Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1909-12-02
a MATHEMATICAL PRODIGY.
Remarkable Record Of Truman n.
Stafford. Jr.. e Native Of RoyaIton.


prom the Montpelier Daily Journal
To the Editor OF the Journal:
In the recent republication OF the Nor
rill and Edmunds report on the selection
OF Ethan Alien ana Jacob Collamer 70
places in the National statuary Hall a
Washington, as Vermonts representative
you held up to view three Of Vermont
great statesmen, and Vermont's gres
pioneer soldier hero. OF Yermont's grea
scholars, mathematicians and prodigie
but little is said or written. Permit m'
to call your attention to two "msthemati
cal prodiRies" born In Vermont. Zeral
Colburn was born in Cabot, VT, Sept. /
1904, died at Norwich, VT, March 2
1899. He published Memoir in 1888 o.
200 pages which contains an account o
his wonderful mathematical powers, oil
his travels abroad, ETC., etc. This bool
having been many years out Of print II
somewhat rare.
The second mathematical prodigy
was Truman II. Stafford, Jr., who was
born at Royalton, VT, January 8, 1885,
and died at Newark, N. j., June 13, 1901.
At ten years Of age Stafford published q
"Youth's Almanac" which was printed
at Bradford, VT, tlS46). AlmanacE
probably were not considered OF much
value at that time and were not carefully
preserved and handed down from genera
tion to generation. At any rate few
copies have been preserved of this partic.
ular Stafford Almanac so that ii is now
among Vermont's very rarest biblio-
graphy. The Almanac contains an APP
pendix with a sketch of young Stafford q
life and wonderful mathematical per-
formances, written by Robert Mex.
Ormsby, lawyer and author of some
note living at Bradford, VT.
! feel warranted in saying that great
er mai hematieal prodigy, at ten years of
age, never lived than Truman Henry
Stafford, Jr. He was graduated from
Harvard in the class Of 1854, and lived q
scholarly and useful life.
Horace W. Bailey.
Middlebury, Nov. %.
This almanac gives the personnel OF the
Vermont Supreme Court as follows: Chief
Judge, Charles X. Williams; Assistant
Judges, Stephen Royce, Isaac r. Redheld,
Milo L. Bennett, Daniel Kellogg. The
reporter was Peter 7. Washburn, after
ward Governor Of Vermont. Among the
County Clerks Daniel P. Thompson, in
Washington county; Henry B. Stacy, in
Chittenden county; Norman Williams, in
Windsor county; and Samuel B. Mat
tocks, in Caledonia county.
Truman Henry Stafford, Jr., was born
in Royalton, June 8, 1886. He was the
son of T. II. and Louisa P. Stafford. Be
fore he was three years old he would
-. l.
intuition. When only three years old be
began to attend district school. In Mr..
Ormsby's sketch of Stafford il is said
"When he first took hold OF arithmetic, il
seemed as though he solved the sums In
tuitively. The teacher could not compre-
bend his actions. He would not halt
state the sum, and with the rapidity OF
lightning a shower OF figures would be-
spatter the slate, and perhaps not one
quarter OF the figures involved in the on
Grafton would be made, yet the answer,
somehow or other, would come The
teacher would look on in amazement,
ignorant OF the process, ignorant OF all
connection of the figures with the prob
lem, and when he endeavored to obtain
an explanation, he was unable to do 1t.
The boy understood what he could not
explain. The teacher would demonstrate
and enjoin upon him the necessity OF de-
voting his time to batch OF preliminary
matter, which in reality, was totally
useless"
Many notices of the subject OF this
brief sketch have been circulating in the
papers. The following remarks from
Rev. George Denison, late professor OF
mathematics in Kenyon College, we're
made in letter to the Western Episco-
palian, after thorough examination of
the boy: Perhaps you have seen,D says
he, Gin the political papers OF the day
mention made of child in this vicinity
The was on a visit to Royalton at the time
of writing) Of most astonishing intellec-
tual ability. Being on a visit to my
father, yesterday went to see this child,
and verify believe him to surpass any
thing OF the kind on record in the history
OF man, and to open door by which we
are permitted for time to see something
of what our minds are and what they can
become, when this natural body shall
have been exchanged for the spiritual. -
Professor Denison subjected the lad, then
sH years old, to rigid examination in
mathematical subjects, the child answer
ing with marvellous promptness and &C.
curacy.
Even at the age of 8 be could mentally
extract the square and cube roots of num- |
bers Of nine and ten places Of figures and |
could multiply four figures by four fig |
ures mentally as rapidly as it could be
done on paper. At IA years, he calcuIat- |
ed the elliptic elements OF the first comet |
OF r1S49. By an original method be
abridged by one-fourth the labor Of calcu- |
lating the rising and setting Of the moon. |
Sanord was graduated from Harvard |
College in 1854, at the age OF IS. In |
1865 he was appointed director OF the As
Economical Observatory in Chicago, and
held the chair Of astronomy in the Uni
versity OF Chicago. His first two years
there we're devoted to the study of
nebuIae and he discovered many new
ones. From 1869 to 1871 he was en- gagged
upon catalogue Of the stars prepared bv
European and American astronomers
This work was interrupted by the Chicago
Dire of 1871. Later he was employed bv
the United States Corps OF Engineers in
latitude and longitude work. He also
catalogue Of the stars for the
War Department.
Ia 1875 he accepted cali to the chair
Of astronomy in Williams College. which
position be held until his death, june IL.