The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-06-30
4 Nice old Gentleman. .

great hero Of man who does such things
as to discover the law of gravation,o laws
about the reiraction OF light, or the Jaws
of the higher mathematics. How could
there be anything great Ito boy in a
man who wrote algebraically concerning
the Differential Calculus
And as for the law Of gravitation--of
course, man was likely to discover that
who wore a wig, and lived iu a library
with a globe and instruments about him,
and with window opening on an apple.
orchard, where he could MT help seeing
the apples fall. Or, if one man Of this
sort did MT discover the law Of gravita-
tion, some other man in wig probably
would.
think it was in thi4 way, at any rate,
that the matter struck US boys when our
old master undertook to mako a point
about the greatness Of Sir Isaac Newton.
| he had spoken in the same solemn way
about Alexander and Bucephalus, or
about Ri.hard Coeur do Lion, with his
big batte.axe, or about William Wallace,
-ah indeed that wero quite another
matter II thuk we should have picked
up cur ears along the benches and shifted
the odor Of battle We should never
have coniounded those characters but
some Oft did confound Sir Isaac Newton
and that most excelont old gentleman,
DR.. Isaac Watts. | don't know why
except the Isaac But | have vivid
recollection Of how one Of US, in splendid
composition, introduced n little poetic
quotation, beginning
'Let dogs delight to bark and bito,"-
with from the weIlknown British poet,
Sir Isaac Newton"
The truth is, at the age Of fifteen We
measured differently the work that makes
men great, from the way in which VIC
measure it when We are fifty. The din
of the great battle.axes goes down, and
Buccphaus is not so grand figure.
But at the age when good "alleys'
are in demand Galley" was tho name we
used to give to a good solid marble. that
would make havoc in ring full of light
er metaD, there is Mt much account made
Of The law Of gravitation, or Of their dis.
covery We kept Franklin in mind,
because he made kites and few them and
If our old teacher, instead of harping on
grayiiation, had told US how Isaac New
ton, when he was lad, made a mill with
his jack knife, coped wheel by wheel
from wind mill that ground corn upon
hill near Grantham, in Lancashire,
where he went to school we should have
kept Isaac Newton better in mind and
better STILL if We had known how he
made bis mill, at last, so perfect, that by
turning mouse into its door, by some
curious system Of tread.whecls the ma.
chinery would begin to move, aud the
mill to grind. He made also little
water.cock, which kept time perfectly
and he placed dial on the wall Of the
house where he was born, which only a
few years back was in place still,
| do mt suppose he won any triumphs
NJ marbles or ia wrestling bouts. He
was never strong -limbed. but quiet shy
lad, ploddiDg and thinking by himself
And SO sure was he of his drift, that be.
fore he was twenty. seven, he had thought
out and ripencd all his great discoveries
| sha Mt try TO explain to you what those
discoveries were, for it would make toe
long II story, ard besides, do not think
| could do it so well as you will iind it done
for you in your school. books.
There were quarrelsomc. cnvious peo.
pie in that time (uearly two hundred
years ago) who said that Mr.. Newton
did NJ deserve all the honor be received
and said that other philosophers mac
more than halfdiscoverei the same thing.
before Newton did
But half-doipg things does Mt count il
tho long run SO the world thought then
and so the world thinks now. You
may have a great many happy and wise
thoughts ; but if you don't follow then
up with industry and patience, they viii
never come to any great show Of blossom
Newton himself said that industry ant
patience had done more for him than al
beside. He did MT think much Of tina
swift cleycrncss which boys are too mp
to admire and strive siter which make
littlo squirt iu speech or poem an,
then is lost.
There We're other jealous and unwis
people in Newton'- day, who said that h
was undermining religion. There ar
just such unwi,r PEOPLE now Il days, VIII
are shocked by The discovery of any nev
laws in mrturr They are very weak ant
blind Al ,t,o little truths men can fin
cut viii lever shut out or alter the bi
Tran winch is past finding cut.
s'r Isaac Newton was called yer,
ah-eot mided mrn,-that is to say, h
forgot common things because he wa
thinking Of uncommon things They tel
a story of his table teing served one da
with nice broit,'d chicken but he for
got dinper-hoar, and forgot it for so lon
time, that friend came in and ate u
his chicken. Presently alter, Sir Isaa
ca ne bustllng iu, and seeing the remnant
Of the dinner, exclaimed. How stupi
orme! lquitc forgot that | had dincd !.
On another day, when he went out 10
au airing, be got oil his horse at the hot
tom of high hill,to lead him up. " ne
. he reached the top, and would ha7
mounted again, he found he had only tn
bride in his hand The horse had sir
ped his head-gear quietly, and trottc
!, honc This was stupid but if you ca
think as steadily as Sir Isaac Newto
i thought. YOU can afford 10 he stupid A
times.
Sir Isaac Ras never married, and a
ways possessed calm and unrufiie
!, temper declare solemnly to tho et
erly people who may read this, that
joined the above two statements IN on
sentence by sheerest accident.
An Incident ia the lie of Sir lsau
+ Newton, that is often spoken pf,illustrat,
+. his mild tempe. His dog damon,
r waich was great favorite with him, an
haI tho MI iyilena - k;s l;hraru ona Ao