New-York tribune., 1918-07-10
Liberty Arithmetic
By Emma Bugbee
IBERTY arithmetic is the newest ar. ;

r IBERTY arithmetic is the newest ar"
IL The herring and half that used
to cost cent and a half, to the utter
undoing of the American schoolboy, has been
dethroned. In his stead there come to
reign the corn muffin and the two Jumps
of sugar.
"lf Mary saves two Jumps of sugar every
day. how many can she save in a week?
If her father gives up his three Jumps, too,
how many will he save?' SO reads Hoover
lied arithmetic
1t was the women in Minnesota. member
OF the state section Of the Women's Com
rittec Of the Council of National De-
fence, who discovered that herrings arc
Toor picking for patriotism and that n
bushel Of apples or cord of wood, or
any of the other good old New England
rocks upon which our public school text
books are built, don't rouse much enthu-
siasm nowadays in the mind of Johnny.
who has brother in Franco. Twenty thou
sand copies of the new arithmetic arc being
printed and will be distributed in the public
schools of the state next fall
If there is anything in the pedagogc
theory of interest, the new arithmetic ought
to make a great change for the better in
little Mary's grades. The young idea that
used to droop and pine on a diet of her
rings and cordwood ought to flourish like
a Rambler rose in California on such ex-
citing problems Liberty bonds, corn
mullins and ships for France.
Of course, it is not the interests OF
pedagogy, but of patriotism, that are the
concern OF the Council of National De-
fence. Mrs. Thomas c. Winter, chairman
Ct the Minnesota committee explains that
n view of the large percentage of Ger
man-born population in the state it has
been necessary to devise every possible
scheme for getting the American war gospel
before the people.
Ihc children are the best carriers OF
PATRIOTISM" she said, "and il we make them
act only sing and salute the flag, but add
and subtract in patriotism and read and
write in Liberty themes, we shall have
sown seed we will reap in thousands of
hearts. The American school child Of the
next two or three years is the citizen
o' tomorrow, and we are building his
IDEAS IN democracy, his conception of the
state, in these little arithmetic lessons.
JasI as we used to learn that Honesty is
the best policy and Handsome is that
handsome does, lessons We never forgot
however far We departed from them-so
the child of to-day is to learn that Food
will win the war; and Money saved is
money earned and Make the world safe
for democracy"
Tho Liberty arithmetic book is graded
TOR children from the third to the eighth
grade, and contains. n addition 70 the proh-
lem Of Ilary and the humps OF sugar. all
sorts Of difficult international problems
connected "ith Transporting soldiers and
raising wheat for the Allies.
The Hoover problems" are most com.
mon, due to the fact that children can helrC
directly by saving sugar and butter at each
meal, while transports arc far removed
fiom their daily lives. Following are some
of the examples:
|. Mary needs three tablespoonfu,s of
sugar day. She eats two tablespoopfuls
OF sugar on her oatmeal four tablespoon
fuls of sugar in her cooked food and two
tablespoonfuls Of sugar in her candy. IN
one day how many more tabespoonfulS of
sugar does Mary eat than she really needs.
= Each day Alice used two TABLESPOON
fuIs OF syrup instead Of two tablespoonfu)s
% sugar in order to save two tablespoon.
iuls of sugar for little child in France
How many tablesroonfuls OF sugar did she
save in seven days?
3. Edith wished to save bread 70 holm
so1uiars EooL 40, IL,
potatoes with gravy, instead of two sl;cas
OF pread. IN one week how many slices
q bread did Edith save for the soldierso
4. Mary bought no candy or gum for ono
Week. and so saved twelve cents for the
Hed Cross. The Red Cross bought pauzo
at tour cents a yard. How MANY wards
OF gauze did Mary's twelve cents buy?
>. soldier eats six tablespoonfuls of
sugar each day. Edith saves two table
Spoohluls OF sugar day. In how MANY
Gays VIII Edith save enough sugar to feed
soldier all the sugar he needs for on.
day?
In the higher grades the problems are Of
q nature that would stagger the Treasury
department. itself. If the school children
OF Minnesota keep on in the way Mrs
winter would have them trained Mr. Nc
Aooo "lll be able to take vacation after
while Here, for example, are "stickers"
Tor the eighth grade
A speculator shipped three cars. each
containing $4,000 pounds of potatoes from
minneapolis to Chicago. In order to find
'he highest market for potatoes ho hold
'he cars at Chicago for eleven days. His
cemurrage rate was $500 per car each
day Tor the first three days, $500 DER car
1or the next three days and $500 ner car
for each day thereafter. What y.as 49,
wal amount this specuator paid to the
railroad company, if the shipping rate on
.h0se potatoes from Minneapolis to CHICAGO
IS nineteen cents per hundred pounds?
III our government were WAITING for
cars, TO ship -four to the Allies hou, r,