of my fact.  One cannot be more certain of any fact.  I saw it with my own eyes.  And, having repeated this observation the three following mornings, I found always precisely the same result.

He then continues in the same vein to show that learned persons did not believe him and to point out the difficulties which the pioneer encounters.  He brought out the vital point by showing that if he had not been awakened so early he would have slept six hours longer by the light of the sun and in exchange he would have lived six hours the following night by candle-light.  He then mustered “the little arithmetic” he was master of and made some serious computations.  He assumed as the basis of his computations that a hundred thousand families lived in Paris and each used a half-pound of candles nightly.  He showed that between March 20th and September 20th, 64,000,000 pounds of wax and tallow could be saved, which was equivalent to $18,000,000.

After these serious computations he amusingly proposed the means for enforcing the daylight saving.  Obviously, it was necessary to arouse the sluggards and his proposals included the use of cannons and bells.  Besides, he proposed that each family be restricted to one pound of candles per week, that coaches would not be allowed to pass after sunset except those of physicians, etc., and that a tax be placed upon every window which had shutters.  His closing paragraph was as follows: 

For the great benefit of this discovery, thus freely communicated and bestowed by me on the public, I demand neither place, pension, exclusive privilege, nor any other regard whatever.  I expect only to have the honor of it.  And yet I know there are little, envious minds who will, as usual, deny me this and say that my invention was known to the ancients, and perhaps they may bring passages out of the old books in proof of it.  I will not dispute with these people that the ancients knew not the sun would rise at certain hours; they possibly had, as we have, almanacs that predicted it; but it does not follow thence that they knew he gave light as soon as he rose.  That is what I claim as my discovery.  If the ancients knew it, it might have been long since forgotten; for it certainly was unknown to the moderns, at least to the Parisians, which to prove I need use but one plain simple argument.  They are as well instructed, judicious and prudent a people as exist anywhere in the world, all professing, like myself, to be lovers of economy, and, for the many heavy taxes required from them by the necessities of the State have surely an abundant reason to be economical.  I say it is impossible that so sensible a people, under such circumstances, should have lived so long by the smoky, unwholesome and enormously expensive light of candles, if they had really known that they might have had as much pure light of the sun for nothing.

Franklin’s amusing letter had a serious aim,