The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1874-04-16
Admirable CrichtOn.

This extraordinary man was born
in the year 1851, or, according to
some, in August, 1860, and was de-
scended from respectable parents, who
resided in the county of Perth, Scot
land. After receiving his grammati-
cal education i'm the town of Perth,
he was sent to st. Andrews to study
philosophy, in which he made rapid
progress, under the able direction of
Rutherford, Buchanan, Hepburn,
and Robertson and before he had
reached his twentieth year, he made
himself master of the sciences of the
times, he was able to write and to
speak ten different languages, and
had attained the greatest skill in the
more snowy accomplishments of
riding, dancing, singing, and playing
upon musical instruments.
Having thus completed his educa-
ton, CrichtOn set out upon his trav-
els, and paid his first visit TO the
French metropolis. Conscious of the
superiority of his attaInments, and
eager to display them to the world,
he publicly challenged all the celebrat-
ed men in Paris to dispute with him
in the college of Navarro that day six
weeks, ut nine o'clock i'm the morn
ing, when he should answer any
question in the arts and sciences,
either in prose or i'm verse, and i'm any
oftwelve languages, viz: the Hebrew,
Arabic, Syriac, Greek, Latin, French,
italian, English, Spanish, Dutch,
Flemish, and SclavOnian. During
the interval of six weeks, while his
antagonists were preparing for the
contest, Crichton amused himself
either in hunting, hawking, fitting,
ETC., or spent his time at balls and
concerts; and yet when the day ar
rived, he acquitted himself to the as
constituent of his auditors, in a dis
putatiOn which lasted from nine
o'clock in the morning till six at
night. The president of the assembly
then rose from his chair, and, attend
eel by four professors of the UNIVERSE
ty, presented CrichtOn with dia-
mOnd ring, and purse full of gold,
in token of their admiration and es-
TEEN. On the following day he at
tended match of fitting at the Lou
vre, and in the presence of brilliant
he carried off the ring If
teen times in succession.
From Paris Crichton went to Rome,
where he exhibited himself with
equal success and applause, before
the people and the most distinguished
in that renowned metrop-
oils.
His next exhibition was at Venice,
about the year 1880, where he
the affections of the peo-
pie by a Latin poem i'm praise of
the city, which he presented to Al
dus Mantus, and other Venetian
literati. He made brilliant speech
before the Doge, and sustained dis
putatiOns on various subjects with
his usual success.
As soon as he recovered from an
illness with which he was attacked,
md which lasted five months, he set |
)ut for Padua, and on the 18th of
March, 1881, he disputed with the
most celebrated professors of that uni
yersity, and particularly exposed the
'rrors of the Aristotlelan philosophy.
The fame of this exhibition was so
widely extended, that he was earnest
Y solicited to repeat the performance
" numbers who were not able to at
end before. Manutius informs us,
hat this second display never took
lace; but II we believe Imperialis,
Tho speaks on the authority Of his
lther who was present, Crichton did
lake his appearance, and disputed