Milford chronicle., 1905-07-14
A GREAT PHILoLoelsT.
The Wonderful story of an Italian
Barber's APPRENTICE.


In one Of the quaint old streets of the
ancient Italian city Of Bologna stands
a queer little secondhand bookstore
kept by one Signor Guidi. outside the
door, in odd shaped stacks of shelves
Guidi displays his wares, and before
the racks, says the Weeks Progress,
cOngregate many of the professors of
the University Of BOlognd and other
lovers Of old and odd publications.
One day in 1882 Signor Guidi stood
| in his shop doorway watching idly a
boy who had found a book which ex-
| cited his keenest interest. Suddenly
turning, he brought it to the shOpkeep-
er and demanded the price. SignOr
Guldi looked at it and smiled. 1t was
''The Life of Abdel Kader," written in
Arabic. 1t was evident that the boy,
who was only a BARRIERS helper, could
know nothing of Arabic.
my child" said the shopkeeper kind
ly, this is a book you could not t-un-
derstand"
but how much Is it?' demanded the
boy.
1.-The price is 30 cents"
"And I have only 81 The yOungster
seemed so nearly on the verge Of tears
that the shopkeeper made him a pres
ent of the volume and sent him away
happy. Later in the day he told some
Of the university professors the story,
and the next day they waylaid the boy
and held a friendly examination. To
their amazement, he translated readily
at(sight not only Arabic, but Latin and
Greek, German, French, English and
Hebrew. He expOunded and explained
with such understanding that the pro-
fessors ceased tO- question and ap-
plauded.
The boy was Alfred Trombetti, son
Of a poor laborer. His father had died
several years before. and on wages Of
20 cents a day he had supported his
mother and had educated himself at
night by study at home His case was
so amazing that at the recommendation
of the professors the city of Bologna
made him a scholarship of S12O a year
and thus enabled him to pursue his
studies.
For more than ten years now SignOr
TrOmbetti has taught school in Italy,
but ever since he obtained his doctors
degree he has kept busily at work in
his linguistic studies. Now he has an
nOunced the result of his study, a work
of four large manuscript volumes, enti-
tied Genealogical Relations Between
A Auofonf 7 onor1ooos Tro bo, oI,1ei6o1
and rearranged more than 800 Ian
guages and dialects. ancient and mod
ern, tracing them in a new way, and
is said to have proved scientifically the
unity of their origin.
King Victor Emmanuel has declared
his intention of paying the cost of pub
fishing the books, the Academia de-
Lincei has given Signor Trombetti a
prize Of $500, and he has been asked
to go back to Bologna as a professor
in the university there.
The teachers who discovered his /
learning the bookseller who told them I
Of the Arabic book and the city fathers
who gave him the scholarship now
will all lay claim to having discovered |
and helped the young boy and to have
made his success possible. But the
boy himself, studying by candlelight
night after night in his squalid home,
with books and candles bought out
IF the savings from 20 cents a day,
with hunger gnawing at his stomach
while he worked-the boy himself is
he original discOverer and the one
who did the real helping.