The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1905-07-06
DIAMOND CUT DIAMOND,
An Encounter With Tricky Money
Changers In China.

|
In the great hinterland of China,
| the region that lies south of Siberia
| and far to the west of Picking, there is
mixed population among which the
| chief commercial element is the Chi
nese. These "KitatS." as they are call
| ed, are continually on the look out for
some opportunity to fleece the ignorant
TartarS who stray in from the country.
Fathers Hue and CADET, French
priests, who in the course of their
| travels in 1916 had reached Blue
Town. were from their dress mistak-
en- for Tartar lamas, and when they
| sought to have silver ingot changed
to copper cash found the change short.
The weight showed by the scales was
| correct, but when the chief clerk took
the swanpan, or counting frame and
| added the amounts the result seemed
small.
This is an exchange Office" said the
travellers. I'VE are the sellers, you the
buyers. You have made your calcula-
tions; give us pencil and paper, and we
will make ours"
Nothing could be more just. You
have laid down fundamental princi-
pie of the law Of commerce." replied
the Chinese clerk, confident of their ig-
norance, as he gave them the articles.
A very short calculation sufficed to
show the Frenchmen that they We're to
be cheated of a thousand sapeks.
superintendent of the bank" they
said, your swanpan is in error by
thousand sapeks."
Impossible! DO you think that all Of
a sudden I've forgotten how to use my
swanpan? Let me go over it again"
He proceeded with an air of great
anxiety to do so and attained his pre-
vious result.
II knew was right he declared,
passing the frame to a colleague. "See,
brother" The colleague calculated and
attained the same result.
you see" said the principal, there
is no error. How is it that our calcula-
ton does not agree with what you have
written?"
at is unimportant to inquire why
your calculation does not agree with
what is written" replied the French
man slavely. This is certain--yOurS is
wrong and ours is right. These figures
that we have traced upon this paper
are very different from your swanpan.
1t is impossible for them to be wrong.
Were all the calculators in the world
to work all their lives on this simple
operation the result could be no differ
ent than to affirm that you are wrong
by thousand sapeks."
The money changers We're extremely
embarrassed and began to turn very
red when bystander, seeing how awk-
ward was the situation, proposed him
self as umpire. "I'll reckon it up for
you" he said. And his result agreed
with that of the Frenchmen. The SUI
perintendent of the bank made pro-
found bow.
.'Sirs lamas," said he, your nathe-
MATES are better than mine.'
"Oh, not at ALL" replied the French
men in the polite terms required by
Chinese etiquette. Your swanpan is ex-
cellent, but who ever heard Of one al
ways free from error? People like you
may well make mistakes once in
awhile, when poor ignorant folks like
us make them tens Of thousands Of
times. Our swanpan, however, is in
fallible. being composed Of the very
| figures by which the royal astronomer
Of the most high emperor at Picking
reckons the times and the pathways of
the sun, moon and stars. Such figures
could not be in error. Now, however,
thanks to the pains you have taken
we have fortunately concurred in our
reckoning"
And so, with malice toward none"
and the full value Of their ingot, they
loft tho Shon -YOufh'S Compopiop