Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1909-07-30
eLIMPSES OF WEWCOMB.
Noted compUter Who Was One Of the
Worlds Foremost Astronomers.

Worlds Foremost Astronomers.
Professor Simon NcWrumb. one of
the foremost astronomers uf the world.
who recently died at Washington. WIS
the son ~ John ". Ncwcomh the vii
lage schoolmaster Of Wallace. Nova
Scotia. He WAS bora there Ia com
paratiye poverty uu March J.. lSiJ
lie lived TO become one AZ the eight
foreign associates of the Institute of
France. the first native American since
Frauklln 10 be SO honored. Co win the
highest degrees from practically every
American college ami tributes of
honor from most Of the great foreign
scientific associations.
lie also lived 10 finish the work that
he considered his best. when q short
time ago he finished his work on the
moon he had left hut one great desire
uufulflled-t 10 have the naval oIsrrya-
tory made the national Observatory
4 few weeks ago. IN Baltimore. FRO.
feSsor Newcomb heard That there was
not much of living left for him.
Then take me 10 Washington" said
he Il have work 10 do while there Is
time"
He was taken there on a mattress In
agony. and for three weeks he lay dir-
tutlng steadily 10 strn'.rauhcrS on a
subject which required the utmost con
centration.
lie was n man Of huwor. sympathy
and aneCdote. with few or un enemies
aud multitude of friends or his
youth he has himself told as follows:
My father was the most rational aud
most dispassiouate of men My mother
was the most profoundly ana sincerely
religious woman w.th whom ] Was ever
intimately acquainted
| began TO study arithmetic when /
was five years old and when six / am
told. | was very fond ~ doing sums. Al
twelve | was studying ais ar8. and about
that time | began to tclcH. remember
that | was thirteen when { FIRST took UP
Euclid There was A copy ~ 10 among
my fathers works ! thins ~ was the
one that belonged TO my grandfather a
stouecutter. but Of unusual learning,
1t is evident from his autobiography
that Professor Ncwcomb got most OF
his education by his own efforts
though his father taught him the rudi
mcuts Yet he was 10y 40 means n
cold ar unnatural boy lie gave this
Incident To- show that hc had temper
When about attecn ! once made scan.
dal by taxing ont U1N #utft 10 prayer
meeting ana assauI,irg "A young man who
while | was kneclug down during prayer
stood above the and squeezed my NECK
lie escaped with couple ~ severe
though not serious cuts iu his band ii,
announced his intention uf tlrash.us ms
when We should meet aca,n sp for sry
: eral days thereafter / trsah 10 Keep q
T pitchfork within reach. determined. u tt
/ tried the job and / failed lo lAll him, Il
would be because | was ua9h'e tD DO so.
! AT the age of sixteen Professor New
/ comb was lost 10 exact science. Tor b,
( went ~ study under one pr. FurShay
/ IN Moncton. y. $. Fortunately hl
found things decidedly not 20 his taste
/ His life at that time be describes il
/ this his couplet:
/ Physician. apothecary, chemist and drug
gtst.
I Girl about house and hoy ln the barn
Two years later, planning to max,
| his way TO the Urytcd States. he icf
I Dr. Forshay and set out on foot. IL,
taught the three rs on the Eastern
/ Shore OF Maryland for year or :,
! and then got his appointment 20 th'
Nautical Almanac. lie got It through
4 Professor Joseph Henry Of the Smith
/ sonian institution. to whom he hat
1 SAINT an aluabrpip Drstisy1
Professor Newcomh's position on th,
1 Almanac was that Of compuier II,
was graduated from Harvard with th'
4 degree of Il S In lS5S but even be
/ fore that had made independent re
searches and had become notable Will,
! still computer there through his nape
ION the Secular Variations aud Mu
] tual Relations of the Orbits OF th'
Asteroids" From that time on h.
made the pursuit OF exact astronom.
his special field.