Rosebud County news. [volume] (Forsyth, Mont.) 1901-1906, 1901-05-30
HE is A PRODIGY.
INDIANA MAN WHO ExCEuS
BUXTON At FIGURES.
Eight Original Methods for Addition
Ten for Division and sixty Four fol
tiplication-Mentally Raises Large
Numbers to Fifth Power.

Arthur Griffith. commonly known rs
the lightning calculator, and conceded
to be the greatest mathematician in
Indiana, was born on a farm near
Milford, Ind, on the 18th day of July,
1880. From the time he was able to
walk until the present his whole
thought has been on the subject Of
mathematics, When but small lad
he would frequently count the num-
Der Of potatoes his mother peeled. or
the number of ears of corn husked
by his father. One day he counted the
number of sticks of wood sawed by
several men, the total being $3.50.
When Griffith was 10 years old his
parents moved to Milford, and for the
next seven years he attended the pub
lie schools there. The teachers were
unable to teach him anything in the
line of mathematics, and found it very
difficult to interest him in anything
else; So at the age of II, his education
ceased. Before Griffith was known,
Buxton, an Englishman, was the
worlds greatest wonder in mathemat-
les. Buxton could neither read, write
nor spell, and had no knowledge what
ever of any subject except mathemat-
les. Besides being a wonder in math-
ematics, Griffith is fairly we'll educat-
ed in other common school studies.
He can read, write and spell, and can
carry on an intelligent and interesting
and length of every railroad in the
country. and besides being about 40
per cent ahead of Buxton in the line
of mathematics. he is at least 80 per
cent ahead of him in other studies. The
extent and diversity of Griffith in
mathematical knowledge was first
known to the public about two years
ago, and since that time he has been
progressing rapidly in all branches Of
his favorite study. Somewhat doubt
ing what he had heard of Griffith. Err
nest H. Lindley, associate professor of
psychology at Indiana university, sent
for him in November, 1899. Griffith
remained at the university for three
months, studying algebra and giving
exhibitions before the classes. At the
end of three months, in charge of
Professor Lindley, he was taken to
Yale university. at New Haven, Conn,
where he dumfOunded all by his rapid
calculating, and the able manner III
which he could explain how he could
work all problems propOunded to him.
Griffith is about five feet eight inches
in height and weighs 1870 pounds His
hair is very dark and his eyes jet
black and exceedingly bright. He
talks very fast and with a slight break
in his speech, which makes it some
what difficult to understand him. Crit
fifth now has eight different methods
of his own for addition, ten for divi-
sion and sixty-four for multiplication
He can take any number between $40
and 1000 and raise it to the fifth pow
use of either pencil or paper, while,
in working with pencil and paper, 800
operations are necessary. Griffith can
mentally add three columns at time,
divide any set of figures, multiply any
set of figures in from one to forty sec
onds, and extract square and cube
roots in from three to fifteen seconds.
He remembers every problem that he
works. The hardest test which he has
yet been given, so he claims, is to
stand and see freight train pass
with twenty or thirty cars and then
tell the number Of each car in order,
and to what road each belonged.--In-
dianapolis News.