The clock for some days had been prevented from striking the hours; but the silent fingers pointed to the hour of nine; and that, in the cottage of Gilbert, was the stated hour of family worship. A chapter was now read by the honoured minister, a prayer said; and so, too, was sung a psalm; but it was sung low, and with suppressed voices, lest the child's saving sleep might be broken; and now and then the female voices trembled, or some one of them ceased altogether; for there had been tribulation and anguish, and now hope and faith were tried in the joy of thanksgiving. LESSON 159. 441. The object of the writer in the following description is to exhibit the early disadvantages, disappointments, peculiar cast of mind and indomitable perseverance of a man whose exertions were finally crowned with complete success. 442. Mode of Exercise. - 1. Give an Analysis. 2. Reproduce from recollection. 3. Institute a Comparison between your own and the original. 443. MODEL. 1. 1st Stage. — Richard Arkwright was born on the 23rd of December, 1732, at Preston, in Lancashire. His parents were very poor, and he was the youngest of a family of thirteen children; so that we may suppose the school education he received, if he ever was at school at all, to have been extremely limited. Indeed, but little learning would probably be deemed necessary for the business to which he was bred that of a barber. This business he continued to follow till he was nearly thirty years of age; and this first period of his history is of course obscure. - 2. 2nd Stage. - About the year 1760, or soon after, he gave úp his humble trade, and commenced business as an itinerant dealer in hair, collecting the commodity by traveling up and down the country, and then, after he had dressed it, selling it again to the wig-makers, with whom he very soon acquired the character of keeping a better article than any of his competitors. He had obtained possession, too, we are told, of the secret method of dyeing hair, by which he doubtless contrived to augment his profits. 3. 3rd Stage.-Residing in a district where a considerable manufacture of linen goods, and of linen and cotton mixed, was carried on, he had ample opportunities of becoming acquainted with the various processes that were then in use; and being endowed with a most original and inventive genius, and having sagacity to perceive what was likely to prove the most advantageous pursuit in which he could embark, his attention was naturally drawn to the improvement of the method of spinning practised in his neighbourhood. He stated that he accidentally derived the first hint of his great invention from seeing a red-hot iron bar elongated, by being made to pass between rollers; and though there is no mechanical analogy between that operation and his process of spinning, it is not difficult to imagine, that, by reflecting upon it, and placing the subject in different points of view, it might lead him to his invention. Not being himself a practical mechanic, Arkwright employed a person of the name of John' Kay, a watchmaker at Warrington, to assist him in the preparation of the parts of his machine. His inventions having at length been brought into an advanced state, he was compelled, to avoid the attacks of a lawless rabble, to remove to Nottingham. 4. 4th Stage.—When in Nottingham, his operations were at first greatly fettered from want of capital. But Mr. Strutt, of Derby, a gentleman of great mechanical skill, and largely engaged in the stocking manufacture, having seen Arkwright's inventions, and satisfied himself of their extraordinary value, immediately entered, conjointly with his partner Mr. Need, into partnership with him. Arkwright's first mill was erected in 1769. Some time after, having made several additional discoveries and improvements in the processes of carding, roving, and spinning, he took out a fresh patent for the whole in 1775; and thus completed a series of machinery so various and complicated, yet so admirably combined, and well adapted to produce the intended effect, in its most complete form, as to excite the astonishment and admiration of every one capable of appreciating the ingenuity displayed, and the difficulties overcome. 5. Traits of Character. The most marked traits in the character of Arkwright were his wonderful ardour, energy, and perseverance. He commonly laboured in his multifarious concerns from five o'clock in the morning till nine at night; and when considerably more than fifty years of age, feeling that the defects of his education placed him under great difficulty and inconvenience in conducting his correspondence, and in the general management of his business, he encroached upon his sleep, in order to gain an hour each day to learn English grammar, and another hour to improve his writing and orthography! He was impatient of whatever interfered with his favourite pursuits; and the fact is too strikingly characteristic not to be mentioned, that he separated from his wife not many years after their marriage, because she, being convinced that he would starve his family by scheming when he should have been shaving, broke some of his experimental models of machinery. Arkwright was a severe economist of time; and, that he might not waste a moment, he generally traveled with four horses, and at a very rapid speed. He had extensive concerns in Derbyshire, Lancashire, and Scotland; and his speculative schemes, which were vast and daring, generally proved advantageous. The exertions which he put forth in establishing his machinery were the more remarkable, from being made while in bad health. During the whole of his career, he was labouring under a very severe asthmatic affection. A complication of disorders at length terminated his truly useful life, in 1792, at his works at Cromford, in the sixtieth year of his age. He was high sheriff of Derbyshire in 1786; and having presented a congratulatory address to his Majesty on his escape from the attempt on his life by a maniac, received the honour of knighthood. LESSON 160.- Original. 444. SUBJECT. A DESCRIPTION OF YOURSELF. The Pupil may now give a description of himself, in which attention must be paid to the subjoined particulars. The incidents introduced must be real, and the reflections just and natural. 445. 1st Stage.—State some of your earliest impressions— upon what occasion or under what circumstances were they made, and by what means subsequently modified. State the influence exercised over you at home at this time, and the religious training you underwent. 2nd Stage.-State your earliest school recollections - the subjects which you studied—the class of companions you met with there. 3rd Stage. - Mention the subjects you are now studyingto which you give the preference preference. state the grounds for this What are your times of rising-play-study? State your habits-your religious principles and the grounds for these principles. What really good actions do you recollect having done ?— your feelings on that occasion. How ought you to act when you are conscious of having done wrong? Prove this from Scripture. What are your prospects? Upon what do you ground these? LESSON 161.- Original. 446. SUBJECT. - A DESCRIPTION OF A FRIEND. Give a description of a Friend in which the subjoined particulars are developed : 1. Under what circumstances did your acquaintance commence? 2. Describe his personal appearance, figure, and general manners. 3. Detail his intellectual attainments, his moral principles, and general habits. 4. Notice any peculiarity or eccentricity which he may have. 5. Mention any incident which may have occurred. 6. Is your further acquaintance desirable or not? LESSON 162.-- Original. 447. SUBJECT. — A DESCRIPTION OF SOME GENTLEMAN OR LADY EMINENT FOR PIETY, ETC. Give a description of some Gentleman or Lady eminent for piety, usefulness, or exemplary con duct. 1. Describe the personal appearance and manners of the individual. 2. State his condition in society, and the means by which he rose to this station. 3. State the actions or course of conduct for which he is eminent. 4. What habits and attainments are necessary for effecting any real good? 5. Are these habits, principles, &c. the effect of chance or the result of a continued course of settled action? Prove this by other examples. 6. What he is, may you be? Why? |