"And now," said his father, "I cannot tell you anything more this evening; but, if you remember this, I will give you some further instruction another time."
"Well, sir," said Nathan, "only I wish you would tell me a little story, as you did last evening. Have not I been still?"
His father had noticed, that he had been very still and attentive, but did not think before, that it was in expectation of being rewarded with a story.
"Well," said his father, "I will tell you a story, or give you a little advice. How should you like a little advice?"
"Well, father, a little advice; just which you please."
"I advise you, then,-let me see,-what shall I advise you?-No, on the whole, I will tell you a story. Once there was a man, and he was a philosopher. He understood all that I have been explaining to you about the air being light when it was hot. So he got some very thin paper, and made a large paper bag. He cut the paper very curiously, and pasted it together at the edges in such a way, that the bag, when it was done, was round, like a ball; and it had a round opening at the bottom of it. In fact, it was a large paper ball."
"How large was it?" said Nathan.
"It was so large, that, when it was swelled out full, it would have been higher than your head."
"O, what a large ball!" said Nathan. "But what was it for?"
"Why, the man thought, as hot air is lighter than cool air, and floats up, that perhaps, if he could fill his paper ball with hot air, it would go up too."
"And did it?" said Nathan.
"Yes," said his father. "He filled it with hot air; and the hot air was so light, that it rose up and carried the paper ball with it."
"How did he get the hot air into it?" said Rollo.
"Why, he held it over a little fire, with the mouth down. Then the hot air from the fire went up into the ball, and swelled it out full."
"How high did it go?" said Nathan.
"O, it soared away," said his father, "away up into the air, very high; until at length it got cool, and then it came down."
"I should like to see such a ball as that," said Nathan.
"Such a ball as that is called a balloon," said his father.
"I wish I could see a balloon," said Nathan.
QUESTIONS.
What is the important difference between air and water, which
was explained in the last chapter, and mentioned in this? Does
the air tend to expand again after it is compressed? What is
this property of the air called? Is the air around us already
condensed, or is it in its natural state? What causes it to be
condensed? Suppose a thin glass vessel were to be filled with
air, and another with water, and the air suddenly removed from
the room around them; what would be the effects? What effect
does heat have upon the expansibility of air? How may this
effect be made to appear over a lamp? In a chimney? What was the
story which Rollo's father told Nathan?
CHAPTER VII. PHILOSOPHICAL DISCUSSION.
Some time after this, Rollo, and Nathan, and James, were playing in the shed, one pleasant morning in the spring. They were building with sticks of wood, which they piled in various ways, so as to make houses. They took care not to pile the wood, in any case, higher than their shoulders, for Jonas had told them that, if they piled the wood higher than that, there would be danger of its falling down upon them.
After some time, Rollo went into the house a few minutes, and James and Nathan went to the open part of the shed, and began to look out of doors. The sun was shining pleasantly, but the ground was wet, being covered with streams and pools of water, and melting snow-banks.
"What a pleasant day!" said James. "I wish it was dry, so that we could go out better."
"I wish we could fly," said Nathan, "for it is very pleasant up in the air."
"I wish we had a balloon," said James. "If we had a balloon, we could go up in the air, easier than to fly."
"O James," said Nathan, "you could not get into a balloon if you had one."
"Why not?" said James.
"Because," said Nathan, "it would not be big enough."
"Why, Nathan," said James, "a balloon is bigger than this house."
"O James, it is not higher than my head."
"It is," said James, "I know it is. I have read about balloons bigger than a house."
"And my father," said Nathan, putting down his foot in a very positive air, "my father told me himself, that a balloon was about as high as my head."
The boys disputed some time longer upon the subject, and finally, when Rollo came out of the house, they both appealed to him very eagerly to settle the dispute.
"Isn't a balloon higher than Nathan's head?" said James.
"Is it as high as a house?" said Nathan.
"Why, I know," said Rollo, "that a man made a balloon once about as high as Nathan's head, because my father said so; but perhaps it was a little one."
"Yes," said James, "I know it must be a little one; for balloons are big enough for men to go up in them."
"O James," said Nathan, "I don't believe it. Besides, the fire would burn 'em."
"What fire?" said James.
"The fire they burn under the balloons, to make the air hot," said Nathan.
"I don't believe they have any fire," said James.
Just then Nathan, happening to look around, saw Jonas standing behind them; he had just come out of the house, and was going out to his work. Hearing the boys engaged in this dispute, he stopped to listen. The boys both appealed to Jonas.
Jonas heard all that they had to say, and then replied,-
"I cannot tell you much about going up in a balloon, but I can tell you something about getting along pleasantly down here upon the earth, which I think may be of service to you."
"What is it?" said James.
"Why, that you will neither of you get along very pleasantly until you can bear to have any body else mistaken, without contradicting them. James, you think Nathan is mistaken about the size of a balloon, do you?"
"Yes, I know he is," said James.
"Well," said Jonas, "now why not let him remain mistaken?"
"Why,-I don't know," said James.
"He isn't willing to be convinced, is he, that a balloon is as big as a house?"
"No," said James, "he is not."
"Then why don't you let him remain unconvinced? Why should you insist on setting him right, when he don't want to be set right?"
"And you, Nathan, suppose that James is mistaken, in thinking that the balloon is so big."
"Yes," said Nathan, "and that men can get into it, and go up in the air."
"Well, now, if he wants to believe that balloons are so big, why are you not willing that he should? Why should you insist upon it that he should know that they are smaller?"
"Because I know," said Nathan, very positively, "that they are small; and, besides, the paper would not be strong enough to bear a man."
"I did not ask you," said Jonas, "why you believed that men could not go up in balloons, but why you were so anxious to make James believe so. Why not let him be mistaken?"
"Why-because," said Nathan.
"You see, Nathan," continued Jonas, "the world is full of people that are continually mistaken; and if you go about trying to set them all right by disputing them, you'll have a hard row to hoe."
"A hard what?" said Nathan.
"A hard row to hoe," repeated Jonas. "It's never of any service to attempt to convince people that don't want to be convinced; especially if they are wrong."
"Especially if they are wrong!" repeated Rollo, in astonishment.
"Yes," replied Jonas. "The very worst time to argue with a boy, is when he is wrong, and does not want to be set right. It is a great deal harder to get along in argument with one who is right, than with one who is wrong; for the one who is wrong, disputes; the one who is right, reasons."