The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1871-11-12

Nothing can b. simpler than my ques-
tioD;" said tho Professor. "tTve niece
that's III says one brother. Thank hea-
ven, have NO neice, says the other. How
can that be You Nil give it OPT Well the
invalid was his daughter"
On. ! see," said Mrs. Housewife, de.
to find It out"
- Yes. indeed, manu. answered the re-
shows how difficult it is for ordinary minds
to grasp more than one idea ut the same
time. The attention is solely fixed on the
different varieties of nieces."
was much displeased at being classed
ameng "ordinary minds") "and also the
attention is naturally distracted from the
point at issne by the brutality of the faith.
er's remark. Now that is in itself "a CATCH
In my opinion" d.
pie sxsis.s Il ii, Ssss ss sst s% i'm:
no such -distracting element" observed tue
Professor coolly. "a blind beggar had
brother. That brother died. What rela-
tionship did they bear to one another
Come tell me that.''
"Why, they were brothers." exclaimed
the Colonel, with the rapidly of small
to gain promotion.
mo, sir" answered, the Professor, re.
garding ThnndaebQmb> with interest, as a
significant type OF some low order of intel
ligence, sthey were not brothers, or l
should 1careeiy have asked the question:
They might be bro Tiers in law" sug-
Undoubtedly they might" replied Puz-
zieton; with plying smile; "but they
"stop bit,n said Mcpherson hurriedly,
like one who has not got his answer quite
readyJ6ut yet doesn't wish to be anticipa
ted. "The blind beggar you say had
course, if one was dead, you know they
could not be brothers any longer"
The idea is novel" observed the Pro-
fessor; "but You have not hit upon the
right solution The fact is, gentlemen and
ladies, blind beggar may be either male
or female. In this instance she was a
female. They were brother and sister,"
call that a catch" said Aloes gloomily.
"Well, at all events, iewss an easy one,
and you all missed it," returned the Profess
sor with quiet triumph. "Now will give
you one more example of social arithmetic,
which will be in all respects bona Jide. 1t
is q simple question in subtraction, and all
guesses would arrive at the truth by mere
elimination-to- write down the reply on
paper. A man went into a cobbler's and
bought q pair of boots for sixteen dollars.
He put down twenty dollar bill, and the
cobbler, having no change, sent to a neigh
boring public house, and gave it to him.
Later in the day the landlord of the inn
sent in to say that the twenty dollar bill
was a bad one, aud insisted upon the cob
bier making it right, which he accordingly
did. How much did the cobbler lose on the
whole transaction9 There is no play upon
words Or anything but common sum in
arithmetic"
"Wby, it is the easiest thing in the
world, calculated Housewife. "Of course
the cobbler lost just"
"Be quiet, SIR" cried Puzzleton very an
srily. "Write it down will you-if you
can write Z"
"scratch professor and you ind Tar
tar" whispered Aides. You had better
Go as he wishes.n
So we all wrote down what we imagined
to be the loss which the cobbler had sus-
tanned, and it was wonderful how opinions
differed within spch narrow limits.
The Colonel made him lose forty dollars.
Mr.. Aloes made him lose just twenty dol
lars and the boots.
Mr.. Funnidog made him lose thirty-six
dollars.
Mr.. Mcpherson made him lose sixteen
dollars and the boots, minus the profit he
made upon the boots (which, says the Pro-
lessor, it is not necessary to take into con-
siderationl.
MT. OCdle I'LL, WHO uscn 10 investigate
tho bills of extortionate Swiss landlords,
set down the loss with confidence at twelve
dollars and the boots.
Housewife wrote: "Why, of course, he
lost the boots and twenty four dollars.'
Mrs. Housewife and the ladies bit their
pens, but declined to commit themselves.
" They had never been taught" they said,
I" the rule of three"
You are all wrong" said the Professor
quietly T." as I expected yeu would be.
Tne Way to get at the matter ia to consider
what is gained. The landlord and the
whole story of his changing the twenty
dollar bill may be taken out of the ques-
ton, since he is neither better nor worse
for the transaction. The buyer of the boots
gets in exchange for his bad twenty dollar
bill, four dollars and a pair of boots, and
that is just what the cobbler loses"
If one only had a room to ones self,
and the whole day before one to do it in,'
sighed Mrs. Housewife, 81 think 1 could
answer any of these questions"
DEATH OF THE HON. THOMAS EWING
Thomas Ewing, one of the ablest lawyers
this country has produced, and a statesman