Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-10-28
YOUTHFUL PRODI-
GY AT BATH, ME.
Oath Tifnes)

(batn 1ImcSI
When one Is in seach Of house,
and is suddenly asked concerning the
remarkable abilities of a small son.
disclosed during the business inter-
view the story Of the child can hard
~ recompense parents for the want
of home for their family.
This Ii the case with small John
Flatin. Jr., who demonstrated the
most remarkable memory which any
child Of two and one half years has
probably ever shown in this city.
This rugged. little chap is the son Of
John Flatin, a government craftsman,
only recently arrived in this city,
where he will be busy at the Bath
Iron Works.
Small Jack spells innumerable words
and reads almost anything in separate
words. When he was but two weeks
old, his mother, who three years be-
fore his birth and for another year
after. was a student at a Western
university. started to train the baby.
80 that every motion or object would
really carry q definite meaning to the
! brain. Everything was always pre-
sented in a play spirit and was never
allowed to become wearisome. The
| result Of this was that when Jack
! was eight months old he could al
ready ask for eight different and
very definite things when he desired
them. This started with the efforts
made by the parents from the first to
explain and complete each thought
as 1t was presented to the child in
object form. Perhaps one of the
most interesting traits which he has
shown always is his persistence about
everything which appeals to him. 1t
necessitates many punishments, too,
when carried into his purely play
life. His mother feels that she her
self understands just this character
istic Of her son as she herself was in
satiable in her desire to know causes
for every smallest detail in her study
Of chemistry and was persistently
seeking causes for the truths of sci.
ence.
1t is indeed a bit startling to have
two-year- old look up at a window
across the street. and say, ~. S.
stands for United States" and then
continue to read department of la
bor;" and on his trip this week from
Oregon he read bill boards and post
ers. particularly for his own amuse-
ment. but at the same time for the
entertainment Of other travellers
within hearing. Before he was two
he was spelling fashionable" and
wanted to know how to spell dresses"
His mother spelled the singular.
DRESS" and he queried, land can't
you spell ses7"
One of the first words which no AZ.
quired was son, and the difficulties Of
the English language were at once
accosted. for he puzzled for days
over the other sun. For the first
time, when two years old, he saw in
drug store bowl of gold fish. Both
OF these words he had learned to smell
previously as object lessons and when
he was told that these tiny things
were gold fish he insisted. 1.-THE gold
fish are not gold, mother"
And little Jack not only reads and
spells. but writes and prints. The
printed letters appeal to him most
possibly he will become a craftsman
too--but he has never wholly erasped
the sequence Of letters in words ex-
cept as memory has given this to him.
for when he prints a word the letters
scatter over the sheet.
Arithmetic has not yet appealed tn
him especially and his mother chief
ly accounts for this because she her.
SELF was least interested in this
branch OF study and therefore was
not able to present this in as attrac-
tive form to the child mind. Geo.
metric forms. however, fascinate him
and he loves to draw them as he
spells their names.
Music and languages all appeal TO
him. His parents speak French, Ger
man. English, Swedish and some Fin
nish with him. and as 10 nationalities
are represented in his parents, he in
herits wide range Of linguistic in
terests. In music he can carry the