The Washington times., 1920-11-28
NEWMAN. the distin.
guished English prelate, was read
~ inc Greek af fha 400 NJ four

YAhDiNAh AVE-" NAN, tAo uiotih-
guished English prelate, was read
ing Greek at the age of four.
Goethe. the German poet, mastered
Greek and six other languages before he
was ten years old.
Little Miss Winifred Stoner, an American
girl, successfully passed the Leland STAN
ford Junior University examinations at
the age Of nine.
Edward r. Hardy, twelve-ye al old New
York boy in knickerbockers, is now a fresh
man in Columbia University, familiar with
twelve languages, and in many ways better
educated than some Of the professors who
will try to instruct him.
Little Samuel Rzeszewski, an eight-year-
old Polish peasant boy, now in New York,
played all the worlds greatest chess ex-
perts throughout Europe before he could
read or 'writevand beat them.
Science is stumped to account for the
extraordinary exploits of these Infant
prodigies." How can an eight-year.old
child, illiterate, with unframed mind and
limited experiences, unerringly outmatch
the gray-bearded experts who have spent a
lifetime studying and perfecting them
selves in what is not a game Of chance but
An intellectual contest?
Science has searched about for an ans.
wer, but no theory yet advanced accounts
for these child wonders.
For many years careful study and OBJ
servation has been made Of backward, de-
fective and delinquent children, but little
attention has been paid to the study of ex.
ceptionally brilliant children. This field of
research. however, has at last attracted
the attention of psychologists, and thor
oughgoing study of exceptional children is
being made, SO that, sooner or later, science
hopes to explain why 1t is that the brain
Of an unframed, inexperienced child can
excel the best efforts of the best brains OF
mature people who have specialized in
some special field.
The little Polish chess player, Samuel
Rzeszewski, has been examined by inves-
tigators in several Of the capitals of Eu-
rope. and during his stay in America he
will be studied and experimental upon by
American psychologists.
Little Samuel is an extremely good spe-
cimen to study. II science can explain how
the machinery In his head can beat the
whole world in solving the problems on the
chess board, 1t is hoped that the informa-
tion obtained may furnish science with
plan for turning the exceptional genius OF
such boy into useful paths, so that the
peculiar mental endowment which Nature
has given the child prodigy may be stimu.
lated to build the mentality Of a superman,
possibly to the great benefit Of all man.
kind.
Little Samuel was born in a small town
near Lodz, Poland. The ebb and flow of
the war made It impossible for the child
to obtain an education, although In recent
months he has been taught to read and
write a little-but this Is since he had
demonstrated his invincible powers as q
chess player.
Samuel was FIVE years old when he
played his first game OF chess His father
was fair chess player, and the child, sky.
larking about the room, used to mischiev-
ously upset the board In order to interest
the youngster enough to keep him quiet,
his father taught him the moves.
One night as the boys father was play
ing a game OF chess with a neighbor, Sam
uel suddenly suggested move which was
so radical that his father refused to make
It, and apologetically explained to the Wis.
itor that the child had had no experience