Wednesday, Mar. 28, 2007 - 10:27 a.m.
Ben Frank : Cool Dude
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Ben Franklin, the celebrated American Quaker Nationalist superstar for a time lived in Montreal. There he set up both a printing business and organised the citys' first fire department.
He was happy to live amongst the hard core Catholic, hard working French Canadians whom, he observed, seemed to be easy with philoshopical debate. The Quebecois regularily discussed the human condition. the workings of Heaven and the duty of the soul and all manor of moral reality right in the street, at the dinner table and at the tavern.
This high toned conversational atmosphere in New France was unlike that of his American brothers who seemed to be obcessed with making money, building a business or coniving to cheat someone someone out of their money, their land or their wife.
When M. Franklin returned home to Philidelphia, he embarked on a plan to achieve moral perfection, only to discover this was "a task of more difficulty than I had imagined."
He drew up a list of 13 virtues as follows:
1) temperance
2) silence
3) order
4) resolution
5) frugality
6) industry
7) sincerity
8) justice
9) moderation
10) cleanliness
11) tranquillity
12) chastity
13) humility
The interesting thing is that originally he had only put twelve virtues on the list, but a candid friend pointed out that Franklin was often overbearing in debate and conversation.
Franklin added humility to his list ..
( however considering the era and his Quaker temperment, I doubt that Mr Franklin ever refered to anyone as an "asshole" )
