The record-union., 1892-04-30
WEIGHING AN ELEPHANT.
How the Wise Prince Shahiee Solved
a Difficult Problem.

About two hundred years ago there
lived a Prince Of MahrattaS, in HindO-
stan, whose name was Shahiee. Princes
are numerous in India, but this particu-
lar Prince was long remembered on ac-
count OF his beneticence and great wis
dom. He seems to have been the most
learned Prince of the time, and his ad-
vice and help were always sought in crit
ical matters. Many stories are told of
his ingenious settlement of difficulties,
and some OF them are certainly curious.
once very high official in the court of
Prince Shahiee made a VOW that if he
succeeded in a certain ENTERPRISE he
would distribute to the poor of his dis
trict the weight Of his own elephant in
silver. Elephants We're highly priced by
these Princes, and each kept the largest
and finest for his own use. The officials
vow, ii haSty, was generous, and perhaps
the success Of his undertaking was worth
the price.
The undertaking succeeded: but the
official, willing to keep his oath, was
met by an unexpected difficulty. There
was no possible way Of finding the ele-
plants correct weight. No scales in the
country were constructed OF sufficient
power to weigh such enormous beasts.
Elephants were not sold by the pound,
and no need had before arisen for scales
TO weigh them. All the learned and
clever men of the court tried in vain to
construct a machine of sufficient power
to weigh the enormous beast. 1t did
seem probable that the poor of Hindo-
stan would have to get along without
that silver. 1t is possible that the official
had thought OF this objection when he
made the VOW. Indians are crafty, and
this one might have been cunning enough
to leave himself lOOphOle of escape to
prevent parting with his money.
But If any such notion had occurred to
him, he was doomed to disappointment
in the matter. The question was re-
terred to Shahjee, as all such vexatious
questions were. And ii did not take him
long to find a very simple solution. That
is always the way with true genius. you
know. The solution it finds is so simple
that every one cries out in wonder:
why, of course! Why didn't some
body speak OF that before?'
Shahjee commanded the elephant to be
conducted along a platform into a fiat
bOttomed boat which lay by the water
side. When the animal was safely aboard.
he desired the attendants 10 mark upon
the boats side the exact hight to which the
water reached when the elephant weighed
il down. Then the elephant was taken
ont, and stones substituted, until enough
were loaded into the boat to bring il to
the same Water-ine as when the elephant
was the passenger.
Then the stones were weighed If the
scales could not hold all at once. part
could be taken at "A time, you see, and so
the elephants weight was correctly ascer-
tained. 1t is safe to conclude that the
poor of Hindostan finally got the silver.
A Prince so wise must have also been
Just. Whether the official who paid the
money was quite satisfied history does
not tell US: but we will hope, Tor his
charity's sake, be was, and as a full
grown elephant weighs several tons, the
amount Distributed among the poor ofthe
district must have been very large
Harper's Young People.