The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-03-26
A GRIM SCHOOL BOOK.
The Primer From Which Children
Learned Ciphering in Dixie in 1868.
E,rnr,, tl,a Nrerr Nnrl- IIerald

The Primer From Which Children
Learned Ciphering in Dixie in 1868.
From the New York Herald.
In a secondhand book store the other
day, a visitor bought for dime a little,
old, worn and castaway volume, which, in
the manner of its forms and examples,
told a simple and pathetic story of the
gloom and sorrow which darkened even
the innocent lives of children at the
south during the weary years of war. 1t
was a copy of a school arithmetic one for
beginners-and was published at Raleigh,
n. c., in 1868, by Branson & Farrar
The author was L. Johnson, professor of
mathematics in Trinity College, who
! modestly says IN his preface:
THE great demand for books at this
time of an elementary character in the
southern coufederacy has called forth this
little volume. Nothing new or original
has been attempted. The compass of the
work is such that it can be thoroughly
learned by the youth of either sex before
their presence at home or the demands of
! their country debar them the privilege of
attendance al school"
The spirit which then animated the
people of the south is manifest on every
page, and in almost every example of this
little hook. 1t is the spirit of war. The
questions do not ask the youthful scholar
how many flowers it would take to enable
him to give two 10 each of his three COM
panions, nor how many peaches John and
Charlie together would have If one had
four and the others three. There is no
pulling inquiry as to how many lambs
Jennie would have if to her present nine
five others were added, or how many gin
! ger cakes Walter would have left If he
divided his dozen equally with Susie,
None of such mild elements would do
for the times. The life of the south and
! the impulses of its people were hedged
about by war. Little wonder then that
the author of this arithmetic should dis
card the common things of life and use
| for illustrating his examples the terrible
| actual elements involved in the mighty
| combat, whose thunders foated from
| bloody fields through the schoolhouse
windows. How plainly and how wildly
the influences and forces then engaging
| the men of the south are shown in the
| following examples from the little old
| arithmetic of 1868:
Five soldiers are in one tent and ten
| in another How many soldiers are there
! in both?'
Ninety soldiers are in one compony and
! twenty in another How many soldiers
are there in both}"
Twenty eight men were sent out on
| picket duty, four in a company. How
| many companies were there?"
"A captain of cavalry paid 800 for a
| horse and 500 more for a pistol. How
many dollars did both cost him2"
GA company of 100men went Into an en-
| gagement and fifty were killed. How
many were left?n
"A confederate soldier captured eight
| yankees each day for nine successive
| days. How many did he capture in all?'
Seven confederate soldiers captured
| twenty-one yankees and divided them
| equally between them. How many did
, each one have?"
IF one confederate soldier can whip
| seven yankees, how many soldiers can
| whip forty-nine yankees2"
| ''lf one confederate soldier kills ninety
| yankees, how many yankees can ten con-
| federate soldiers killN"
If thirty-two soldiers eat 800 pounds of
| meat in week, how many pounds will
| us soldiers eat in a week 2"
| UnconsciOusly this little book tells an
| other tale, and sad one, about the cost
| of living, then oppressively high in every
! part of the south. The following ques-
tions were likely not only to develop the
| mental acuteness of southern children,
| but also to impress them with the fact
| that the needful things of life were linn
| tied in supply and difficult to obtain:
AT $40 pound, how much coffee can
| you buy for S40!'
cat $40 busnel, how much wheat can
you buy for 1907"
If eleven quires of paper cost $22,
! what is the cost of one quire2"
IF one bushel of potatoes cost 81, how
many can you buy for S4Sl"
How many hats can you buy for sos
| if one hat costs $122"
THE sum of s1O5,OOO is paid to an
army of AZ, 900 men. How much does each
! received"
''If trader makes 40 cents pound on
every pound of butter he sells, how much
| will he make on eight pounds2"