‘Old Daddy’ Franklin and the first dummy American

EFFORTS to create model citizens, through education/ indoctrination, affronted D H Lawrence. He denounced “Founding Father” Benjamin Franklin’s pursuit of the perfect “pattern American,” exclaiming “The Perfectibility of Man” is “a dreary theme!” One might perfect the Ford motor car, but I’m “not a mechanical contrivance,” I’m “many men.” Which “me” would be educated or suppressed, “according to your dummy standards”? Who is the “ideal man,” anyway? Franklin, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Porfirio Diaz?

Lawrence isn’t only “this patient ass” who sits scribbling in his “tweed jacket.” He’s many selves. (We all are!) Never mind “the ideal self,” Lawrence has “a strange fugitive,” incipient, dark self which howls like a red-eyed wolf or coyote. We’re “multitudes” of “conflicting” selves. Which would you choose to perfect?

Before “Old Daddy” Benjamin Franklin, “the first downright American,” created his perfect “first dummy American” citizen, “cunning little Benjamin” set down his “creed.” (Such “a real American thing to do”!) There’s “One God,” creator of all. “But Benjamin made Him,” Lawrence adds, in parenthesis. He’s to be worshipped with adoration etc. (“Which costs nothing”!). . .”the most acceptable service of God is doing good to men” (“God having no choice in the matter”!). And so forth. To Lawrence, the “soul of man” is a vast, dark, wild, unknown “forest.” But Benjamin intends “a neat back garden.”

There’s “One God,” creator of all. “But Benjamin made Him,” Lawrence adds, in parenthesis

Franklin’s “list of virtues,” including Temperance, Silence, Frugality, Industry, Chastity, Humility, arouses further Lawrentian irreverence towards the self-satisfied morality of our distinguished American “paragon.” Lawrence is “goaded” into offering his own belief/creed that his “soul is a dark forest,” his “known self” being merely “a little clearing,” into which “gods, strange gods,” come and go.” It’s “rather fun to play at Benjamin,” Lawrence says, defiantly listing his virtues. They liberate us. Benjamin’s “FREEDOM” being but “a barbed-wire paddock.” 100 YEARS AGO, 16th March 1924, Lawrence informs Catherine Carswell New York looks less “hideous” in “strong American sunshine.” It was “vile being shut in with all the people” on their “huge” boat. “People are unpleasant nowadays, particularly those going to America to make a fortune.”

New York’s “no better than London,” although “the climate, even the cold wind, gives one one’s energy back again.” “Humanly,” however, it’s “rather awful.” Dorothy Brett takes it “calmly.” Is only “a trifle uneasy,” feeling the town’s “against nature,” and less impressive than expected.

Lawrence’s publisher, Seltzer, “had a bad year, lost $7000.00, paid me nothing in.” But will “scrape a few hundreds together.”

18th, Lawrence tells Curtis Brown they’re “leaving” for New Mexico.” “I want to get quiet and do some stories.”