Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-01-29
RalIoR and lbs Scholarship

it would seem that RuII0R the
convicted murderer and thief is fully
endowed with the pride of intellect,
and believes very much I'm the value
OF MS own work as q scholar. He
says IN a communication TO the BiUg-
hampton Lender, dated the 10TH tnsr.s
strange az IL may seem, no man this
day on Gods earth has lived with a
higher OBJECT than myself, and few
have accomplished a more desirable
result, lhOugh lab0rIug under every
disadvantage nave steadily persist
ed and even now a lew words NAV
be said By way Of lusurinE success to
the work upon which my health. my
strength, and all the best energies 6f.
my life have been expended; that is.
my work upon Method in the Form
alton Of Language That work may
now have To be published without
being completed. it contains I'm the
form Of a regular treatise most of
the leading principles connected
with the formation of metlOdi-
cal language. There isl no reason
to doubt that this statement E hon
estiy made, and that the ieI0u really
prides himself, and has some reason
to do so, on his work for the advance
ment of pathological learning OF
which he gives some specimens iu the
Leader. His theory is i'm some re-
spects absurd, but his Illustrations Of
it show sound scholarship, patient lG-
vestigaIiOn aud q wide range of read
ing. He must not be set down as q
superficial scholar OF thinker, though
his conclusions are often far sstFay.
Ia respect TO his remarkable powers
Of memory and analysis, Professor
Seelye, Of Amhurst College who was
a student Of theology at Auburn when
RullOH Was serving his term fra the
State prison there, and thus became
acquainted with HIM, gives "a signal
Instance. Professor SeeLyo had with
him on one of his visits to the prison
where he taUghta Sunday-scho0 class.
q copy of Taylor Lewis book
''PlatO Contra AtheCs, % containing
PlatO's famous argument for the
being 0f q God, translated into Eng
lish. RullOf desired TO borrow the
book, and did sos on returning IT, be
mad written ON loose leaves. here and
there, criticism on the translation and
on the argument Of the original, Iu
which he had cited, from memory, a.
i believed, many pages in Greek from
EOrOdOtus, Ihucydid@- Auacre0u
Homer and other authors, usually
with great COrTectues5aud Dertiueuce.
The whole was done by him in his
cell, yet It was a piece of scholarly
work, SUCH as few professors could
excel, writing amid The resources OF
their well equipped libraries. In point
of penmanship, it was exquisite, and
like a finished engraving.
In course of their acquaintance.
now many years ago, EuIlCh gave
Professor Seeiye a statement OF his
religious belief, which was a curious
mixture of Greek pautheism and
modern materialism. He did not
then, any more than he does now, %
pear TO have any moral misgivinE a.
to his course Of life, but regarded him
self as a person misunderstood and
injured by society. His case is, on
the whole, the most extraordinary
that our criminal annals can show.
and in some respects far more aston
ishing than that of Eugene Ar8m, To
whom he has been compared. He
seems to have read EUrle'5 Faust,
and made the effort, in which he has
had great success, Of combining lu
one person the three characters of
Faust, Wagner, and Mephjst0uheIes.