New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-02-26
STUDIES IN AUTOBIOGRAPHY.
BY CHARLES t. CoNGDQN.
ZERAH COLBCRN.

farmer from Vermont, iourneying about the
country with his son, pretty boy SIX or seven
wears old This was Zerah Colburn, juvenile
phenomenon of figures, with an almost lncredloie
knack at intellectual arithmetic Of gigantic proper
tions. Long after the days of his glory ana wheh
he was humble Methodist preacher, with the com
putting faculty quite gone out of him, he wrote ana
published in 1888 little autobiography which has
now become somewhat scarce. The story OF pre-"
coctv ia seldom pleasant one, and this volume Is
not as we shall see, always agreeable reading.
Such talent rs the boy possessed should have been
kept In state of due proportion to the other
mental faculties. Instead of doing this, the elder
Colburn made a show of his wonderful son, and
took him to England, where the business was man.
aged so badly that both were often in great pc
cunary difficulties. The prodigy died at the age
of thirty years. but not before he had shown him.
self to be in verything except arithmetic mediocre
person. while even his sole special talent was lost
The discovery of Zerah's peculiar faculty was
made when he was about six years old He was
sitting in his fathers carpenter shop playing with
the chips, when he began suddenly to say to him
self 8 times z are 35-6 times are as" etc. AS
he had been only six weeks at public school this
knowledge seemed wonderful. Naturally 1T was
thought that he was merely repeating what he had
heard from other boys in the school, To test this
he was asked the product of 13 multiplied by 81,
and he instantly answered 1861. This seemed
little short of miraculous. The neghbOrs came IN,
asked hard questions. and received ready answers
The bov was taken to Danville to be present during
the session of the Court. The judges, the lawyers,
the Jurors and the witnesses all astonished.
All manner of problems were propounded to him,
and straightway dealt with satisfactorily. The
child was Quick enough too, when anybody asked
him foolish questions. One ass prot ably member
of the Legislature wanted to know how many
black beans woald make five white ones. "tlve,"
answered little Zerah, " if you skin them"
The father it is irritating to read, treated the
child rs if he had been a dwarf a monster with
two heads, created expressly to be Barnumlzed.
Good Dr. Wheeock, the president OF Dartmouth
College who saw plainly enough the danger TO
which this prodigy would be exposed. offered to
retain the boy and educate him. The offer was
foolishy declined from some mistaken notion that
n better speculation could be made elsewhere.
The boy was taken to Boston, and here either the
stupidity or the greed OF Alba Colburn thwarted
the fortunes of his child Several gentlemen, Josiah
Quincy at their head offered to raise by donation
S5 600 Half of this sum was to be expended upon
The lads education and half of it given TO the
father The offer was rejected all other plans fell
through and Alba Colburn started out to travel
with his hoy as show. He was carried 10 New
York Philadelphia, Washington. His son sald
sadly afterward: /" Had my father at that time 10
view of all his former troubles and vexatons rela-
tive to me- concluded to abandon The idea OF OBJ
tanning property and perhaps some honor on ac-
count of my remarkable talent, 1t Is matter OF
belief if not of certainty that by returning to his
farm and laying out the money collected by eX-
bibition In prudent manner, he might have sup
ported his family and brought them up in respect
able manner" TIE show business was continued
until 1911 when the father determined TO take the
boy to Observation-Disclosures unfortunate mistake
In Nav. 1911, the Colburns were in London.
They had letters of recommendation from Rufus
King Ebridge Gerry and other distinguished
Americans VINO had lived abroad; but they found
that the arthmetical fame of little Zerah had pre-
ceded him. The friends of mathematical science
kindly welcomed him Rooms were taken in Spring
Garden, and the miserable show business began
again For q time the boy was Ill fashion, ana
everybody who was anybody came to SEE HIM and to
try to puzzle him princes dukes earls and bishops
came to be astOnished; among the visitors were
more important PERSONS, such as Sir James Mack
intosh Sir Humphrey Davy. John Bonnycastle, the
arithmetician. William WnberfCrce dropped IN,
but his head being full of the blacks. he did not
appear TO be SO much interested in calculating
powers as some" All London rushing to hear the
Door little Yankee raise the number to the six
teenth power and announce the portentous answer
viz. 2S1474,9767l0,656! Auditors gaped with
surprise and insisted upon knowing how lie did IT,
British acuteness, of course, suspected trick
One astute gentleman sure that the boy was
assisted by some note or hint furnished TO him by
some one concealed in the ROOM" Another was sure
that he had a book wrapped in his handkerchief
We encounter among the visitors Basil Montague,
the benevolent barrister and the friend of Thomas
Caryle's early London years. When memoir OF
the boy was proposed Sir James Macintosh SIT
Humphrey Davy and Basil Montague undertook 10
manage the business. Unfortunately, the idea OF
speculation took precedence of all Others anu TINS
wonderful arithmetical genius only learned 10
write after coming to London. The faculty OF
reading he had attained earlier. These were the
limits of his requirements
Carried to Dublin, Zerah found counter attrac-
tions in the field, viz: A giant; Miss Honeywell,
an American. who was there cutting ont watch
papers and other curiostes by the use OF her toes
and an English woman named Harvey, remarkable
for a fair skin, red eyes, hair gstening like
polished metal and nearly white" These were
truly formidable rivals. In Edinburgh, COlburn
was seen and examined by Dugald Stewart, Pro-
lessor Playfair and DR.. Brewster Returning to
London Just as he had settled down TO MS studles'
being then ten years old he was carried over 10
Paris He was kindly received there by Washing
ton Irving, or @George Washington Irving" as his
name is ri, en- in tue book. A house was taken at
rent of 1000 francs per annum it was furnished at
a cost of 600 francs; and this was done while the
father had little money and small prospect of get
ting any, Friends had finally to pay the rent and
the furniture was sold. William Temple Franklin,
the grandson of the Doctor, introduced The lad to
the French Institute, and he was questioned by no
less a person than La Place. But 1t was already
observed that he was losing something oil his
arithmetical faculty. The great DIR. Gall, then IN
Paris. examined his head, and found on 1t pro-
tuberances which indicated the presence OF
faculty for computaton.r Irving eXerted himself