Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1881-12-03

that there can be no suspicion OF
partially, and a premium upon
rapidly as we'll as accuracy. His
pupils standing at the blackboard
all receive the same example, and the
one who most speedily gets the cor
rect answer, receives the highest
credit. Accuracy is of first import
ance in his system, but rapidity hith-
erto ignored in the schools, is also
rewarded. This method Of teaching,
being an improvement on those in
common use, excited the indignation
of some OF the professors, one of
whom, in upholding the claims of
the slow and sure style of arithmetcal
operations, told the story of one of
the Rothschilds, who would not hire
q clerk who could mentally multiply
2 by 2. At last stupid lout came
in who would not give the answer
until be had put the figures on paper,
and, according to the story, this man
was employed. The story met with
favor from the professors and some
of the teachers, and although the
usefulness of rapidity is apparent to
the unenlightened mind of the prac-
teal business man,itis highly improb-
able that Mr.. Carr's system, merito-
rious as it is, will receive any consid-
Grafton in other than his own school.
Mr. Gray, of Virginia, asked for Mr..
Carr's views on the explanation of
the operation of subtraction, and
a wrangle then began each tor him
setf, and to the Deuce with the remain
der. The audience had by this time
become accustomed to the ingram
NAUTICAL language of the performers,
and by close attention could occasion
ally understand what they meant, but
not why they differed SO strenuously,
and the children, able at times to
extract an idea from the chaos of
argument, only however to have it
drowned by cataract of demonstra-
ton pouring in from some uneXpect-
ed quarter, began finally to wonder
if anybody knew anything about it,
and if subtraction wasn't all wrong
anyhow, and if the books would not
be better without it. The effect at
this time was discouraging to those
who entertained hope that there
might be some exact and indisputsole
dem onstration of very simple
mathematical proposition. The limit
of sbsurdlty, however, was reached
nhen a professor who at last got the
xoor to himself undertook to settle
all differences Of opinion and to show
how easy it is to fall off a teeter
board. His demonstration of the
principle of subtraction, the one
which he taught, as he then stated,
began with a representation on the
black board of a see saw, or teeter
board. The board was pictured as
resting on a point at some distance
from its middle, and balanced by q
heavy weight on the short and light
weight on the long END, as such
J things are shown 10 all elementary
books on Natural Philosophy. So
far his premises were correct, and the
listeners fondly believed philosoph-
ical and easily understood explana-
ton Of the mystery of subtraction
was to be given; but when he adj
dressed himself to applying the
principle of the teeter board, and
stated that it being now balanced
with weights proportionate to the
length of the ends, ii equal weights
were added to escS end 1t would
remain in balance, intes.s n his
further remarks visibly abated. As
his hypothesis in reference to the
teeter board was wrong, demon
stration founded upon it was neces-
sarily worthless. and tagging atten-
ton was only revived by the singing
of Billy Browne and Geo. Campbell.
The attention of the mathematic al
prodigy was called to his error after
the exercises were concluded, and
/ after a week of reflection he discover
ed that he was wrong as is shown by
a report of the proceedings published
in the Enterprise. In this report no
mention is made of the mistake I'M
der which he labored until that
evening, nor that branch grocery
| store was started in school house