Memoir of the Life of Eli Whitney. 203 



had a variety of tools, and a lathe for turning chair posts. This 

 gave my brother an opportunity of learning the use of tools when 

 very young. He lost no time, but as soon as he could handle 

 tools he was always making something in the shop, and seemed 

 not to hke working on the farm. On a time, after the death of 

 our mother, when our father had been absent from home two or 

 three days, on his return, he inquired of the housekeeper, what 

 the boys had been doing? She told him what B. and J. had 

 been about. But what has Eli been doing, said he. She replied, 

 he had been making a fiddle. 'Ah! (added he despondingly) 

 I fear Eli will have to take his portion in fiddles.' He was at 

 this time about twelve years old. His sister adds, that this fiddle 

 was finished throughout, like a common violin, and made tolera- 

 bly good music. It was examined by many persons, and all pro- 

 nounced it to be a remarkable piece of work for such a boy to per- 

 form. From this time he was employed to repair violins, and had 

 many nice jobs, which were always excuted to the entire satisfaction, 

 and often to the astonishment, of his customers. His father's watch 

 being the greatest piece of mechanism that had yet presented itself 

 to his observation, he was extremely desirous of examining hs interior 

 construction, but was not permitted to do so. One Sunday morning, 

 observing that his father was going to meeting, and would leave at 

 home the wonderful little machine, he immediately feigned illness as 

 an apology for not going to church. As soon as the family were ori 

 of sight, he flew to the room where the watch hung, and taking it 

 down, he was so delighted with its motions, that he took it all in pieces 

 before he thought of the consequences of his rash deed ; for his 

 father w^as a stern parent, and punishment would have been the reward 

 of his idle curiosity, had the mischief been detected. He, however, 

 put the work all so neatly together, that his father never discovered 

 his audacity until he himself told him, many years afterwards." 



Whitney lost his mother at an early age, and when he was thirteen 

 years old, his father married a second time. His step mother, among 

 her articles of furniture, had a handsome set of table knives, that 

 she valued very highly ; which our young mechanic observing, said 

 to her, 'I could make as good ones if I had tools, and I could make 

 the necessary tools if I had a i'cw common tools to make them with.' 

 His step mother thought he was deriding her, and was much displeas- 

 ed; but it so happened, not long afterwards, that one of the knives 

 got broken, and he made one exactly like it in every respect, except 



