St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1875-10-15
A Common Mistake.
MATHEMATICS W. INGENUITY.

MATHEMATICS ". INGENUITY.
Mr. solomon Winthrop WAS IL plain
old farmer an austcre, precise man,
who did everything 10y established rules
and could see no reason why people
should grasp anything which had not
been reached 10y their great grand
fathers. He had three children. two
boys and Il girl. There WAS Jeremiah,
seventeen years old Samuel, fifteen :
Fanny. fourteen.
1t was Il cold Winters day. Samuel
WAS i'll the kitchen reading Il book. and
80 Interested WAS he that he did not no
ticc the entrance of his father. Jerry
WAS i'll the Opposite corner engaged in
ciphcrimg ont II sum which he had
found i'll his arithmetic.
SAM" said his father. "havc you
worked that sum out Vet ?"
NO. father. answered the boy hest
tatingly.
"Didn't tell You 1" stick To your
arithmetic till you had done it ?" said
Mn. Winthrop in Il severe tone.
Samuel held down his head and look
ed troubled.
"Why haven't y"u done it ," c"ntin-
urd the father:
Il cant do it, father" tremhlingly
said samuel.
"Can't d" it, And why not Look
at Jerry. there. with his slate and pen
ell. He had ciphcIcd further than YOU
have, long before he WAS as old as You
are.
Jerry WAS always fond of Sums and
Problems, father. They have II" inter
est AT all fnI me"
"Ihat'S because y"u don't try t" feel
an interest in your studies. W hat book
| Is that Nou are reading
"I'> Il work on philosophy. father"
"A work on iiddlc>tick> Go put it
away this Instant. and then get y"ul
slate: and don't let me see YOU away
from N"ul arithmetic until you caI
work out those roots. Do Nou under
stand p
Samuel made no answer. but silently
he put away his philosophy and thcI
he got his slate and sat down in tn,
chimney corner. Ills lip trcmhlrd an,
his ewes moi>tcncd, tor he WAS very un-
happy. His father had been harsh to
ward him. and hc felt that ii WAS with
ont Il caIl>c.
sam" said jerry. aS soon a> theil
father had gone ont of the room, ~!
dn that sum for You.
mo. Jerry" replied the Younger
with Il grateful look THAT would h,
dccciving father. I'll try to do lh,
sum. but | fear that | shall not sue
cced."
Samuel worked very hard. but all t.
no purpose. lis mind wa> not on the
! subject before him. The roots an,
SulIaIcS. the bases and pcrpcndicularS
though comparatively simple III them
/ selves, were to him Il mass of incom
prchemSiblc things; and the more h'
tried. the more he became perpleNe,
and bothered.
The truth WAS, his father did not un
delstand him.
Samuel WAS Il bright boy and unc"m
monty intelligent for one of his age
Mr.. Winthrop WAS Il thorough mathc
natician: he hardly ever came across
problem he could not solve, and he de
sired that his boys should he like him
he considered that the acme of educa
tional perfection lay i'll the power q
conqucring Euclid and he often eX
pressed the opinion that were Eucli'
, living then. he could give the old &c
ometrician Il tussle." He seemed M
to understand that different minds wer
made with different capacities, AN
what one mind graSped with ease, an
other of equal power would fail to com
pchend. Hence us Jerry progrcSse
rapidly with his mathematical studie,
and could alIcady survey il piece q
land with many angles, he imagine
that bccauSc Samuel had made no prog
rcss in the same branch, he was idl
and careless, and so treated him nc
cordinglV. He never candidly con
vcrsed with his younger son with
view to ascertain the true bent of hi
mind: but he had his own standard {
the power of all minds. and he perth
aciouSly adhered to it.
There was another thing that NJ
Winthrop could not see, and that Wa
that Samuel was continually pOndcrin
upon such profitable matter as was il
tcrrstiug to him. and that he w:
scarcely ever idle; nor did his father 81
either. that if he ever wished the bo
, to become IL mathematician. he W;
pursrimg the very course to prcvcl
such "A result. Instead of cndcavorin
. to make the study interesting to I'll
hoy he was making il obnoxious.
The dinner hour came, and Samu,
: had not worked ont his sum. His t;
Il thcr was angry, and Obliged him to =
= without his dinner. ut the same tin
telling him that he WAS lazy, ut
boy.
Poor Samuel left the kitchen for Ii
|! own room, and there he sat and crle
At lcnrth his mind seemed t" pass fro
the wrong he had suffered at the han
of his father. and his face lighted u
There. was Il large fire in the room b
low his chamber. so he was not Nel
cold and getting up he went to IA cl"
=, ct. and from under Il lot of old cloth
he took some long strips of wood. l
WAS evidently fashioning some euro
nj affair from these pieces OF WOOD.