Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1861-05-15
No. III.
MISCELLANEOUS. RE4 DING.
The Best Schoo1.

1 u6 D66t
The most prolific school of allhas been
the school of difficulty Some Of the
| very best workmen have had the most In
different tools to work with. Bnt ii is
not tools that make the workman, but
the trained skill and perseverance OF the
man himself. Indeed, it is proverbial
that the bad workman never yet had a
good tool. Some one asked Opie by
what wonderful process he mixed his
colors. Il mix them with my brains.
sir" was his reply. 1t is the same with
every workman who would excel. Fer
guson made marvellous things-such as
his wooden clock, that accurately mea-
sured the hours-by means of q common
penknife, tool in eyerybody's hand; but
then everybody is not a Ferguson. An
eminent foreign savant once called upon
Dr. Wolaston, and requested to be shown
over his laboratories, in which science
has been enriched by so many important
discoveries, when the doctor took him
into q little study, and pointing TO
IN old tea-tray on the table, containing
few watch glasses, test-papers, small
balance, and blow-pipe, said, ''rhat is
oil the laboratory that havel' Stot-
hard learnt the art of combining colors
by closely studying butterflies wings; he
would often say that no one knew what
he owed to these tiny insects. A burnt
stick and barn door served Wilkie in
lieu of pencil and canvas. Bewick 6rst
practiced drawing on the cottage walls
Of his native village, which he covered
with his sketches in chalk; and Benjamin
West made his first brushes out of
cats tail Ferguson laid himself down
in the fields at night in blanket, and
made map of the heavenly bodies by
means of thread with small beads on
it, stretched between his eyes and the
stars Franklin first robbed the thunder
cloud of its lightning, by means of kite
made of two cross-sticks and silk
handkerchief. Watt made his first
model of the condeusing steam-engine
out Of an old anatomist's syringe, used
to inject the arteries previous to dissec-
ton. Clifford worked his first problem
in mathematics, when acobbler's appren-
tice, upon small scraps of leather which
he beat smooth for the purpose; whilst
Rittenhouse, the astronomer, first calcu-
lated the ecipses on his plow-
In like manner, Prof Faraday, Sir
Humphrey Davy's scientific successor
made his first experiments in electricity
by means of an old bottle, while he was
still working book binder And it is :
a curious fact that Faraday WAS first at
tracted to The study of chemistry by
hearing one of Sir Humphrey Davy's
lectures on the subject, at the Royal In.
stitution. A gentleman, who was
member, calling one day at the shop
where Faraday was employed in binding
books, found him poring over the article,
"EIectricity," in an Encyclopedias placed
in his hands to bind. The gentleman,
having made inquiries, found he was Gu
rious about such subjects, and gave him
an order Of admission to the Royal Ia
stitution where he attended course of
four lectures delivered by Sir Humphrey.
He took notes of the lectures, which he
showed to the lecturer, who acknow-
lodged their scientific accuracy, and was
surprised when informed of the humble
position Of the reporter. Faraday then
expressed his desire to devote himSelfto
the prosecution of chemical studies, from
which Sir Humphrey at first endeavored
to dissuade him; but the young man per-
ssting, he was at length taken into the
Royal Institution as an assistant; aud
eventually the mantle Of the brilliant
apotbecary's boy fell upon the worthy
shoulders of the equally brilliant book.
binders apprenticc.-Se1:Relp.