The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-08
ARITHMETIC AND GRAMMAR.
Chicago Teachers Find Three from
Eleven Leaves Eleven.

Chicago Tribune.
Take three from eleven and what re-
mains?'
Eight" says the ordinary, u%nsophisti-
Gated mortal.
mo, indeed. Eleven remains" says the
pedagogue. And there you have the rock
on which superintendent and principals of
schools, and even the TENDERS of the
Teachers Federation, have split.
William G. Payne, Superintendent of the
Tenth district, is credited with first inform
ing the p-edagOgues that they were on a
reef. He gave out the information at a din
ner at the Palmer House, when were gath
cred around him a number of the leading
lights of the Chicago public school sys-
tenn.
'Why, it's frightfull" he declared. II
went into a sev~enth-grade room the other
Shall 1 times it or less it? when told TO
work a problem. When children refer in
that way to multiplication and subtrac-
ton / think we should reform our class
room language"
For instance" said superintendent
Payne, leaning over the board, IF you
take three from eleven, what remains?'
That's where you show that you really
do need reformation. You have eleven left.
In order to have been able to take the
a separate group of eleven from the Vicin-
ity of which you could remove the three
in fact. you must have had fourteen in or
der to be able to take three from eleven"
Hold on" said the other, Il had eleven
apples. L took three of them away and
there were eight left"
Certainly said superintendent Payne.
You took three of them away and left
eight. But what did you take the three
from? From the eleven? No, indeed. From
the other eight; Otherwise you must con-
ceive of yourself as taking the three APP
pies from themselves, as they were a part
of the original eleven"
Then, what should we say? Eleven less
three equals eighth
"No, for what part of speech is less?'"
Lees is a proposition" declared a prin-
cipal. and governs three"
. the contrary less means, according
To Webster, smaller. not so much 1t is
hard to say off-hand what would be a cor
rect phrase. Perhaps eleven diminished
by three equals eighth"
Tie argument that followed was long and
fierce, but at last a majority of those pres
ent decided To acknowledge the soundness
of Superintendent Payne's pedagogy.
sIn the City SchOO Board rooms Superin-
tendent Lowry of the Second district open-
ly declared for the common form.
IF / have eleven and take three of them
from them l cave eight" he asserted.
Three from eleven leaves eight is an
elliptical sentence. When YOU supply the
elisiOn you readily see why il is right. H.
should be filled out: Take three of your
eleven apples away and you leave eight"
superintendent Sabin, whose years en-
abled him to recall many similar ground
ings of the educational ship,
the validity of the criticism from a ground
not be made" he said, for to a child's
mind the statement is correct. He sees
eleven apples, and sees that If he takes
three of them away from the collection he
has eight left. Therefore he knows that
three from eleven leaves eight. OF course.
as a matter of fact. he does not take the
three from themselves, but only from the
other eight. But il is near enough right.
since he. as "a fact. takes the three from
the whole collection, which was originally
made UP of eleven units