The life of Ben-networking

I don't know about you, but I was always kind of embarrassed by the idea of networking. It seems like such a shameless and vain attempt at self-promotion. But then I learned a bit of wisdom by studying the life of Ben.

Franklin was a social, indeed gregarious man. He had many friends, and they were from all walks of life. For example, his philosophical discussion group the Junto consisted of cabinet makers, clerks, and cobblers.

According to Wikipedia, the Junto was rooted in the concept of "mutual improvement." Its members were expected to exchange information about politics, morality, philosophy, and business management.

Great things came from the Junto. This group later became the American Philosophical Society. The statue of Franklin shown above adorns the building that houses that great organization.

As Franklin showed through the creation of the Junto, networking doesn't just have to be about self-promotion. It can also be used to promote the common good. It can be used to promote friends, their ideas, and the things you care about.

Learning about Franklin and the Junto made me realize that I had networking all wrong. It's not just about me. It's about the things and people I believe in.

Networking for the common good. One of the many things you can learn by studying the life of Ben.

The crimes, follies, and misfortunes of Chester County - John Harper vs. a sow pig

A lawyer friend of mine once told me the law is not about seeking truth. It is, quite simply, a set of rules and procedures for resolving disputes. The truth may or may not emerge.

My friend was right. A day in court may or may not get to the bottom of what happened. But court cases have truth value in another way- their records preserve important details about people and the times in which they lived. 

This is clearly true of a case heard by West Chester justice of the peace John Graves on May 30th, 1795. One of Graves' neighbors on Walnut Street, Jonah Garret, owned a number of "free-range" pigs. One of them, a sow, dug around the gardens of  Turk's Head Tavern. The keeper of the tavern was Mr. John Harper. Harper sought damages against Jonah Garret for the sow's unpermitted foraging.

The loss to Mr. Garret was calculated at 7 shillings. Graves had the sow assessed at 14. He ordered that the  pig be sold or slaughtered, and Mr. Harper recompensed accordingly.

John Harper, justice Graves, Jonah Garret, and the pig have long since vanished. But Walnut Street remains. I walked down it last week, imagining a time when money was counted in shillings and the pigs roamed free.

We may think the world was simpler then, but this is an illusion. The municipal problems we face today are certainly ones people in the 18th century couldn't conceive of, but the reverse is also true - I suspect there aren't many residents in the borough these days who are bothered by free-ranging hogs. Life has always been complicated, and courts have existed throughout history to settle disputes in a peaceful fashion. For the historian, they also provide a glimpse of a lost world, with all of its crimes, follies, and misfortunes.