OK, he didn’t drop out.  His father TOOK him out.  Why?  Because he was pretty cheeky.  Surprise, surprise, right?  At first, he went to the Boston Latin School (when he was and rose to the top of his class.  So why didn’t his father send him to Harvard, where he could’ve gotten a full scholarship?  Good question!  It was a puritanical time, and Benjamin did not show much interest in the puritanical ways, telling his father to hurry up with saying grace.  This was not done.  His father therefore took him out of school, and put him to work in his candle and soap business.   He was 10.

So good ole Ben was working with hot tallow (fat) and wicks for a couple years.  This was not fun, and it was pretty dangerous.

Lucky for him, his brother, James, returned from England 2 years later, ready to set up shop as a printer.  James needed help, and Benjamin was the guy.