Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-05-17

| This faculty was downright genius
in Antony Magliabecchi, librarian of
the Grand Duke Cosmo III, of Flor
ence. For instance. II a priest wished
to compose panegyric on saint and
communicated his intention to Mag
liabecchi, the librarian would imme-
diately inform him Of any reference
to the saint Of the part Of the work
wherein it was to be found, and that
sometimes to the number Of a hun
dred writer's.
Magliabecchi could tell not only
who had treated subject designedly
but also those who had touched upon
J It incidentally in writing upon other
subjects. This information was given
with the greatest exactness, naming
the author, the book. the words and
often the very number of the page at
which the passage occurred.
Magliabecchi visited other libraries,
and his local memory was such that
he needed but to see and consult a
book but once in its place to fix ev-
erything pertaining to 1t permanently
in his mind. One day, the story runs,
the Grand Duke sent for Magliabec-
chi to ask whether there could be
procured for him book that was de-
cidedly rare.
mo, your grace" answered the
librarian, 'for there Is but one copy
in the world, and that is in the libra
ry Of the Grand Seignor at Constan-
tinople. 1t is the seventh book on
the shelf on the right as one enters"
Prescott tells how Macaulay was
once caught tripping with reference
to a line in Paradise Lost" In q
few days he turned up with the poem
in his hand. saying, as he offered 1t
to the gentleman who had caught
him, 81 do not think that you will
catch me again as to the Paradise"
And they did not.
DIR. Addison Alexander of Princeton
Theological seminary, had a wonder
full memory. It was not only tena-
cious of words, but of facts. For the
amusement Of young folks he would
sometimes say, now, I am going to
talk without thinking" And he would
pour forth period after period Of
strange words and incongruous i'm
ages, harmonious and even rhythmi-
cal In sound but wholly destitute Of
sense.
If any one thinks this Is an easy
feat, let him try to suspend his rea-
son and give free rein to his fancy in
periods which shall be dramatically
correct and yet without meaning.
Another Of his feats was to submit
himself to examination and tell or
hand where he was and what he was
doing on any day Of any year the ex-
aminer chose to name.
His most wonderful feat was dis
played at the matriculation Of class
In the seminary. Forty or fifty stu
dents presented themselves for ad-
mission. Each handed his credentials
to the professors, who examined them,
and, II satisfactory, entered the stu
dents name and address in the regis
ter.
When the students had retired the
professors began bantering one an
other as to which one should take the
register home and prepare from 1t an
alphabetical roll-an irksome task
There Is no need to take the reg
lister home" said DR.. Alexander, II
will make out the roll for you"
Whereupon he took a sheet Of pa
per and, without referring to the reg
ister wrote out in alphabetical order
the full names and addresses Of the
students, which he heard only once,
when they were recorded.
What makes this still more Won
derful is the fact that the entire mass
of names and addresses must have
been present in the doctors mind
while he was selecting each one in
its alphabetical order.-New York
Evening Sun.