Reproduction of portrait given by Dr. Franklin to Richard Oswald after the preliminary articles of peace were signed in 1782. Wahr PREFACE This volume seems to me an interesting and valuable addition to the literature on Benjamin Franklin. So far as I know, it is the first work on the subject available for the general reader, and, springing from first-hand investigation of original material, it bears the marks of patient research and impresses the reader as being a fair and trustworthy treatment of the subject. Franklin is one of the most lovable and useful figures in the early history of America. Well known though he has been through his practical inventions, his religious life and thought have been generally misunderstood. This volume, by supplementing the fragmentary references in the Autobiography with the ampler and more revealing material in the letters, corrects many popular misapprehensions and deserves the careful consideration of all who are interested in the religious origins of America. HARRY EMERSON FOSDICK. |