Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1870-09-09
The TWO THINKERS.

IN one of the villages of the Newcastle
coal-mining region was the humble dwell
ing of very humble man. The little,
old-fashioned kicthen was the home and
study of very poor man, of whom the
world then knew nothing, but has since
known a great deal. He worked in a
coal-pit. He never learned to read or
write till he was eighteen, and then went
to school three evening in the week. But
he had eyes, and what he.saw with his
eyes he thought upon. He carried it
home, worked it, over in his mind, and
when occasion called, could use it in a
manner that sstonished his neighbors. l
will giva you an instance.
One of the coal-pits was flooded with
water. The engine had been fruitlessly
pumping for nearly twelve months, and
came to be regarded as total failure.
The pit twas drowned out" ..'
On Saturday afternoon he went over to
examine the engine more carefully than
he had done before. One of the men
asked him, "Weel, George, what do you
max of herr" "Man," said George, in
reply, 81 could alter her and make her
draw in weeks time from this could
send you to the bottom"
"What do you know about engines?"
cried the man, scornfully. But the su-
perintendent, hearing of it, determined
to give Georges skill trial. In three
days he had altered the engine, and in
two days more the pit was cleared OF
water and the workmen sent to the bot
tom.
How did he do itP He was not bred
an engineer. He had no books to teach
him. 1t was because he was thinker.
He had seen engines just as the other
men had but ne did what the rest did
not. In his spare moments he set his
mind to work about how they were built,
And all the why's and wherefores. In this
way he saw the cause of the difficulty
and how to remedy it.
Look at him. He is planning, and
drawing and studying, instead of spend.
| ing his time at ale-shops and cock. fights
See the wheels, and cogs, and axles, and
bits of machinery about the room. He
has no books to guide him. The knowl-
edge of other men was beyond his reach
His little son is interested in all that in
terests his father, and his father explains
| to him pretty much all he knows. Robert
goes to school. At thirteen his father
sends him to the academy at Newcastle
| Bob hunts up all the books which tel
about machinery. If he could only carry
them home to his father! But that i:
against the rules. What did he do He
took the pains to copy all the pictures
and diagrams of machinery which nj
thought would interest and help his
father, and when he went home on Sat
urday he explained them to him. While
Robert was still at school, his father pro
posed to him during the holidays that ht
should construct a sun dial to be placed
over their cottage door. II expostulateC
with him at fret" said Robert, afterwards
when he had become famous, "thst haC
not learned sufficient astronomy and math
ematics to enable me to make the neces
sary calculations. But he would hav,
no denial. The thing is to be done,
said he, so just set about it at once.
Well, we got Ferguson's Astronomy, anC
studied thel subject together. Many I
sore head / had while making the calcu
lations necessary to adapt the dial to tn
! latitude of Killingworth. But at last
was done, and we made very respecta
BILE dial of it, and there it is, you see,
pointing to it over the cottage door, "stil
quietly numbering the hours when tn
sun shines" The date carved upon tn
dial is, August 18th, MDCCCXvI,"
Would you know what all this led to
| III lalQ lQe TRACK VI INC uIsb IdllIOdu Ill
built the first locomotive. The man
name is George Stephenson, who droV
the first steam horse the world ever saw
and his son is Robert Stephenson, VIII
planned the largest bridge in Mort
America, that over the st. LawrenC
River at Montreal, called the VictoTi
Bridge; two names that the wold wi
not soon let die.
No beginning could have been LEI
promising than that of George StepheI
son. Born in poor condition, yet ric
in spirit, he was from the first compelle
to rely upon himself Whether workin
as brakeman or an engineer, his min
was always full of the work in ham
When workman, he put his brains an
labor into his work; and when mast'
ne put character and conscience into it.
You may 60 to school, boys, and res
ever so many books, but unless you lear
to think, you will never be able to tuI
your knowledge to any good or great a
count. 1t will be as loose ends in yol
mind, never ready to use, adding little {
nothing to your efficiency or excellenc