I made a little Book in which I allotted a Page for each of the Virtues. I rul'd each Page with red Ink so as to have seven Columns, one for each Day of the Week...I cross'd these Columns with thirteen red Lines...Franklin produces a labeled grid on which, at night, he can mark each "Fault" of the day in its proper place. He attempts above all not to stray in performing that week's governing virtue, "leaving the other Virtues to their ordinary Chance." Here is an example of one of his own Temperance worksheets, which he provides in his Autobiography for the reader's use:
It was a bad week for Silence and Order (I know the feeling), but Franklin met his primary goal and was temperate, in control of his appetites. He seems to take some care in the placement of his blots, using that to note the time of day of each mistake. As I live through the virtue-weeks, I will do the same.
Franklin's insight is one shared by other printers and writers: the permanence of writing offers a special form of pleasurable focus on the self. It prolongs the week indefinitely, mapped onto the page. The neat grid, the red lines – they will compensate for the loss of behavioral freedom, the ability to commit one's blots, and leave them behind.
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