Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Randolph County, Ind.) 1855-1862, 1858-06-24
On Ridiculing what we do not
Understand.

l'o Hot liuicuic al thiio bON~uoS . ""
do not happen to understand it. Your
own ignorance may be the only ridicu-
lous thing, all the while. Sir Isaac
Newton, the great philosophical dis
coverer. once had for his next door
ncighbor widow lady, who, having
repeatedly seen him blowing bubbles,
supposed that he must be lunatic;
and she was in the habit of speaking
of him as 1.-The poor crazy gentleman.
"What makes you think he is
crazy?" asked friend.-"Because,"
said the lady, che diverts himself in
the oldest way imaginable. Every
morning. when the sun shines so
brightly that we are obliged to draw
the window blinds, he takes his seat
in front Of a tub Of soapsuds, and oc-
cupies himself for hours blowing soap
bubbles through common clay pipe,
and intently watches them floating
about till they burst. He is doubtless
now at his favorite amusement" she
added; "do come and look at him."
The friend accompanied her up
stairs, when, after looking through the
window into the adjoining yard, he
turned and said, "My dear madam,
the person whom you suppose to be a
poor lunatic is no other than the great
Sir Isaac Newton, studying the refrac-
ton of light upon thin plates, a phe-
nomenon which is beautifully exhibited
upon the surface of common soap
bubble" Now, which proved to be
ridiculous, the ignorant lady or the
wise philosopher?
When Franklin made his expert
ment with the kite to prove the identi-
ty of lightning with electricity, there
were ignorant boys and men ready to
ridicule him for the attempt. To avoid
annovances from all such, Franklin
took no one with him but his son, and
went into a secluded field, where he
successfully carried out the experiment
which gave a new fact to science, and
made his name immortal.
When Fulton was building his first
steamboat he was doomed to encounter
the ridiculc of ignorant pretenders, and
to hear his boat nicknamed Fulton S
Folly" Some of these opponents
lived to see this ''folly" produce a
revolution in commerce, and do more
to people the banks of the great rivers
and lakes of the United States than
any other single enterprise of the age
Not long since there lived in the
west Of England distinguished Judge
who was also an enthusiastic geolo
gist, and who was in the habit o.
chipping out specimens of minerals
with a hammer which he carried il
his walks. An honest farmer, who
had seen him only on the bench IL
his capacity of judge, one day founo
him seated by the roadside on hear
of stones, which he was busily break
Ing in search of fossils.
Now, in England the employment
usually allotted to paupers is that o
! breaking stones for the repair of roads
; When the farmer saw the Judge q
work with his hammer, he threw ul
his hands. gazed at him a moment
shook his head sorrowfully, as if med
itating on the mutability of human al
fairs, and then exclaimed, in mingle'
! tones of pity and surprise. "What
sir. are you come to this already?'
The farmer concluded that the poo
Judge had come to the workhouse, an
> that he was doing pauper's work owe
tho stones. 1t seemed ridiculous I
S him that any one should hamme
0 stones for any other purpose than tha
j. Of mending roads, Schoo! -Hophi,