Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1900-03-21
ARP AS INSTRUCTOR
Answers Questions Sent Him Through
The Mail.
THEY COME FROM ALL QUARTERS.
A Lady Wants To Know About
"Needle's Eye" Boy Bothered
About Figures.

the parable OF the rich man. 1 remem-
oer reading somewhere THAT it was tho
smallest gate that gave entrance to the
walled city OF Jeruselam. and that a
loaded camel had to be stripped OF it's
burden and bend its knees to squeeze
through. And 50 n rich man had to
give up this riches and come to his
Knees before he could enter heaven.
But L do not find chat in any commen-
Iary. 1t WAS just one of the Thousand
proverbs that adorned the moral teach
ngs OF the Jews and the EASTERN na-
tlonS. The writings of Job and Solo
mon and OOnfuciOus and Mahomet
abound in them. In the Koran lis found
This proverb: The imptous man will
find the gates OF heaven shut and he
can no more enter. than Il camel can
pass through a nesdle's eye" There
is another in the Klaran which saws:
Oh Will never see 4 palm tree OF gold
nor an elephant pass ghiGugh Il nee
dies eye These proverbs simply
meant that it wpS impcssible Sbnange
to say, the world has long since qlptt
making proverbs. All proverbs have
come GOWN to us, even such as "A roll
ing stone gathers no moss" Poor
\
ny saved is two pence gained"
a young man eager for knowledge
writes TO know why it is that When
you reverse n number and subtract the
less from the greater the difference
is always nine or some multiple of
nine, and nine Will divide il without
Il remainder. He wants to know the
reason why This is rather complex.
but the reason is plain when you see
IL by reversing number you change
the numerical value of every figure in
it; units become tens or hundreds or
thousands, and vice versa: and hence
If you subtract Il unit from ten il
leaves nine. Take ten. for instance
and reverse it, and it is OF. 1t was ten
before and it is l now, and the differ
ence is Obliged to be nine. Take 81
and reverse it and you change tens
to units, and l unit to J ten: gaining
81 and losing 9, which makes 10; "A
multiple Of 8. Now if you add instead
of subtract the sum will be IL uT cine
multiple of II, 10 and OIL; 13 IA ~
make n; 16 and 81 make n. "a and 42
make &c; all multiples CT II. Tbp COM
r'eT.tSs aid results OF figures are
many and very wonderful. They train
the mind and strain the mind / know
they did mine when | was struggling
through trigOnometry and calculus. A
boy can fudge and smuggle along
throuh Latin and Greek with the help
OF transiations, but he can't foo. the
professor on the black board.
Another enquiring mind wishes to
know why it is that the first day OF
May and the following Christmas al
ways come on tie same day of the
week. Well, it can't help it, that's all,
for there are thirty-four even weeks
from Cne to the Other. But Christmas
day aId the first of the next May don't
fit. February comes in and knocks the
eN - into odd.
Florida girl writes that her alma
nae IS all wrong, for it gives February
only twenty-cight days, notwithstand-
ing this is leap year. Yes, Miss. this
is leap year. but ii don't leap The
last year in every century has to be
skipped as a leap year, for old father
time gains day i'm every hundred
years. and the clock has to be set
back twenty-fouy hours.
And here is a good humble sen
siblc letter from a Louisiana negro
who says he has great respect for the
white people. and loves to lean upon
them. for they know best and they
have treated him kindly all his life He
wants 20 know where the word negro
comes from, and what it means He
says: Il read all your letters, and you
rive us some awful blows. but you
can't blow the monkey out OF us"
Well. the word negro is Spanish and
POrtuGee for black The French Is
Digre. The Latin is niger, and the
English corrupted it into nigger The
ant "A iCti irr,a nj
more English than negro: and was
used without opprobrious intent; and
can be found in writings OF Tom Hood
and Praed and Trevelyn. The Irish
call them nagers. But az the Latin
is the foundation of all these languages
! would say that niger Is really the
origin and the most proper name for
the race.
1 was on the tram once wnen good
old Sanford Bell was very much per-
picked about miserable, cadaverous-
looking foreigner who took a seat in
the negro's car; and a negro preacher
made a fuss about it. 50 Sanford ask
ed him whether he was Il negro or
white man. He shrugged his should
ers and grnned as he replied: Mine
fader was a Rortugee. and mine mud
der vas a nagur. What shall I do
with him." Let him stay, or pitch
aim ont the window" he replied San
ford said 90 me, II think he is cross
between a baboOn anu an esquimo"
like such negroes as the one who
wrote me that respectful and sensible
letter. In fact. | know of many ne
groes who have not only my regard,
but share OF my affections How
willing they are 10 oblige you When