Evenings at Home; Or, The Juvenile Budget Opened

by John Aikin; Mrs. Barbauld

Tut. Yes, several; and if you have a mind I will tell you about them, and their uses.

Geo. Pray do, sir.

Har. Yes; I should like to hear it of all things.

Tut. Well, then. First, let us consider what a metal is. Do you think you should know one from a stone?

Geo. A stone!—Yes, I could not mistake a piece of lead or iron for a stone.

Tut. How would you distinguish it?

Geo. A metal is bright and shining.

Tut. True—brilliance is one of their qualities. But glass and crystal are very bright, too.

Har. But one may see through glass, and not through a piece of metal.

Tut. Right. Metals are brilliant, but opaque, or not transparent. The thinnest plate of metal that can be made will keep out the light as effectually as a stone-wall.