Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-08-11


er system should occupy their plac
, in my mind.
n When / was about fifteen year
} old, we had retired to our hous
near Belrive, when we witnessed
most violent and terrible thunder
J storm. It advanced from behint
the mountains of Jura; and tn,
thunder burst ut once with frightfu
l0udness from various quarters o
the heavens. | remained, while tht
storm lasted, watching its progres.
with curiosity and delight. As
stood at the door, on sudden I be
held stream of fire issue from al
old and beautiful oak, which stood
about twenty yards from our house
1 and so soon as the dazzling light
vanishsd, the oak had disappeared
and nothing remained but blasted
stump. When we visited it the
next morning, we found the tree
shattered in Il singular manner. II
was not splintered by the shock, but
entirely reduced to thin ribbons oi
wood. / never beheld anything SO
utterly destroyed.
The catastrophe of this tree excl
ted my extreme establishment; and
/ eagerly inquired OF my father the
nature and origin of thunder and
Tightening. He replied Electric
ity;" describing at the same time
the various effects of that power.
He constructed small electrical
machine, and exhibited a few eX-
periments he made also kite,
with a wire and springs, which
drew down that fluid from the
clouds. E-''-sH#
This last stroke completed the
overthrow of Cornelius Agrippa,
Albertus Magnus, and Paracelus,
who had SO long reigned the lords
of my imagination. But by some
fatality l did not feel inclined to
commence the study of any mod
ern system; and this disinclinatiOn
was influenced by the following
circumstance -
My father expressed wish that
/ should attend course of lectures
upon natural philosophy, to which
| cheerfully consented. Some ac-
cident prevented my attending
these lectures until the course was
nearly finished. The lecture being
therefore one of the last, was entire
ly incomprehensible to me. The
professor discoursed with the
greatest fiuency of potassium and
boron, of sulphates and oxides,
terms to which I could afiIX no
idea; and l became disgusted with
the science of natural philosophy,
although l still read Pliny and Buff
fon with delight, authors, in my
estimation, of nearly equal interest
and utility.
My occupations at this age were
principally the mathematics, and
most of the branches of study APP
pertaining to that science. I was
busily employed in learning Ian
guages Latin was already familiar
10 me, and | began to read some of
the easiest Greek authors without
the help of lexicon. l also per-
fectly understood English and Ger
man. This is the list of my accom-
piishments at the age of seventeen;
and you may conceive that my
hours were fully employed in ac-
quiring and maintaining knOWl-
edge of this various literature.
Another task also devolved upon
me, when became the instructor
of my brothers. Ernest was six
years younger than myself, and
was my principal pupil. He had
been afflicted with ill-health from
his infancy, through which Eliza
beth and / had been his constant
nurses; his disposition was gentle,
but he was incapable of any severe
application. William, the youngest
of our family, was yet an infant,
and the, 1nost beautiful little fellow
in thesWOrld his lively blue eyes,
dimpled cheeks, and endearing
manners inspired the tenderest af-
fectioA
Such was our domestic circle,
from which care and pain seemed
forever banishid. My father direc-
TED Your studies, and my mother
partook of our enjoyments. Nei-
ther of us possessed the slightest
prc-eminence over the other; the
voice of command was never heard
among us; but mutual affection en-
gagged us all to comply with and
obey the slightest desire of each
other. ....