Litchfield enquirer., 1857-10-22
Whole No. 1645.
Management of Boys.

7 How greatly do parents and preccptors err in mistakng for mischief, wanton idieness. all ;he little maneuvers of young persons, which are fre- quPntly practical inquiries 10 ,etGts doubts pass :, i,g in their mndsl When the aunt of James Watt rerroved the boy fer his idleness, and de-
 sired him to take book, or employ himself to some purpose usefully, and not be putting off the
 ltd of the kettle and putting it on again. and hold ing now cup and now silver spoon over the
 steam, how little was she aware that he was in-
 vestigating problem which was 10 lead to the greatest of human inventions !
 It has been said were indebted for the im- portant invention in the steam engine, termed
 hand-gear, by which it's valves CT cocks are worked
 by the machine itself, to an idle boy of the name
 ot Humphrey Potter, who, being employed to stop and open valve, saw that he could save himself
 the trouble of attending and watching it, by fixing a plug upon part of the machine which came 10 l the place at the proper time, in consequence of | the general movement If this anecdo,e he true, what does it prove! That Humphrey Potter
 might be very idle, but that he was, at the same
 lime, very ingenious. It was contrivance, not 1 the result of mere accident, hut of some observa- ] ton and successful experiment.
 | The father of Eli Whitney, on his return from | journey which had necessarily compelled him to absent himself from home for several days, in- q fred. as was lis usual custom. into the orcupa- | tons of his sons during their absence. He celved good account of all the boys except Eli, "ho the housekeeper reluctantly confessed had been engaged in making fiddle. "Alas !" says | the father. with sigh and ominous shake of the head, '' fear that Eli will have day to take his portion out in fiddles" To have anything 1 to do about fiddle, belokened. the father thought l tendency to engage in mere trifrs. How litlle
 ware was the father that this simple occupation, 1 lar troln being mere fiddle faddle was tii. draw ! ing forth of an inventive genius to he ranked foH, ,l | trtS and manufactures.
 | It IS related of Ctantry, the celebrated sculp- 1 tor, that, when boy, he was observed by gem ti"nan at Sheffield, very aientively engaged in cutting stick with penknife. He asked the lad what he was doing. and with great simplicity hut courtesy. he rplied " am cutting old Fox's nrad.' Cox Was the schoomaster of the vil- lhge.) On this the gentleman asked to see what he had done, and pronounced the IiSeuess excel lent presenting the youth with sixpence. How many would have at once have characterized the 'rcupAtion of the boy a mischievous or idle one; losing sight for the time. of that lesson which every Partn, should know how to put into use. '' Never despise small beginnings"
 Of Edward MtIhnurne, the painter, it is said,
 the "ln'rrvas of his schcol-hours were filled by
 ndrfhtigable industry in making apartments, and
 niravcring to make discoveries One of his greatest delights was found in 6ioring Lu6bies for the pleasure of admiring the fine coIors they dis played. Thus it appears that even the soap-hub- he amusement, idle some think it 10 be, may have no, little to do towards leading the young 1 ,rlisc mind to discriminate nicely between deli cate shades of color. The first pannels on which William Etty, an l English painter, drew, were the boards of hrs fathers shop floor; and his first crayon a far- 1 ,hing's worth of white chalk-a substance con- sdered nowadays almost ivariably ominous of m'schie!-d'ing in le hands of boy, especially on the opening day of the month of April Now l what does the mother If the little Willie" do, on discovering the nicely swept floor disfgured with chalk lines Of course she scods, and calls him mischievous little fellow! No, this IS not the course the sensible mother pursues. In autobiographical letter addressed to relative, Etty, speaking of this circumstance in his youth in' life, says, "My pleasure amounted to ecstacy when my mother promised me next morning if were good boy, should use some coors mix ed with gum wat.r. l was so pleased l could scarcely sleep"
 The family tradition says of Edward Bird. that he would. at three pr four years of age stand on stool, chalk outlines on the furniture, and say, with childish glee, We'll done, little Neddy
 Blrd.' Even at the dawn he would be up to draw figures upon the walls, which he called French and English soldiers No doubt the ques- ton often engaged the attention of the parents, as 10 how little Neddy should be broken of the l habit of sketrhlng much on almost every thing about the house. The father finding, howeve:, that his love If drawing and sketching was incu- rahe. at length Dtsely ceased 10 counteact his ar tstc tendency, and, beginning 10 grow anxious
 10 turn it 10 some account, finally apprenticed him
 to a maker of tea-trays, from whose employ, as every one knows, he advanced into the ranks of acknowledged genius.
 When young West first began to display skill in drawing, and learned from the roaming Indians t'e method of preparing coors, he was at loss to know how 10 lay those coors skilIfuIly on. A neighbor informed him that this was done with brushes formed of camePs hair; there were DO calnel's in America, and he had recourse to the cat, from whose back and tail he supplied his
 wants. The cat was favorite and the altered
 condition of her fur was imputed 10 disease, till
 the boys confession explrined the cause, much
 to the amusement of his father, who rebuked him
 not rashty. but as e.oneth a wise parent, more
 in affection than in anger. To rebuke such an
 act wisely, required on the part of the parent a
 discrimination sufficiently clear to discern that
 m'schej j-doing had nothing to do in the affair l.
 Was of no small importance that tue correction
 employed should be adapted to the circumstances
 of the case. So also the mother of West when
 she was sent to seek her son by the anxious in
 qu'rles of the schoo master in regard 10 his ab
 scrnce for several days from the school, did npl. on finding him with his box of raints aborirg
 secretly in the garret, vent forth her anger in
 passionate way, though the child were enga- ged in d 'mere foolish piece of business"