290 Public Establishment for 



done, in order to inspire them with a desire to do that 

 which other children, apparently more favoured, more 

 caressed, and more praised than themselves, were per- 

 mitted to do, and of which they were obliged to be idle 

 spectators; and this had the desired effect. 



As nothing is so tedious to. a child as being obliged 

 to sit still in the same place for a considerable time, and 

 as the work which the other more favoured children were 

 engaged in was light and easy, and appeared rather 

 amusing than otherwise, being the spinning of hemp 

 and flax, with small light wheels, turned with the foot, 

 these children, who were obliged to be spectators of this 

 busy and entertaining scene, became so uneasy in their 

 situations, and so jealous of those who were permitted 

 to be more active, that they frequently solicited with 

 the greatest importunity to be permitted to work, and 

 often cried most heartily if this favour was not instantly 

 granted them. 



How sweet these tears were to me can easily be 

 imagined. 



The joy they showed upon being permitted to de- 

 scend from their benches, and mix with the working 

 children below, was equal to the solicitude with which 

 they had demanded that favour. 



They were at first merely furnished with a wheel, which 

 they turned for several days with the foot, without being 

 permitted to attempt any thing further. As soon as 

 they were become dexterous in this simple operation, and 

 habit had made it so easy and familiar to them that 

 the foot could continue its motion mechanically without 

 the assistance of the head, till they could go on with 

 their work, even though their attention was employed 

 upon something else, till they could answer questions 



