Hinton - The Fourth Dimension.pdf

44
THE FOURTH DIMENSION
“I am unbroken in my determination to publish a
work on Parallels, as soon as I have put my materials in
order and have the means.
“At present I have not made any discovery, but
the way I have followed almost certainly promises me
the attainment of my object if any possibility of it
exists.
“I have not got my object yet, but I have pondered
such stupendous things that I was overwhelmed myself,
and it would be an eternal shame if they were lost.
When you see them you will find that it is so. Now
I can only say that I have made a new world out of
nothing. Everything that I have sent you before is a
house of cards in comparison with a tower. I am convinced
that it will be no less to my honour than if I had
already discovered it.”
The discovery of which Johann here speaks was
published as an appendix to Wolfgang Bolyai’s Tentamen.
Sending the book to Gauss, Wolfgang writes, after an
interruption of eighteen years in his correspondence:—
“My son is first lieutenant of Engineers and will soon
be captain. He is a fine youth, a good violin player,
a skilful fencer, and brave, but has had many duels, and
is wild even for a soldier. Yet he is distinguished—light
in darkness and darkness in light. He is an impassioned
mathematician with extraordinary capacities. . . . He
will think more of your judgement on his work than that
of all Europe.”
Wolfgang received no answer from Gauss to this letter,
but sending a second copy of the book received the
following reply:—
“You have rejoiced me, my unforgotten friend, by your
letters. I delayed answering the first because I wanted
to wait for the arrival of the promised little book.
“Now something about your son’s work.