. A church history for the use of schools and colleges . born in Clermont in 1623. At the age of eight he accompaniedhis father to Paris,whither the latterwent for the specialpurpose of devotinghimself wholly tothe education of hisgifted son. Thefather himself im-parted instructionand used his ownmethods, The boywas first to acquirea thorough knowl-edge of the classicallanguages and thenof it was just tomathematics that theboys mind was bent,and the father wasstruck with amaze-ment one day whenthe boy was in histwelfth year to findthat he had secretlyand unaided thought out and
. A church history for the use of schools and colleges . born in Clermont in 1623. At the age of eight he accompaniedhis father to Paris,whither the latterwent for the specialpurpose of devotinghimself wholly tothe education of hisgifted son. Thefather himself im-parted instructionand used his ownmethods, The boywas first to acquirea thorough knowl-edge of the classicallanguages and thenof it was just tomathematics that theboys mind was bent,and the father wasstruck with amaze-ment one day whenthe boy was in histwelfth year to findthat he had secretlyand unaided thought out and demonstrated the propositions 1—32 in Euclids first was now permitted to follow his inclinations freely. At the ageof seventeen he published his first mathematical treatise, which at-tracted great attention. He also made various physical experi-ments and discoveries especially in the line of barometric pressureand the equilibrium of the pressure of liquids. He also invented acalculating machine, which, however, never came into practical Blaise Pascal. 292 THE MODERN ERA During the 40s the Pascal family entered into intimate rela-tions with some Jansenist noblemen which had important resultsfor the religious development of the young mathematician. Atfirst, it is true, he seemed but little affected by it. His health,which had never been robust, had been undermined by the severemental strain of his early life, and his physician advised him toseek diversion in the enjoyments of social life. He did so and forfive years he led a superficial life in gay society. The serious im-pressions of his earlier years seemed gone, the sense of being aleader in the world of science filled his soul with pride — as is seenfrom the letter in which he offered Queen Christina of Sweden hiscalculating machine — and yet he could not refrain from feeling attimes a great void and unrest in his soul. In the meantime his father had died, and his younger sister,Jacqueline, who was like h
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