Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1855-11-14

Men of great learing and talents. whom all
people admire and praise, are found to be
more modest than persons not SO wise and
good Sir Isaac Newton, was one of these
great, and, at the same time, modest men,
Wien = little boy at school, he surprised ev-
erybody BY the curious little machines which
he made with his own hands. He had num-
Der of saws, hatchets. hammers, and other
tools, which he used skiilfully. A windmill
being put up near the place where be lived. he
frequently went to look at it, and pried into
every part of it. till hc became thoroughly
acquainted with it, and the way in whic;l Il
moved. He then began with his knife. snd
saws, and hammer, and made a small Wind
NH. exn1tly Ike the large one; it was q very
neat and curious piece of workmanship. lie
sometimes set it on the house-top. that tssc
wind might turn it round. lie also contrived
to cause mouse to turn his mill This little
animal being put inside hollow wheel. its
endeavors to get forward turned the wheel
and set the machinery in motion. There was
also some corn placed about the wheel and
when the mouse tried to get at the corn it
made the wheel go round. Having got an
old box from friend, Isaac made it into q
water clock-that is q clock driven by small
fall of water It is very much like our COM
mon clocks, and four feet high. At the top
wassa dial plate; with figures of the hours.
The hour hand was turned By piece of wood,
which either fell or rose by water dropping
upon It. This stood in the room where he
lay. and he took care, every morning, to sup
ply il with plenty Of water. 1t pointed out
the hour so well, that the people of the house
would 90 to see what was the hour by it. 1t
was kept In the house as curiosity long after
Isaac went to college. The room In which he
lodged was full of drawings of birds, beasts,
men, ships, and mathematical figures. all
neatly made upon the wall with charcoal
When Isaac grew little older and went to
college, he had great desire to know some
thing about the air, the water, the tides, and
the sun. moon, and stars. One day when he
was sitting alone in his garden, an apple hap
pened to fall to the ground. He then began
to ask himself what is the cause of the apple
falling down Is il from some power or
force in the apple itself, or is the power in the
earth which draws the apple down? When
he had long thought about this subject. be
found out that it was the earth, that attracted
or drew the apple down, and that this power
of attraction is one of the laws of nature. By
it, loose objects are retained upon the surface
Of the earth, instead of flying abroad through
space. You have learned, that this earth is
8foOcs Wnioa soxv osoEs oay, aAsSr "a :
It is attraction, which gives weight to OBJ
jects; hence it Is sometimes called gravitation,
which means nearly the same things as
weight Isaac Newton also discovered that
all objects whatever have an attraction for
each other, and always in proportion to their
size and the distance at which they are placed.
Thus the moon, though large globe. is un-
der the attraction of the earth and the planets
are under the attraction of the sun. And it
is BY attraction they are all made to keep their
proper distance from one another These
discoveries were Justly considered as the most
;mportant ever made and for his having
made them rejecting men viii ever yenerate
the name of Newton. He was also the first
who showed that every ray of light from the
sun cvuss's q sesen 20
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