Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1845-10-09
LIE s...esclttO,,u.
AN INTELLECTUAL. PRODIGY.


Tls following article, Iaieu from iae gesi,n Epf,
copain. published a, Gamblet. Ohio, is rum III. pen
OF Rev. George nennisun formerly Professor II a,hc.
mates in Kenyon College, and now resident Of New
ark, oho;
A WONDERFUL CHILD.
Mr.. FnlroR Perhaps You have seen IN the political
papars oil the day mention ma le OF child IN tbs ,cln
ny OF most astonishing intellectual ability. Being un u
visit To my father, yesterday went 10 sire this child
aud veuly believe him 10 supass any thing III he kind
on record IN the hmt1ry oi uan and 10 open door by
which we permitted tr a 10 sunrthiug at
What minds are, aul what they can hccnnr nlrn
this natural body shall have been exchanged t1f the
spiritual.
This ehild's name is T. II. Stafford Jr.; he is
uine years aud months aye Of small stature. aud
rad eounlenaoce; his ac arms not nueh larger han
my two iiogers he is Of uohe carriage. anh. aud yet
no forward HIS eye Is his remarehle feature.
beng very large and very hWht, aud when excited 1t
rolls IN lis socket with anosl spasnude loce Wilc
his lule hand Is thrown them both in such way
10 Indicate pam an iald that there is scarcely ANY
thing The circle OF seien,rs with which this chd ~
not acquainted. History aud particularly natural hts
tory. Is his lavnfio. examined HIM, however. IN moth
iha but mathematics and astronomy. lis father and
myself were old Sunday Nselau scholars together, and
every opportunity MAS given 10 test the child tho
roughly.
Will now proceed to give sour account ol hing ex
animation. Nme the ehlld VA, mol yet como III from
the hed. where, with his hnle sister, he was goue To
gamer Wild berries, I examined an almanac III mann
SCRIPT f ID. loI6, all al " hch his ehild has wrought
cut ALONE; much ul 1t, ,Iuns oi the ecpses be
lore WITNESSES with Whon | am acquainted. A"ni
twelve days have already been spent by an adult IN
copying III alt hand the almost eghle writing ol lis
my hascrs. We examining he pfueC ton OF the
eclipses " tch he himself lad made aud subsequently
calculated when he IN told him u he ll@d stu
deut IN kenyon College, who Vas study M lte illif
entail aud Integral Gaeuas. he seemed mnrh pleased,
and SAID hu dd not thuh hecoa have donr ia without
sl2i lhen ash 0t The projection which lay before
us, he immediately commenced iu explanation, and
let. MS ille nin hand rapidly over The an1nm.
and listened 10 ms eiildl,r expressions. As wen
IN hc presence al seme superior hIug In s'hne eian-
cei puzzled him. but never did he aparar rrtul aud
wien told him any thing he DID noI already kno", lie
always repaid II with snlle.
asked hn, II two tlal clres cut each othrr 10 The
extent OF liz their dam ier what aea would he Illus
cut away Quicker thaa conld lhink, he SAID The
liIlh pan.o then asked hun. II 81 o' dlslls, were
thus cut, and he Instantly said 10 asked MN
how he knew and he said '3-l2-iil, aud A sqpat.
ed Is l-l6.' asked him why he squared ~ H. SAID
1T Is SO in a semcifce aud mnsl be 80 IN circle
then Told him the rule Of honoog SIDES and he sm~
ca aud said he understood it. then ASKED hun II Two
egs of a riphl anpIcd triangle given, one IL and
the other IL, what rhe hypnlhenusr would be and he
instantly replied 100; wouldn't ~ leso ! then said
suppose the lcps were s aud IT, then what w NM
minute, aud viihonta pencil he replied, ~ ESQ"
hnn asked, II the legs werr aud H. tlhh WHAT ne
he replied 'l6553. | asked him why he cnnled this
last TO three deelmas when he had carried The other To
ldur2 lie said the other easie, ana lItd 10 e'i
why it was So asked him II he could carry that IA
any further drcraIs with prnelli lie "a I'd he i""2ht
he could and taking the pencil in. say three mInnles,
returned HE following: "l6. 5520ili9." | believe
There Is an error in abou, the nh decinal, although
utlthurot us went over again 10 ilnd H. lie could
have detected ilas quick "A thought lad he ifl,d.
| asked hun the product OF IL .O3ii helnsiant
ia, inf Il
lie instantly replied .!o6t67, saying he had a
'1oto al diem N MS memory and did not have to east
them.
gave him tbo following Questions: The square Of
1914 lie said "2lo225.' The cube ol %of lie an
swcfrd 1910. asked him If | might Try HIM on the
fourth nower} lie said yes, II would mol % beyond
two figures asked hna lhe fourth powered 10. lis
eve winfield aud he sprans like an arrow 10 The duur
hung by hand 10 The door posi-, and c'me' IN say
three iounhs OF minute. aud replied, IhlTiy one mi
SIX hundred aud Tory Thousand sA n"no'ou a'o
twenty-five. (3I ,6l0 G25) His father asked him 10
verify that with penc} lie replied, az ~ jus as
well 10 take the cube of Is from the book aud multiply
il by rs, and IS is Sd of 100, AID Two cPners, nun
ply by aud divide by !, all OF when was oo"o as
quickly as have written II, and WIN me same result
as bei1re asked hin what were The laciots n 'olo!
lie instantly said "4oxl9, 20s352. or 2so5@o Or
I5xl52S" asked him the factors oil lhe decIna's "
I7S5il He immediately SAID 'tt is not regular, II wall
lake double Gctor Xxi 7x0GX01,o which as "rote
down omitted the pulntS before tie y Az" - anu ne !"
slanrly took lie pencil AMI made them himself.
As he had performed all these III his head was de
sr5us of knowing what his pr tcess was theI eore
gave him SUN OF four figures ~ be multiplied ny an
other of four fIares, the sa'e lie to"k the iifs'
frnfe and run il through As We do from fghi To lei,
and then wrote the second line back again from eli 10
night, and So on He did multiply one figure oi The
multpcand by ITSELF but always Two; g IA thr cast
gave hun The tpllcand 3oi2, aud HE I.t maud
figure Of the multiper 3, aud, instead Ut SAYING
times are o. aud setting II under the Z. he SAID tlles
56 is 1853 which he wrote IN lis proper place, but re-
corded it l6q because the nexl i3uTe beng he hhe"
that there must be one to carry he then said ) times
az is 26 and the one having already been fccod'd he
wrolo the 20 the right OF the other, thus. ioJ-o-
His calculations entirely oulsifp The capao'y o' his
pencil 10 record them
tried to make his parents feel that he was treasure
lieut. The mother evidently felt II So, bat tie Iaher
seemed unwilling yield tho fond belief that he mHh'
become as wonderful man he surely IS chtd. Al
all events cannot but feel II had seen anmehng oil
what we vet may be WHEN mortality shall have been
sv,llowed nm Of Hle GEORGE DENNiSON.
Royaiton, Ie,lnont, august End, lel5.