Evening journal., 1911-06-14
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
A Test of the Minds Abil-
ity to Count Without
Assistance
BY "HOIlsnd."

For nearly a quarter Of a century,
or from 1870 until 1894, William A.
Camp was the manager of the New
York Clearing House Association. He
was a little man with bright, dark eyes,
bushy eyebrows, thick hair which In
the later years Of his life became iron
gray. and a grizzly beard. Mr. Camp
was a conspicuous personality in the
financial world Of New York, not only
because he was the manager OF the
largest clearing house association or
the world, but also on account OF de-
lightful quaintness Of personality ana
whimsical and odd way he had OF look
ing at life, and especially the life OF
the clearing house.
Although this institution is called
the New York Clearing House Asso-
ciation," he said 10 me one day, yet
it is. in fact, the great clearing house
Of the United States / should say that
at least one-half Of the commerce Of
the United States passes through this
institution in the form of drafts,
checks and other negotiable instru-
ments You would suppose, therefore,
that somewhere in the United States
I could find a young man who would
be able 10 count without assistance OF
pencil and paper in excess of one
thousand But | have never been able
to find young man of that capacity.
81 learned a year or two after ! he
came an officer of the Clearing House
Association that ! could not count IN
excess of FIVE hundred or six hundred
without having pencil and paper be-
fore me. And when ! learned that fact
i'm reference TO myself II occurred 20
me that this institution afforded a good
opportunity Of testing the capacity of
the human mind TO count consecutive
ly There are, of course, some phe-
nomenal, almost abnormal, intellects
which are able TO count without the
assistance Of pencil and paper far ur
I'm the thousands. Zenas Colburn, the
mathematical prodigy, could do that
although he never knew how he did II
zone day there came 70 see me a
young man from somewhere in the
West who had been recommended tC
me highly because he was of eXcep-
tional capacity as a mathematician.
"He asked me to test him with
columns of figures. I made two paral-
lei columns, each one containing,
should say, fifteen separate sets OF
figures, some Of them In the hundreds
AS, for instance, 1896. Then / put the
example before him. He looked az il
a minute. and with a sort Of whiff OF
his breath, set down the correct an
swer, having added the figures, almost
in the twinkling of an eye
IL tested him the same way with
complicated examples In subtraction
multiplication and division and he
gave me the correct answers almost
in an instant
Well I said to him that those were
remarkable qualifications, but what
was looking for was a young man who
could count without assistance above
one thousand
He seemed disposed 10 laugh at my
| suggestion, intimating that it was
easy enough to do that
"I told MIN 10 go ahead, sit there iT
my presence, begin with one and coun
up. He got along all right until h'
| reached six hundred Then he begaI
TO stagger mentally ] saw him eye
pencil and pad OF paper, but / woull
not let him have these aids. You see
having got up TO six hundred, he want
ed 10 start all over again. He brok
down completely before he reached
seven hundred, although I think h
went farther in his mental count thar
any young man whom | ever tested.
81 presume that a young man o
mathematical ability can train himsel
TO count much higher than one thous
and, but my experience as manager o
the clearing house has satisfied nj
that the average intelligent young maj
even though he be possessed of fai
mathematical ability, cannot coun
consecutively and without aid mucl
above six or seven hundred.
"Of course, from one point of view
this Is of no consequence IN the man
agement of this association. But I hay
heard so much said about the capacit.
of the human mind TO grasp figure
that have always tested that capacit
when opportunity afforded. / think
have demonstrated that il is practi
cally impossible for the human minl
TO count consecutively and without All
much above one thousand. And / hav
never found anyone-banker or en-
ploye- whose mind has been able q
grasp the magnitude Of the figure
which represent the transactions O
this association, for they reach far n
into the trilhons"
Copyright, 1911, by F. J Edwards Al
rights reserved)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell q
"The Insatisiied Ambition Of FamOu
Clearing House Manager"