Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1889-01-27
A MATHEMATICAL PRODIGY
Remsra able Talent OF a gafw,..
COuntryman who Seems TO Thin !,
Members Like Poet.

NOmDers Like n fOet.
s.. Louis G,obeD.mo~a,
Reuben Field, the mathematical p,ci...
CT Lexington, who has attracted so r,,t
attention of late, was born at Wsr-.,.
burg, johnson county, about thiay yea.
ago, and possesses only slightly bet,.,
intellectual faculties than Blind Tor, p
"Reub's' gift is made the mere pro~i
nent by the barrepnesl Of liz mind (,
other features He has intellige c l.ii.
from lis remarkable manipulation n
figures. Give Reubsn Field a pr,b'sr
no matter whether il be ia decimal
compound or vulgar lractiona; il nsks.
10 difference whether it is better suitei r,
the rules Of short than lo1g division. II i
immatsriai y neither there are 10 fsnr.. ii,
700 in it; whether multiplication OF san.
traction, and be will, without the I'D n
paper or psncil, give you the answer bsio,,
the echoes Of your voice in prcplardD,
the question have fully died away. Re-
cannot read; he canuot write lie iss,
not know one figure from another ana
yet mentally, by the gilt which b,
possesses, be can solve any problem sub
mite ed 20 him. As Blind Toms nL
ent of repeating pieces % music
played in his presence for the frs tiue sy
many Of the most brilliant performers Il
the country, has been tested, aud alvau
with the result Of mt kipg more worirF.
his great gift, 20 have lesrned nat.e.s,.s.
ians tried to trap Field, but VII, ol. u,.
cess. To give him pollen w6cl o.t
himself could 70. solve would 10, deter
mine whether be was right CT w.o-g sd
lest errors might be nsde most l.ui
examples" in the higher arithmetic. 60
vel az others, originating with tteir a1s.
toner and simple enough exc pt iar Their
lorg array of figures, have heen hurled 81
him, and quick as fash woul3 Cueh
answer, always correct.
Give him the diameter Of III Wnes.c.s
locomotive and TIE distance between ar7
two poiut.--it makes no difference boz
great-:he time spent in trayer-.rg .1.
distance, and you have hardly cess.d .glz.
ing before he gives you the r1u1G Z
revolutions the wheel makts D. ls-.
tie distance. Give him the distArce SOD
the time and he will tell you the da-se
of the wheel. Tell him the dimen,io is
brick, ard say TO lin wall is so mal! q,
long, so many high ard so many itI.sEi
he promptly tells on how many hl.a.u
in the wall. Not in a REASONABLE ng'l
time, as though calculating j., hut,.
stantly, and while skilled Accountants VIII
have witnessed his feats have qu -to-t
the correctness of his answers, they hv
found they were in error and kut W.
right whenever they did so. Tel hur
multiply SOS. 746, 322 l56 by %, all s..
575 and divide by co, and in less time ilE
the reader can calculate il Reub VII bare
the answer ready. These figures a.ea i
used as an illustration, hut they wesl.
plcity in its purest run. corpl7tD
some submitted to him. He has .ay eyes
and when not eDgsged in exhibiting hs
strange gift they are entirely ineo. u
preston, ssthough they were OF de.d }.lT.
but have him in the excitement o. iHa
and strange glitter, something hta
short Of an expression Of nadaes .Isis
them up. The siraBgfs. Of his h'li-Ht
ted fellows accomplishments "a tust
awakened ut any hour, he VIII o.. y'-
the time to q second. If. does no msa
a business OF exhibiting fi' power aada
is not always that thcse who are mc
kind to him and whom he know hs go
persuade him 10 show on li- ar
his power came from God, and be- o.
cepted cilers which had beea maie 'o l.l
to travel with shownel or to ase .--
ployment ia large bueiless h.ua IA
would take the gift away.