Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1864-02-29
gdeft MlisttAanp.
from MI. limbs School Days OF Eminent Men.
Sir Isaac Eewton's School and Col
lege Days.

lege Days.
The childhood and education Of that
master-mind' which, by the establish
ment of the theory Of gravitation, i'm
mortalized his name and perpetuated
the intellectual glory of hi. county,
next demand our attention. Isaac
Newton was born in 1912, in the
M~anor-house of Woolsthorpe, close to
the village of Colsterwotth, about six
miles south of Grantham, in Lincoln
shire. He was a posthumous child,
and was OF such a diminutiye size
when born that he might have been
put into a quart mug. At the usual
age he was sent to two small day
schools at Skillington and Stoke, two
hamlets near Woolsthorpe, and here
he was taught reading, writing, and
arithmetic. At the age Of twelve he
was sent 10 the grammar school at
Grantham. According to his own
confession, Newton was extremely in
attentive to his studies, and stood very
lew in the school. When be was last
IN the lowermost form but one, the
boy above him, as they were going. to
school, Kicked him on the stomach;
Newton subsequently, challenged the
boy to fight; the combat took place
IN the c~hurchyard, and Newton was
the victor his antagonist still stood
above him in the form, bat after many
a severe, struggle, Newtos not only
gained the individual victory, but rose
10 tue highest place in the school.
Newton had not been long at school
before he exhibited a taste for mechan-
a.. ical inventions. With the aid of little
saws, hammers, hatchets, and other
tools, during his play-hours, he con
structed models .of known machines,
and amusing contrivances as a wind
mill q water-clock, and a carriage to
be moved by the person who sat in it
and by watching the workmen in
erecting a windmill. near Grantham,
Newton acquired such knowledge of
It's mechanism, that he completed a
large working model Of it.. which was
frequently placed upon the top of the
house in which Newton lived at Gran
than, and was pat in motion by the
action OF the wind upon its sails. Al
though Newton was at this time a So
Der, SILENT and thinkiA lad who
H~~Sst00h port ir tho games or his
school-fellows, but employed all his
leisure. hours in knocking and ham
mering in his lodgi0g-room,' yet be
occasionally taught the boys to 'play
philosophically.' lie introduced the
flying Of paper kites, and is said to
have investigated their best forms and
proportions, rs well as the number and
position Of the points to which the
string should be attached. lie con
struoted also lanterns Of { crimped pa
per- in which he placed a candle t
light him to school ia the dark white
mornings !; and in dark nights he tiec
them to the tails of his kites, whic.
the terrified country people took 70
comets.
Meanwhile, in the yard Of the hous
where he lived, Newton was frequent
ly observed to watch the motion of tn
sun he drove wooden pegs into th
walls and roofs of the buildings,
gnemons, to mark by their SHADOW
the hours and half hours of the day.
1t docs not appear that he knew ho
to adjust these lines to the latitude
Grantham but be is said to hav
succeeded, after some years observ;
ton, in making them so exact tn
anybody could tell what o'clock it W.
by Isaac's dial, as it was called; an
probably about this time he cary,
two dials on the walls of his own hou
at Woolsthorpe, n of which is no
in the museum of the Royal Societ
Newton also became expert with /
pencil !; his room was furnished wi
pictures, drawn, some from prints, al
others from lie, in frames made
himself; among the portraits we
several of the Kings heads; I
Dome Mr.. Stokes, his teacher
Grautham and King Charles 1 /; a
drawings of'birds, beasts, men, shi
Sand mathematical diagrams, execut
with charcoal on the watts, which I
manned till the house was pulled do
in ILL., Although Newton sta