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

Ia
cret which / desired to discover +
her it was a vacancy which sh
sought TO people with Imagination
of her own.
My brothers were considerabl,
younger than myself, but | had ;
friend in one of my schoOlfelloWS
who compensated for this deficien
cy. Henry Clerval was the son of {
merchant of Geneva, an intimate
friend of my father. He was &
boy of singular talent and fancy.
remember, when he was nine years
old, he wrote a fairy tale, which
was the delight and amazement O
all his companions. His favOrite
study consisted IN books of chivalry
and romance; and when very
young, j can remember, that we
used toact plays composed by him
out of these iavOrite books, the
principal characters of which were
| Orlando, Robin Hood, Amadis and
st. George.
No youth could have passed more
happily than mine. My parents
were indulgent, and my conpan-
ions amiable. Our studies were
never forced; and by some means
we always had an end placed in
view, which excited us to ardor in
the prosecution of them. 1t was
! by this nnethod, and not by emula-
ton, that we were urged to appli-
cation. Elizabeth was not melted
to apply herself to drawing, that
her companions might not outstrip
/ her; but through the desire of pleas
ing her aunt by the representation
of some favorite scene done by her
own hand. We learnd Latin and
English, that we might read the
writings OF those languages; and so
| far from study being made OdiouS
to US by punishment, we loved ap-
plication, and our amusenents have
been the labOrs of other children.
Perhaps we did not read so many
books, or learn languages so quick
| ly, as those who are discipline acor-
ding to the ordinary methods; but
what we learned was impressed the
more deeply on our memories.
In this description of our dOmes-
tic circle include Henry Clerval,
for he was almost constantly with
us. He went to school with me,
and generally passed the afternoon
at our house; for being an only
child, and destitute of companions
at home, his father was well pleased
that he should find associates at our
house; and we were never COM
pletely happy when Clerval was
absent.
l feel pleasure in dwelling on the
recOllectiOns of childhood, before
misfortune had tainted my mind,
and changed its bright visions OF
extensive usefulness INTO gloomy
and narrow reflections upon self.
But, i'll drawing the picture of my
early days, | must not omit to re-
cord those events which led, by in
sensible steps, to my after tale of
misery; for when | would account
to myself for the birth of that pas
sion, which afterWard ruled my
destiny, / find it arose, like Il noun
tian river, from ignoble and almost
forgotten sources but swelling as it
proceeded, it became the torrent
which, in its course, has swept away
all my hopes and joys.
Natural Philosophy is the genius
that has regulated my fate; desire
therefore in this narration, to state
those facts which led TO my pred
Election for that science. When
was thirteen years. of age, we all
went on a pleasure to the baths near
Thonon; the inclemency OF the
weather obliged us to remain day
confined to the inn. In this house
l chanced to find Il volume of the
works of Cornelius Agrippa. |
opened it with apathy; the theory
which he attempts to demonstrate,
and the wonderful facts which he
relates, soon changed this feeling
into enthusiasm. \ new light
seemed to dawn upon my mind
and, bounding with joy, c0mmu-
nicated my discovery to my father.
| cannot help remarking here the
many opportunities instructors pos
sess Ofdirecting the attention of their
pupils to the useful knowledge,
which they utterly neglect. My faith
er looked carelessly at the titIe-page
of my book, and said, "Ah! COrne-
Illus Agrippa! My dear Victor, do
not waste your time upon this; it is
sad trash J"
If, instead of this remark my ia
ther had taken pains to explain to |
me, THAI the principles of Agrippa |
had been entirety exploded, and
that Il modern system of science |
had been introduced, which pO ssess-
ed much greater powers than the
ancient, because the powers of the |
latter were chimerical, while those |
of the former were real and practi- |
a. 4 I
should certainly have thrown Ag- |
rippa aside, and, with my imagina-
tion warmed as it was, should prob
ably have applied myself to the
more rational theory of chemistry
which has resulted from modern |
discoveries. 1t is even possible,
that the train of my ideas would |
never have received the fatal inn
pulse that led to my ruin. But the |
cursory glance my father had taken
of my volume by no means assured |
me that he was acquainted with its
contents; and / continued to read
with the greatest ayidity.
When / returned home, my first
care was to procure the whole works
of this author, and afterWard of |
IdfdcplStlS anu AlDCIluS MdStluS.
| read and studied the wild fancies
of these writers with delight; they
to me treasures known to
few beside myself; and although /
often wished to communicate these
secret stores OF knowledge to my
father, yet his indefinite censure of
my favOrite Agrippa always with
held me. | disclosed my discover
les to Elizabeth, therefore under a
promise of strict secrecy; but she
did not interest herselfin the sub
ject, and was left by her to pursue
my studies alone.
1t may appear very strange that
a disciple of AlbertuS Magnus
should arise in the eighteenth CEN
tury; but our family was not scien-
tifical, and had not attended any
of the lectures given at the public
schools of Geneva. My dream
were therefore undIsturbed by real
ty; and | entered with the greatest
diligence into the search for the
philosophers stone and the elixir of
life. But the latter obtained my
most undivided attention; wealth
was an inferior object; but what
glory would attend the discovery,
if / could Danish disease from the
human frame, and render man in
Vulnerable to any but violent