235. William Temple Franklin and Confucius

Having read the previous post, “Confucius, Benjamin Franklin and his Friends,” you will know that Franklin’s friends knew very well of his life-long project of using Confucian moral philosophy to purify his virtue. What about his family members? Did they know anything about Confucius? After careful examination of Franklin’s papers, I can state with certitude that at least one of the family members, William Temple Franklin (1760-1823), Franklin’s grandson, was familiar with Confucius. How do I know? From the letter that Louis-Felix Guinement, chevalier de Kéralio (1731-1790), sent to Temple on September 17, 1783, we can find the prove that Confucius was well-known by Temple and the French writer. He encouraged Temple to pursue knowledge by using Confucian teachings: “Confucius said that it is necessary always to learn, as if one knows nothing.”
The original letter was written in French, therefore, I give out the original version, "Confucius a dit qu’il falloit toujours apprendre, comme si on ne savoit rien."