84 FIRESIDE SCIENCE. 



Gilbert took the hand of the poor boy, and asked 

 who he was, he was told that he was " a son of 

 Davy, the carver, and very fond of making chem- 

 ical experiments." "Indeed, and is that all he 

 has to recommend him ? " A lad " wasting his 

 time in foolish chemical experiments," up in the 

 garret of Mr. Borlase, the surgeon-apothecary, to 

 whom he was apprenticed, instead of compounding 

 medicines in the shop below, would hardly attract 

 patronage among the influential and the wealthy.. 

 But Mr. Gilbert befriended him, and had the high 

 satisfaction of feeling, in later life, that he was the 

 early benefactor of Sir Humphry Davy. 



Davy, in turn, became the early friend and pa- 

 tron of the unknown and struggling boy, Faraday. 

 He was born in London, September 22, 1791, and 

 was the son of a poor blacksmith. His education, 

 if it may be called such, was of the most rudimen- 

 tary description. He was sent to a common day- 

 school, and picked up some knowledge of reading, 

 writing, and arithmetic. The common day-schools 

 in England, at the present time, are poor enough ; 

 but in those days the teachers and the schools were 

 very inferior and superficial ; and so young Fara- 

 day must have graduated with but a slender stock 

 of erudition. At thirteen, he was apprenticed to 

 Mr. Riebau, a bookbinder in Blanford Street, It 

 was during his apprenticeship that his mind took 



