The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-11-14
IowA's BOY WONDER.
At Nine Years of Age His Unusual
 Mental Atainments Are Amazing.

To be nine years old and in a class in the public school with boys twice his age, and football giants, and yet lead that class in his studies, is the unique record of little Malcolm Has, klns Dowell, son of ATr. and Mrs. George Dowen in Washington. Iowa. , This "brainy boy" has practically stepped from babyhood without any ed ucational training into next to the highest grade in the Washington pub lie schools. Held back by serious ill., ness, he has not had an entire year of school work.
 ' He is the grandson of Mir. and Mrs. J. G. Hasliins of Des Moines, who have watched his wonderful mental developments with pride. At five years of age he delighted to read to his grandmother while she held the book. He slid glibly over the longest words in the book, and no Biblical common name was beyond his pow CTS of pronunciation. He would listen to stories read aloud at five years of age and then repeat them almost ver- batim
 Shut out from sports that would de- light other boys for the past four years, undergoing a severe surgical operation last year, and racked with pain most of the time, the boy pnr- sued his school work at horne against the wishes of his parents When the time came this fall for him to enter school for the first time in year the boy jumped from one grade to an- other by his qualifications until it was found that he was ready for the seventh grade, thing unheard of among normal children. He can re- cite for both classes. While he studies his arithmetic for his next lesson, he can listen to the recitation of the next class and know the content of the book as well as the upper pupil reciting. This remarkable feat was discovered last week, when the boy recited the story under consideration by the oth- CT class in it's entirety. and yet show ed full set of figures, completely and accurately solved.
 Music is as natural gift as his memory. This has been demonstrated many times Perfectly conversant with the strings of the piano. violin and mandolin, he can produce the same music on each instrument a few min- l utes after 1t has been played on anoth- CT instrument Ragtime has no more the terrors for this remarkable child in digltal dexterity on these instru- ment than any two-four exercises, supposed to be the best score for chill dren of that age
 He can initiate any chords or groups { of chords with equal ability on the in- struments without a flaw or slur on note. His mental perception for music 1 tones is absolutely accurate, and no icombinatlon of notes eonfuses him. 1 While the child has a mind of won- [ derful brilliance he Is in no way abnor- rnal His body has kept pace with the average of child of nine years. His future will be watched with much in- terest by students. At a recent medi- cal examination he was found to be in normal condition, but with brain unus- ually acute "A brother was graduated from the West high school in Des Mbines last year and is now student of law in the Northwestern Unlversi- ty If the boys health continues he will be in the high school at 10 years, a graduate at 14 and lawyer with shingle from the Northwestern Univer- sity several years ahead of any of his compatrots in the profession.--Des Moines Register and Leader