The Detroit times., 1912-01-01
HERE is WORLDS MOST
WONDERFUL MAN OF
TWENTY-ONE BIRTHDAYS
Leap Year Story of DR.. Lewis
Swift, Who Rediscovered
Halley's Comet.
FIRST SPIED Is COMETS
Man Who Also Found Hundreds
of Stars Is 90 Years Old By
Regular Calendar.
sY oLIvER p. NEWMAN.


MARATHON. N. Y, Jan. 1.-Ever
hear of Lewis Swift? II not, give ear,
for his isra story-a nineteen hundred
and twelve, New Year story--that's
worth hearing-and setting up as. an
example.
Lewis Swift lives here in the vii
lage OF Marathon. bat his fame knows
no territorial Cor terrestial) bounds.
This though he has not yet seen his
twenty-second birthday.
Swift was the first man td redis-
cover Halley's comet on it's periodic
visit to this little patch of atmos-
phere in which old earth skates
around.
He is the acknowledged discoverer
(proudly proclaimed by the astronom-
ical world) OF more than 1900 "neb-
ulae." or little. groups OF world sxs-
|telns. and or fifteen comets s's-E
He has seen two total eclipses or
the sun, and during one he discover
ed two brand new comets. to the as
tonishment of the world OF science.
He is Fellow OF the Royal AS
Economical Society of England
AlC Hho A6CclNcu tuIcc HOIu ihtudlS
from the Austrian Imperial Academy
OF Sciences at Vienna for comet dis
coveries-the greatest number of gold
medals for astronomy ever held by
any man.
He has received the Lalande sill
yer medal and $40 francs from France
for the most rapid discovery OF
comets ever made.
A. 11t- n n
tinguished honors for this man who
has not yet seen his twenty-second
birthday.
Swift is stone deaf, he can't see
a thing more than four feet away
from him and he can read only the
biggest type by the aid OF a strong
magnifying glass.
DR.. Swift himself says:
II am happy. / am content My
hearing Is dead. My sight Is poor.
but my conscience Is clear and my
stomach is strong"
And all this. mind, you, for man
who has known but 21 birthdays.
Pretty good record for young fel-
low, isn't II? BY the time he gets
TO be an old man he. ought to have
laid up a pretty good stock OF honor
and treasure against the days to
come.
Well. as a matter OF fact, It's that
birthday thing that's responsible for
this story. DR.. Swift is about to have
a birthday-he's going to celebrate
1t royalty. II will be hisstwenty-sec-
ond. Cards are out for his leap-year
birthday party. whose date is
February 80, 1912!
On that day. DR.. Swift will be 92
years old.
(By the way, his rediscovery OF
HaIley's comet was in 1885, the oc-
casion OF its next to the last visit this
way, rs years ago.
DIR. Swift is one OF those unfortu-
mates whose birthday comes but once
every four years--and sometimes but
once every eight. He was born Feb.
20, 1920, at Clarkson, Monroe county,
N. Y. and kept having birthdays reg
ularly between comet discoveries--up
to 1896. Then the calendar-makers
played a mean trick on him. They
made him wait till 1904.
And that's not the worst of IT,"
said DR.. Swift. in talking to me about
his birthdays. 'I'll lose another in
2,100."
Or. Swift is one OF the very few
men--perhaps the only astronomer
who has seen Halley's comet twice.
His rediscovery OF the famous wan
derery was at the age of Is. while lying
on his back on the roof of a shed. gaz-
ing at the heayens with naked eye,
DR.. Swift's mind is as active as IL
was 50 years ago and his physical con-
dltion is excellent except for sight
aud hearing.
II attribute my good health and old
age TO the fact that never touched
liouor or tobacco and that I've always
drank lots of strong coffee DR.. Swift
told me, In reply TO my written ques-
ton
II have studied the stars all my life,
but feel that | know so little Maybe,
I'm the next life--fer I believe God
rules all these worlds and great
reaches OF space and time and peo-
ples-we will know more, II we have
lived right here"
Those were the two things I took
away wfh me after an afternoon with
Dr. Swfft His implicit faith In God
and a future lie and his happiness in
the life Ne IL now nvint.