New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-02-26

piled to for his opinion, which was favorable,
and probably good for nothing. The little calcua-
tor had teacher Of elocution and fencing
master. Charles Kemble gave the boy instruction
for TWO OF three months He made his first appear
ance at Margate. of course in Young Norval'
His reception. he says, was " tolerably hatterhe,
which is rather dubious. But however enrapturcd.
the Margate audiences "were not very numerous
and the manager paid Young Norval nothing. An
attempt to secure an appearance IN Edinburgh
failed; an appearance as Richard the THIRD at bel
fast tailed the whole dramatic speculation laheu
disastrouslv. Ten months were worse than wasleu
in this way. Then the pair went back poorer IMAM
ever TO London. where Zerah wrote five tragedies,
"not one OF which was either actedor printed
The mild Basil Montague, losing his patience,
- formally elected the boy from his tenement"
From going to school, Zerah began keeping one with
moderate success But the poor fathers wander
inrs and speculatons were well nigh over Doubt
less with the best intentions he had done MS son
only harm: he was now to 60 away and leave him
TO his own methods of managing. When he dlcd OF
consumption in London. he left Zerah alone IN
strange land his last words being that the boy
should 60 back to his mother and the Vermont
farm He was twenty years old. 1hirty-
eight pounds were raised by subscription 10
enable MIN TO return to America. To this the Earl
of Bristol added twenty-five pounds. In Liverpool
before he embarked some thirty-six dollars were
given to him. When he arrived in New-lork he
found new friends ard among them Professor John
Griscom, who offered to secure for HIM position as
teacher in a school. But his heart seems to have
been with his mother. whom be had not seen for
fourteen years He went back to Vermont, poor as
when he left it, and he wisely stayed away from
the CITY, For some time this once brilliant
phenomenon was commonplace teacher IN an
academy in Fairfield n. Y; but he did not like the
work and went back to Vermont, where he taught
French studying at the time III the University
there.
II was at this time that he began to mediate
upon the subject of religion. He read Doddrdges
| Rise and Progress" book which the Earl OF
Bristol had warmly recommended to him. lie
"experienced religion; he became plous ana a
presbvterian: he determined to enter the ministry
of that Church: but when dOctrna doubts arose In
his mind he went over to the Methodsts and became
one of their preachers. lie married ana had chll
dren and finding himself in need OF money ne wrote
ana published this little yellow book before me
lis froptispiece is the portrait of himself painted
when he was a mere child. He STANDS III an engag-
ing attitude with a battledOre in one hand ana
shuttlecock in the other. The childish lace mas
unless | merely imagine It, something OF worn
and weary cast. AS he cOntemplates MS career, IL
| is curious TO find him specializing upon ne design
of Providence in making him the recipient OF suGh
an extraordinary gift. He finally admits that Inc
| specific object cannot be known. lie had done 10
service to science. Finally he asks II MS peculiar
ability might not have been designed TO draw atten
ton TO him as a preacher. But II So why were ms
talents as preacher not equal, not superior, 10 inc
woman Thought that he had been endowed win
his talent for figures that he might elucidate me
mvsterons periods alluded 10 in the propheces
After much speculation, COlburn concludes that he
knows nothing of the matter. He leaves the object
to be cOmprehended under the general one Whlch me
Almighty proposes TO Himself In ali MS WORKS anu
M, in he
least suggests brilllancy or any lntellectua acute
ness number of poems written IN chll9hQ0u
which are appended to the Memoir are remalkanie
for nothing but a kind OF mechanical accuracy
otherwise they have no merit whatever ana are
particularly deficient in imagination.
| The Memoir was published only seven years
before CoIburn died In 1910. He was then Pro-
lessor of Languages in Norwich University, ana
but thirty-sx, as | have already stated. ne WIS
in every way peculiar person, having hye myers
on each hand and sX toes on each foot his was
mark which for number of generations had Deeh
in the family. He quotes III stating ths tasas
Chronicles M 6-the pass 90 about man oil great
stature III Gath whose fingers and toes were fonr
and twenty. six on each hand and SIX on each
foot" These superfuOus fingers and toes were OF
mo nractical use to Zerah nor am sure that his
abnormal talent for arithmetic was oil any serVIce
either. e ,4
nav call the moral value OF enumeration TO declue
upon the Importance of such ability as nat OF Col
burn. The faculty has precedents mere nave
breo several calculating boys exhibited in London
We have had in this country IN recent times TO
fessor Stafford, who, while child menlally OK.
tracted the SQUARE and cube roots of nun bers of
nine and ten places of figures" But at fourteen
wears OF age Stafford produced the elliptic elements
of the first comet of $40. He too was Vermont
bow; unlike Zcrah he has made his peculiar endow-
ment of some use to the scientific world, and to
The Republic | put all these COM uierS upon
record with n RESPECT which has in it something
of self-reproach. Having small passion for hgares
in INV youth it has pleased God 70 diminish It up
to the present time. As conclude TINS skeich Oh
one who could have multiplied me out of my senses,
recall the recitation room in college which wit
messed my regular morning discontinue. Ap1ut
that very time it was becoming apparent that
Zerah Coburn could do nothing in algebra ana
nothing in conc sections. | reverence his memory
for keeping me in &C Jntenance.