Franklin- dishing out what he can't take in return

“Being frequently censur’d and condemn’d by different Persons for printing Things which they say out not to be printed, I have sometimes though it might be necessary to make a standing Apology for my self, and publish it once a Year, to be read upon all Occasions of that Nature.” These are Benjamin Franklin’s words in Apology for Printers, which is essentially a list of “particulars” that Franklin requests “all who are angry with him to calmly consider.” I find it interesting that Franklin is quick to defend what he writes from the standpoint that what he prints are mere opinions. He takes the attitude that people should relax because one can never please everybody. Perhaps Franklin should take a look in the mirror at the man who wrote Printer’s Errors and Rules for The New-England Courant. Both publications quickly and aggressively point out his issues with each publication, but even if one does not support religion, who is he to suggest that the newspaper is need of rules simply because, “Religion is our safety and security, and if we lose the Honour of that, no small part of our strength and Glory will be lost with it.” Ironically, Franklin preached the acceptance of all churches despite his affiliation as a Puritan. For a man who believes in religious acceptance and believes in one’s right to defend his publications, he is abrasive with others who he judges to be doing harm to the community. It is evident that Franklin has tolerance for any pious man, but for the individual who has no religious association he has no patience. Not only does he not have patience for the non- religious man, he will publically defame the publication of the individual who does not emphasize or perhaps deemphasizes the church in a way that does not suit Franklin. The publisher of the Pennsylvania Gazette misspells a few words and Franklin classifies it as not gentleman-like and obvious in exposing “the continual Blunders of your Contemporary.” I sure hope Franklin never misspells a few words, I have a feeling his peers would be quick to jump on the man who apparently thinks, “That it is unreasonable to imagine Printers approve of every thing they print, and to censure them on any particular thing accordingly.”