The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1859-12-03
The Young Philosopher.


jeremiah, seventeen years old, Samuel, fif
teen, and Fanny, thirteen.
1t was cold winters day. Samuel was
IN the kitchen reading book, and so in
| terested was he that he did not notice the
entrance of his father. Jerry was in an
opposite corner, engaged in ciphering out
| n sum which he had found in his arithme-
/ tic
Sam" said the father to his youngest
! boy, have you worked out that sum yet?''
No, sir, returned the boy, hesitatingly.
Didn t tell you to stick to your arith-
/ metic till you had done it, uttered Mr.
! w, in a severe tone.
Samuel hung down his head, and look
ed troubled
Why haven't you done it q continued
the father
a. can't do it, sir" tremblingy returned
| Samuel
Can do il and why not? Look at
Jerry, there, with his slate and pencil -
| He had ciphered further than YOU have
long before he was as old as you are"
Jerry was always fond OF mathemati-
cal problems, sir, but | cannot fasten my
mind on them They have no interest for
me"
That's because you don't try to feel an
interest i'll your studies What book is
that you are reading
1t is a work on philosophy, sir"
A work on tiddle-sticksl Go put it
away this instant, and then get your slate,
and don I let me sec you away from your
arithmetic until you can work out the
roots. Do you understand me-
Samuel made no answer, but silently ne
put away his philosophy, and then he got
his slate and sat down in the chimney cor
ner, His neither lip trembled and his
eyes moistened, for he wa. unhappy His
father had been harsh toward him, and he
felt that il was without cause
Sam said Jerry, as soon as their faith
CT had gone. will do that sum for you"
No, Jerry returned the youngest
brother but with grateful look, that
will be decciying father. | will try to do
the sum, but | fear | shall not succeed"
Samuel worked very hard bu, all TO no
purpose. His mind was not on the subject
before HIM. The roots and squares, the
basis. hypoth"nuses and perpendiculars,
though comparatively simple in themselves
were TO him a ngled mass of incornpre-
/ hensible things, and the more he tried the
more he became perplexed and bothered.
The truth was, his father did not under
stand him
Samuel was bright boy and uncom-
monty intelligent for one OF his age Mr.
Winthrop was thorough mathematician
he never Yet came across a problem he
could not solve and he desired that his
boys should be Ike him, for he considered
that the acme of educational perfection
lay III the power of conquering Euclid and
he often expressed his opinion that were
Euclid living then, he could give the old
Ceomctrlciau = hard tussel' He seemed
not 20 comprehend that different minds
were made with different capacities, and
what one mind srasped with ease, another
OF equal power would fail TO comprehend
Hence because Jeremiah progressed rap
idly ia his mathematical studies, and could
airessd. survey a piece Of land OF many
angles, he imagined that because Samuel
made no progres, IN the same branch, he
was idle and careless, and treated him ac-
cordingly lie never candidly conyersed
with ms younger son, with a view 10 ascer-
tain the true bent Of his mind, but he had
his o~H standard OF the power of all minds,
and he pertinaciously adhered to it.
There was another thing that Mr. Win
throp could bot see, and that was that
Samuel was continually pondering upon
such profitable matter as was interesting
to him. and that he was scarcely ever idle
nor did his father see. either, that If he
ever wished his boy to become a mathema-
tician he was pursuing the very course to
prevent such result Instead of endea-
voring to make the study interesting to
the child, he was making it obnoxious.
The dinner hour came, and Samuel had
not worked out the sum. His father was
angry, and obliged the boy to so without
his Ginner, at the same time telling him
that he was an idle, lazy child
Poor Samuel left the kitchen, and there
he sat and cried. At length his mind
seemed to pass from the wrong he had suf-
fered at the hand of his parent and took
another turn, and the marks of grief left
his face. There was q large fire in the
room below his chamber, so that he was
not very cold, and getting up he went to
small closet, and from beneath lot of old
clothes he took forth some long strips of
wood aud commenced whiting 1t 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 scraps of tin plate. pieces of twine,
and dozens of small wheels that he made
himself, and he seemed to be working to
get them togetherafter some peculiar fash
ion of his own.
Halfthe afternoon had thus passed away,
when his sister entered his chamber She
had her apron gathered up in her hand,
and after closing the door softly behind
her, she approached the spot where her
brother sat.
Here, Sammy-see, have brought you
something to eat l know you must be
hungry
As she spoke, she opened her apron and
took out four cakes, a large piece Of pie
and some cheese. The boy was hungry,
and he hesitated not to avail himself Of
his sisters kind offer. He kissed her as
he took the cakes, and thanked her
"Oh, what a pretty thing that is you are
making? uttered Fanny, as she gazed up
on the result of her brothers labor
= Won't you give it to me after it is done p
Not this one, sister, returned the boy,
with a smile, but as soon as get time l
will make you one equally as pretty"
Fanny thanked her brother, and shortly
afterwards left the room, while the boy
went on with his work
Before long, the various materials that
had been subject to Samuers ,jack-knife
and pincers had assumed form and come
illness, and they were joined and grooved
. together in curious manner
The embryo philosopher set the machine
for it looked like machine-upon the
floor and then stood off and gazed upon it.
His eye cleaned with peculiar show Of
satisfaction and he looked proud and hap
py. While he stood and gazed upon the
child of his labors, the door of his cham
Der opened and his father entered
"What-are you not studyingY ex-
claimed Mr.. Winthrop, as he noticed the
boy standing in the middle of the floor.
Samuel trembled when he heard his
fathers voice and turned pale with fear.
Ha, what is this p said Mr.. Winthrop,
as he caught sight of the curious construc-
ton on the floor. This is the secret of
your idleness. Now l see how it is you
cannot master your studies. You spend