The Education of Benjamin Franklin History has given Benjamin Franklin a place of enduring fame. He was a writer, an inventor, a scientist, and a statesman. His life history has enjoyed popular success for more than 200 years. Franklin s education at school stopped when he was ten years old. But he never stopped learning. For him, books held the key to living happily and successfully. They were precious gifts. In his early youth, he had a friend who worked for a bookseller. Sometimes his friend would lend him books, which he was careful to return quickly. Often he sat up in his room reading most of the night in order to return a book before his friend s employer noticed its absence. But Franklin was not a lonely scholar. For him, learning was a social experience. In his Autobiography, he tells about organizing a club called the "Junto", which met every Friday night to improve its members minds: "The rules I made required every member, in turn, to produce one or more questions on any point of Morals, Politics, or Natural Philosophy. The question would then be discussed by the whole group. Also, once in three months, each member was required to read an article he had written on any subject he pleased. "Our discussions were directed by a president and conducted as an honest search for truth. We were to avoid unpleasant arguments or a desire for victory. Any member who did not obey these rules had to pay a fine." The Junto which Franklin organized continued for many years. It was the best group for the discussion then. The questions were given to the members during the week before they were to be discussed. This encouraged the members to read carefully about each subject so that they might speak with more understanding. When the Junto was organized, before the middle of the 18th century, there were no public libraries. There was not even a good bookstore south of Boston. Franklin decided to improve this situation. Each member of the Junto owned a few books. A room had been rented in which the members held the meetings. Franklin suggested that all the members should bring their books to the room. In this way the book would be a help to all during the weekly discussion. Also, each member would be allowed to take and read at home any book be chose. Throughout his life, Benjamin Franklin continued his education, learning from human contacts as well as from books. EXERCISE: 1. Benjamin Franklin stopped his education because his father could not afford the tuition. A) True B) False C) Not mentioned 2. According to Benjamin Franklin, living happily and successfully lies in reading. A) True B) False C) Not mentioned 3. He often read most of the night to finish a book that he borrowed from his bookseller friend. A) True B) False C) Not mentioned 4. Every member of the Junto should present an article he wrote in regular intervals. A) True B) False C) Not mentioned 5. Every time the Junto members met, each brought with him some questions for the group to discuss. A) True B) False C) Not mentioned 6. Franklin organized a private library for the Junto because there was no public library in his city. A) True B) False C) Not mentioned 7. The weekly discussions were held at Franklin s. A) True B) False C) Not mentioned Key: CABABAB