The Washington herald., 1909-10-24

there with SO in his pocket. With an
other enterprising youth he the following
year laid the foundation for the Jour
nalistic career that has made him the
patron saint Of thousands who have fol-
lowed IN his footsteps.
Benet n PrecociouE Youth.
The mastery of many languages and
the ability 10 read and write at almost
incredibly early ages is not a modern
evolution In the sixteenth century hts
tory tells US Of one Charles Benet. known
as the man child OF Manchester OF
whom It was said in the literal words OF
the old English: At three yeaTes OF age
he doth speak Latino, Greek, and He
brew. though never taught these Ian
guages"
The modern chronicler OF Weiner says:
His eyes tell the story. They are big
and black and blazy. They pierce you
/ 20 the core through sold-rimmed spec
tacles that are the only outward evil
/ dence Of the standard joke about the
/ Boston school boy"
| OF Benet the ancient biographer re-
lates: HIS eye darted g sprightly and
piercing ray upon all things"
| About the same time there was a
youth in Switzerland who preached edify-
/ ing sermons 10 his neighbors az the age
/ Of three years.
/ Johan Philip Baratier, a German lad Of
/ the seventeenth century, knew at the
/ age OF FIVE Greek, Latin, G:.5 French.
/ AT nine ne had mastered the Hebrew and
/ Chaldaic languages and could translate
! German into Latin. AT thirteen he trans
/ lated Hebrew into French and French
/ into Hebrew.
| Christian Henry Heinecken. at one
! year old knew the chief events Of the
| Pentateuch. At thirteen months he knew
the history OF the Uld Testament and
| that Of the New At fourteen months.
! When he was two and one-half years he
! could answer any ordinary question Of
! history or geography. lie was a French
and Latin student at the age Of three.
Present Age OF PrOdIEies.
Jean Lois Elizabeth de Montchalm knew
the alphabet when he was thirty months
old. At three years he could read Latin
and French from print or the original
manuscript. At four he could translate
Latin; at six, read Greek and Hebrew.
and was good at ar.thematic. history.
| geography. and metallUrgy. In four
weeks he learned 10 write correctly and
| duently. and al seven had read all the
| chief poets. orators, historians, philoSo-
/ piers, grammarians &c. But the poor
chap died before he was eight.
| More-or less-fortunate was an italian
who lived in the early part Of the eight
] eenth century His name was Ennius
! ViscOunt He knew Greek and Latin as
well as hts native Italian before he was
four years old. He lived TO be sixty
seven years old.
The claim has been made by eminent
authorities who are prodigy hunters that
the present is an age OF prodigies. In
the world Of art on the stage and con-
cert platform, and even in the pulpit
children have been astonishing the world
with their genius. and earning incomes
calculated to arouse the envy OF the most
successful business men.
An exhibitor at the French salon this
year is a twelve-year-old artist named
Marcel I4avellard. the son OF haber-
dasher. who commenced TO paint pictures
when he was six. A few years aso Henri
Cortes was admitted TO the French Salon
when he was nearly thirteen. Five years
ago Tada Styka, a boy painter Of thir-
teen, had two canvases accepted.
The stage and concert platform present
the most remarkable modern instances OF
precocity other than those Of the Boston
! children. Joseph Holman, the we'll
known pianist. began playing in public
at the age OF six. AT nine ne made a
tour Of Germany. Denmark. Norway. and
Sweden playing also In Vienna. Paris
and London. In a tour Of America, IN
/ 1857, when he was ten years old, he gave
/ hfty-two concerts in two and oHe-hali
months. His health gave way under the
strain and he became the object OF ac-