In 1727, to celebrate the visit of one of the heads of the Minimes, he decided to make some androids, which would serve dinner and clear the tables. Indeed, Vaucanson was given his own workshop in Lyon, and a grant from a nobleman to construct a set of machines but his talents were only encouraged up to a certain point. This was the only way, he thought, that he would be able to pursue his scientific study, given the limited finances of his widowed mother. He went on to be taught by Jesuits, and, on leaving school, became a novice in the religious order of the Minimes in Lyon. The clock was seen at confession the maths teacher was a monk. What is curious here is that all of Vaucanson's early efforts as a mechanician were connected in some way to religion. Of course, a story exists about the youthful genius of all famous men. He was locked in a room for two days as punishment, but he spent the time making drawings so exceptional that the maths teacher, who was later to be lauded by the Royal Academy of Sciences, decided to help him. When confronted, Vaucanson refused to do any studying until he could make his boat cross the school pond. He found wheels and cogs and tools, next to the unfinished hull of a model boat. Eventually, the father superior was forced to open the box. He didn't get on with the other boys, and couldn't concentrate on his lessons. His father, a master glovemaker, died when Jacques was seven, and the boy was sent away to be schooled at a monastery, where he arrived clutching a metal box.
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