Considering that in early life he learned nothing, and
later but little from sight, that he is possessed by an
overmastering passion, which so pervades his whole nature as
to leave little room for interest in any thing else, and the
gratification of which has been indulged to the largest
extent, it is not surprising that to the outside world he
should exhibit but few manifestations of intellect as
applicable to any of the ordinary affairs of life, or that
those who see him only under its influence should conclude
that he is idiotic.

"The elegance, taste, and power of his performances, his
wonderful power of imitation, his extraordinary memory,--not
only of music, but of names, dates, and events,--his strict
adherence to what he believes to be right, his uniform
politeness, and his nice sense of propriety, afford, to
those who know him well, ample refutation of this opinion.

"Tom sometimes indulges in some strange gymnastics upon the
stage, which are considered by many a part of his stage
training. So far from this being the case, it is but a
slight outcropping of his usual exercises. If those who see
him upon the stage could witness his performances in his
room, and the enjoyment they afford him, they would perhaps
regret the necessity of his restraint in public. He never
engaged in the plays of children, or manifested any interest
in them. His amusements were all his own. With a physical
organization of great power and vigor, and an exuberance of
animal spirits, he naturally sought physical exercise.
Compelled by want of sight to limit himself to a small
space, he put himself in almost every conceivable posture,
and resorted to those exercises which required the most
violent physical exertion. They are now necessary certainly
to his enjoyment, perhaps to his health.

"Tom has been seen probably by more people than any one
living being. He has played in almost every important city
in the United States and in a great many of the smaller
towns, in Paris, and in most of the principal cities of
England and Scotland.... Those who have observed him most
closely, and attempted to investigate him, pronounce him a
'living miracle,' unparalleled, incomprehensible, such as
has not been seen before, and probably will never be seen