The Arizona sentinel., 1886-10-16
A LESSON IN FRACTIONS.
The Fine Way in Which Georgie's Mothe
 Helped Him in His Studies.

| The Fine Way in Which Georgie's Mother
 Helped Him in His Studies.
 Mamma stood by the gate watching for Georgie. It was almost an hour after his usual time for returning from school, and she could not imagine what was detaining him, unless he had been "kept in."
 Presently he came in sight, and as soon as she caught a glimpse of the little figure trudging slowly along. she knew something had gone wrong in school
 What's the matter, dear?'' she asked, as she kissed the rosy face that was wrinkled into perfect network of frowns.
 'I don't want to go to school no more, never forever, as long as I live," pouted Georgie, with a shocking disre- gard of grammar. q think Miss Hopkins Is real mean; she kept me m all this time just cause 1 couldn't do fractions, and how could I do them when 1 didn't know what she was talking about? I didn't know what she meant by her old sixteenths and seventeenths, and putting the figures on the top of each other. I called that underneath figure an 'abominator, and she got mad cause the boys laughed, but it's good name for it anyhow if it isn't the right one, for it is an abom- inator."
 ''I am afraid my little boy didn't try very hard" said mamma, gently, for she knew that Georgie had gone to school with the firmly settled idea that fractions were altogether beyond his comprehension, and that It was a great mistake to have them in any arithmetic meant for little boys use.
 Georgie did not answer for mo- ment, then he said:
 Well, just knew couldn't learn them, and so there wasn't any use in trying"
 Georgie went in the house and put away his books, then came out again on the porch where mamma was sit ting with a big yellow orange in her hand. Georgie's face grew brighter as he looked at it. He was quite sure that it was meant for him, and he just knew how juicy and refreshing it would be.
 'Im going to teach an arithmetic class with this orange. Do you want to come and be my scholar, Georgie?n said mamma
 Georgie's face clouded over again, and he hesitated, but then his curiosity to see how mamma was going to teach arithmetic with an orange overmastered his disinclination for any more frac- tions, and he came and sat down be- side her.
 Now, this is a whole orange, isn't itg' said mamma, as she finished peel | ing it.
 ''Yes'm," answered Georgie.
 Then mamma divided it in half
 What do you call .pieeesP" she asked.
 Halves, answered Georgie, prompt ly. He knew that well enough.
 "Now, if | divide one of these pieces | again, what will it be?" went on mamma.
 "A quarter.
 ''Then how many quarters are there in an orange, or any thing else that is. divided into fourths?'
 -Four" answered Georgie.
 Suppose you get your slate, and we will put down some orange fractions" said mamma, and Georgie ran into the house for it, quite cheerfully.
 ''Now what sort of fraction is this?" and mamma separated one piece from the rest.
 "One-fourth, said Georgie; '.0ut I don't know how to put it down"
 ''Well, we will take the underneath figure for the orange and the upper one for the number of pieces we take" said mamma. ''Now it is divided into four parts, and we have taken one of them, so one will be the upper figure and four the lower. That's right. Now put this in fraction" and she took three pieces.
 Georgie laughed as he wrote three fourths This was much easier than his teachers explanation, he thought.
 "Now, we will divide each of these quarters again, and how many pieces will that make?" asked mamma
 Georgie's face wcinkled up again.
 '1 don't know" he said, despair ingly.
 "Well, we'll count them and see." said mamma. cheerfully, and she di- vided each quarter, while Georgie counted.
 Eight" he said, at last. ''Then how many eights are there in any thing that is divided into eight equal partsP"
 ''Why eight, of course, " said Georg1c, and then mamma gave him some more fractions to put down. ''Now we will divide these pieces once more, and then how many parts 1 will the orange have?" Georgie thought minute. l,