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importation of fuch goods, it has been generally refufed on this principle, that if the country is ripe for the manufacture, it may be carried on by private persons to advantage; and if not, it is a folly to think of forcing nature. Great establishments. of manufacture, require' great numbers of poor to do the work for fmall wages; thofe poor are to be found in Europe, but will not be found in America, till the lands are all taken up and cultiva ted, and the excefs of people who cannot get land want employment. The manufacture of filk, they fay, is natural in France, as that of cloth in England, because each country produces in plenty the firft material: but if England will have a manu facture of filk as well as that of cloth, and France of cloth as well as that of filk, these unnatural operations must be fupported by mutual prohibitions, or high duties on the importation of each other's goods; by which means the workmen are enabled to tax the home confumer by greater prices, while the higher wages they receive makes them neither happier nor richer, fince they only drink more and work lefs. Therefore the governments of America do nothing to encourage fuch projects. The people, by this means, are not impofed on, either by the merchant or me chanic: if the merchant demands too much profit on imported fhoes, they buy of the hoemaker; and ifthe afks too high a price, they take them of the merchant; thus the two profeffions are checks on each other. The fhoemaker, however, has, on the whole, a confiderable profit upon his labour in America, beyond what he had in Europe, as he cani add to his price a fum nearly equal to all the expences of freight and commiflion, rifque or infur

ance, &c. neceffarily charged by the merchant. And it is the fame with every other mechanic art. Hence it is, that artifans generally live better and more eafily in America than in Europe; and fuch as are good economifts make a comfortable provifion for age, and for their children. Such may, therefore, remove with advantage to America.

In the old long-fettled countries of Europe, all arts, trades, profeflions, farms, &c. are fo full, that it is difficult for a poor man who has children to place them where they may gain, or learn to gain, a decent livelihood. The artifans, who fear creating future rivals in business, refuse to take apprentices, but upon conditions of money, maintenance, or the like, which the parents are unable to comply with. Hence the youth are dragged up in ignorance of every gainful art, and obliged to become foldiers, or fervants, or thieves, for a fubfiftence. In America, the rapid increase of inhabitants takes away that fear of rivalihip, and artifans willingly receive apprentices from the hope of profit by their labour, during the remainder of the time ftipulated, after they fhall be inftructed. Hence it is easy for poor families to get their children inftructed; for the artifans are fo defirous of apprentices, that many of them will even give money to the parents, to have boys from ten to fifteen years of age bound apprentices to them, till the age of twenty-one; and many poor parents have, by that means, on their arrival in the country, raifed money enough to buy land fufficient to establish themselves, and to fubfift the rest of their family by agriculture. Thefe contracts of apprentices are made before a mag frate, who regulates the reement according to reafon and juflice; and aving in view the formation of a future ufeful

citizen, obliges the mafter to engage by a written indenture, not only that, during the time of fervice ftipulated, the apprentice fhall be duly provided with meat, drink, apparel, washing, and lodging, and at its expiration with a complete new fuit of clothes, but also that he shall be taught to read, write, and caft accounts; and that he thall be well inftructed in the art or profeffion of his mafter, or fome other, by which he may afterwards gain a livelihood, and, be able in his turn to raife afamily. A copy of this indenture is given to the apprentice or his friends, and the magiftrate keeps a record of it, to which recourfe may be had, in cafe of failure by the mafter in any point of performance. This defire among the mafters to have more hands employed in working for them, induces them to pay the paffages of young perfons, of both fexes, who, on their arrival, agree to ferve them one, two, three, or four years: thofe who have already learned a trade, agreeing for a shorter term,. in proportion to their fkill, and the confequent immediate value of their fervice; and thofe who. have none, agreeing for a longer term, in confideration of being taught an art their poverty would not permit them to acquire in their own country.

The almoft general mediocrity of fortune that prevails in America, obliging its people to follow fome bufinefs for fubfiftence, thofe vices that rife ufually from idlenefs, are in a great meafure prevented. Industry and conftant employment are great prefervatives of the morals and virtue of a nation. Hence bad examples to youth are more rare in America, which must be a comfortable confider ation to parents. To this may be truly added, that ferious religion, under its various denomina

tions, is not only tolerated, but refpected and practifed. Atheifm is unknown there; infidelity rare and fecret; fo that perfons may live to a great age in that country without having their piety fhocked by meeting either with an athieft or an infidel. And the Divine Being feems to have manifested his approbation of the mutual forbearance and kindness with which the different fects treat each other, by the remarkable profperity with which he has been pleafed to favour the whole country.

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FINAL SPEECH OF DR. FRANKLIN IN THE LATE FEDERAL CONVENTION*.

MR. PRESIDENT,

CONFESS that I do not entirely approve of this conftitution. at prefent: but, Sir, I am not fure I fhall never approve it; for having lived long I have experienced many inftances of being obliged by better information, or further confideration, to change opinions even on important fubjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwife. It is, therefore, that the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment, and to pay more refpect to the judgment of others. Moft men, indeed, as well as moft fects of religion, think themselves in poffeffion of all truth, and that whenever others differ from them, it is fo far error.

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Our reafons for aferibing this fpeech to Dr Franklin, are internal evidence, and its having appeate with his name, during his life time, uncontradicted, in au American periclical publication.

Steel, a proteftant, in a dedication, tells the pope, that the only difference between our two churches, in their opinions of the certainty of their doctrines, is, the Romish church is infallible, and the church of England never in the wrong." But, though many private perfons think almost as highly of their own infallibility as of that of their fect, few exprefs it fo naturally as a certain French lady, who, in a little difpute with her fifter, faid, I don't know how it happens, fifter, but I meet with nobody but myself that is always in the right. Il n'y a que mot qui a toujours raifon. In thefe fentiments, Sir, I agree to this conftitution, with all its faults, if they are fuch; because I think a general government neceffary for us, and there is no form of government, but what may be a bleffing, if well administered; and I believe farther, that this is likely to be well adminiftered for a courfe of years, and can only end in defpotifm, as other forms have done before it, when the people fhall become fo corrupted as to need defpotic government, being incapable of any other. I doubt too, whether any other convention we can obtain, may be able to make a better conftitution. For when For when you affemble a number of men, to have the advantage of their joint wifdom, you affemble with thofe men, all their prejudices, their paffions, their errors of opinion, their local interefts, and their felfith views. From fuch an affembly can a perfect production be expected? It therefore aftonishes me, Sir, to find this fyftem approaching fo near to perfection as it does; and I think it will aftonith our enemies, who are waiting with confidence, to hear that our councils are confounded, like thofe of the builders of Babylon, and that our

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