The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1863-08-19
The Wonderful Properties OF
EtgurcS Some Very Curious
calculations,

Though figures constitute universal
! language among the civilized nations OF thr
! earth, and maintain such ou exalted charac-
| ten lor honor end gp'h that it has passed
| into proNcrh that "dgurcs never hc;" vet
| they are treated as the mere slaves of cal
| cuiation, without any regard tor that rc.
| spect and consideration to which their pc
| culiar qualities cutit,o thcm. 10 rescue
| them from the degradation oG hciug looked
| upon NJ mere CunVcnicnccs. let us see it
| they are not possessed OF certain iutrulsr
| properties which shall excite our wonder
and admiration.
Few people have clear conception ut
even "a million of dollars which we hear
expressed on every side, whenever the cost
OF this %cIuel wat is uudcr disNuss
Let us make i very simplc S@lsulativn, and
see FIVE are not astouudrl at thr result
MIR Lougwcrth who recently died at Gin.
cinnNti. YAs said to bc worth fifteen millions
| of dollars. How many days would it tlhr
to count that sum, at tue rate OF ilty dollars
minute, working steadily ten hours each
day? While some are guessing fon OF five
days another week, another two weeks
OF month, the operation may bc carried
un mentally 10y saying ultccu millions dlNld.
ed 10y fifty gives three hundred thousand
minutes, divided hv sixty wiNs five thou.
sand hours, divided hy ten gives live hun.
drcd Jays Au answer which is sure to
strike your g@essrls with aiuI1cmeut, u rc-
markaOlc instance between yu, sim, and
thinking
The powers of tho human understanding
are limited The increase ct hglttrs has no
! limits. Uur knowledge of numbers, there.
fore, must necessarily be limited Bat, like
every other subject, tie moro We study and
think about it the more we shall know. \
distinguished philosopher, to whom the
world is indebted for some ui the graudcst
! truths of science, has said. that. without
any extraordinary endowment of mind. 10y
thinking long and deeply ON his subject,
point after puiut gradually mioldcd itself
to his mental vision, uutil he WAS ablc to
comprehend the mighty laws Which contp'l
the universe
The child who has counted as far rs
three, has an idea of that number; but the
number thirteen is quite beyond his com.
prrhcusipn The savage gets along very
well with his arithmetic SO long as h. is not
required to 20 beyond the Enumeration Of
his toes and fingers; but any greater mum
Der quite bcwildcrs his Imagination and, in
despair, he refers to the hairs of the head,
the leaves of the forest or the sands on the
scashore, to express his overwhelming
sense Of its magnitude. Every young stu
dent of history has laughed ut the extreme
simplicity and ignorance of the Indian whom
Powhattau sent TO England to see the coun-
| try and find ont how many people were
there. As soon as the shores ot England
were reached, the poor Indian procured
long stick and commenced To cut Il notch on
it for every one he saw. OF course hc was
soon obliged TO stop.
POWER OF ClrHEES.
The enlightened man may have clear
understanding of thousands, and even mil.
lions, but much beyond that he can have No
distinct idea. A simple example, and one
easily solved, will illustrate the observation.
II ali the vast bodies of water that cover
nearly thrce-fourths of the whole surface of
the globe We're empticd, drop by drop, into
one grand reservoir, the whole number of
drops could be written hy the two words
eighteen scptilious," and expressed in ig-
ures by anncxing twcnty-tOur cyphers to
the number Is l9,000,00O 600 600, 900 ,000,-
000,0OO.) Man might as well attempt to cX-
plore the bounds of eternity as to form any
rational idea of the units embodied in the
expression above; for although the aggrc-
gate OF ,trOps is indicated by figures in the
space Of OILY one inch and a halt of ordna-
ry print yet if each particular drop We're
noted hy a separate stroke like the figure !
it would form line Of marks sufficiently
long to Wlnu around the sun slA Thousand
billions oi tunes!
on ms return, I"WHat'ath among MANY
questions asked MN now many people ne
had seen! Count the stars III the sky,
was the reply, the leaves ON the trees, or
the sands on tl'c shorG, Tor such n the
number OF the hnSllsh' Perhaps tins un-
tutorcd child oi lhc forest was not SO very
tar astray atter a'i; Tor ihe Stars IN hoth
hemlsphcrcs visible 10 thc naked ego 90
not exceed the hnlnher OF zen thousand
The hairs oi ihc hcad ana me caves ol Inc
trees may pc easily counted ana 'h' SANDS
on INC sea Shore aro ny ''o means lh""'hcT"-
.r.i. A.. ...-,
Ions rowor or ynluc which the cyphcrs ar
...naurltsr --ine;rnillc,r,t Ly Ncusclyrs
,,;vn 10 tbn significant G,,urcs le Tho
Tnrrc roadc,. Willie surpr;sed to learn thot
ihe usc of thc cynLcr to dctcrmirc tbc val,r
,C ,n,. u,rt;cuI,r G,urc which isuny, nyac.
iced br rvcry sch0ol-boy MAS unknowu to
thc anricnts ThrrcCorc amnng thc Greeks
and Romans and othcr nations Of onfinutv
orithnctiraI oncr,tions were cxccedin,lv
toJ;nns and dihirult They had to reckon
win littIr noLblcs, nLclls or leads uscJ as
countere fo transact tho ordinary busiuoss
orliCa Even tho o,reot Hicero IN his ora
t;on Cor Roscirs the actor in order to cx.
nross 400 oo0 had IN mako uso or the ve.v
a,ykword and cpmbrops notation frrrr,t,
- - " - ~ 49, 'i.