New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-01-06
THE ~PONS ASINORUM' AGAIN.
Mr. PIERCE SETS FORTH THE HISTORY OF IhH
PHRASE FROM THE TIMES OF DCNs
SCOTTSS FOLLOWERS.

Mr.. PIERCE SETS FORTH THE HISTORY OF THE
PHRASE FROM THE TIMES OF DUNs
SCOTUS'S FOLLOWERS.
To the Editor Of The TIL une
Sir: Euclid not having been taught IN TINS cou"'i
for two generations the traditional nomenclature va
his propositions has become confused with Us Inc
phrase pons asinOrum, as applied TO seoio"''
theorem, has been generally considered ao app,
tanning TO the college dialect of Cambridge Eng"hu
hr, FucIid ha, been almost deed for 300 years ana
NOR, I'm that university. | understand. there Is no
doubt the term is uniformly applied to the fltth irop'
,ltlon of the First Book of the Elements, that tio
angles at the base Of an isOsceleS triangle are equal
That this proposition affords criterion OF stuuch'
aptitude for geometry has been held nghtH "
wrongly since the thirteenth century, wheh hoeer
Bacon 80 alluded TO it. A. far as an
aware. every recognized authority, without eXcep
lion gives thi, as the proposition named " pPilS
a,inorumo 1t i true that passages in literature ue
ci,lve of the point are easily found but Mr. b. H.
Hail. in hi, excellent collection OF College Noru'
and Customs" gives the following
After Mr. Brown had passed us over the hs'eo
BRIDGE without serious accident and conducted Us
few steps further into the first book he di,i.isSeu Us
with many c0mpllments.-Alma Mater, l. l4o'
Here the designation IS plainly that Of PROPOSE
ton early enough in the book TO be passed at the
first lesson Now Proposition ) is the first theorm
INF one that one being excessively simpleI while
proposton II the last but one and cannot possibly
have been intended. | think the consensus Of inc
entire body Of photographers and other authors VIII
outweigh A. g. C.'s impression that every college OF
university man knows the pons asinorum is the forty
seventh proposition, well as W. b. IS appeal 10
eipnt unnamed authorities of Jersey City. By the
way what is the use Of dictionary, WIN
Jersey civ so near The appropriateness OF
making the Forty seventh, or PythagONah' prop
o,itlon which is one Of the most aps'ru'e
in Euclid the test If boys being an ass or other
wise will he remarked by the discriminating re%ier
The word ass is quite harsh an appelldtion even
for a boy who does not at once comprehend the hith
proposition. 1t has accordingly met with some lu't
rctort, Thus, the Gradus ad CantabuglaH' aler
defining the phrase in the usual way, adds " bS an
ass is always Understood a. Cambridge dhl dhl'hh
who IA, no taste for that enlivenns study Inc maine
rpatics.7 So the epcram Of 17rO given by MURRAY
runs:
to-, ,.,. me fool that sticks but he that passes.
Rut the true explanation Of the phrase /, u be sought
i'm ~, much older application in logic concerning
,cbicb the curou, may consult Boyle under builudh
and Radicals, Bool, H. chapter XNvl, last paragraph
Almost all term. Of medieval logic are To De eApIdeu
by passages Of Aristotle. Now Aristotle Il NAL posi-,
34l define, sagacity a, a certain power III di''-
q, middle term, If demonstrations; and thlo dchh
~ 49,, ind alleged a, justification for assigning TO
certain diagram designed T. enable the ldluou,' 49,
and slow 10 place middle term Oet"o'n Nv" scon,i'
-, tr,r,.- tho name IF pDnS d,lnOrun 'hN S.p'iSs
treatise, give thi, diagram: and after the ecous.T
trchng had been forbidden IN 'an,orMge Nv t J' "
,ba uitiatorv study In 1880 the name pon' a.lorH
Tho original -guihcation having been lorE"'T.' NC
I'm. transferred 10 the gpomctricdl theoIem' IL nap
rrn, tha me figure u tic Fifth Proposition ma son.
rc,emblance to part Of the logical olagia H., t tS
whether mi, really influenced the apphcaioh ., h .o
nlr,sn il mere matter Of NIrmsc II l. ptlH td' T
- A diiculty I'm making donleys eros Dflu.Gi or
,,n,ld render the gcometrcd senincatloh sun uUac
AMI Tho phrase pout aux anes. IN french ahtcS
diri,ultv ~ which Ne are apt 10 lalt, Dn nit
an, lid, 10 "A determined effort. acordN VIII
,bi. ON Tie other hand the German worn elo'ih "A, M
n mistake not mean, something To ad ue ulo'
on-rr,c that one II my critics intmater ,'% MON III
my d.rpion I'M the Century Dictionary 40 o' M ni,
on That the phrase Is ,oml KIN M Gistincly
New York Jan. =, l-.O. - =