Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1871-02-03

4
pity. Installing him on the vacant end
of my bench, our revered pedagogue
wrinkled his ertgiite brow and thus in
terrogated him
" is it your Intention of becoming a
regular scholar ef this district p
ayes, sir"
Mr.. Stubbs vas perfectly conversant
with the laws OF his State on the matter
of common schools, and wisely swal-
lowed his chagrfn
"Ah, hem! what are your studies?'
"Arithmetic and writing | don't care
for any thing else, and can't learn them"
| "Not advanced in these two branches.
| suppose. Let me see your writing"
The lad handed over his book Mr..
STUDIOS was surprised.
"This is excellent. doubt if one OF
my boys can excel it. Who taught you
to write so perfeetly?"
81 60 by the copy"
And this is copperplate, and it is
hard to detect the least difference; a
perfect fac smile. You may consider
the corner seat as your; and after you
are sufficiently warm | will examine you
more minutely in yours brief class of
| studies"
In the afternoon the arithmetic class was
ordered to the blackboard, with more
than ordinary lot of knotty algebraical
| problems on hand, one of which
baffiled all their numerical skill, and
puzzled the brains of the best. [ think
can remember it; and for the benefit
of those little boys and big boys, too,
| ,Io Lo
rect answer, between this and next
Christmas, we give it in full
Five men bought a grindstone to-
| gether, the diameter of which was five
| feet and five inches, with hole in the
centre three and half inches square,
for which they paid thirty-two (32) dol
lars A. paving one-third, B. one
sixth, c. one-twelfth, D. three twenty
fourths, and +. the remainder of the
purchase money. Now, how many
inches must each owner grind off the
surface to get his share of the stone :?
After it has been in use three years, the
diameter of the stone was found to be
| twenty seven and half inches; and
how long will it take to wear out the re-
mainder at the same rate ?'
Ills was tIlc IJOStIs biINt UIlC bOyS
bed their pencils, and crumbled the
chalk in hopeless perplexity, and even
Mr.. Stubbs looked his inability to readi-
ly fathom the solution.
The new pupil kept his eye on the
blackboard and watching him, fam
cied that they grew larger and brighter
with the momentarily increasing con-
centration of his rapid calculations. In
a second he seemed to have mastered
the idea, and the play of his fingers
over the slate resting on his knees, was
something marvellous.
His lips moved as fast as the stubby
bit of pencil, and ten minutes from the
time his eyes left the blackboard, he
slyly held up for my gaze alone the an
swer. nodded back a smile of wonder
that did not escape the keen optics of
Tom.
"Did he do it?'' was his cautious
whisper.
Y es, and not a third of the figures
as we supposed"
Tom was indignant.
"Well. I'd like to know what right a
niger has to understand SO much about
figures !? We are cracking our skulls
trying to do sums that he just works out
in the little half of a second"
Jim's quick ear caught the words, and
he was not so black but what crimson
tinge flushed hot to his swarthy cheek,
and the mild eyes lowered at the rude
insult as a white child's might under
the circumstances. b.
But Tom was only envious, for mathe-
matics was his especial boast, and he did
not scorn to lean across and ask him
how he did it,
"Just give us hint of the way it's
done, and I'll be hunky with the class, !"
said Tom, graciously.
"You ought to be able to do what a
twelve-year old Niger finds easy" said
Jim, sarcastically.
And before we could get another sight
of it he rubbed it out with trium-
phant laugh that showed us two rows of
teeth as white as snow.
A malicious Jrchin had attentively
remarked our telegraphing, and de-
lighted at the opportunity of speaking,
cried out before we could threaten him
to silence
"Please, Mr. Stubbs, this 'ere new
DOy Has uOHc H.
"The teacher frowned on the Off
cious urchin, and turned incredulously
to Jim. -.
"What is your name? l forgot to
ask" 3. ..sE
James Marshall"
Did you do the sum p
Yes. sir.''
Where is it?'
Il rubbed it out, sir
"Can you do it again?'
Yes, Sill"
Well, James Marshall, if you can,
YOU are the best mathematician in the
State. Go to the blackboard and let us
see what you can do"
Jim 'obeyed. 1t was almost impossi-
BILE to follow the lightning like motion
of his hand, and when the answer stood
plain before us, not one of us could tell
how it was done.
Mr.. Stubbs had forgotten little Jim's
color, and gave him kindly pat.
"Now, how did you do it how arrive
at the correct answer ?"
81 don't know"
Jim looked helpless; far beyond his
faculty of numbers he was decided
mediocrity, and for his life could not
have comprehensively explained how or
why he brought out the complex solu-
ton as he did hush of amazement
followed his shy reply, and Mr.. Stubbs
asked suspiciously; ....
did you ever see the example be-
fore?'
"Never, sir"
care you sure it is right?''
''I know it is"
"Why?"