The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1872-01-18

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in resoIyibgiproblems in figures he was un
rivalleaE He made this talent of use to him
self bylsxaeEng small charge f,r exhibit
ing it, kseping in his stall blackboard ant
pieceefH chalk. Any one who paid hin
three pnsmightgive him any problem in fig
ures he9ch6se. The cobbler would take the
chalk Am write down the solution on the in
slant. FOR ashilling he would answer gues
tions fT an hour: He would multiply long
rows &Sfgures by each OF her, apparently
without taS moments reflection, dealing al
rapidly and unerringly with fractions frac.
tions aswith integers, and would set down
the equivalent in q simple fraction of any
number Of compound ones the moment he
read thm. Being asked how many lis. 73-4d
there wsrein e10 9S7, 453, he replied i'm
mediateyi aWell there will be remainder
80 maek( writing down the fgures3 and
them's sJke Seres for answer" Gotting them
down LAST as his fingers could move }
One Of bis sensational exploits was called
corresponding values" One wrote down
an amountof money, or goods, or land, and
slid what he wanted as equivalent in-wheth-
er money weight or measure. The moment
the sum vas given the cobbler would write
down the hetcorresponding value" The cor
respondence consisted in this: When both
amounts:were reduced to their lowest terms,
such lowest terms were found to be indenti-
cal. Ftr example: suppose the examiner
had paid to the cobbler shilling, put to
him the following sum:
"Give me the correspondence of "a tons
II cwts. 5 qrs, ayoirdupois, in sterling mon
ey"
The man wouldreply without movements
hesitation: EST los 3D., and whoever would
find thel figures expressing it identical.
This, however, gives but faint idea of the
mans faculty. He would have mocked at so
simple test, and would have preferred deal
ing with millions at the left hand and frac-
tions at tharight. Perhaps withascholar many
say there is no great difficulty in this, since
an algebraic formula might be readily devised
for solving the problem with ease, But the
cobbler knew no more of algebra than he did
of art; he belonged to the very lowest class
Of London poor; he eked out a precarious
livelihood by patching and soling the brogans
of tramps; his associations were of the most
degrading sort; his habits Incorporate, and
he was wholly uneducated.. The wonder was,
not only that such a thing could be done,
but that man of no training should be able
to do intuitivcly, without study, what others,
with all the advantages of first rate training,
can do only by scientific method. Not the
least curious feature in the cobbler's case was
the fact that he seemed to have no Ineligible
notion of the means by which he produced
his results: at any rate, if lie had, he was
quite anablstto give anyexplanation of them.
Hewasinyitedto give alecture at . mechanics
a;;Sstitdh on mental arithmetic, and proud
enough He o.aeeapt <sas
fitted him up in decent, second hand apparel,
and he went, with his long blsck- board and
chalks. Most astonishing things he certain
ly did in the calculating way, OBTAINING the
audiencs to late hour as he performed one
marvel after another. But neither by close
attention nor exacting questions could there
be gained the least inkling of the processes
that were passing 80 rapidly in his mind.
He had no information to give. 1t was ut
terly impossible for him to teach others what
was as easy to himself as breathing. His
replies to question put not only betrayed
great irritation, but were vague, confused and
contradictory.