The Law of Psychic Phenomena: A working hypothesis for the systematic study of hypnotism, spiritism, mental therapeutics, etc.Hudson, Thomson Jay
Philosophy
The Law of Psychic Phenomena: A working hypothesis for the systematic study of hypnotism, spiritism, mental therapeutics, etc.
Hudson, Thomson Jay
Parapsychology
"The name of the child is Zerah Colburn, who was born at Cabut
(a town lying at the head of the Onion River, in Vermont, in the
United States of America), on the 1st of September, 1804. About two
years ago,--August, 1810,--although at that time not six years of
age, he first began to show these wonderful powers of calculation
which have since so much attracted the attention and excited the
astonishment of every person who has witnessed his extraordinary
abilities. The discovery was made by accident. His father, who had
not given him any other instruction than such as was to be obtained
at a small school established in that unfrequented and remote
part of the country, and which did not include either writing
or ciphering, was much surprised one day to hear him repeating
the products of several numbers. Struck with amazement at the
circumstance, he proposed a variety of arithmetical questions to
him, all of which the child solved with remarkable facility and
correctness. The news of the infant prodigy was soon circulated
through the neighborhood, and many persons came from distant parts
to witness so singular a circumstance. The father, encouraged by
the unanimous opinion of all who came to see him, was induced to
undertake with this child the tour of the United States. They were
everywhere received with the most flattering expressions, and in
several towns which they visited, various plans were suggested to
educate and bring up the child free from all expense to his family.
Yielding, however, to the pressing solicitations of his friends,
and urged by the most respectable and powerful recommendations, as
well as by a view to his son's more complete education, the father
has brought the child to this country, where they arrived on the
12th of May last; and the inhabitants of this metropolis have for
the last three months had an opportunity of seeing and examining
this wonderful phenomenon, and verifying the reports that have
been circulated respecting him. Many persons of the first eminence
for their knowledge in mathematics, and well known for their
philosophical inquiries, have made a point of seeing and conversing
with him, and they have all been struck with astonishment at his
extraordinary powers. It is correctly true, as stated of him, that
he will not only determine with the greatest facility and despatch
the exact number of minutes or seconds in any given period of
time, but will also solve any other question of a similar kind.
He will tell the exact product arising from the multiplication of
any number consisting of two, three, or four figures by any other
number consisting of the like number of figures; or any number
consisting of six or seven places of figures being proposed, he
will determine with equal expedition and ease all the factors of
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