The Ninety-First or “Wild West Division”

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The Way to Wealth Being the Preface to Poor Richard? s Almanac for 1758

By Benjamin Franklin

[A beautiful brochure containing extracts from Poor Richard's Almanac, by Benjamin Franklin, was published something over a year ago by the Dominion Bank, Canada, and presented to the shareholders of that bank, by Sir Edmund B. Osier. These extracts contain some sensible Eighteenth Century advice applicable to Twentieth Century war conditions. The wellknown preface is perhaps the most famous part of the Almanac. "The Way to Wealth" is very widely known among the writings of Franklin. The "way" has changed little in the past 160 years; hence, it will interest readers of the Era to peruse it once more. It is especially good reading for young people. The preface was written at a period of heavy taxes and poor business, and its homely wisdom is said notably at the time to have promoted cheerfulness, thrift and economy — three conditions which the M. I. A. are seeking to promote this season through our summer work. Of the proverbial wisdom of the Almanac, and of this preface in particular Franklin, in his Autobiography, says: "Observing that it (the Almanac) was generally read, scarce any neighborhood in the province being without it, I considered it as a proper vehicle for conveying instruction among the common people, who bought scarcely any other books; I therefore filled all the little spaces that occur'd between the remarkable days in the calendar with proverbial sentences, chiefly such as inculcated industry and frugality, as the means of procuring wealth, and thereby securing virtue; it being more difficult for a man in want, to act always honestly, as, to use here one of those proverbs, it is hard for an empty sack to stand upright. "These proverbs, which contained the wisdom of many ages and nations, I assembl'd and form'd into a connected discourse prefix'd to the Almanac of 1757, as the harangue of a wise old man to the people attending an auction. The bringing all these scattered counsels thus into a focus enabled them to make greater impression. The piece, being universally approved, was copied in all the newspapers of the Continent; reprinted in Britain on a broad side, to be stuck up in houses; two translations were made of it in French, and great numbers bought by the clergy and gentry, to distribute gratis among their poor parishoners and tenants. In Pennsylvania, as it discouraged useless expense in foreign superfluities, some thought it had its share of influence in producing that growing plenty of money which was observable for several years after its publication." The Era is indebted to President Heber J. Grant for the Dominion Bank brochure Editors.]

— Courteous Reader: I have read that nothing gives an author so great pleasure as to find his works respectfully quoted by others. Judge, then, how much I must have been gratified by an incident I am going to relate to you. I stopped my horse lately where a great number of people were collected at an auction of merchants' goods. The hour of the sale not being come,