The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-02
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
LEWIS II. CARLL About TO ISSUE
HIS SECOND BOOK.
II Is About Problems so Abstruse That
Few Persons Are Capable Of Reading
N-IIe Composed II In Hope Of Fame
and Had TO d, crcOmr Great Difficulties.

Stone blind from his birth. but notwith-
standing this great handicap, world recog-
nized authority on the higher mathematics.
Lewis b. CARL Of BROOKLYN 4 shortly to issue
in book form the result Of twenty years
of research concerning atstrIis mathemati-
cal problems
This will be Mr.. Carlls second book
His first was issued in 1851, after ten years
OF study and research. II has SOS pages
and is called the Calculus of Variations"
1t Is the only book Of it's kind extant, and
has been ou' OF print some years. Few
persons are capable Of studying it.
The demand for the second book will
bc even smaller than for the first. because
it will deal exclusively with several isolated
points that Mr.. CARL was unable to make
clear in his first work
But now" he said the other day as he
sat in the library of his Brooklyn home,
now, after twenty years of hard and con-
tinual work on these most difficult of all
problems. have solved them at last. And
just think, please, that in return for all these
years Of patient and delicate research,
] shall not receive a cent.
My first book netted me $3.50. Two
hundred and fifty dollars for ten years
labor. not a cent for twice ten years
toll But the fame ah!"
1t was his desire for reputation, limited
though it might be TO a small circle that led
MIR. CARL Ia take up this work. When he
was graduated from Columbia Cull' g..
in 1870 pressing Seth Low, now Mayor
Of New York hard for first honors. he wanted
to become a teacher of the classics.
To that end he had worked with infinite
patience in an institution for the blind and
all through his collegeSourse. He first had
TO have some one read Greek and Latin to
him. then he had TO tran-crl~ the passages
by means Of tine point system of writing
for the blind. then he had to learn his L.. sons
like any other st udcnt.
Mr.. tarlls lessons were read TO him
by classmata. who was sent through col
.egc by Mr., Caril's father in order that he
might be eyes To his son. Most Of the read
ing was done on the train while the two
students travelled between the college and
Mr., Carll's fathers home at Whitestone
L. l.. the blind students companion being
the son Of n neighboring farmer.
Then in the evening Mr.. CARL would
study over the lessons that he had taken
down in the point system of writing On
him for six or eight hours and in this way
Mr.. CARL managed TO keep ahead of his
class and do the stipulated amount of OUT
side work
After he had done all this and thoroughly
equipped himself as a classical scholar,
he could secure no pupils WHO were looking
forward TO the degree Of Il A. Instead
all who came TO him at his fathers home
wanted instruction in mathematics.
Naturally said Mr.. CARL. Il was sorely
disappointed but | wanted 10 be indo-
pendent. so taught mathematics in which
had never prided or distinguished myself
AS time went on more pupils came 20
me: | became more interested in mathe-
mates; studied its branches as earnestly
and enthusiast ically as | had nv Latin
and Greek. which now were deserted
Pretty soon after had mastered direren-
tial and integral calculus. found that ro-
body knew very mu"h about calculus Of
variations, except that there was such
branch Then | said to myself,
sWhv don't YOU find out sonnet hing about
it, and perhaps II you do, you'll gain some
fame
$50 when J could find time between
STUDENTS. struggled in the new field Now
| an known to all mathoml'icians bv nv
works. but the general public hasn't heard
much about me, ard | never expected II
would. Still, feel that have done what
set out 10 do and am satisfied.
How have ] worked? How have I
done ~" A smile PLAYED on the speakers
gentle face 'Ah, it Is long story, but
If YOU want TO know III tell YOU
well. when began 10 look up the sub
iect Of calculus OF variations ! found, to
my amazement, that only one book on the
subject ever had been published in the
English language. In had appeared in
1851 and was from the Pc "f Prof John II.
Joliet of the University ,f Dlbin.
But try as hard a. could in this country
and Europe, could not secure a copy
Of it. The book seemed to have
disappeared,
There was nothing left for me to do
except to gather my necessary working
material from all sorts Of sources here and
abroad, so ! set to work in earnest. New
York's libraries possessed AT that time
scarcely any of the books that | needed
in my researches,
Therefore, / was compelled TO send out
postal cards to the libraries AT Yale and
Harvard and in Europe. asking i they had
certain MATHEMATICAL books and journals
When they replied in the affirmative then
asked for the loan Of the books and papers,
the officials OF Columbia University guar
anteeing the libraries that | would take
good care Of their precious and rare
documents.
an this way secured my necessary
working data. This took, all told about
three years.
But after had the books, how could
I make use Of Thorn. you will ask. Well,
my brothers. and one in particular, Addison,
were very good TO mo. | trained them
how to read mathematics and once every
two or three days I'd get one Of them to
read for about five minutes to me.
IL the book were in a foreign tongue as
often it was. ! had first to translate IT,
Then I'd tell him to stop, after which I'd
lock myself in my room, and while pacing
up and down the floor think over, arrange
and rearrange hundred of times, and apply
to- the problems had in mind the matter
that had been read to me,
Sometimes II would take me a week TO Sc
cure complete understanding Of We few
lines that had listened to. After had