Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1855-02-17
THE YOUNG PHILOSOPHER.
A Story roR PARENTS.


Mr. Solomon Winthrop was a plain old far
mer--an ausiere, precise man, who did every
thing by established rules, and could see no
reason why people should grasp at things be-
yond what had been reached by their great
grandfaihers. lie had three children---two boys
and a girl. There was jeremiah, seventeen
years old, Samuel, fifteen, and Fanny, thir-
teen.
Il was a cold, winters day. Samuel was in
the kitchen reading book, and so interested
was he that he did not notice the entrance Of
his father. Jeremiah was in an opposite cor
ner, engaged 10 ciphering out sum which he
had found in his arithmetic.
"Sam, said the farmer TO his youngest boy,
"have you worked out that sum yeti
"No sir" retprned the boy, in hesitating
manner.
"Did Mt tell you to stick to your arthmo-
tic till you had done j. - uttered Mr Winthrop,
10 a severe tone.
Samuel hung down his head, and looked
troubled.
"why hay ut you done i. - continued the
father
81 can't do it, sir" ircmblingly returned the
boy.
Cant do IL, And why not ! Look at Jer-
ry, there, with his slate and arithmetic. lie
had ciPhered further than you have long before
he was as old as you are"
"Jerry was always fond of mathematical
problems, sir, hut cannot fas,en my mind on
them. They have no interest to me.
That's because you don't try to feel an in
l.. 4. a.. !. a..
are reading i'
ITS work on philosophy, sir.''
"a work on fiddle-s,cks! Go, put /, away
this instant, and then get your slate, and don't
let tue see you away from your arithmetic again
until you can work out these roots. DO you
understand me ~
Samuel made no answer, but silently he put
away his philosophy, and then he got his slate
and sat down in the chimney corner. Ills ne
ther lip ,rembled, and his eyes were moisiened,
for he was unhappy. His father had been
harsh towards him, and he felt that il was with
out cause.
"Sam," said Jerry, as soon as the old man
had gone, al will do that sum for you.
"No, Jerry" returned the younger brother,
but with grateful look, 'thai would be de-
ceising father. win try to do the sum, though
! fear | shall.not succeed"
Samuel worked very hard, but all TO no pur-
pose. His mind was not on the subject before
him. The roots and squares, the bases, hy-
po,hcnuses and perpendculars, though compar-
atively simple in themselves, were TO him a
mingled mass Of incomprehensble things, and
the more he tried the more did he become per-
picked and bothered.
The truth was, his father did no, understand
him.
Samuel was a bright boy, and uncommonly
intelligent for one OF his age. Mr. Winthrop,
was thorough mathematician--he never yet
came across problem he cold not solve, and he
desired that his boys should be like him, for he
conceived that the acme Of educational perfec-
tion lay in the power Of conquering Euclid, and
he often expressed his opinion that, were Eu-
clid living then, he could 'give the old geome-
irician hard tussel." lie seemed not 10 COM
prehend that different minds were made with
different capacities, and that what one mind
grasped with ease, another of equal power
would fail to comprehend. Hence, because
jeremiah progressed rapidly in his ma,hema,i-
cal studies, and could already survey piece Of
land Of many angles, he imagined that because
Samuel made no progress in the same branch
be was idle and careless, and treated him ac-
cordingly. He never candidly conversed with
his younger son, with view TO ascertain the
true bent Of his mind but he had his own stan
dard OF the power Of all minds, and he peril
naciously adhered to il.
! There was another thing that Mr. Winthrop
could 10; sec, and iha, we- that Samuel was
continually pondering rpon such profitable mat
ter was interesting to him, and that he was
scarcely ever idle nor did his father see, eth
or, that if he ever wished his boy 10 become a
mathematician, he was pursuing the very course
! 10 prevent such res1it Instead of sadeavor-
ing to make the study interesting to the child,
he was making it obnoxious.
The dinner hour came and Samuel had no,
worked out the sum. His father was angry,
and obliged the boy to GO without his dinner,
at the came time telling him that he was an
idle, lazy child.
Poor Samuel lefi the kitchen and went up to
his chamber, and there he sat and cried Al
length his mind seemed to pass from the wrong
he had suffered at the hand Of his parent, and
took another turn, and the grief marks left his
face. There was large FIRE in the room be-
low his chamber. SO that he was not very cold
and getting up. he went TO a small closet, and
from beneath lot Of old clothes he dragged
forth some long strips Of wood. and commenc-
ed whitiling. Il was not for mere pastime that
he whitfield. for he was fashioning some curious
affair from those pieces Of wood. He had bits
Of wire little psof tin plate, pieces Of twine