But early in 1727 his employer died,
and Benjamin went back to his trade, as printers always do. He
found work again in Keimer's printing office. Here his mechanical
ingenuity and general ability presently began to appear; he
invented a method of casting type, made ink, and became, in fact,
the real manager of the business.
The ability to make friends was one of Franklin's traits, and the
number of his acquaintances grew rapidly, both in Pennsylvania
and New Jersey. "I grew convinced," he naively says, "that TRUTH,
SINCERITY, and INTEGRITY in dealings between man and man were of
the utmost importance to the felicity of life." Not long after
his return from England he founded in Philadelphia the Junto, a
society which at its regular meetings argued various questions
and criticized the writings of the members. Through this society
he enlarged his reputation as well as his education.
The father of an apprentice at Keimer's furnished the money to
buy a printing outfit for his son and Franklin, but the son soon
sold his share, and Benjamin Franklin, Printer, was fairly
established in business at the age of twenty-four. The writing of
an anonymous pamphlet on "The Nature and Necessity of a Paper
Currency" called attention to the need of a further issue of
paper money in Pennsylvania, and the author of the tract was
rewarded with the contract to print the money, "a very profitable
job, and a great help to me.
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