. Benjamin Franklin: his autobiography : with a narrative of his public life and services. e corrected and improved. Not having any copy here of what is already writ-ten, I know not whether an account is given of themeans I used to establish the Philadelphia publiclibrary, which, from a small beginning, is now be-come so considerable, though I remember to havecome down to near the time of that transaction(1730). I will therefore begin here with an accountof it, which may be struck out if found to have beenalready given. At the time I established myself in Pennsylvania,there was not a good book
. Benjamin Franklin: his autobiography : with a narrative of his public life and services. e corrected and improved. Not having any copy here of what is already writ-ten, I know not whether an account is given of themeans I used to establish the Philadelphia publiclibrary, which, from a small beginning, is now be-come so considerable, though I remember to havecome down to near the time of that transaction(1730). I will therefore begin here with an accountof it, which may be struck out if found to have beenalready given. At the time I established myself in Pennsylvania,there was not a good booksellers shop in any of the LIFE OF FRANKLIN, 123 colonies to the southward of Boston. In New Yorkand Philadelphia the printers were indeed stationers,but they sold only paper, almanacs, ballads, and afew common school-books. Those who loved read-ing were obliged to send for their books from En-gland ; the members of the Junto had each a had left the alehouse, where we first met, andhired a room to hold our club in. I proposed thatwe should all of us bring our books to that room,. where they would not only be ready to consult inour conferences, but become a common benefit, eachof us being at liberty to borrow such as he wishedto read at home. This was accordingly done, andfor some time contented us. Finding the advantage of this little collection, Iproposed to render the benefit from the books morecommon, by commencing a public subscription li- 124 LIFE OF FRANKLIN. brarj. I drew a sketch of the plan and rules thatwould be necessary, and got a skillful conveyancer,Mr. Charles Brockden, to put the whole in form ofarticles of agreement to be subscribed, by whicheach subscriber engaged to pay a certain sum downfor the first purchase of the books, and an annualcontribution for increasing them. So few werethe readers at that time in Pliiladelphia, and themajority of us so poor, that I was not able, withgreat industry, to find more than fifty persons, most-ly young tradesmen, w
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