Evening star., 1898-12-24


| lister. devout and humble. He died in his
| thirty-fifth year.
1t is not easy to identify this grown-up
Zerah with the phenomenal child who
| startled two continents. We rub our eyes
| in bewilderment, ard think of the old tales
| about chaEgelings. But he bore his disap-
| pointment well, bitter it must have been.
| There is something that appeals TO us
/ strongly in the meek after-life of this dis
| mantled genius.
| Somewhat sim liar though less extraor-
| binary, Is the story of Bidder. He. too,
| was exhibited by his father in childhood
! and he seems to have had the same gift
| OK "visualizing'' his mental processes. He
| v as more lucky, however, in soon escaping
| from the menagerie and getting thorough
| education. He was less abnormal: his pow
| ers persisted, and he became an engineer
| of distinction. This suggests that the col
i lapse of infant prodigies may be largely due
| to injudicicus handling. 1t is certainly so
| in some cases.
The Young Roscius.
| In theatricals the typical instance is
Master Batty. 1.-The Young Roscius"-a
stage-struck baby, who was exploited at
| the age of eleven. He starred all throug
England and Scotland, playing before tu-
| multuous and enthusiastic houses. At CO.
| vent Garden the crush was so great that
many were injured, and a troop of soldiers
| was called out to preserve order. The
| youngster was declared to have "eclipsed
| John Kemble:" and he certainly drew big
ger crowds and higher pay An Edinburgh
nan was actually driven out of town for
dissenting from the popular verdict: The
| boys biography was circulated like that of
a presidential candidate. Even in the part
! of Hamlet-an audacious venture-he was
| loudly applauded.
sckool-which was wisdom. But soon Uhree
years of educa ticn being deemed ample for
! a young Roscius) he again tempted fate
| behind the footlights-which was mis-
1 fn1yA l,,f fnr hot hn
be mourning it's loss AS it is, We laugh
| at the mention of his name.
| He was now twenty-one. His youthful
| charm, whatever it was, had vanished. He
| was fat, with fiat muffin face" and I'M
| graceful action. One night broke the illu-
| sion. The audience had great fun with him.
but did not care for repetition, and he
| was permanently retired
| Thus what is too often a tragedy was
! turned to bur,esque. There IS no occasion
I for tears. His bank account, at least, was
| above criticism, and the rest of his life was
as happy mortified ambition would per-
| init.
| Burn Out Quickly.
| Tragedies there are, however, in abun-
| dance. Remorselessly overstimulated by
| the folly of those about them, In many an
instance these little victims burn out their
| lives like rockets. They grow old SO fast
that months count as years, and while the
applause Is still sounding at the heartless
| snow, they slip away from their tOrmentOrS
to rest their jaded sous in the grave. And
| here belongs the pathetic story of baby
| Heineken.
| 1t is told, with grim unconsciousness. by
i the man who crucfied the child. the tutor
who is not ashamed to record that he be
| gan operations on an infant scarcely n year
| old, still in the arms of it's nurse. But he
was 4 pedant, and he had a theory of edu-
| cation.
This intellectual vivisectionist had found
| a subject rarely endowed. At the age of
! eighteen months Master Heineken knew a
| considerable part of the Old Testament ty
| heart. By the middle of his third year he
| was well versed in ancient history and
| geography, and had committed to memory
| 5000 Latin words! Then study was inter
| rupted by fit of sickness
/ The cruel work, however, was soon re-
sumed. The little martyr was now laid on
| the rack Of ''dogmatic theology and ecclasi-
astical history" with more Latin. For
| diversion, French was presently added. All
| this seems as incredible as it is outrageous:
| but memory, doubtless, was the faculty
| mainly called upon.
OF course the fame of the prodigy went
| abroad, and many came to see and hear.
| The learned infant entertained them with
| Latin quotations. These must have been
learned by rote, but they were aptly ap-
| piled. He also composed little stories in
French, though his fingers were still too
| weak to be exercised in writing.
A Pitiful Story.
| Then came another illness, and it was
decided that he needed a change of air.
What it should be he settled for himself.
| Il will go to Copenhagen, and present my
| colored maps to the king" he declared,
| land then l shall be well again" Childish
| logic-but his whim was granted. The
| proud tutor was only too glad to comply.
So they went, nurse and all. The sea
voyage was hard on thu little fellow but
! he had a quotation for every emergency.
| He jested about the ships milk, calling it
| ''lac gallinaceum;' and during storm he
Encouraged the sailors with passages from
| Scripture.
At last he was indeed brought before the
| king, whom he amused with strange mix
ture Of pedantic learning and infant hu-
| mors. For example, he suddenly interrupt
ed a Latin discourse to ask (still in Latin
| for broomstick. 1t was given him, and,
| bestriding it, he trotted about the hall.
| Then he resumed his lecture. Half an hour
later, announcing this time in French) that
| he was lawfully tired he proceeded to
| take nap in the royal presence.
| If, after all the abuse of nature he had
| endured he could still enjoy playing horse
with a broomstick, he might have been
saved But his tutor did not spare him.
| He was exhibited from palace to palace.
The end came quickly after their return
| to his Lubbock home. He saw its approach
with his childish eyes wide open. end met
| it with the steadiness of a veteran. Death
| is common to every age he said, with his
usual quaint pedantry, and, Of course, in
| Latin. He kept up his studies to the last.
| He was only four years and two months
old when he. died. Let us hope that he
| found no tutors, but many broomsticks, in
| heaven.
1 cannot bear to comment upon this
| atrocity further: and it needs no comment.
Yet things similar never done today?
Master Heineken. I fear. is not the only
| victim of the misguided zeal of pada2o 2ogues.
| The above cases are extreme but typical.
| Many more might easily be cited: but 1t
has been sufficiently shown what becomes
| of the infant prodigy.
| Curing by Fright.
| From the New York Herald
| Mr.. Michea, leading English physician,
| has advocated most original method Of
| treating diseases. He cures his patients by
fright He had observed that in certain
cases a sudden shock or fright produced a
healing effect upon the patient. He then
carried his idea into effect by writing and
| sending to the patient anonymous letters,
which contained everything uncomplimen-