Chapter VI Summary and Analysis

In his first library system, subscribers would pay the price of one book and sign a promissory note, agreeing to pay twice the value of any book they failed to return. The library became a popular hang-out for bored youth, who benefited greatly from their exposure to books. Ben took great pride in living frugally. Although Benjamin believed in God, he seldom attended church. One friend, a minister, convinced him to attend a few sermons. The church-serving sermons turned Ben off because his idea of a "good" human being was someone who treated others with respect, someone who was truthful, and someone who was hard working. So he stopped going to church and celebrated religion privately, in his own way.

The reader might notice that Benjamin Franklin was a perfectionist. Very rarely, if ever, did he give up. Ben...