Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1874-07-08
For the Watchmon
Learning Arithmetic.

When / soc little children Of four and
five years Of age sent to school, to be shut
up six hours a day, on bard seats, wish it
were possible to have them taught the ru.
dimenis Of science after the manner in
which our boy learned arithmetic when six
years old, aud supposed it was only play all
the time. Not being strong, we decided he
should not go to school before six or seven
years Of age, at least, but to teach him at
home enough to keep him well up with
those Of his oge. He learned to read at
the age Of three years, in Mother Goose,
Melodies, and If he couldn't make out the
right ending for line he would invent
something to rhyme His father works
at surveying sometimes, and the boy de-
lighted to 60 With him and watch bis pro-
ccedings, aud be soon became a surveyor.
He had a strip Of cloth, pieced out to the
proper length, and marked of into feet, for
a chain, and q variety Of curious and sur
prising inventions served him for com.
pass aud then such times as he would
have when his playmaios came to see him
Our grounds were surveyed and plated
the buildings were measured, aud the wood
pile, and there were squares, aud trianges.
and shapes never heard Of in every place
about us and all this time be was learning
the first rules of arithmetic
About this time an uncle from the West
came to see US, who was a banker. The
boy heard eagerly his account Of bis bust.
ness-how Bis notes were issued, etc.. and
straigh,way our boy became banker lie
was supplied with quantity Of thin paper,
cut into sizes 10 match real paper money, Of
different denominations, and he made all
the necessary figures aud pictures; aud
such heaps upon heaps of paper money as
cur house contained must have affected the
bulls and bear. could it have been thrown
into circulation. All the little boys had
bank books aud bank accounts, and made
deposits, and drew them again, to buy and
sell with aud we sometimes sold our house
and grounds, and bought them again sey.
eral times a day. OF all this our boy
kept an account, and pretty correct one
too, and be learned more Of figures and Of
doing business in those few months than
some children DO in as many years at school
He had the whooping cough the summer
he was six years years old, and so his les
sons were omitted, and his time was de,
voted to surveying and banking, except
when he practiced medicine; for his father
Is doctor Of medicine by profession, and
most children practice their fathers busi
ness, whatever it Is. Such doses as were
mixed for our cat and the pet rooster W,
expected would be the death Of them, bu
so long as he didn't take any Of it himself
we aid not interfere. The practice Of med
iciue did not seem to be Of any benefit
any way, but love for figures and keeping
accounts, and exacincss in those things
was the result Of the banking and survey
ing and ia after years at school, his teach
ers were often surprised at the extent o
his resources in solving mathematica
problem
We often hear the quotation, Just a
the tgig is bent the trees inclined, but
believe few are aware how early it may b,
bent, or how small an accident may inclin,
! the tree Tor Iile.