ABSTRACT
Franklin was a voracious and wide-ranging reader, but his intellect was stirred most by the secular ideas of Isaac Newton, John Locke, and other Enlightenment thinkers. Thus, from an early age, he used his Puritan earnestness and work ethic with the new philosophies of reason, common sense, and personal freedom. At age 16, Franklin wrote pieces for the Courant under the pen name Mistress Silence Dogood, secretly sliding them under the office door. James liked the essays and published many of them, until finding out that Franklin was the mystery writer. James also became jealous of his younger brother's talents and took to beating him. In 1723, at age 17, Franklin ran away to Philadelphia. Arriving in the city with barely a coin in his pocket, he landed a job in the print shop of Samuel Keimer. With his knack for making friends, Franklin gained the acquaintance of Governor William Keith, who encouraged him to start his own printing business.
