Liberty advocate. [volume] (Liberty, Miss.) 1835-1866, 1846-06-27

led him into the IeluS ana WnilHelSoeNeT
he went, begging for books and instru
ments with a most affecting Importantly
Finally, his father promised to accompany
| him TO Dartmouth College and OBJ tain for
him, if possible, what he wanted. AtthiS,
the bow was quite overjoyed; SO much So,
that when they hove in sight of the. Col
lege, he cried out in raptures, 80, t@re
is the College there are the books! re
are the Instruments" But they di#
find all they wanted. At Norwich
ever, they made uptheir compiment
coming home, the boy took Gumm6
Astronomy, opened it mthe middle, roIIN
it TO and fro, and dashing through It's drN
and tedious formulas, sDent 3ut at both
ends. By the way, this is his usual mode
of study. He does not begin any book at
the beginning, but a! ways in the middle,
and then goes on with rush both ways.
asked him if, when he opened Gummere's
Astronomy in Tie midi G, he could com
p1ehend those complicated formulas
which depended on previous demonstra'
tons. He replied, he could generally, but
sometimes he stocked back little" On
arriving home, he projected several cellp-
SEES, and also calculated them through all
their tedious operations by figures This,
as al! mathematicians know, involves a
knowledge of the labyrinths of mathema-
tics, and also of formulas and processes
most complicated and difficult.
He has recently made an Almanac for
A. D., 1876. Two ediiions-the first Of
seven thousand copies, the second of Sc
venteen thousand have already been
published and nearly all sold. 1t is but
Just for young Stafford to say, that the
miscellaneous parts of the Almanac, so
foolish and devoid Of taste, was prepared
by young man employed by the publish
ers of the work. This Is a great pity.
1t is to be hoped that such t,oaddIe will
not be carried through third addition.
The contrast between the two authors is
too awful In the Almanac are the caIcu.
Iations of the two eclipses Of the sun,
wrought wholly by its infant author, be-
sides other valuable tables especially one
showing the amount Of duties on wool.
under all the tariffs since the formation OF
the government up 10 the act OF 1919
This table the boy calculated alone. And
that he calculated, without aid, the two
eclipses of the sun is attested by the pub.
Iished certificates Of judges, doctors, law
yers and clergynen. If any still doubt
the boys ability to calculate an eclipse
and explain all its parts, would recon-
mend them to 60 to Roy alton, VT, where
he is now to be seen. and, by personal
examination satisfy themselves. He will
not only bury you, in a minute, beneath a
flood of figures, signs, tangets, co-slgns
and co,tangets, but he will use all the
technical terms of mathematics with the
greatest precision dashng through alb
truse formulas and narratlng every step
Of his work with ease, rapidly and never
failing accuracy. When, in his presence,
under such circumstances, If any one,
even the most learned, can repress the
emotions of wonder that must struggle IN
mis- soul, and not feel that ne is in the
presence of a superior being, confess
shall be very much surprised. Not salts
fed with the old, circutous process of de-
monstraton, and impatient ofdelay, young
Stafford is constantly evolving new rules
for abridging his work.
He has found new rule by which to
calcula tie eclipses, hitherto unknown, as
far as know, to any Mathematician. lie
told me it would shorten the work near y
one.third. When finding this rule, for
two or three days he seemed to be in a
sort Of trance. One morning, very
early, he came running down stairs, not
stopping to dress himself, poured on to his
slate stream of figures, and soon cried
out, in the wildness Of his JOY 80, father,
/ have got it! have got it! it comes! it
comesm | questioned HIM respecting this
rule. He commenced the explanation.
His eyes rolled systematically in their
sockets, and he explained his work with
readiness. 70 hear him talk so rapidly,
and yet so technically exact, and so far
above the comprehension Of all save the
most profound mathematician, put to
| flight all my doubts, and filled me with
utter establishment. He said he did not
know that his new rule would work in all
cases, but as yet it had. He also remar.
Iked that the nearer noon the eclipse came
on, the easier it was to apply his rule.
But young Sadord's strength does not lie
wholly in the mathematics. lie has sor;
Of mental absorption. His infant mind
drinks in knowledge as the sponge does
water. Chemistry, botany, philosophy,
geography and history are his sport II
does not make much difference what
question you ask him--ho answers very
readily. Ispoke to him of some OF his
recent discoveries in chemistry; he under
stood them. spoke to him OF the soldl-
- e o.Lon;o acid GAS bV Prof (.