The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1873-12-03
MISCELLANY.
moMENrUm rs. TIE PROFESSOR.
TWO LEGS OR -FOUR.

The extent to which theory often fails in
practice, is furnished by a veneratcd profess
sor, a most distinguished mathematician,
whose works are still used as textbooks in
many of our institutions, and which occurred
within the compass of our own experience.
He went to Bethel ON his return he spent
the Sabbath in Lewiston. Monday morning
he was told the horse was sick. Nevertheless
he started The horse went II few rods, fell
down. and broke both thills. He then sent
his wife home, and also sent to Brunswick for
another horse aud carriage to take him and
the broken chaise home.
When the driver came, they dashed the two
vehicles together, and started. All went we'll
till they came to the first long, steep hill be-
tween Lewiston and Brunswick ; ON its sum-
NIT they held n consultation. The professor
had an exaggerated idea of his strength, and
said, Mr.. Chandler, it is too much for the
horse to hold these two carriages ON this steep
descent take the horse out j; / will get into
the shafts"
:. Professor" replied Chandler the
breeding is strong, and so is the arm girtl,."
But the horse, Mr.. Chandler; it is too
much for the horse. Besides being stronger,
know how to take advantage of the descent,
and can manage it much better than the
horse.''
"If the horse can't hold it you can't
''Do you, SIR intend to place me, in point
of intelligence and knowledge of mechanical
forces, below a horse? | have made math-
ematics the study of a life time"
have no intention to be dsrespectful, sir ;
but know horse understands his own bust
ness, which is handling load ON a hill, better
than all the professors in the United States.
| was sent up here by my employer, who con-
fdes in me to take care of his property. If you
will take the business out of my hands, and
be horse yourself, you must be responsible for
the consequences"
The professor had habit, when a little cx-
cited, of giving nervous twitch at the lapel
of his coat with his right hand.
al" replied he, with most emphatic
twitch, .'assumc all responsibility.
The driver, in reality nothing loath to wit
held him by the bride; and the professor,
getting into the shafts, took hold of them at
the ends. The forward carriage was just de-
sccnding the hill, and the hinder one a little
over the summit, when the professor trod up
on a rolling stone, which caused him to plunge
forward, and increased the velocity Of his
load so much that he was forced to walk
faster than he desired, and exchange the
slanting position--with his shoulders thrown
we'll back, and his feet braced--whicli he had
at first adopted, for perpendicular one. At
length he was pushed into run; the car
liages were going at a fearful rate.
At the bottom Of the hill was brook on
each side, precipitous banks. The professor
was between Scylla and Charybds, going nine
feet at leap. In order to cramp the forward
wheel, he turned suddenly to the right. The
shafts of the forward carriage went two feet
into the bank, breaking both of them short
off; the lashing of the hinder one slipped
it ran into the forward one, breaking the
fender, and both vehicles turned over at the
bottom of the hill with tremendous crash,
/
one of his favorite fgures-and landing some
rods away. He rose from the earth a dirtie,
and wiser man; knees skinned, pants torn, a
piece of skin knocked off his forehead, and
his best hat flat as pancake underneath the
hind carriage; and looking round about him
he exclaimed,
is it possible that / could have been Sc
much deceived as to the momentum? 1t wa.
prodigious !"
"Idon't know anything about momentum,
exclaimed Chandler, ''but know somethin.
about horses. | know it makes might,
difference about holding back load on steel
hill whether the horse has two legs or four
and whether he weighs one hundred an,
seventy-five or ono thousand two hundrcs