Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1902-12-31
THE SWORD
OF DAMOCLES


IOrigfnall
Professor" said the emperor, ut is
a misfortune to our royal self as well
as to you that you are implicated in
this conspiracy"
Il am innocent your majesty"
''But your accuser says that you are
guilty"
"That is because he would be bene-
fitted by my DEATH"
The emperor frowned. He was turn
ing the matter over in his mind. Pres
emily he spoke again:
Gentlemen, no university in the
world holds two such eminent mathe-
maticians. You, Schenglar, accuse
Guenther of conspiracy against our
royal person. You, Guenther, accuse
Schenglar of bearing false witness In
order to get you out of his way. a
crime scarcely less atrocious than trea-
son. What proof have you of your
CHARGE?
None that can bring forth without
injury to another"
Gentlemen" said the emperor, 1--WE
have the trial by combat, but it is not
fitted for scholars. | shall institute a
new test. Go to your rooms, which
will be carefully locked and guarded.
Calculate how fine wire will be re-
quired to hold in suspense sword
weighted to a hundred pounds. When
you have finished. hand your figures to
the grand chamberlain. who will have
the wires forged and the swords
weighted. Then they will be suspend
ed, one by a wire made on Schenglars
calculation and one on wire made on
Guenthers calculation. Each mathe-
matician shall deliver lecture an hour
long under the sword held by his own
calculation. If neither sword falls, the
man who stands under the finer wire
shall be believed; the other shall die"
The emperor motioned to the captain
of the guards, and the prisoners were
taken away.
The professors handed in their cal
ulations--Guenther within a week,
Schengiar within a month. Then
months were spent in making the
wires, which were each run through
mathematical instrument to discover
that it answered the calculations; and,
lastly. the swords were made ready to
be suspended, each by its proper wire.
over a desk in the throneroom of the
emperor's palace From the first, great
interest was manifested throughout
the empire in this advance method Of
trial. The people hailed the departure
as a new evidence of the wisdom of
their beloved sovereign.
1t was on bright spring morning
that the emperor, the imperial family,
the mobiles, the faculty of the UNIVERSE
ty, the generals of the army and other
notables filed the throneroom to over
flowing. When the audience was seat
ed, the emperor entered, followed by
his suit. In the suit of the empress
was a maid of honor whose intense ex-
element showed plainly in her face
and her demeanor. When the prison
ers were led in, she was observed to
cast upon Schenglar look of hate,
upon Guenther look of intense solicit
tude. When all was ready, lots were
drawn as to which professor should
lecture first. The lot fell to Schenglar.
With the greatest care a sword was
suspended over his desk, every effort
being made that not the least extra
strain should be put upon its wire dur
ing the process. When it was hung,
the time was carefully noted, and
Schenglar began to speak. During the
lecture, especially the last few min
utes, there was intense excitement in
the audience, and the lecturer, as he
finished, while the last sands ran from
the glass, fell back exhausted. Then
Guenther, after all had been arranged
for him, stepped to his desk and deliv-
cred his discourse with as much con-
fidence as if he were simply speaking
in his classroom.
Wonderful said the audience,
''what confidence that man has in his
calculations"
He. too. finished without the sword
falling upon him. and the test now lay
between the fineness of the two wires.
Silence was imposed, and the chancel-
lor of the empire, opening two packets
containing the original computations
in each case. read:
"The strength of the wires is repre-
scented by the following decimals OF
the unit of measure:
Professor Schenglar, .03749.
professor Guenther, ,05136.
professor Guenther's wire is the fiE-
er by more than six-thousandths of the
unit of measure"
There was momentary hush which
was broken by sound of one falling
on the floor. A maid in the empress
suit had tainted. The emperor looked
aside and, seeing what had occurred,
said: There lies the cause of the ac-
cusation. is it not so, Professor Schen-
glar?'
Now that | must die, | confess.
love the woman and would have de
stroyed my rival"
Take him away" said the emperor.