MATHEMATICAL SAILORS. 135 Dew collects on objects which are good radiators, or, in other words, on objects that readily throw out the heat at night, which they have received during the day. Plants and clouds are good radiators. When the sky is cloudy, and the plants throw out their heat, the clouds throw it back again, and thus the plants are prevented from becoming any cooler than the atmosphere, hence no dew can collect. The clear sky does not radiate heat, consequently on a clear night, as the plants throw out their heat, the sky does not return it, and as they thus become cooler than the air, dew collects upon them. If you have listened attentively to what I have said, I trust you now understand the nature of dew, and you will no doubt often be reminded that dew collects when you seek the pitcher of ice-water to quench your thirst. Hoping you will observe the phenomena of dew, and ascertain for yourselves that what I have said is true concerning it, I will now leave you to seek the beautiful fields, and the cooling breeze of some shady grove. MATHEMATICAL SAILORS. ATHANIEL BOWDITCH, the translator of Laplace's Mécanique Céleste, displayed in very early life a taste for mathematical studies. In the year 1788, when he was only fifteen years old, he made an almanac for the year 1790, containing all the usual tables, calculations of the eclipses and other phenomena, and even the customary predictions of the weather. Bowditch was bred to the sea, and in his early voyages taught navigation to the common sailors about him. Captain Prince, with whom he often sailed, relates, that one day the supercargo of the vessel said to him, "Come, captain, let us go forward, and hear what the sailors are talking about, under the lee of the long-boat." They went forward accordingly, and the captain was surprised to find the sailors, instead of spinning their long yarns, earnestly engaged with 'book, slate, and pencil, discussing the high matters of tangents and secants, altitudes, dip, and refraction. Two of them, in particular, were very zealously disputing-one of them calling out to the other," Well, Jack, what have you got?" "I've got the sine," was the answer. "But that ain't right," said the other: "I say it is the cosine." 136 DISOBEDIENCE TO PARENTS. DISOBEDIENCE TO PARENTS. YOUNG man, is that your father? How could you make use of language so disrespectful? "You don't care! You will talk as you please, no matter who hears you!" If we were in want of a clerk, and there was not a young man within a hundred miles that we could engage, we would not consent to take you. We should be afraid to trust a boy who is disobedient to his parents, who shows so little respect for his father. A youth who was saucy to his parents we never knew to turn out well. He respects nobody. If your father is in the wrong, and you are certain of it, that is no excuse for such language. No one will respect you for it. Every body will condemn you. A parent should be treated with respect by his children, no matter how poor he may be, or how large his family may be grown. There is too little respect paid to parental authority at the present day. It is grievous to go into some families and hear the language daily used by the children. "I will," "I won't," "I don't care," "It's none of your business," "I am old enough to know what is right," and the like expressions, are painfully common. Large boys, and grown-up girls even, do not hesitate to speak saucily to their mothers, and break away from their express commands. They will do as they please, and go where they have a mind. We wish such children could see how they appear in the eyes of their acquaintances; and if they have any shame, it must flush their cheeks. One thing is certain: an undutiful son and a disobedient daughter can not long prosper. For a season they may appear well to the eye of a stranger; but their self-will and stubbornness are soon discovered, and they are despised. A child who disobeys his parents will not hesitate to abuse any body. Neither age nor talents receive respect from him.-Anonymous. AGE OF THE WORLD.-Some philosophers were once disputing very learnedly and dully on the antiquity of the world. A man of wit, tired of their long discussion said, "Gentlemen, I believe the world is like some old ladies, and does not choose to have her age discovered." Children's Department. THE UNKIND CHILDREN. OSS it in the air, sir," said one. TOSS "Hurrah! there it goes!" "Catch it, Tom-hoist it up again," said a welldressed boy with a new cap. There were so many boys that I could not for a minute or two distinguish with what they were amusing themselves. At last the wind blew toward me a little cloth cap, not made, to be sure, in the fashion of this season, but very neatly repaired, and quite good enough to be worn by any respectable boy. A little boy ran after the cap and tried to get it from the others. His head was bare; therefore I concluded it was his. "Oh, Charles," said he, "give me my cap, it will be all dirty." But the reckless Charles answered by kicking it up in the air again, crying out, "Hurrah for the Dutchman's cap." This stroke of wit, as they all appeared to think it, caused a loud laugh, and one said he bought it from some Dutchman. "Who did you buy it of, eh?" The little mortified owner of the cap was at last with dif ficulty kept from tears, and the boys having had enough sport, allowed him to walk home with it, brushing it as well as he could, and trying to get it in shape again, the tears now and then starting to his eyes, and his face coloring at the recollection of the insulting unkind, treatment he had experienced from his schoolfellows. When this little boy came home I heard him say to his mother, "I can not wear this cap again." "Why not?" said his mother. "Why, the other boys have new caps, and they call mine a Dutchman's cap." This little boy's mother was obliged to be very economical and saving in his clothing that she might be enabled to give him a good education, and she said, "I can not afford to get you a new cap like the other boys, as you know we are not rich, as many of them are.' "But the boys all laugh at me as I go along the street, and knock my cap off in the dirt, and that makes me feel so, I know not what to do. Oh, mother, get me a new cap." "I would if I could," said his mother, "but you know I am poor." She looked sorrowfully at him and said, "Your schoolfellows must be very unkind and thoughtless children. But though their behavior discovers ignorance and very foolish pride, you must endeavor to bear it with patience and firmness, and show them by your conduct that a boy's character is not determined by the shape or quality of his clothes. You need not be ashamed to own that your parents have not much money, and are unable to purchase for you fashionable clothing. Be ashamed only of bad behavior."-Anonymous. KEEP YOUR TEMPER. I NEVER can keep any thing," cried Emma, almost stamp ing with vexation. "Somebody always takes my things and loses them." She had mislaid some of her sewing implements. "There is one thing," remarked her mamma, " that I think you might keep, if you would try." "I should like to keep even one thing," answered Emma. "Well, then, my dear," resumed her mamma, "keep your temper; if you will only do that, perhaps you will find it. easy to keep other things. I dare say, now, if you had employed your time in searching for the missing articles, you might have found them before this time; but you have not even looked for them. You have only got into a passion, a bad way of spending time, and you have accused somebody, and very unjustly too, of taking away your things and losing them. "Keep your temper, my dear; when you have mislaid any article, keep your temper and search for it. You had WHAT THE BLUE-BIRD SAID TO A LITTLE BOY. 189 better keep your temper, if you lose all the little property you possess; getting into a passion never brings any thing to light except a distorted face; and by losing your temper, you become guilty of two sins: you get into a passion, and accuse somebody of being the cause. So, my dear, I repeat, keep your temper." Emma subdued her ill humor, searched for the articles she had lost, and found them in her work-bag. "Why, mamma, here they are! I might have been sewing all this time, if I had kept my temper." So it often happens with other children. Like Emma, they lose their temper as soon as they miss any thing, and thus place themselves in a condition most unfavorable to find any thing. Keep your temper if you would be happy and avoid trouble. WHAT THE BLUE-BIRD SAID TO A LITTLE BOY. ONE day a little boy, about four years old, sat in the door talking to a bluebird. He asked the bird questions, and seemed so happy as he gave the little bird's answers. His mother thought, as she watched him, that if this little boy's blue-bird story was put into rhyme, other little children might like it, and` be made happy too. So here it is. What do you say to God, little bird, In the morning soft and gay, When with music sweet you welcome in The coming of the day? I thank Him for all my happy rest, By the side of my tender mate; What do you say to God, little bird, When the noon-day sun shines bright, I thank him for four little spotted eggs, |