The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-04-24
WARTIME ARITHMETIC.
How the Rudiments of Mathematics
Were Taught to Southern Chill
dren During the War.
New York Herald.)

New York HeraldO
In a secondhand book store the
other day a visitor bought for a dime
a little old, worn and castaway volume
which, in the manner of it's 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 q copy of aschool
arithmetic-one for beginners-and
was published at Raleigh, N. c., in
1868, by Branson 6 Farrar. The author
was L. johnson, Professor Of Mathe-
matics in Trinity College, who modest
ly says in bis preface:
THE great demand for books at this
time, of an elementary character, in
the Southern Confederacy, 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 from school,"
WAR AND ARITHMETIC.
The spirit which then animated the
people of the South is manifesto on every
page, and in almost every example of
this little book. It 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 to each
of his three companions, nor how many
peaches John and Charles would have
if one had four and the other had three.
There is no puzzling enquiries as to
how many lambs Jennie would have if
to her present nine five others were
added, or how many ginger cakes Wal
ter 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 the people were
hedged about by war. Little wonder,
then, that the author of this arithme-
tic should dischard the common things
of life and use for illustrating his ex,
amples the terrible, actual elements in
volved in the mighty combat whose
thunders foated from bloody fields
through the school house windows.
How plainly and wildly the influences
and forces then engaging the men of
the South are shown in the following
examples from the little old arithme-
tic of 1868:
Five soldiers are in one tent and
ten in another. How many soldiers
are there in both9
Ninety soldiers are in one company
and twenty in another. How many
soldiers are there in both9"
Twenty eight men were sent out on
picket duty, four in a company. How
many companies were there3"
GA captain of cavalry paid 800 for
a horse and 800 more for a pistol.
How many dollars did both cost himG"
ga company of 100 men went into
an engagement where 30 were killed.
How many were left7
GA Confederate soldier captured
eight Yankees each day for nine sue
cessive days. How many did he cap
ture in all?"
"Seven Confederate soldiers captured
twenty-one Yankees and divided them
equally tween them. How many did
each one have?"
IF one Confederate soldier can whip
seven Yankees, how many soldiers can
whip forty nine YankeesF
eff one Confederate soldier kill
ninety Yankees, how many Yankees
can ten Confederate soldiers kill2"
eff thirty-two soldiers eat 896 pounds
of beef in one week, how many pounds
will IT'S soldiers eat in one weekG"
COST OF LIVING.
Unconsciously this little book tells
another tale, and a sad one, about the
cost of living, then oppressively high
in every part of the South. The follow
ing questions were likely not only to
develop the mental %acuteness of South
ern children, but also to impress them
with the fact that the needful things
of life were limited in supply and diff
cult to obtain:
AT $40 a pound how much coffee
can you buy for $4O7"
cat $40 a bushel how much wheat
can you buy for $3OG"
eff eleven quires of paper cost $22,
what is the cost of one quire9"
IF n bushel Of potatoes cost 81,
how many a you buy for $47g
How many hats can you buy for
1888 if n hat costs 1922"