Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1875-01-29

Friend Reed-The enclosed solution Of
The Problem was handed me by friend
and believing it to I,e correct, 1 enclose to
you for publication. if you desire.
Yours truly, A.B. WATKINS.
MIR. A. B, Watkins, ESQ. Dear Sir
The problem in the Ashtabula Telegraph
of the 9Th inst, which has exercised the
mathematical bump of so many Of our
citizens for the past eight or ten days,
appears TO me to be plain, simple, busi-
ness transaction, which any smart school
boy who has cipbered well up IN addi-
ton, might perform without difficulty, if
he would apply the common principles
applicable to the case.
Perhaps my "bump" is not sufficiently
developed to apprehend the real dificul-
ty; but 1t seems 10 me that the very sim
plicitY of the problem brought in contact
with such startling declarations as-"It
is said to be hard nut to crack" and
"Of the hundred teachers to whom it was
submitted only three solved it correctly !"
and then the dubious manner in which
the question is asked-"Did he owe the
town, or the town owe him?" as if it was
very small matter. and the scales 80
nearly in equipoise that it was difficult to
tell which way they would turn-these
constitute the bugbear in the case. The
judgment Is superseded, the immagina-
ton excited, and they think there is q
catch in It," or "trick about it" and so
overlooking or dIsregard1ng the simple
rules which should be applied, they try
some left handed, or cross eyed operation
which invariably leads to error.
Truth is one, and always in unison
with itself; but error is multiform and
discordant; hence, the numerous incor
rect solutionsard answers that have been
obtained-as an average sample of which
see the pretended solution IN the last
Telegraph. Ihave long known, by OBJ
servaiion, that the improper, or inordi-
nate use of alcoholic liquors, If long con-
tinued, would benumb the senses and
Supply the brain, but did not before
understand, that the settlement of an ac-
count growing out of the liquor traffic
and that, too, by temperance agent, un-
der temperance laR-Would produce
such muddle in the minds of mathema-
ticians.
On general and established principles,
it is correct to affirm that an agent is se-
countable to his principal or employer for
the whole amt of the capital with which
he is intrusted, increased by the profits.
or diminished by the loss-as the case
may be; and the principal viii be indebt-
ed to the agent for the amount of his
salary as agreed upon. 1t matters not
whether the agent has purchased one or
e dozen bills, at one or dozen different
times during the year; or whether said
bills amount to one dollar, or one thou
sand dollars, only so tar as is necessary
to ascertain the profit or loss of the busi-
ness, which must be added to. or subtract
ed from the original capital as above
stated. Then if the total assets exceed the
agents salary, he owes the town the ex-
cess; but if the assets are less than his
salary, the town will owe him the differ
ence. Applying these principles to the
case in hand we find as follows:
Amt liquors sold $1O2.97
Liquors on hand 31.37-s1S4-S4
Liquors reed from town 57.54
Purchased 5e.91-S1l7.45
Profits of the business $16.ss
Now the account may be stated thus
AGENT, DR..
To cash-part capital $S21s
Liquors 57.54
Profits 16.SS-$lOo.bS
Deduct salary due agent $500
Leaving balance due town $S1-62
This balance consists ofliq-
uors remaining on hand $31.S7
Cash which should be on
| hand 5O25
Making as above shown $Sl.6s
The solution in the last Telegraph,
under the signature of "Weehswken Oil
Docks is extremely and ridiculously
absurd just think of itl It proposes to
give the agent all the capital stock, all
the profits of the business and balance
of S14.I7 due him by the town, and l do
not know but they would add his salary,
also. Verify, such an agency would be
worth more than Credit. ..Mobilier StOek," "
or an interest in the Pacific Mail Subsidy.
With much esteem,
~ Yours Truly, DIeTT.
We have another answer, from DR..
CASE, our next door neighbor. which es-
sentially corresponds with the above.
HER s'WRTTTEN RECOMMEND. y
When 1 Was boy living at home
on q farm in Western New York one