Omaha daily bee., 1902-11-02

scarcely any Of the books that I needed in
my researches. Therefore | was compelled
to send out postal cards to the Libraries at
Yale and Harvard and in Europe, asking If
they had certain mathematical books and
journals. When they replied in the afirma-
tive | then asked for the loan OF the books
and papers, the officials of Columbia uni
versity guaranteeing the libraries that I
would take good care of their precious and
rare documents. In this way I secured my
necessary working data. This took, all
told, about three years.
But after I had the books, how could I
make use of them, you will ask. Well, my
brothers, and one in particular, Addison,
.were very good to me. ! 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. If the book
vas 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 it over, arrange and rearrange
hundreds Of times, and apply to the prob
lens | had in mind the matter that had
been read to me. Sometimes it would take
me a week to secure a complete under
standing of the few lines that I had listened
to. After l had grasped it all l would
have Addison read another short passage
and once more I'd lock myself up and think.
In this way | worked out my first book
and my second, except that in the case of
the latter I did not have to look up ma
terial, for l had all that I needed in my
first work"
Mr.. CARL paused and pointed TO his sight
less eyes. "Of course, they kept me from
using pen and paper in my tasks" he
said, $50 I have had to carry every intri-
cate p~roblem-and there are hundreds of
them-in my mind. One problem I turned
over in my head for three years before I
wrote it down in the point system. It
covers pages upon pages in my first book,
but as | solved it step by step my memory
stored it away to bring it forth in all its
completeness when at last | had the answer
and was ready to write it all down. And l
believe that, if all the copies OF my book
and the plates and the manuscript we're to
be destroyed, | could produce the book
again by calling my memory into service.
Once these problems get into my head they
seem to stay there in all their minute
details.
"In such manner I produced the copy for
both my books. AS the point system of
writing is based on punctures in paper
made by a stylus and are similar to holes
made by a pin point in paper, you can
readily see how long I was about the task,
especially when you bear in mind tina |
had to create in this writing all the many
different characters used in the "Varia-
tons"
"Of course, after I had written down
the problems some one had to transcribc
them in ordinary writing. My brother Ad-
olson wrote the first book for me; my wife
has just finished this task with the second.
When the proofs of my first book came
Addison read them to ne and made the
corrections that l ordered, Only a half
dozen mistakes have been found in the
book In all these years and these are mis-
spelled words.
I'm addition to my memory / have had
recourse to the slate for the blind.