LITTLE he had purposely given the proposition to see if any 



JOURNEYS one would detect the fallacy. This he gracefully did, 



and again made a prophecy to the effect that Isaac 



Newton would some day take his own place and be 



the master of Grantham School. 



In the year 1656 the school-days of Isaac Newton were 

 cut short by the death of his stepfather. 

 His mother, twice a widow, moved back to " Wools- 

 thorpe," a big name for a very small estate. Isaac was 

 made the man of the house. The ambition of his mother 

 was that he should become a farmer and a stock-raiser. 

 Q It seems that the boy entered upon his farm duties 

 with an alacrity that was not to last. His heart was 

 not in the work, but the desire to please his mother 

 spurred him forward. 



On one occasion, being sent to Grantham with a load 

 of produce, he stopped in to visit his old school, and 

 during his call struck a bargain with one of the boys 

 for a copy of Descartes' Geometry. The purchase so 

 exhausted his finances that he was unable to buy the 

 articles his mother had sent him for, but when he got 

 home he explained that one might get along without 

 such luxuries as clothing but a good Geometry was a 

 family necessity. 



About this time he made a water clock, and also that 

 sun-dial which can be seen today, carved into the stone 

 on the corner of the house. He continued his making of 

 kites which had been begun at Grantham ; and gave 

 the superstitious neighbors a thrill by flying kites at 

 night with lighted lanterns made from paper, attached 

 72 



