The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1892-04-20
Weighing an Elephant.

About two hundred years ago there
lived Prince of Mahrattas, in Hindos-
tan, whose name was Shahiee. Princes
are numerous in India, but this partic-
ular prince was long remembered on
account of his benefcence 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 diff
fculties, and some of them certainly
are curious.
Once very high official in the court
of Prince Shahjee made 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 were highly
priced by these princes, and each kept
the finest and largest for his own use.
The officials vow, if hasty, was gener-
Gus; and perhaps the success of his I'M
dertaking 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 elephants
correct weight. No scales in the coun-
try were constructed of sufficient power
to weigh such enormous beasts. Ele-
plants 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 had tried in vain to
construct machine of sufficient power
TO weigh the enormous beast. 1t did
seem probable that the poor of Hindos-
tau would have to get along without
that silver. 1t is possible that the Of
fetal 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 disappoint-
ment in the matter. The question was
referred to Shahjee, as all such vexa-
tious questions were. And it did not
take him long 10 find very simple So
luton. 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 counsel Why
didn't somebody speak of that before?"
Shahjee commanded the elephant to be
conducted along platform into a fiat
bottomed 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 water reached when
the elephant weighed it down. Then
the elephant was taken out, and stones
substituted, until enough were loaded
into the boat to bring it 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 cor
rectly ascertained. 1t is safe to con-
clude 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 hope for his charity's
sake he was; and, as full-grown ele-
plant weighs several tons, the amount
distributed among the poor of the dis.
trict must have been very large. -Har-
per'S Young People.