LESSON 33
THE DISCONTENTED PENDULUM
Jane Taylor (b. 1783, d. 1824) was born in London. Her mother was a writer of some note. In connection with her sister Ann, Jane Taylor wrote several juvenile works of more than ordinary excellence. Among them were “Hymns for Infant Minds” and “Original Poems.” Besides these, she wrote “Display, a Tale, ” “Essays in Rhyme, ” and “Contributions of QQ.” Her writings are graceful, and often contain a useful moral.
1. An old dock that had stood for fifty years in a farmer's kitchen, without giving its owner any cause of complaint, early one summer's morning, before the family was stirring, suddenly stopped. Upon this, the dial plate (if we may credit the fable) changed countenance with alarm; the hands made a vain effort to continue their course; the wheels remained motionless with surprise; the weights hung speechless; and each member felt disposed to lay the blame on the others. At length the dial instituted a formal inquiry as to the cause of the stagnation, when hands, wheels, weights, with one voice, protested their innocence.
2. But now a faint tick was heard below from the pendulum, who spoke thus: “I confess myself to be the sole cause of the present stoppage; and I am willing, for the general satisfaction, to assign my reasons. The truth is, that I am tired of ticking.” Upon hearing this, the old clock became so enraged that it was upon the very point of striking. “Lazy wire! ” exclaimed the dial plate, holding up its bands.
3. “Very good! ” replied the pendulum; “it is vastly easy for you, Mistress Dial, who have always, as everybody knows, set yourself up above me, —it is vastly easy for you, I say, to accuse other people of laziness! you who have had nothing to do all your life but to stare people in the face, and to amuse yourself with watching all that goes on in the kitchen. Think, I beseech you, how you would like to be shut up for life in this dark closet, and to wag backward and forward year after year, as I do.”
4. “As to that, ” said the dial, “is there not a window in your house on purpose for you to look through? ” “For all that, ” resumed the pendulum,“it is very dark here; and, although there is a window, I dare not stop even for an instant to look out at it. Besides, I am really tired of my way of life;and, if you wish, I'll tell you how I took this disgust at my employment. I happened, this morning, to be calculating how many times I should have to tick in the course of only the next twenty-four hours; perhaps some one of you above there can give me the exact sum.”
5. The minute hand, being quick at figures, presently replied, “Eightysix thousand four hundred times.” “Exactly so, ” replied the pendulum.“Well, I appeal to you all, if the very thought of this was not enough to fatigue anyone; and when I began to multiply the strokes of one day by those of months and years, really it was no wonder if I felt discouraged at the prospect. So, after a great deal of reasoning and hesitation, thinks I to myself, I'll stop.”
6. The dial could scarcely keep its countenance during this harangue;but, resuming its gravity, thus replied: “Dear Mr. Pendulum, I am really astonished that such a useful, industrious person as yourself should have been seized by this sudden weariness. It is true, you have done a great deal of work in your time; so have we all, and are likely to do; which, although it may fatigue us to think of, the question is, whether it will fatigue us to do. Would you now do me the favor to give about half a dozen strokes to illustrate my argument? ”
7. The pendulum complied, and ticked six times at its usual pace. “Now, ”resumed the dial, “may I be allowed to inquire if that exertion is at all fatiguing or disagreeable to you? ” “Not in the least, ” replied the pendulum;“it is not of six strokes that I complain, nor of sixty, but of millions.”
8. “Very good, ” replied the dial; “but recollect that, although you may think of a million of strokes in an instant, you are required to execute but one; and that, however often you may hereafter have to swing, a moment will always be given you to swing in.” “That consideration staggers me, I confess, ” said the pendulum. “Then I hope, ” resumed the dial plate, “that we shall all return to our duty immediately; for the maids will be in bed if we stand idling thus.”
9. Upon this, the weights, who had never been accused of light conduct, used all their influence in urging him to proceed; when, as if with one consent, the wheels began to turn, the hands began to move, the pendulum began to swing, and, to its credit, ticked as loud as ever; while a red beam of the rising sun, that streamed through a hole in the kitchen, shining full upon the dial plate, it brightened up as if nothing had been the matter.
10. When the farmer came down to breakfast that morning, upon looking at the clock, he declared that his watch had gained half an hour in the night.
STUDY GUIDE
A. Word Definition
1.countenance:face or facial expression.
2.stagnation:dullness,sluggishness.
3.protested:solemnly declared.
4.calculating:reckoning,computing.
5.prospect:anticipation,that to which one looks forward.
6.harangue:speech.
7.industrious:hard-working.
8.illustrate:to make clear,to exemplify.
9.exertion:effort.
10.execute:complete,finish.
11.consideration:reason.
B. Comprehension Questions
1. What kind of utensils would be in a nineteenth century British farmer's kitchen?
2. What would a society without clocks be like?
3. What is the moral of this story?
4. Why was the pendulum unhappy?
5. What noise does a clock make?
6. Label these statements true or false.
a. A watch is an animal. _____
b. A farmer has an easy life. _____
c. Digital clocks keep excellent time. _____
7. What time of day did this story take place?
8. What kind of chores did nineteenth century British maids do?
C. Writing Work
Write a short poem about a grandfather clock.