Friday, March 30, 2018

Ben Franklin’s Advice? Don’t Delete Facebook


I took a wrong turn in my research and stumbled on an 1891 publication of unpublished letters of Benjamin Franklin.

I’ve taken the liberty of reproducing a letter Franklin wrote to a longtime friend.
Franklin would have valued Facebook, warts and all, because he valued corresponding with friends.
….
UNPUBLISHED LETTERS OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. [The following are unpublished letters of Franklin to his friend, Samuel Rhoads, who was Mayor of Philadelphia in 1774.]

London July 8th 1765
Dear Friend.
I have before me your Favour of May 20th wherein you mention that you had not heard from me, which I, a little wonder at, as I wrote to you the 14th of February, and find that Letters to some other Friends of the same date were got to hand.
I congratulate you on Your Retirement, and your being able to divert yourself with farming ; 'tis an inexhaustible Source of perpetual Amusement. Your Country Seat is of a more secure kind than that in the Assembly : and I hope not so much in the Power of the Mob to jostle you out of. I say hope, for after what we have lately heard of your Mobs, one cannot say that any Property or Possession is Safe certainly.
I am much oblig'd to you for Spurring our Friends in their Correspondence. They have not been wanting…
Photo Credit: ImageClip.com and Intellectual Takeout

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