. His book, phenomena were prompted not by his own time, remains a legend today. "Experiments and Observations on
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BOOKS Electricity, made at Philadelphia in America,'9 consisting of letters he had sent to a colleague in England, was a sensation in Europe: It went throughfiveeditions in English (1751-74) and was translated into French, German, and Italian. It was read not only by scholars but also by the literate public, including the clergy and aristocracy The link Franklin made between leaping sparks and lightning bolts was indeed comparable to the link Newton made between falling apples and the moon's orbit. Because lightning was considered supernatural, if a house was struck the fire brigade would douse neighboring structures but only pray over the struck one, not wanting to intrude on divine or Satanic punishment. Such views also led to the custom of storing munitions in churches. In 1767, lightning detonated tons of powder in a Venice church; 3,000 people were killed and a large part ofthe city destroyed. Despite ample demonstrations of the efficacy of Franklin's lightning rod, he had to weather thunderous attacksforhis audacity in stealing a prerogative of the Almighty He remained unruffled, writing in 1753: "Surely the thunder of Heaven is no more supernatural than the rain, hail or sunshine of Heaven, against the Inconveniences of which we guard by roofs & shades without scruple." like so much else he did, the scope of Franklin's scientific work was remarkable. He wrote major papers on population growth and on meteorology, devised experiments on heat conduction and evaporation, measured ocean temperatures and charted the Gulf Stream, and studied bioluminescence and the stilling ofwater waves by a surface layer ofoil He also advanced arguments in favor of the wave theory of light. Of special interest to chemists is a cautionary letter written when Franklin was 80 yearsold,whereinhe compiled observations and episodes he had noted over six decades that convinced him of the danger of lead poisoning. For instance, he cited an attack of "dry bellyache" that had suddenly beset a family who had long collected drinking water that ran off a leaded roof. Franklin pointed out that trees planted around the house years before had grown tall enough to shed leaves on the roof; rotting ofthe leaves created acid that corroded the lead and "furnished the water.. .with baneful particles." He lamented "how long a useful truth may be known before it is generally received and
practiced on." It was more than 200 years before our government enacted laws to protec t against lead poisoning. In another intriguing letter, Franklin wrote in 1752: "If the sun is not wasted by Expense oflight, I can easily conceive that he shall otherwise always retain the same quantity ofmatter. ...The action offireonly separates the particles of matter, it does not annihilate them. Water, by heat raised in vapour, returns to the earth in rain; and ifwe could collect all the particles ofburning matter that go off in smoke, perhaps they might, with the ashes, weigh as much as the body before it was fired." Here, Franklin actually anticipated the experiment that 30 years later enabled Antoine Lavoisier to launch the chemical revolution. I have not succeeded infindingevidence that Franklin's proposal influenced Lavoisier. They did not meet until 1772, but Franklin's suggestion should have been familiar before that, because it was included in both English and French editions of his famous book on electricity Franklin was very much a world citizen: He made the six-week voyage across the Atlantic eight times, and he lived overseasfora total of25 years. At age 70, he undertook the crucial role ofminister to France (1776-85)forthe newly formed American republic. To obtain aid for a rebellion against the world's greatest military power, with dubious prospectsforsuccess or ability to repay loans, was an incredible challenge. Scholars agree that Franklin's success stemmed not only from his charm and diplomatic skill, but also from his already legendary status as the conqueror of lightning. This suggests a Franklinesque query: Now that America has once more become a leading debtor nation, might not respect for our science again be significant in attracting vitalforeignfunds? Morgan emphasizes that Franklin, despite his love ofscience, did not consider it as important as public service. In 1750, Franklin wrote to a colleague: "Let notyour love of Philosophical Amusements have more than due weightwithyou. Had Newton been Pilot of butasingle common Ship, thefinestof his Discoveries would scarce have excused or atonedforhis abandoning the Helm one Hour in lime of Danger; how much less if she carried the Fate of the Commonwealth." Morgan contrasts this with the view of Thomas Jefferson, who wrote in 1778 in the midst of the revolu-
Franklin can render unique service today in efforts to promote science education and literacy.
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tion: "I am also satisfied there is an order ofgeniuses above that obligation {to serve their country}, and therefore exempted from it. Nobody can conceive that nature ever intended to throw away a Newton." Morgan conveys well the spirit and style of Franklin's scientific work and its impact on his career as a diplomat. However, those who want to learn more about both the science and its diplomatic impact will enjoy two books by I. Bernard Cohen, emeritus professor of the history of science at Harvard University In "Benjamin Franklin's Science''(Harvard University Press, 1990), Cohen shows that Franklin's work owes much to his "careful and profound study of the ideas and principles ofinvestigation of Isaac Newtori,"paiticulaifyOpticl^"whichpi^ vided a "manualforexperimental art." In "Science and the Founding Fathers" (Norton, 1995), Cohen traces how the political perspectives ofJefferson, Franklin, John Adams, andJames Madison were much influenced by their knowledge of contemporary science and particularly how this was manifested in the Constitution. Also strongly recommended is "Ben Franklin Stilled the Waves" (Duke University Press, 1989), by CharlesTanford, adistinguished biochemist. Tknford describes how Lord Rayleigh repeated Franklin's oil· on-water experiment in 1890, thereby obtaining thefirstexperimental measurement of the size of a molecule, and how subsequent work on monomolecularfilmsby Agnes Pockels and Irving Langmuir eventually led to understanding that cell membranes consist oflipid bilayers. Franklin can render unique service today in efforts to promote science education and literacy In our society science is regarded not as part ofour general culture, but almost as the preserve ofa distinct species. This attitude, which greatly handicaps all aspects ofeducation, isreinforcedbecause we confine science teaching to separate courses. The multifaceted Franklin ought to appear throughout the curriculum, helping to break down those barriers. He is so accessible and such fun! Everyone should repeat and enjoy some of his simple experiments, admire his descriptions and logic, and trace the reception and legacy of his work Doing so not only would show the rewards of inquiry pursuedforits own sake, it also would help students and citizens to understand how science reshapes our culture—in his time, in ours, and beyond Dudley R. Herschbach,* NobelLaureate in Chemistry, is Baird Research Professor of Science at Harvard University and a life member ofthe Friends of Franklin. HTTP://WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG
