Non- Academic Mathematics and Mathematicians. 85 



demic student feels that if he reads so that he understands his 

 subjects, that he shall not only have an opportunity at his ex- 

 amination of displaying his acquirements, but that he will be 

 rewarded in proportion to his success. 



The non-academic student by dint of persevering study may 

 make himself acquainted with all the mathematical sciences ; 

 but having accomplished that object, what opjiortunity has he 

 of displaying his knowledge? The academic student has 

 books selected for him ; the non-academic student may pos- 

 sibly get books equally well adapted for him, but here any- 

 thing like a parallel between their courses ceases. What in- 

 ducement is held out to encourage the self-taught student? 

 Very little indeed. The praiseworthy Society already named 

 has been the means of putting ample stores of mathematical 

 information within the self-taught student's reach ; but it is to 

 be regretted that that Society, or some other of like utility has 

 not gone a little further and given him some encouragement 

 to make use of them. 



Some years ago there were the Lady's and Gentleman's 

 Diaries, the Mathematical Companion, Whiting's Receptacle 

 and Delights, the Leeds Correspondent, the Student, the In- 

 quirer, Leybourne's Mathematical Repository, the Northum- 

 brian Mirror, Gill's Mathematical Repository, and probably 

 other publications of the same description which I have not : 

 all these periodicals contained a number of mathematical 

 questions, from simple elementary deductions up to the most 

 abstruse problems. Prizes were proposed as inducements. 

 Students of all grades of attainment had not only an oppor- 

 tunity of making known their acquirements in a manner most 

 gratifying to themselves, but the prizes given in these highly 

 useful publications had, in some measure, the same encou- 

 raging effect upon non-academic students as college prizes, 

 &c. have upon students of a higher order. Unfortunately for 

 the self-teaching student, the whole of the above scientific pub- 

 lications have ceased except the Lady's Diary. That esteemed 

 periodical is luckily continued, and, under the guidance of 

 the most distinguished talent, pursues its course of national 

 usefulness. That little work has been published annually for 

 upwards of 1 40 years, and it may fairly be asserted that that 

 unpretending publication has been instrumental in making 

 more mathematicians than any other English work that can 

 be named. Almost all of our most celebrated mathematicians, 

 during the period mentioned, have at some time conti'ibuted 

 to its pages. There is scarcely any book of problems in the 

 language that does not contain many of the gems which in 

 the first place adorned the Diary, but the authors of the pro- 



