On the latest episode of the podcast with readings so interesting they put you to sleep, our sixth installment from the 1898 book “Philip’s Experiments, or, Physical Science at Home,” by John Trowbridge.

Our narrator, Philip’s father, continues his contemplation of Philip’s interest in athletic feats of strength. Their friend Scribain says “Excess in athletics is like all forms of dissipation,” and quotes Locke as recommending gardening and woodworking as healthy recreations for a man of study or business. Father and Philip take a trip to Europe and enjoy estimating the height of the Matterhorn as seen from Zermatt using sight lines and geometry. If you stay awake long enough you’ll hear how, at the Swiss resort, they meet an American photographer full of stories about capturing Alpine scenery, especially with telephoto lenses. ”A long focus lens acts like time in bringing out the grandeur of a great character, and sinks the too obtrusive present,” he says.

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On the latest episode of the podcast with readings so interesting they put you to sleep, our fifth installment from the 1898 book “Philip’s Experiments, or, Physical Science at Home,” by John Trowbridge. Philip and his father, trying to survey their estate to build a golf course, discover that distance measurements may produce unexpected results when you go down into a ravine and back up the other side. Father’s friend Ruysart, a sculptor, works tirelessly on a statue representing Honor for the state capitol, but ignores his own son’s curiosity. Another friend pooh-poohs the idea of learning about such things as electricity: you can simply hire someone to do that for you; the important skill in life is to control men. If you stay awake long enough, you’ll hear further discussion about the value of athletics, as a friend says: “If your boy’s physical system is not constantly exercised, he will seek excitement in undesirable ways.”

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On the latest episode of the podcast with readings so interesting they put you to sleep, our fourth installment from “Philip’s Principles, or, Physical Science at Home,” by John Trowbridge, published 1898. Our narrator endeavors to teach geometry to his son Philip by surveying their yard with the intention of building a golf course with appropriate drainage. Father exploits Philip’s interest in George Washington by studying Washington’s youthful work as a surveyor. If you stay awake long enough, you’ll hear an old-fashioned adventure story in which Washington leads his crew in avoiding a party of Indians and their dog. Spoiler: by Washington’s order, the dog is not harmed.

You can support The Forgotten Bookshelf and get a bonus reading of an essay by Edgar Allan Poe. Please go to https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theforgottenbookshelf/extras, and thank you!

On the latest episode of the podcast with readings so interesting they put you to sleep, our third installment from “Philip’s Principles, or, Physical Science at Home,” by John Trowbridge, published 1898. Philip and his father try some buoyancy experiments involving a wooden plank teetering on a sailboat. Father’s physics professor friend laments that lecturing as a teaching method is a waste. Small group study and interesting practical problems are the way to go. If you stay awake long enough, you’ll hear father and son use triangles to measure the size of their estate compared to the local golf club.

You can support The Forgotten Bookshelf and get a bonus reading of an essay by Edgar Allan Poe. Please go to https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theforgottenbookshelf/extras, and thank you!

On the latest episode of the podcast with readings so interesting they put you to sleep, our second installment from “Philip’s Principles, or, Physical Science at Home,” by John Trowbridge, published 1898. The father, teaching his son at home, reflects on whether it would be better to send Philip to a school where he might pick up boldness and spirit from being with other boys, though he would also encounter dull teaching and bad influences. Mother, through her example and pure thoughts, endows Philip with a choir of angels that will sing to him when temptation comes, as it will to young men. The local schoolteacher stops by, lamenting how parents “dump” their responsibility on him. If you stay awake long enough, you’ll hear about some experiments with buoyancy involving tumblers hung from the ends of a stick with string. Really?

You can support The Forgotten Bookshelf and get a bonus reading of an essay by Edgar Allan Poe. Please go to https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theforgottenbookshelf/extras, and thank you!

On the latest episode of the podcast with readings so interesting they put you to sleep, we begin the reading of an entire book: “Philip’s Experiments, or, Physical Science at Home” by John Trowbridge (1898). Today it might be called homeschooling or unschooling: A father describes how he developed in his son Philip “the ability to do things.” In this first episode, forgettable classroom lectures and books are put aside in favor of natural curiosity, observation and practical experience around a country home. First, Philip is required to make a drawing of some observed object every day. Progress is slow at first, but the father’s motto is “faint but pursuing,” and in time Philip not only draws better but becomes a sharper observer of the natural phenomena around him. The entire book will probably run about twelve half-hour episodes.

You can support The Forgotten Bookshelf and get a bonus reading of an essay by Edgar Allan Poe. Please go to https://www.buymeacoffee.com/theforgottenbookshelf/extras, and thank you!