The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1894-10-26
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Csic~isssd Instantly the Nunber II SEQ
onds In Forty-eieht Yeara

0aicuisssd Instantly the Number 81 SEQ
onds In Forty-eight Yeara
There arc OF course many excellent
books which deal with boys In fiction,
and there are also actual biographies
which .narrnte what promising young
persons certain individuals were who in
after lifo achieved greatness, but in the
latter case tho prophecy Ia made after
tho ovont, and somehow or other tho
youth thus culoHaod has generally too
little OF tho boy about him to be quito
believed In. What | venture ~ propose
is that some sympathetic writer should
toll Us what boys have done" when
they were hoys
This Is by no means so small matter
rs may BIO supposed
There arr OF course the musical boys.
Handel, who ct 0 years old composed
church service for voices and instru-
ments every week" and at 10 Brought
out three successful operas, and Mozart
who nlso nj had reception IN Lou.
don 'such IN tho curious rive to novel.
ty. tho scientific to in, iiee,r'N md
tho great To what nGniiIj sils}a;cly
pleasure 1t 10 hc "c' cta. RAGS
for the dedication OF tho .!ui, Ii Of tho
Orphans at Vienna and acted M director
In person.
These wero certainly boys who made
some noise In tho world.
Then there were tho calculating boys,
who. 1t is noteworthy, distinguished
themselves as Juveniles much more than
az grownups-Zerah Colburn, who u.s.
tonished the scientific world Of London
as child "by raising the number s
progressively up to the tenth power.
and whose mind was a fertile soil for
cube roots when his contemporaries
were learning addition.
One gentleman, by way Of a side dish
during feast Of figures, asked him how
many seconds there were in 48 years, and
before the question could be written
down he answered it correctly.
George Bidder made even this youth
take back seat, for, at IL years old,
when taken to the stock exchange, he
was asked this little question. and an
swered it In one minute: IF the pen
dulum of clock vibrates the distance
Of or inches In second, how many
inches will it vibrate in the course of z
years IA days 2 hours 1 minute Sc Sec
onds?"
Even with pencil and paper know
persons, who shall. be nameless, that
could not answer this in seven years.
Then there was Chatterton, "the mar
velous boy, who persisted in his pride, I"
and in quite another line of business
Thomas Maxim, who died not "a do
tard at T." but undeniably the greatest
scholar Of his age. He was an "all
around" genius. He knew more about
Greek at than some people, again l
forbear to mention names, at IA.
At 8 he made copies of some of
Raphael's heads so admirably that con-
noisseurs prophesied he would be great
artist. His most remarkable feat. how
ever, because it showed imaginative
powers of a high order. was his descrip-
ton Of visionary country called Allie
stone, Of which he considered himself
king.
h0 WIOeo ieo uASeoAy III q ~ y Va
tales and letters and drew m;... IF it,
giving names of his own invention to
its mountains, rivers and seaports.
He was probably the most remarkable
boy, though indeed he was but child,
who ever lived
The most excellent boy from the
financial point Of view was, however,
undoubtedly William King West Betty,
better known as "the young Roscius, "
who at 3 years Of age retired from the
stage, having made something like ESQ,
900 for his family.
Hero was something like" a boy,
though, in fact he was not in the least
like one. and happy should be the father
who has his culver full of such. james
Payn in London Illustrated News.