History Repeat?

I am reading the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin which I might write a post on later.

 

One of the things I read today was intriguing, in a way, interesting.  Benjamin Franklin owned a printing shop in Philadelphia.   In the book he mentions one morning a little old frail woman sweeping his doorway with an old broom.  He asked her what was she doing and she said she was trying to impress him so that he would pay her to sweep in the street in front of his shop.   When he told the story in his book it recorded history of a little unknown lady.  The little frail unknown lady swept a lot more than he the agreed on just for one shilling, which game him some thoughts on labor management. 

 

I have been to Philadelphia several times.  I remember seeing where Benjamin Franklin's shop/house was.  The house has long been gone but in its place is sort of a frame, sort of a 3 dimensional virtual drawing of the house to show just how much space it took up back in the mid 1700s.

Now, let us jump in time to July the 4th, 1991.  My family spent the 4th in the Independence Hall area of Philadelphia.  One evening, probably the 3rd or the 4th the crowd gathered for a fireworks display.   In a wheelchair slumped over was a little frail old woman, who I suspect was not in touch with reality.    In front of her was some colorful things  for sale... I forgot exactly what, it might have been little pin-lights or something that glowed.  There was a little sign around her neck and those things, whatever for sale.  And a box was at her feet.  The box had money in it.  People, out of sorry for her bought her merchandise and I suspect a good for nothing son probably put his comatose mother earning money for him.  She also had on crooked lipstick and her cheeks had too much rouge. 

I haven't thought of her in many years until I read of this little old lady sweeping Benjamin Franklin's front of his shop in about the same vicinity.   Wow!  Was history repeating itself?