The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1854-05-13
BOyhOOd. Of DistiMg uished Men.

Dryden displayed no evidence OF more than
ordinary intelligence until he reached mature
manhood and johnson says Of Goldsmith,
that he was "a plant that tiowered late."-
schiller was very idle scholar, and much
ionder Of ball and leaptrog then of books
The most Interesting thing told Of him as .
child 10y his biographer is, that once, IN tho
midst Of storm 0! thunder and lightning, ho
climbed tree, and when asked by his pa
rents why he did so, replied, whispering -
That the lightning was very beautiful and
Gc wished TO see where il come from" This
story, if correct, furnishes an illustration Of
the manner in which the young mind delights
10 seek information lor itself in its own way.
Perhaps still more characteristic nnecdoto
is that told Of Smeaton, the architect Of tho
Eday.tJuc lighthouse, who, when boy in
pc;ticoats, was one day discovered Oh tho
top ol his fathers house in the act o! fixing u
, model Of windmill, which he had construct
cd.
. But the great majority ofthe most distiu-
guishcd specially Of thos: distinguish
. Cd for their pOwcr--have been altogether un-
distinguished in their boyhood. Sir Isaac
! Newton, perhaps our greatest man, stood w.
! ry low in lis class at school though he was
! fond Of mechanical pursuits, anc OF drawing
, natural objects. Sir David Brewster says Of
him, that "wAcn he arrived at Trinity col
! lcgr, he brought with him more slendC.
portion Of science than islls to the lot VI Or
| dinsry scholars but this state Of his acquire
mlnts CONTINUES his biogrsphcr was pct
| hap. not uniavorable 10 the development VI
| hi. mental power. Unexhaustcd by proma-
ture gro%'th, and inyigOratud by hcathful
rcposr, lis mind was the better fitted ~
make those vigorous and rapid shoots which
soon covered with foliage and fruit, the gcDi-
, al soil " which it had been transferred.
! The distinguished Sir Humphrey Davy,
! .ail Of himself :" consider it fortunate that
| ] wa. left 50 much to myself whe u child,
and put upon no particular study, and that
| ! enjoyed 81 much Idicness at Nj Croytous
school. perhaps owe to these circumsAn-
COS the little talents that | have M9ie my
! self say tL. without vanity, and in pura
simplicity Of heart And it is SO in fact
Every man who achieves greatness does ~,
not through hio ac4urcments under teachers
when boy, but through his sci.education al
ter hc lie, bcs0me u man.
We ui,ht adduce an immense number of
instance. Of positively stupid boys who hsvo
become distinguished and highly useful men.
lDI III lSdtN 'NNi Nt'' 'N1N 'A''
was in h. boyhool chiefly d,tngui shed by
ha propensity for fighting, in which he got
many bloody nose and his father Use to
say, that if it pleased God 10 take from hin
any Of hi, children, he h9,cl il might DO
Isaac, who was the !cs.. pr.-u..ug Of them
all
And tia: p osijy .! learning, Dr. Adam
Clark, when u boy was never happier than
, Wien rolling large stones about caring
nothing ion learning or reading Of sny sort.
But At this Kind Of work hc became "uncoin-
! y Hardy, dough lilo father proclaimed him
q, m,st "grcyious Ounce" Thanks to
NIun L.h', power Of rolling about the
rye .'oIss in bis toyhooi, he was after
lr.s gb., to ro.l about large thoughts III
h.a manhood.
NApo con and wellington were both dull
boya hefjrrucr ia described by the Ouch
cas d'Abrantcs, who knew him intimately
whom Il child, rs having gooi health, and
in ether respects he was ike other boys -
And size adds -" Ny unclcs have thou
sand times s,,ured NE that Napoleon, ii his
byyhoot. had none Of that susularity ot
character attributed t. irn."