States east of the Mississippi. This land was very valuable. Jefferson bought it all for $15,000,000. This was about two and one-half cents an acre. Some people said

he had no right to buy it. The Constitution did not say he could, but he knew that most of the people wished him to, and he believed it was right. It was for the good of all the people that he did it, and everybody now praises him for it.

After he had been President eight years, Jefferson went back to his home in Virginia and spent the rest of his life there. He devoted his last days to giving his people help and advice about better schools and better government. Under his influence Virginia established a good system of public schools, beginning with the primary school and ending with the university. It took years of Jefferson's time to get the University of Virginia established, and he thought this was one of the best things he did in his whole life.

Jefferson died on July 4th, 1826, just fifty years after the day on which the Declaration of Independence was signed. He asked to have three things inscribed on his tomb-the three greatest and best acts of his life: "Author of the Declaration of Independence; of the Statute for Religious Liberty in Virginia; and Founder of the University of Virginia."

1. Where was Thomas Jefferson born?

2. What made Jefferson famous for all time?

3. What good law was passed in Virginia because of his influence?

4. What law did he ask Congress to pass?

5. What caused Jefferson and Hamilton to disagree?

6. What did he purchase when he was President?

7. What three things did he ask to have inscribed upon his tomb?

CHAPTER XVII

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

Another man who did much to determine the character

of our government was Benjamin Franklin. Unlike Washington and Jeffer

son, he was the son

of poor parents.

As

Franklin was born in the city of Boston on the 17th of January, 1706. His father earned a living by making and selling soap and tallow candles. Benjamin had sixteen brothers and sisters, his father could not give him much spending money, so when he did get a few pennies, he was very happy.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

In his old age Franklin was fond of telling how he spent some money when he was seven years old. It was his birthday, and his friends filled his pocket with pennies. He started for a store to spend them. On the way he met a boy blowing a

penny whistle. He did not know how much a whistle was worth, but he knew that he wanted one more than anything else; so he gave the boy all the money he had, took the whistle, and ran home blowing it.

When he told his brothers and sisters what he had done, they laughed at him and told him how foolish he had been and how many nice things he might have bought with his money. Benjamin cried to think he had paid so much for a penny whistle, but it taught him a lesson which he remembered all his life. When he saw men and women spending their time and strength and money to get showy trifles, or when he saw them doing wrong or dishonest acts in order to gain something, he would think how sorry they would afterwards be for their foolishness, and he would say to them: "Don't pay too much for your whistle."

Franklin began to learn to read when he was a very small boy, and he went to school until he was ten years old. He was so fond of books and reading that his father wanted to educate him to be a minister. His father was so poor, however, that he had to give up this plan, and Benjamin had to leave school to help his father make candles.

One of his brothers, James Franklin, was a printer. When Benjamin was twelve years old, he hired himself to James to help him with his work and to learn the printer's trade. His brother had some good books, and Benjamin spent his spare time in studying them and. writing compositions, for he wanted to learn to write good English. He wrote some articles about public affairs and had them published in his brother's newspaper without letting his brother know who wrote them. The people who read them liked them very much, but James was angry because Benjamin had written them for the paper without telling him about it. The brothers had a quarrel,

and after that they had so much trouble that Benjamin ran away from home.

He was then seventeen years old. He went on board a sailing boat which carried him to New York. Here he tried to get work as a printer, but New York was then only a small town, and there was not much work for printers to do. Failing to find work there, Franklin started for Philadelphia. A boat carried him part of the way, and the rest of the way he walked.

In Philadelphia he found plenty of work. After a time the Governor of Pennsylvania offered to make him the public printer and sent him to London to buy what he needed for the printing office, promising that he would pay for it. But the Governor did not keep his promise, and young Franklin could not buy anything for his office because the Governor did not send him the money.

Stranded but brave, Franklin found work as a printer in London and worked there for about a year. Then he sailed back to Philadelphia, and in a little while he saved money enough to open a small printing office of his own. In this shop Franklin worked hard and saved his money. He married Miss Deborah Read, who helped him in his business, and in a few years he was one of the best known printers in the country.

He published an almanac called Poor Richard's Almanac. This was full of funny paragraphs and wise sayings, such as:

Diligence is the mother of good luck.

Plow deep while sluggards sleep and you'll have corn to sell and to keep.

One to-day is worth two to-morrows.

God helps them that help themselves.

Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.

We are never too old to learn.