Einstein Has a Slight Lead

New Zealand Listener, Volume 14, Issue 350, 8 March 1946, Page 9

Einstein Has a Slight Lead

UT on another record," said Merrill Kenneth Wolf (right) one day in February, 1932. He was 6 months old, and that was the first complete sentence he spoke. For two months before then he had uttered only isolated words. Six months later he had completed the study of a first-grade reader, and at.22 months he played by ear a piano-player version "of Liszt’s Second Hungarian Rhapsody. His parents, both Russian-born lawyers living in Cleveland, Ohio, decided to keep "Kenny" out of the public schools and nurture at home his I.Q, of 182, which is only 23 marks lower than Einstein’s. At home, he had piano lessons, dabbled in chemistry, wrote sonatas, kept mostly to himself, and "made few friends among children in the neighbourhood. When he was six he went to school and entered the sixth grade. After three days, his parents were asked to take him away because he "asked too many questions and volunteered too many answers," and in general he disrupted the class, Back at home, he buried himself in the Decameron, the plays of Aristophanes, music, mathematics, and chemistry. He had completed a "symphony" when he was eight. Two years later he entered Western Reserve University and ‘led his class in chemistry and mathematics. In March, 1944, Kenny was 12 years old, 4ft. llin. high, and weighed 6 stone 121b. In that month he was sent to Yale to study in the department of music under the famous composer Paul Hindemith, Last October, 1945, he graduated at the age of 14 years and 57 days, the ‘youngest student ever to graduate from Yale. He had composed as his final thesis

due to begin on Wednesday, March 6, at 1.45 p.m. This is a serial for juniors, each weekly broadcast being complete in itself, The selection, Miss Combs explained, is made on similar lines to those of the last two years in the serial Susie in Storyland. It will include modern children’s stories, traditional tales, stories from history, stories of primitive people to-day, and stories of people of yesterday. : On Mondays and Fridays throughout the year, from 1.30 p.m. to 1.45 p.m,, there will be music appreciation lessons, conducted by Ernest Jenner;: on Wednesdays from 1,30 p.m, to 1.45 p.m., rhythmic movement and musical appreciation, taken by Jean Hay, W. Trussell, and K. Newson, On Fridays, from 1.45 p.m, to 2.0 Pp-m., in the first term, To-day and Yesterday will be presented by A. J. Campbell, who will deal. with farming, industry, and home life, and in the second term W. J. Scott will give stories for Standards III, and IV., all having something to "do with transport and travel. In the third term, also on Fridays from 1.45 p.m. to 2.0 p.m., R. J. Scobie will present Our Heritage from the East.