The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1903-04-10

| English Lad was tnteiiecto"hy o"e
of the Most Remarkable Youths the
world Has Ever Known.
one Of the most remarkable boys the
world ever saw was William Pitt. He
| hstonlshcd folk with his learning at the
age OF seven. lie became prime min
lister of England when lac was twenty
| four.
lie was "A sickly boy. but he took all
| the out of door exercise his delicate
frame could bear and was as eager 10
study as most boys are 10 play. He
would not lot his weak body stop his
work. and he was reading ancient his-
tory at an age when most children are
reading stories written In words or
one syllable.
His fathcr was the great Earl or
Chatham. and the boy was brought In
to contact with all the great men or
the time In England. When he was
thirteen years old he wrote n tragedy
which ne called "Laurcntinc, King or
Claplnium."
At this age, too, he was able TO read
Greek and Latin almost as well ns ne
could English. lie also was well In
formed on the politics Of the day ana
ON a variety Of subjects about which
only men Of learning are supposed to
know anything.
At fourteen he was able TO take the
works of Thucydidcs, written In Greek,
and read page after page, turning IL
into excellent English as hc read, ana
This of hand translation OF his IL said
TO have been almost without flaw.
His father spoke OF him as "cager
Mr.. william, the counselor, the philos-
ophcr" At the age OF fourteen he en-
tered the great University or cam
| bridge I'm England and at once, In spite
Of his youth, took high place among
the students at that celebrated place
of learning.
When he went 10 Cambridge, the boy
was I'm such feeble health that he had
| 10 be accompanied by nurse, ana oil
through hls course there he wns In 80
poor condition, physically, that II was
doubted If he ever would be able To
finish the course.
But hard study seemed To agree with
him, and when he was graduated, nj
the age of seventeen, ha was much
stronger than when he entered the uni
ycrsity.
At an age when most boys are pre-
pairing to enter college, or, II they are
very clever, have just become fresh
men, young Pitt won the degree or
master of arts from one Of the great.
est universities I'm the world md began
the study of law.
At twcnty-one he was admitted To
thc bar, and the same year was elected
II member of parliament, to become
prime minister three years later
Whifc he was yet II law student ANA
only eighteen years old he attracted
| the attention Of prominent men by his
Aar views on the questions Of govern
| mcnt, which then were pcrplcxing tho
rulers of England. The boy was In
vited everywhere, and men holding the
most important Offices listened to his
/ advice and asked his opinions.
| His friends wanted him TO go into
pnrIlamcnt when he was twenty ana
nll predicted for him n brilliant career.
II was curious to see this delicate strip
ling, n boy I'm looks and years, meeting
the great and wise men OF the country
| as an equal and convcrsing on even
terms with the most learned scholars
of the day.
| Young Pitt used To like To listen TO
the debates in the British parliament,
| and MIR. Fox, the great statesman,
meeting him once after II debate, was
astonishcd ut the manner In which tho
boy criticised the eminent men who
had spoken and pointed out where they
could have made their argument
stronger.
One of the hardest works to under
stand that ever were written Is n book
called "Cassandra." written 10y man
named Lycophronis. 1t IL written In
| Greek \ learned man placed the book
I'm the hands OF young Pitt when the
! boy was sixteen years old. and he read
IL at first sight, translnting Into Eng
lish as he read and explaining II In n
manner which made the learned man
declare that had he not seen II he
would have believed II to bc beyond
the power OF human intellect
When Pitt was sixteen. his father de
carcd that he would be II great states
man and was the hope OF the country
Other folks soon became OF his fathers
way of thinking, and that Is why they
put him into parliament when he was
so young ana made him prime minister
SO soon after.
lie fulfilled all that was expected OF
him and ruled England during thirteen
of the most cvcntful years of her his
tory Detroit Free Press
standardization.
Somnamhulism? What Is Il? Did yo,