The Washington times., 1903-09-20

l.42o leaves IS. That proves the adj
dltlor to be correct. because the last Is
agrees with the sum Of the two check
figures Of the original numbers.
Proof by Eleven.
The proof by is not so accurate
but the proof by IL is reliable in most
cases and will do for all reasonable pur-
poses. 1 use the proof bv II ALI tho
tme' and it has never failed me. Take
two amounts of. say. five figures each
S4S4-26 and S175.32. Beginning at the
right hand, and the first. third ana afth
ngures, e+4+4 equal Il: also add the
second and fourth figures. rs equal 10
Now, deduct the 10 from the IA and
you have l. Proceed in the same wav
with the second number: 2+5+1 equal
g. 81 equal 10. When the number to be
deducted exceeds that from which II is
to be taken. add II and proceed: S+ft
equal 10; 1910 leaves ?. Add the and
the ? together and you have 13.
The sum OF s4S4.26 and Sl75.32 is
S65s.5S. As before, 1896 equal %: SIS
equal 10; 23-1O equal 10. This proves
that the footing is correct. Looks like
lot of work. Ell? Well. when YOU get
used to # there's nothing easier. And
what's little extra work for accuracy
when difference of one cent in bal
ance will drive a bookkeeDer crazy
know there are hundreds. nav. Thou
sands of bookkeepers who have nearly
lost their lives over an inability to find
missing dollar or two in a balance
sheet The conscientious man never
gives up till he finds the error.
Let me tell you of a strange ex-
perience of my own. I had been keep
Ing the books OF this house for about
eighteen years when one day 7 was un-
able 70 strike balance. There was an
error of 81. l set my FIVE assistants to
work checking back. AT the end of
week we had not found the error. was
worried. was responsible. I buckIed
down TO the search myself and got SO
warmed up to the work that / could |
neither eat not sleep. My assistants
felt as bad about it as I did. We quit
going out TO lunch or dinner and stayed |
up all night hunting away.
4WO-DolldI Balance
MY wife told me l was a perfect |
wreck. My employers said charge the
81 10 profit and loss. which. OF course, /
was quite out of the question. Five /
weeks passed. 1t was Sunday morning. |
l had told my assistants 10 stay away |
and get some rest for fresh start Mon
day. little after daylight 1 walked |
down TO the store and went in. The |
office was in the rear walked straight |
back and unlocked the big safe where we
kept the ledgers. Something seemed to
pull me along. / was only half con-
scious. had not even a vague idea of
what | was doing. l only knew there
was some invisible force leading me.
Il picked up the first ledger my hand
touched and laid it on the desk, allow
ng II to fall open at any old place. AS
L happened, the page was Il6. My eve
swept over 1t at glance. and there was
the error. the missing 81.
''Ye gods! 1 don't know what took
place the moment after When | came
10, the janitor was thro wing water in
ny face. and 1 was lying on the floor in
! fever. He said afterward that he
'ound me leaning against the desk. un-
with my finger pressed hard
against the 81. / was i'll two months
With nervous prostration.
DO you know, that experience kind Of
made me believe in spirits"