Seientijte News, Accounts ef Books-, 0c. 187 



Rational Toys. 

 I give tlie following from a paper tranfmitted to me: 



It requires but flight obfervation to be fatisfied of the utter inutility of the articles with 

 •which thp Toy-(liop is ufirally repleniflied. And on clofe refleftion, it may pofiibly appear 

 neither (trained nor fevere to condemn moft. play-things as worfe than ufelefs. Their gay 

 pppearance, and the movements which they are fometimes contrived to perform, doubtlefs 

 raife ftrong and fudden defires in the mind of children. But fatiety as quickly follows. 

 The flufli of delight, arifing from the fitft imprefllon, cannot but be tranfitory; and no 

 (boner does the little pofleflbr examine into the ftru£turc of his new acquifition, than he 

 flings it afide, or breaks it to pieces and tramples it under foot, as if to revenge himfeJf 

 upon it for belying the promife of its exterior. 



This fuccefllon of longing and loathing is a more ferious evil than may at firll be appre- 

 hended. If it be true, that youthful curiofTty cannot be frequently baulked with impunity, 

 every fuch difappointment may be confidered as fome advance towards dullnefs. 



"We often meet with a fpecies of toy calculated to excite furprize. This, if not liable to 

 the fame objedlion as the unmeaning toy, may be fufpe£led of foftering a difpofition for 

 petty ftratagems, by which a connexion between pleafure in the individual who plays them 

 off, and pain in otliers is almofl. inevitably eflabliflied. 



Ten years ago, the idea of fubftituting models of machines in the place of ordinary toys, 

 fuggefted itfelf to one of the perfons whofe names are fubjoined to the prefent paper. 



Every quality, he conceived, which diftinguilhes models, would fecure them againft neg- 

 left and deftruftion, the merited fate of toys. The knowledge conveyed by the mutual 

 dependency of the parts, and by the purpofe of the whole, would be laid up with advantage 

 and might be revived with pleafure. Whatever improvement the underfbanding derives 

 from mathematics, would more agreeably flow from well-conftru£led models. And ma- 

 thematics would be ftudied with more fuccefs by children accuftomed to fuch models. 

 They would roufe the faculty of invention,, and confer the habit of purfuing trains of 

 thought to a great extent. To girls, by conveying, information without awakening* their 

 fenfibility, they would be particularly ferviceabk. From this ftatement, the utility of a fet 

 of models in fchools and private families is obvious. It is equally obvious that their utility 

 ■would not be confined to young people. 



This fcheme has been generally approved by thofe to whom, it has been mentioned. 

 Difi^erent perfons, long fince, ofi^ered to advance money towards its execution. Indeed, in 

 1796, it was partially carried into execution, when the whole defign was announced under, 

 the title of Rational Toys, in a letter prefixed to Mr. Donne's explanation. of his elementary 

 mathematical models. Towards its compleat execution, however, there was wanting a 

 perfon well inf9rnied concerning machines, and of ready mechanical invention. This diffi- 

 culty is now removed by the offer of Mr. Robert Weldon, to conduct a manufafloryof 

 Rational Toys. ^ ■ 



It is however, rcquifite that a fum of money fufficient to fet it on foot. be advanced ; , and 

 to fatisfy fubfcribers (as far as fuch acircumftance may afford fatisfadion) that they are 



likely 



