f pleasures and difficulties
for Gulliver; his eagerness to read Gulliver's Travels, was increased
by this conversation. We should let children exercise their invention
upon all subjects, and not tell them the whole of every thing, and all
the ingenious parts of a story. Sometimes they invent these, and are
then interested to see how the _real_ author has managed them. Thus
children's love for literature may be increased, and the activity of
their minds may be exercised. "Le secret d'ennuyer," says an
author[117] who never tires us, "Le secret d'ennuyer est celui de
tout dire." This may be applied to the art of education. (V.
Attention, Memory, and Invention.)

(January 17th, 1796.) S----. "I don't understand about the tides."

_H----_ (13 years old.) "The moon, when it comes near the earth, draws
up the sea by the middle; attracts it, and as the middle rises, the
water runs down from that again into the channels of rivers."

_S----._ "But--Hum!--the moon attracts the sea; but why does not the
sun attract it by the middle as well as the moon? How can you be sure
that it is the moon that does it?"

_Mr. ----._ "We are not sure that the moon is the cause of tides."

We should never force any system upon the belief of children; but wait
till they can understand all the arguments on each side of the
question.

(January 18th, 1796.) S---- (9 years old.) "Father, I have thought of
a reason for the wind's blowing.

When there has been a hot sunshiny day, and when the ground has been
wet, the sun attracts a great deal of vapour: then _that_ vapour must
have room, so it must push away some air to make room for itself;
besides, vapour swells with heat, so it must have a _great_, _great_
deal of room as it grows hotter, and hotter; and the moving the air to
make way for it, must make wind."

It is probable, that if children are not early taught by rote words
which they cannot understand, they will _think_ for themselves; and,
however strange their incipient theories may appear, there is hope for
the improvement of children as long as their minds are active.

(February 13th, 1796.) S----. "How do physicians try new medicines? If
they are not sure they will succeed, they may be hanged for murder,
mayn't they? It is cruel to try _them_ (_them_ meant medicines) on
animals; besides, all animals are not the same as men. A pig's inside
is the most like that of a man. I remember my father showed us the
inside of a pig once."