41 



corner of Norman street, lived Dr. George Emory, here 

 as early as 1637. These house-lots on the west side of 

 Washington street originally extended through to North 

 and Summer streets, the houses being at the eastern end. 



[To [be continued.'] 

 A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF THE LATE HORACE MANN. 



BY A FRIEND AND ASSOCIATE. 



[Concluded from p. 31.] 



To return to his boyhood. The next branch of natural science that 

 interested him was chemistry, and this interest lasted for many years. 

 He was not satisfied with other people's conclusions, but must make 

 his own experiments. He was naturally cautious, and was allowed, 

 under partial protest, to venture upon them himself; but some acci- 

 dents occurred. He made some gunpowder on one occasion^ and 

 thought he had failed to make it explosive, but his parents were 

 routed early one Fourth of July morning, by his flying into their 

 chamber with his face and hands flashed with gunpowder. He had 

 leaned too closely over his fuse, hardly expecting the desired result. 

 He bore the pains of the event most patiently, thinking only of the 

 probability of being forbidden any farther experiments, but the lesson 

 was left to work its own result of caution. 



He and his brother built themselves a furnace of fire-brick in the 

 cellar, where they also had a miniature laboratory, and with the aid of 

 a pair of blacksmith's bellows which they persuaded their father to 

 buy for them, imitated as well as they could the labors of a neighbor- 

 ing foundry, where they had spent most of their^leisure time for 

 several months. 



Two successive professors of chemistry took great interest in 

 Horace at this time, and allowed him to assist them in their experi- 

 ments before the College classes. He had not then entered the Pre- 

 paratory School of Antioch College, but he studied the same text- 

 books that the classes used, and the Professors often wished the young 

 men knew as much upon the subject as the boy. One of them, Dr. 

 Henry Warrener, has since remarked, that at fourteen " he was familiar 

 with all the leading principles of chemistry, and that his knowledge 

 was remarkable for its accuracy." 



He suffered, when he was sent to school (at twelve years of age), 

 from want of quickness of speech and of mere verbal memory, and 

 was sometimes removed for home study when undue pressure occurred, 



ESSEX INST. BULLETIN. 6 



