Philip's Experiments, or, Physical Science at Home (1898), episode 5

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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