d. That principles so
profound should be reached by methods so simple was astonishing.
I was so enraptured that I explained to my brother Thomas while
walking out of doors one day how the Pythagorean proposition, as it
is now called, could be proved from first principles, drawing the
necessary diagrams with a pencil on a piece of wood. I thought that
even cattle might understand geometry could they only be communicated
with and made to pay attention to it.

Some one at school had a copy of Mrs. Marcet's "Conversations on
Natural Philosophy." With this book I was equally enraptured.
Meagre and even erroneous though it was, it presented in a pleasing
manner the first principles of physical science. I used to steal into
the schoolhouse after hours to read a copy of the book, which belonged
to one of the scholars, and literally devoured it in a few evenings.

My first undertaking in the way of scientific experiment was in
the field of economics and psychology. When about fourteen I spent
the winter in the house of an old farmer named Jefferson. He and
his wife were a very kindly couple and took much interest in me.
He was fond of his pipe, as most old farmers are. I questioned
whether anything else would not do just as well as tobacco to smoke,
and whether he was not wasting his money by buying that article
when a cheap substitute could be found. So one day I took his pipe,
removed the remains of the tobacco ashes, and stuffed the pipe with
tea leaves that had been steeped, and which in color and general
appearance looked much like tobacco. I took care to be around when
he should again smoke. He lit the pipe as usual and smoked it with,
seemingly, as much satisfaction as ever, only essaying the remark,
"This tobacco tastes like tea." My conscience pricked me, but I
could say nothing.

My father bought a copy of Lardner's "Popular Lectures on Science
and Art." In this I first read of electricity. I recall an incident
growing out of it. In Lardner's description of a Leyden jar, water
is the only internal conductor. The wonders of the newly invented
telegraph were then explained to the people in out of the way places
by traveling lecturers. One of these came to Clements, where we then
lived, with a lot of apparatus, amongst which was what I recognized
as a Leyden jar. It was coated with tin-foil on the outside, but I
did not see the inner coating, or anything which could serve as the
necessary conductor.