The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1909-02-27
"A Short Lesson IN
Simple Arithmetic.


'Tis a blessed and refreshing thing
20 know that Truth crushed to earth
win rise again" But it is depressing
TO realize that Error viii frequently
shi with most deplOrable persistency-
perform precisely the same stunt when
subjected to the same treatment. AS
the miserable but extremity philosoph-
kc and yeraciOus Hamlet, Prince OF
Denmark. observed: '''Tis true, It's
pity and pity tbs tbs true" Millennium
has not yet come, and until its arrival
and the Strengthening of the crooked
lines OF existence the still small
voice" waich speaks only the eternal
verities will prove but little moro in
sistent than the rasping whispers OF
the great original Snake OF Eden
And thus We behold that our dis
tinguished Jacksonville contemporary,
the Times-Union, is still a victim OF
cbIiquity of mental vision, despite the
most mighty efforts of The Journal to
lead it to right thinking. It is the
same old story, produced for purposes
of defense against a kROck-doWn argu-
ment made by Ex-Governor BroWard
regarding the Iatter's position in the
recent sale of submerged Everglades
lands. The Times-UniOn viii not see
that sos, 900 acres sold for two dollars
an acre really puts $1,O16,O00 in the
treasury of the Internal Improvement
hoard. How the governor can speak
OF the price reviewed by him as $2.oe
Ter acre we cannot see, when the
cost of drainage must come out OF
that" exclaims our ubiquitous friend.
Yet, how simple the problem! Its
solution does not require the use OF
duaternians, nor differential calculus.
1t may be worked out even by less
troublesome rule than the equation of
he curve derived from the beautiful
and exhilarating study Of comic sec
tions. PaFabOlas, hyperbOlas, and ell
ltpses have nothing TO do with it. The
theory of the azlmutn and the meet
ing of two parallel lines when contin-
Ted into infinity are not applicable.
Now, the Times Union, weak as it has
proven itself in mathematics, Will
surely understand the solution, unless
It Joins its voice with the pupil who
acknowledged himself an ignoramus
and cried out in his anguish:
Multiplication is veXation,
Division is as bad,
The rule OF three it puzzles me
And fractions drives me mad
Now suppose d man owns 1000
ecres of land under water and has
no money TO drain the water OF. He
Rnows the land with the wafer on it
is not worth a copper on the market.
lie is also confident that the land with
out tna water would be worth many
dollars. A friend comes along who
also has faith in this land and offers
10 nay $500 an acre for one-haf the
submerged land. Half the total sum
thus obtained viii be enough to drain
the entire thousand acres. The land
owner occepts the offer and receives
81 900 for the SOC acres sold. If he
Gets ST, 600 for 500 acres he must have
sold at S2.0O an acre. VINO viii blame
him for using part of this money TO
drain his own 500 acres and raise
their price to perhaps $50 an acre,
even if he drained the other mans
500 acres at the same time? Would
ne not be a fool, in fact, if he fail
ed to make that very use of the mon
ey? Would he not, indeed, be justified
IN spending tne entire $1,000 paid il
IL would produce him 500 acres OF
land worth even $50 an acre. which
would be a total of $4,000?
It is surprising that this demonsra-
ton has been called for. To The
Journal It has muchthe appearance OF
statement to the effect that red is
red, a fact which does not seem to
require any lengthy argument to sub
stantiate-unIess (and here's where
the sad part of the proposition comes
inl there's something the matter with
the vision Of the antagonist, be it OBJ
liauity or color blindness, or what you
Will.
The editorial Of our Gate City con