Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1892-01-08
MeIghing an Elephant.

About two hundred years ago there lived
| Prince Of Mahrattas. in Hindosian.
whose name was Shahjee. Princes are
numerous in India. but this particular
prince was long remembered on account OF
his beneficence and great wisdom. He
seems to have been the most learned prince
of the time, and his advice and help were
always sought in critical matters Many
stories are told of his ingenious settlement
of difficulties. and some of them are GER
tainly curious.
Once a very high official in the court OF
| Prince Shahjee made vow that if he sue
ceeded in a certain enterprise, he would dis
tribute to the poor of his district ''the
weight Of his own elephant in silver" FL
ephants were highly priced by these
/ princes, and each kept the largest and fin
| est for his own use. The officials vow. If
hasty, was generous, and perhaps the sue
cess of his undertaking was worth the
! price.
The undertaking succeeded; but the of
! ticial, willing to keep his oath. was met by
an unexpected difficulty. There was nc
! possible way of finding the elephants cor.
rect weight No scales in the country
were constructed of sufficient power Ia
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 SUI.
| ficient power to weigh the enormous beast.
1t did seem probable that the poor of Hin
dostan 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 a loop-hole 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 referred to
| Shahjee, as all such veXatious questions
were. And it did not take him long to find
very simple solution. That is always the
way with true genius, you know. The so
luton 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 platform into a flat bot
toned boat which lay by the water-side.
When the animal was safely aboard. he
desired the attendants to mark upon the
boats side the exact height to which the
""tcl INdthcu "lltl the elephant weighed
1t down. Then the elephant was taken
out, and stones substituted, until enough
were loaded into the boat to bring it to the
same water-line 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-
| tanned. 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, for his charity
sake, he was, and as full-grown elephant
weighs several tons, the amount distribut-
ed among the poor of the district must
have been very large.-Hdrper'S Young
People.