The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1891-04-10
THE COLUMBIAN Eoc
Another Theory Of How the.Fss, ".
Ae-


The Columbian Exposition bas lr,..-,
the egg story into prominence 49,
and in order that il may not ei.,..,.'v ~
vert public attention from the rr.,. -
jcct of the worlds fair, and as NJ -,
justice To the memory OF Co.umJys -
self. / think it Is time u give the s.
an eternal rest, writes u. NJ 'Trur,t.,i
in Opera Court The fable run. a.,
the problem Of standing an cgg On .rs
having been submitted as "A puz,,.,
Columbus, he solved IL instantly bv -
ping the egg ON the table, and b,ra.,-,.
the end of it just enough to make a A.,
basis on which il stood firm. witho,,
duivcr. According 10 the legend -
philosophers who thOE rlit 10 cour,,,-5
the great mathcmatician by such a SIM
pie question, accepted the solution J.
correct. acknowledged themsclv,.. \
fcatcd, and If there was a bet upYp :
as ! suppose there was, gave up -.
money. Il is not a grateful duty =
abolish popular myths. but this, Ike ~
many better ones, must 90.
Evidently. the Commbizn egg story +.
fiction. because if true. Columb,,
must have been clumsy juggI,r. ars
the breaking of the egg a confession !,
lcfcat. an acknowledgement that ~
problem could not be solved withnut ri
lating its first implied condition. name.
ly. that the egg, uninjurcd. should stand
alone and unsupported on a level sr-.
face. breaking the egg, so Ear from
,.Dlving the problem, was an evasion n.
its terms. like untying the Gordian lyno,
10y cutting it into pieces. which was M,
untying il at all. Columbus might ina,
as well have stuck the egg NJ.
right into the salt upon the tabls
and called that a solution # the
puzzle. To make an egg stand uprigb,
on 4 plane surface is not difficult feat.
/ have known how 10 do il FOR more
years than | care to mention. bu,
haze not revealed the secret. fcaripg
that unprinciplcd men might use II f5r
betting purposes and win great fortunes
with il: but in the Chicago Tribune
find the ancient fiction served up again
for the benel.t of a correspondent who
being in possession of print If Ho-
.zarth's picture of Columbus and the
egg. wanted to know the meaning and
the moral of the picture Rather than
sdure this any longer will now give
Ic Columbian secret away.
One day when / was boy AZ school
20 had for a reading lesson the story Of
.lumbus and the egg In my class wa,
little Irish boy about my own aga
nose name was Jerry Grady, and
hen school was ont for noon Jerr
iid To me: Did We mind that sthory
bout Columbus and the egg? sure
chat's not the way the thrick was done
all. at all Come wild me and III show
2 how Clumbus done it" Now il S.
ppened that Jerry's mother kept
ickens, and when we reached the
ouse ne had no trouble in finding &
resh egg. First putting a clean plate
n the table. Jerry took the egg and
shook il violently for some seconds OF
Gutil the yelll and the white We're thor.
oughly mixed. like compound uf milk
and water. Then, after holding the
egg upright on the plate until the mix
ture inside Of il had settled quietly int
the broad base OF IL. he withdrew his
hand and left the egg standing upright
and alone. There" said he, ''thaf'
the way Columbus done il, and hav
no doubt IL was. for have often done
myself that way, and anybody else eal
do it. My object in correcting this bi
of history is t. set Columbus right be
fore the world and to rescue him iron
the suspicion that he was ignorant o.
the easy, scientific and purely mechani
| cal solution of the egg problem. Iht
! reason why an egg viii not stand o,
end il that its contents are not balance
either in weight or place. but attei
they are thoroughly mixed the egg vii
easily recognize its own center Of gray
ity and stand upright like a toy soldie!
which is made on the same principle