Ben Franklin on Chess

A long time ago, Benjamin Franklin wrote an essay on the morals of chess, creatively titled "The Morals of Chess". The link provides some context and commentary. One thing in particular I'd like to point out:

4. If your adversary is long in playing, you ought not to hurry him, or express any uneasiness at his delay. You should not sing, nor whistle, nor look at your watch, nor take up a book to read, nor make a tapping with your feet on the floor, or with your fingers on the table, nor do anything that may disturb his attention. For all these things displease. And they do not show your skill in playing, but your craftiness or your rudeness.

We are fortunate to live in a time when this piece of advice is largely irrelevant. I'm thinking Franklin would have been much pleased with the advent of chess clocks, though I have no idea what he'd think of speed chess.