The boy protested he knew all the rules of
arithmetic.
"But," said Donal, "I must know that you know them; that is my
business. Do this one, however easy it is."
The boy obeyed, and brought him the sum--incorrect.
"Now, Davie," said Donal, "you said you knew all about addition, but
you have not done this sum correctly."
"I have only made a blunder, sir."
"But a rule is no rule if it is not carried out. Everything goes on
the supposition of its being itself, and not something else. People
that talk about good things without doing them are left out. You
are not master of addition until your addition is to be depended
upon."
The boy found it hard to fix his attention: to fix it on something
he did not yet understand, would be too hard! he must learn to do so
in the pursuit of accuracy where he already understood! then he
would not have to fight two difficulties at once--that of
understanding, and that of fixing his attention. But for a long
time he never kept him more than a quarter of an hour at work on the
same thing.
When he had done the sum correctly, and a second without need of
correction, he told him to lay his slate aside, and he would tell
him a fairy-story. Therein he succeeded tolerably--in the opinion
of Davie, wonderfully: what a tutor was this, who let fairies into
the school-room!
The tale was of no very original construction--the youngest brother
gaining in the path of righteousness what the elder brothers lose
through masterful selfishness.
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