CHAP. V. EDUCATION OF FATHER AND SON. 63 



and his master was accustomed to hold him up to the 

 laggards of the school as an example of good conduct 

 and industry. But his progress, though satisfactory, 

 was by no means extraordinary. He used in after-life 

 to pride himself on his achievements in mensuration, 

 though another boy, John Taylor, beat him at arith- 

 metic. He also made considerable progress in mathe- 

 matics ; and in a letter written to the son of his teacher, 

 many years after, he said, " It was to Mr. Bruce' s 

 tuition and methods of modelling the mind that I attri- 

 bute much of my success as an engineer; for it was 

 from him that I derived my taste for mathematical 

 pursuits and the facility I possess of applying this kind 

 of knowledge to practical purposes and modifying it 

 according to circumstances." 



During the time Robert attended school at Newcastle, 

 his father made the boy's education instrumental to his 

 own. Robert was accustomed to spend some of his 

 spare time at the rooms of the Literary and Philosophical 

 Institute ; and when he went home in the evening, he 

 would recount to his father the results of his reading. 

 Sometimes he was allowed to take with him to Killing- 

 worth a volume of the 'Repertory of Arts and Sciences,' 

 which father and son studied together. But many of 

 the most valuable works belonging to the Newcastle 

 Library were not permitted to be removed from the 

 rooms ; these Robert was instructed to read and study, 

 and bring away with him descriptions and sketches for 

 his father's information. His father also practised him 

 in the reading of plans and drawings without at all 

 referring to the written descriptions. He used to ob- 

 serve to his son, " A good drawing or plan should 

 always explain itself;" and, placing a drawing of an 

 engine or machine before the youth, he would say, 

 "There, now, describe that to me the arrangement 

 and the action." Thus he taught him to read a drawing 



