again."

I find, in reading his biography, that in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh,
in England and Scotland, scientists were asked to give an opinion as
to "Blind Tom's" musical genius. I select only one from these
opinions. The others (from Charles Halle, I. Moscheles, and Professor
H.S. Oakley, all very eminent musicians) agree with this one, and need
not be given.

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 16, 1865.

DEAR SIR,--The undersigned desire to express to you their
thanks for the opportunity afforded to them of hearing and
seeing the wonderful performances of your _protege_, the
blind boy pianist, Tom. They find it impossible to account
for these immense results upon any hypothesis growing out of
the known laws of art and science.

In the numerous tests to which Tom was subjected in our
presence, or by us, he invariably came off triumphant.
Whether in deciding the pitch or component parts of chords
the most difficult and dissonant; whether in repeating with
correctness and precision any pieces, written or impromptu,
played to him for the first and only time; whether in his
improvisations, or performances of compositions by Thalberg,
Gottschalk, Verdi, and others; in fact, under every form of
musical examination,--and the experiments are too numerous
to mention or enumerate,--he showed a power and capacity
ranking him among the most wonderful phenomena recorded in
musical history.

Accept, dear sir, the regards of your humble servants,

B.C. CROSS,
JAMES M. BECK,
G. BLANDNER,
J.A. STERN,
J.H. REDNOR,
CARL ROESE,
C. BLANCGAUR,
J.A. GETZA,
And several others.

Here are some clippings from American and English newspapers.

From "The Public Ledger," Philadelphia, Sept. 27, 1865:--

"Many professors of music of great eminence have been ready,
after listening to him, to declare that they would never
touch the piano again. What he has done in public in the way
of playing the most difficult pieces after hearing them but
once, and with a perfection that years of practice could not
usually apply, is known to all the lovers of music in this
city.

"The secret of this wonderful power is the most perfect ear
for the harmonies of sound ever observed,--'only this, and
nothing more.' To him every thing is music. Discords do not
s