AS Benjamin walked on with the two rolls still under his arm, he found himself again at the landing-stage. Two persons were there, a poor, weary-looking woman and a little boy; they had been fellow passengers with him in the boat from New York to Philadelphia. The child turned wistful, hungry eyes to the rolls Benjamin was carrying. "Are you hungry, little man?" he asked kindly.
The child did not answer, but looked just ready to cry. The mother said, "Yes, we are both very hungry." Benjamin pressed the two rolls into her hands, and turned away without waiting for thanks, saying to himself as he did so, "Food must be cheap here. For three pence I bought bread enough to satisfy three hungry people. If other provisions are equally low-priced my last dollar will last longer than I expected.”
He could not afford to remain out of employment, so set off in search of a printing office. He had no great difficulty in finding that of Mr. Bradford, and greatly to his surprise and delight found there the Mr. Bradford, the father of the young printer, whom he had met in New York, and who had advised him to go to Philadelphia. Both father and son received him kindly, but it was very disappointing when the younger man said, "I am sorry I cannot offer you work; I have just filled the place left vacant by the death of Brooke, but there is another printer in the town; my father will go with you to his office, and I think he may be able to employ you.”
They found the other printer, Mr. Keimer, not only busy, but expecting Government work. After some conversation with young Franklin, he told him to take a composing stick and show them what he could do. He set to work with a will, and after about an hour's work, both printers were surprised and pleased to find how quickly and correctly he set type.
How glad he was that he had formed the habit of doing everything as well as he possibly could. And here for a few moments we will leave Benjamin, while I tell you of another boy quite as poor, or poorer than Benjamin, who by the blessing of God became a useful and prosperous man by doing whatever he had to do as well as he possibly could.
“You have not cleaned your shoes very well, Harry.”
“Oh, father, it doesn't matter; I'm going out again, and the roads are a bit muddy.”
“Go and clean them properly, and then come to me in the library.”
When Harry got to the library his father said to him, "Nearly forty years ago I knew a very poor boy; his mother was a widow, and had to work very hard to keep their little home together. When Frank was not more than eleven years old he had to leave school and earn his living. His first place was as house-boy. He had to run errands, wait at table, clean boots and shoes, and do many other things. As his mother bade him a tearful good-bye she said, 'My dear boy, will you promise me to remember two short sentences? One is a Bible verse, "Thou God seest me" (Gen. 16:1313And she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me? (Genesis 16:13)); the other has been a help to me all through my life: "Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well."' Frank kissed his mother and promised to remember; he really did try, by always doing his BEST. A year or two later a boy was wanted in the shop, and his mistress said, 'I hardly know how to spare Frank, he takes such pains with his work, but I think you would find him useful in the shop.' So he went into the shop as errand boy. Two years later more help was wanted in the office, so Frank was promoted, and became office boy; he went on attending an evening school, and when a junior clerk was wanted, he was ready to fill the vacant desk. He rose rapidly from one position of trust to another; to-day he is a partner of the firm, and through the blessing of God, a well-to-do man. Harry, I was that poor boy.
“You will not, I feel sure, Harry, forget my story, but I should wish you also to remember that we have the same wise counsel in the inspired words of the Apostle Paul, 'Whatsoever ye do, do heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.’" (Col. 3:2323And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; (Colossians 3:23).)
But we must return to Benjamin Franklin, whom we left in Mr. Keimer's printing office. He was engaged as an assistant, and his new employer helped him to find a boarding-house where the expense of living would not be beyond his slender means.
He might have been really happy in his work, had it not been for thoughts of how wrongly he had acted in running away from his parents and his home. Sometimes he thought of writing and asking their forgiveness, but pride prevented him doing so. "No," he said to himself, "I will wait till I can tell them I am really doing well in Philadelphia.”
And so the days grew into weeks, and the weeks into months, and the home letter was not written.