, 1889-01-19
A MATHEMATICAL PRODIGY.
The Remarkable Talent of n Half wittcd
Negro Countr, mnn.

Negro Country man.
Reuben Field. the mathematical pro-
dizzy of Lexington. who has attracted so
much attention, was born ut Warrcns-
burg, johnson county. about thirty years
ago, and possesses only slightly better
intellectual faculties han Blind Tom"
''Itucb's' Eift is made the more promi-
ncnt by the harrcnness OF his mind in
other features. He has no intelligence
aside from lis remarkable manipulation
Of figures. Give Reuben Field a problem.
no matter whether ii he in decimal. com
pound or vulgar fractions: it makes no
difference whether il is better suited to
the rules Of short than long division; it
is E1matCrial whether there are ten fig
uresor 200 in il; whether multiplication
or satisfaction; and he will, without the
aid Of paper or pencil, give you the
answer heiurc the echoes of your voice
in ~UTopounding the question have fully
died away. He cannot read, he cannot
write. He docs not know one figure
from another, and yet mentally, by the
nit which he possesses, he can solve any
problem submitted to him. As blind
Tu5Ip talent of repeating pieces Of music
played IN his presence for the first time by
many Of the most brilliant performers in
the country has been tested, and always
with the result of making more wonder
full his great gift, so have learned math.
CmatigiIus tried to trap Field, but with
out success. To give him n problem
which ono himself could not solve
would not determine whether he was
right or wrong. and lest errors might be-
made the most difficult examples IN
the higher arithmctics, rs well as others.
originating with their questioncr and
simple enough except for their long
array Of figures, have been hurled at
him, and quick rs n flash would come
his answer, always correct.
Give him the diameter of the wheel of
n locomotive, and the distance between
any two points-it makes no difference
how grcat-the time spent in travcrsing
tbs distance. and you have hardly
ceased speaking before he gives you the
number OF revolutions the wheel makes
in covering the distance. Give him the
distance and the time and he will tell
you the diameter of the wheel. Tell him
the dimensions Of n brick. and say 10 him
a wall b. so many feet long, so many
high and SO many thick, and he promptly
tells you how many bricks are in the
wall. Not in u reasonable length of
time, as though calculating 1t, but in
stantly. and while skilled accountants
who nave witnessed his feats have qucs-
toned the correctness Of his answers,
they have found they were IN error and
Rcub was right whenever they did so.
Tell him To multiply 0.s9S, 7l6, 822, 1856 by
10. add s9.572 and divide by 60, and in
less time thai the reader can calculate it
Rcub viii have the answer ready. These
figures are only used rs an illustration,
but they nrc simplicity in its purcst
form compared 10 some submitted TO
him. He las gray eyes. ard, when not
engaged in exhibiting his strange gift,
they are entirely free of expression, rs
though they were OF dead glass, but have
linn in the excitement Of figures and a
strange glitter-something little short of
an expression of madncss-lights them
up. Tho etraugcst of this half wittcd
fellows accomplishments is that, awaC-
oned at any hour, he will tell you the
time toa second. lie does not make u
business Of exhibiting his power, and it
Is not always that those who are nos
lind TO linn, and whom he knows best,
can persuade him 10 ''show oil" lie
says his power caIuc from God, and, if
he accepted offers which had been made
10 him to travel with showmcn, or to
take employment in largo business
houses, God would take his gift away
Lexington lMo) Cor. Globe Democrat.