The Republican journal., 1872-09-26

Knocked at her door to say goodbye.
OF Maud's reputation ut her new home,
time will not allow us to speak but this
we will say, that not many hundred miles
from here there is Il happy home over
which fair woman presides, whose great
est happiness consists in being Paul Phil
lips wife
Fun and Figures.
That ancient pundit who originated the
maxim so frequently repeated in these
days, that figures wont lie. could hardly
have comprehended the queer pranks
which these selt-same models of Veracty
are sometimes made to play, for by these
odd turns they prove Just as deceptive
to the unwary rs if they actually lied. In
fact the nine simple Ciigits which form
the basis Of our mathematical science are
capable of such intihitc combinations that
even the most learned may be puzzled bv
the singularity of the results attained
These are so remarkable and strange at
times as to present all the destinations of
romance. The poor school boy who
wcaries drearily day after day oyer his
arithmetic never dreams vi the wonderful
mysteries which lie hidden in that multi
plication table, the source Of his hardest
troubles. But after ALL SAYS writer in the
Chambers journal, figures owe us what
little romance is to be got out of them.
Have they not been associated from our
earliest childhood with the taste Of tears
and slate pencil9 Have they not been
the invariable cause of ones income not
being able to meet one's expenses? Have
they not tyrannzed over our tastes and
enioyments2 ? and has not the sole reasons
of that gap. which, at each years end,
prevents some of us, in spite of the most
laudable intentions, from making both
ends meet, been the obstinate persistence
of two and two in their snllen refusal to
make any more than four.
THE OBTRUsIVE FIGURE.
The figure two, always tGrnln@ up as
it does in this connection, must be very
generally regarded as IN ohtrusive nui-
sancc. More than one lucklcSs wight
who knows from sad experience the diff
ference between receipts and expenditures
will unite with Pvthagoras in the idea
that this figure was u disrcputahle one,
and was really the symbol of disorder,
division, confusion and equality. The
old sage evidently knew what he was
about when he branded 'two' rs a hope
less depraved number, Of evil augnry,
and thereby cvincnd Il cOmmendabe lack
Of patience at the way in which that figure
tries to get he!! up in popular esteem in
connection with the unsatisfactory propo-
sition that two and two make four. The
thing ought not to be regarded in this
LIGHT Whatever is GOOD for ANYTHING
ought to improve and increase and if
this pair of twos had any genuine enter
prise at all about them, they would have
made at least six by this time, in which
ease more than one impecnnious one,
under existing circumstances. might have
learned what it is to have Il snug little
balance at ones bankers As it is, the
figure has not only wasted its opportu-
mites, but has done humanity y positive
injury. Besides it will be conceded with
out discussion that three and one make
four in a manner quite rs successful and
very much less obtrusve.
THE WONDERFUL POWERS or NINE.
The most romantic of all numbers is
the figure nine, because it can't he multi
piled away or got rid OF anyhow What
ever You do, it is us sure to turn up again,
as was the body of Eugene Aram's victim.
One remarkable property OF this figure
(said have been discovered by w. Green,
who died in 1794) is, that all through the
multiplication table the product Of nine
comes to nine. Multiply by what you
like, and it gives the same result. Begin
with twice nine, Is; add the digits to-
gether, and and $ make Q. Three times
nine are u; and = and 7 are O. 50 it
goes on, up to eleven times nine, which
gives 80. Very good; add the digits; 9
and are Is, and and are nine. Going
on to any extent, it is impossible 10 get
rid OF the figure nine. Take a couple in
stances at random. Three hundred and
thirty-nine times nine are 305l add up
the figures and they give nine. Five
thousand and seventy-one times nine are
45636: the sum of these digitS is 27 and
2 and are 8.
M. de Maivan found out another queer
thing about this number; namely, that if
You take any row Of figures and reversing
their order, made Il subtraction sum Of
it, the total is sure to be nine. For eX-
ample:
Reverse the figures 1905
1866 equals Is, plus equals o.
The same result is obtained if You raise
the numbers so changed 10 their squares
or cubes. Starting with 81, begin the
sum over again By reversing the digits.
| we get 26, which subtracted from 62
| leaves Sc, or 3 plus equals 9. The
squares of 26 and G2 are respectively, GIG
| and 1914 Subtract one from the other. and
you get 3l6S equals Is, and l plus equals
| 9. So with the cubes of 26 and 81, which
are 1875 and 23S32S. Subtracted they
leave 22O752, 1S, and plus equals 9.
| The powerfully be-nine influence Of this
| figure is exemplilied in another way.
| Write down any number, rs, for example,
| 7549133; subtract therefrom the sum of
It's digits, and no matter what figures you
start with, the digits Of the product will
| always come to nine.
75i9laa equals sum of digits b.
7549lol equals of digits ~ and . plus equals
| A NEAT LTrTLe PUZZLE.
A very good puzzle has been based on
this principle, as followes: Get another
| person to write down horizontal row OF
| figures, as many as he likes, without let
| ting YOU see what he is about from be-
| ginning to end of the performance. He
| is then to reckon up the sum of the digits,
| and subtract that from his row of figures.
| When he has done this, bid him cross out
any figure he pleases from the product
and tell you how much the figures add up,
without the crossed-out figure. From the
numbers so given, you will be able to tel
what figure he has crossed out, by only
bearing in mind the tact learned above
namely, that if no figure has been crossed
out the result would necessarily be 8 or a
multiple of 9. Hence you will see tha
the crossed out figure must needs be the
one required to bring the sum given te