The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1868-03-17
------------------ 49, -
WILLARD SMALL.
The Boston correspondent oft the Repub-
bean gives the following interesting ac-
count of Il self-made man down east:

The Boston correspondent OF the Repn6-
bean gives the following interesting ac-
count Of IL self-made man down east:
Probably not one in ore hundred Of
Your readers has ever heard OF VIII rd
Small But those who are accustomed
to read Oliver Optics admirable Boys
and Girls magazine can hardly have failed
to make his acquaintance unwitlingly
lie writes over the mystical sign of tue
square root, and all his contributions are
as iull Of information rs an egg is OF meat
to use a trilc comparison. In many re
spects he resembles Elihu l'urritt, the
learned blacksmith. He is the son of a
poor farmer, was born, believe, in Au-
burn, Maine, and now, "A farmer himself,
lives Growing up as all poor farmers
sons grow up, in constant tol, he WAS
generally regarded by his acquaintance
rs a stupid. inert fellow, who never would
amount TO anything But the hung'r
tor knowledge was gnawing his mind in
cessanlly At the age Of nineteen ho
bought his first book, copy of Loceadre's
Geometry-haviug earned the money for
the purchase by ho'ing corn at one cent
per 100 hills, after bis regular days work
was done. Before he reached the age of
+, 25 he had gone three times through Me-
canique Celeste Az the age Of 81 he
| could read 81 languages readily and speak
fuenily seven or eighti it is his rule to
learn one language per year. He is one
Of the very few Sanscrlt scholars in Amer
lea Some ten or dozen years ago he
went abroad and Travelled extensively.
AT Paris he attended the sessions oil one
of the institutes q am moi srue which,
4 and went with class Of students through
course of pure mathematics. Coming
home to his Lodgings from these exercises
s dripping with Precipitation, he used tC
say: There are not five men in the Uni
ted States who can follow these boy
thrsueh such work rs this" His mine
seems to have been originally maihenati
cal; but his proficiency BIS linguisi show
that he has not neglected other depart
ments Of learning, And in addition Il
purely scholarly requirements, he ha
mastered the science Of law. His indus
try is almost like that Of a machine ther
: is no intellectual difficulty thai can appa
: no mental labor that can weary him. /
the preparation of those little PAPERS 70
!, Oliver Optics Magazine, which woul'
! not make quarter column in The Re
: publican, he puts more work than is give
to many magazine articles, drawing iniol
> nation from all languages and all author
Is tiles. He is now SO years old, six fee,
two inches in hight, in his stockings, an
!! weighs 230 pounds, In the Geld he lea'
the screw" and his phys al strengi
nay be estimated from the fact that i
d lifts 500 pounds with ease. lie sleel
# not more than five of the twenty 70,
hours, and is strictly temperate in all r.
, spects, using no liquor nor tobacco.
i is a common question by bis friends
IT What is his object in lie 7 10 this,
If TO most other interrOgatorles, he return
no direct answer. but says THAT he has ,
object in life, which will appear in got
D. time. Ee Is married and has one daug
d ter nine years old, who speaks frenc
&c German, Italian and Spanish.