'Well, they might learn to walkbut they can do everything; they know how one weight will fall, and how another will fall, and they call it weight instead of gravitation, and it seems all to come to the same thing. I do not wonder people think there is no use in learning. '

In learning what?" said Elizabeth. Most people find it useful to learn to walk-and to eat; and they think it useful that other people should learn to load carts, and build houses. What would become of us if practice did not teach this ?"

'What would have become of the people who lived before gravitation was found out?" said Arabella, and of the savages who think the sun and moon turn round the earth ?"

Without going to the savages, what would become of any of us,' said Eli

zabeth, if we were never to do anything without a philosophical reason? What would cook say, if we asked her why she boiled potatoes to make them soft, or why she set the milk in a cool place, or why she blew the fire when she wanted a large one?'

'She would say, "Sure you must boil potatoes to make them soft," and "sure you must set the milk in the cellar," and "sure there's nothing like the bellows for making a great roaring fire.""

'You should not mimic her,' said Arabella; she does not know any better.'

Nor I,' said Arthur; I am sure I do not know why boiling potatoes makes them soft, or why standing in the kitchen turns the milk sour; I do not think anybody knows.'

'I meant,' said Arabella, 'that you know how to speak.'

How to speak! I think I do know that,' said Arthur laughing;

and yet,' added he thoughtfully, 'I do not know ; if anybody were to ask me, "Where do you put your tongue when you say such a word," I could not tell without stopping to think. If I say, yes, I put my tongue close to my teeth at the top of my mouth-yes—yes—yes.'

Why do you put your tongue there?' said Elizabeth.

'O dear, I do not know, I have not the least idea how I talk; I make a noise some how or other; I suppose mamma taught me when I was a baby.'

'Do you suppose mamma taught you where to put your tongue?' said Arabella, almost indignantly; 'I am sure she never did any such thing; at least she did not with Rose.'

'Cousin Elizabeth,' said Arthur,

'how did I learn to talk ?' ·

By imitation, and by trying experiments, I suppose,' said his cousin ; ' that is the way we learn most things in this world.'

'Then you do not think those rules in books are of much use? Scientific Dialogues, I mean, and chemical books, such as Mr Samson lends Charles sometimes.'

'I do not think they are of much use for speaking, or walking, or boiling potatoes,' said Elizabeth, but they are in

teresting, and they do us good, and people who invent machines ought to know all those rules.'

That is what I was going to ask you,' said Arthur; if we have invented all these common things by chance, why cannot we go on and invent other things in the same way?'

'It was not exactly by chance, but by observation,' said Elizabeth, and we have more opportunity of observing those common useful things. Blowing the fire, for instance-we may see any day that the wind makes it burn brighter; and so with the milk.'

And the potatoes?'

'I should think potatoes were roasted, before they were boiled.'

'What can make you think so?' said Arabella.

Perhaps she knows that the savages roast potatoes,' said Arthur; or perhaps she thinks they have nothing to boil them in. Have I guessed right?'

'Quite right, as to their having nothing to boil them in; and I do not see how a savage should think of putting potatoes into hot water, to make them taste better.'