The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1869-01-30
The ARMIES and LegIess Teacher.

Tie Paris correspondent Of the London Time,
thus de-cribe= a strange and Interesting human
phenomenon whom he met recently III the Valley
Of ChcyTeu-c;
When passing by "a village school. a carriage
Of peculiar construction drove up 10 the door.
where an eXpectan; crowd was gathered. y
stronS-built woman, Ea-hiOnably dressed. alightcd,
and without further Farley lifted out her com
IaHilu, who at the FIRST glance Lad struck me rs
an a~ble-bOiied man in tic prime &c life But
presently Observed that be lad ncithcr lczs nor
arms, and tIc skirt Of III, lrOck cJat lapIed over
tic arms oi the lady who carried him, like a ba-
hy r mantle over the nurse =. Happening 10
know the -choJlnastcr. I asked him who this
phenomenon was. He replied q professor Of math-
ematic- and arithmetic iron Orleans. who had
been authorized by the Council Of Public lnsiruc-
ton % give lectures in the primary schools dur
IuZ the summer months. TIE schpyl-nastcr also
informed me thar the lectures were CIatuitOus,
bat that the hearers would lie expected To buy
sumo arithmeticaI work at a franc each, written
By tie professor.
IL at once entered the clas--room-a low, wide
chamber O.! irregular form. with iOi-tcd ceiling,
W~Iite-wa-lei walls. blackcncd with smoke and
fly stains. ami NJ the opposite cxtrcinities a plas-
ter crucifx and a bust of Louis Napoleon. The
front row Of benches We're occupied by a score Of
boys, who were al! that had come to school.
though the commune includes six villages. Some
looked intelligent. but the majority l~umpish.
There were a couple who were evidently gentle
meme children; the rest were the blue smock
dDnncl always IN tile country by wCrkineu ami
small farmers. Behind there were upward Of
ono hundred ard fifty adults, and a stream Of
country PEOPLE pressed about the door.
"The phenomenon had been seated on a plat
form behind the schOpl-inasteris de>k, and made
himself quite at home. lie aUthoritatiycly or
dered the four windows 20 be thrown open, and
whistled at and -ooldel the rusties who showed
any inclination To stop near him for the purpose
Of staring. BE oil To- your seats, lie of, 20
QuIgklE- and don't t- gegIUg me with VgtIF HflIIl
looks i say You people az the door, stay ia or
ont II you come IN, you must hold your tongues.
Now. boys, no whispering, and cast your eyes
down till the summing bcgin5. On saving tins
u the a-tOnishcd children, ne seized a white
pocket handkerchief in his teeth. dropped it On
the back rail Of Lis chair, twisted round hs body
and rubbed hs face against it violently, to wipe
OF the prOfusc Precipitation which followed on his
outbreak If il-humDr.
% lie was dressed in black, with a white criyat,
and had fifteen gold and silver medals attached 10
hs breast. IIis brain j. Of extraordinary height
and breadth at the base, but the diameter at the
top remarkably ulrTpw. The face l. well shaped,
but WAS spoiled on this occasion by Il wrathful
expression. The development Of tie check and
jaw muscles, arising out of the necessity Of max
Ing the mouth supplement- - handless stump.
amounts % almost a defOrnity. This grows at a
curious angle out of the left shoulder, and il fur
nishod with a natural crook at the end like a
dwaricd trst-tnger.
1.-The eve seemed to do the Office Of n tongue.
| never saw one more expressive oi a rIpidly-
working brain. especially when the tests of arith-
metical CAPACITY were being applied by the mayor
and schDOl-ma-ter. and a member OF the In
stitute who happened To be staying en- rIHGgiature
in the hamlet. VI. Grandmang-that l. the
phenOmcnOn's name-sat with his back To the
black board on which some Of tie beiUre-men-
toned persons had stated the most difficult sums
they could think Of in common arithmetic or al
zebra, and pIopounded problems in t~rigonometry.
The answers were given III an amazingly short
time. without any apparent aid. lie multiplied
by eighteen and thirty-six u shorten ms opera
tons. ~ hc did tie additions, multiplications,
etc. aloud, they were rapidly noted down on the
black board.
This exhibition over. q lecture was given in
arithmetic. The manner was admirable and the
matter excellent. hut the delivery. clear, fUrcible
and even graceful. was marrcd from time t. time
by a shriil whistle like that of steam engine, in
tended 10 imVr-c silence upon whispering r~u-tic-,
and occasionally by an angry alteration with the
acknowledgement lady Chr wife, who persisted
in blocking up the doorstep by sitting on it.
st the end. we were told that while endowed
himself with "A special capacity for figures, the
lecturer had a method which facilitates mental
operations. and this method was 10 be found in a
litti" volume for one franc. The villagers who
might not have 81 much money in their pockets
were offered credit oU the security OF the school
master. Nobody, however, bought on thu, con
dition. bat frame IN ready money poured in with
q upiiity creditiLl, Go the thirst for knowledge
oi the andieucc.
Il gather from the PREDATORY memoir. that
Charles Gsaudu1u.c wa. born az Epual. without
lc,- or arms. m 1884. HIS father was a poor
man. and. intending To- exhibit him as q phe-
n0menru. would not allow him o. be- sent -
school. But the child learned To- read and write
IN secret, and AT the age of four displayed an cx-
trlprdIuary capacity for arithmetic. At a trial
If his skill before the Emperor and the Court ut
Cumric1mc. several members of tho University
invited 10 De present admitted that Granimau-e
s,Iycl almost in-tant1ucpuslv problems which
would have taken them q couple oi hours. Be
fore disUcr~ins. q few ladies were favored with
VI. G-rlHdmausc's autograph. written in their
presence. in bold. flowing characters. with his
stump. aided 10y his mouth.