“The Art of Making Money Plenty in Every Man’s Pocket: by Doctor Franklin”

At a time when money was becoming scarce in the life of many Americans, Benjamin Franklin came up with a solution to solve this problem. “Doctor Franklin” created “The Art of Making Money Plenty in every Man’s Pocket.”

Benjamin Franklin, who was involved in nearly every other aspect of advancement at the time (creating a fire brigade, establishing a printing press and a library, discovering electricity, etc.) decided that he should release a humorous pamphlet into circulation that would give people insight to how they could “reinforce their pockets” (“The Art of Making Money”).

Franklin had “printed some of the first paper money used in America, and he continued to print money periodically throughout his life” (Weatherford 133) so when he came out with a guide instructing people of how they could save and increase their wealth, people were bound to believe him. However, Benjamin Franklin, who was a genius in every respect, didn’t want to give this sacred information to just anyone without having them work a little for it.

Doctor Franklin is a genius; not only in respect to the numerous inventions he created throughout the span of his life (the Franklin Stove, The Lightning Rod, the Bifocals) but he also used his wit in his writing. In the actual “The Art of Making Money Plenty in every Man’s Pocket: by Doctor Franklin,” he wrote out most of the text and placed some images within a few of the words that truly prove his literary genius. For instance, there is one sentence that is as follows: “thy cred[eye]tors will n[woman]r insult thee” (“The Art of Making Money”). To most, this may not make sense. The image of the “eye” is an obvious symbol for the letter “I” but the woman is a bit tricky. However, by using a manipulation of the surrounding letters as well as thinking of the context the woman could be used in, you realize that the woman represents “Eve” from the Bible and completes the word “never.”

Franklin is notorious for being crafty in his writing. His first sneaky act can be seen when he was working in his brother’s printing press and decided he wanted to contribute to the newspaper that James, his brother, was creating. Franklin “knew that James would never publish articles written by his little brother. So, Ben made up a new name: Silence Dogood” (Rushby 13). The articles that he wrote were the first step to his famous humorous pieces and he continued in this style when he created Poor Richard’s Almanack. In this “Almanack,” he wrote such familiar phrases as: “God helps those that help themselves” and “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealth, and wise” (Giblin 43).

This was a man who “believed that the world would be a far better place if everyone produced more and consumed less” (Weatherford 134), and it is evident in this publication. After more decoding of the images in his article, he states that people should “spend one penny every day [less] than thy dear gains” (“The Art of Making Money”) which translates to: whatever amount you gain through working, spend less than you make.

Franklin was a true innovator from his time. He created many useful institutions and inventions that helped out Americans in ways that were both cost efficient and beneficial (like in his invention of the Franklin Stove and his founding of the Library Company). However, I would also like to add that Benjamin Franklin was not a selfish man, he just wanted others to work for what they got. For example: “Franklin declined to apply for a patent on his inventions; he wanted them to be manufactured by anyone who wished to do so” (Weatherford 135). He was a man who wanted to promote the greater good of all mankind, but he did not want them to succumb to idleness so he made puzzles like “The Art of Making Money Plenty for every Man’s Pocket” that would benefit them if they only did a little work.

I have to admit, I could not decode the entire article myself and I did have to seek help. Try for yourself and see if you can decode the message Franklin is trying to give through this link (“The Art of Making Money”) (you can click the picture to enlarge it) and if you get to that point where you can no longer decode the rest of it, use the link here that contains the answers (“Ben Franklin”). But don’t cheat!

Works Cited
"The Art of Making Money." Library of Congress Home. 11 Apr. 2009 <http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/franklin-printer.html>.

"Ben Franklin." Haverford College. 11 Apr. 2009 <http://www.haverford.edu/library/franklin/rebus/index.html>.

Giblin, James. Amazing Life of Benjamin Franklin. New York: Scholastic P, 2000.

Rushby, Pamela. History Chapters: Ben Franklin Printer, Author, Inventor, Politician (History Chapters). New York: National Geographic Children's Books, 2007.

Weatherford, Jack. The History of Money. New York: Three Rivers Press, 1997.