ANECDOTES

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXI, Issue XIII, 24 September 1898, Page 312

ANECDOTES

THEIR ONLY NEEDLE. Cobbett tells a story of how a young man of his acquaintance, living at Philadelphia, was put off from marrying by a chance expression which fell from the lips of his lady love. He was visiting one evening at her father’s house, and he heard her say to her sister, ‘I wonder where our needle is.’ That was enough. He went away as soon as was consistent with politeness, resolved to have nothing to do with one who had a needle in partnership with another, for, he argued, ‘She can’t be an energetic woman, or else she would have a needle all to herself—her very own; and she can’t be an orderly one who would keep my house as it should be kept, or else she would have known where the fractional part of the needle was.’ —‘Cornhill.’ A NARROW ESCAPE. In his book, ‘The Crimea in 1854,’ Sir Evelyn Wood, V.C., relates the following anecdote: — ‘1 was making for a place where the parapet had been worn down by men running over it, in order to avoid the exertion of mounting up even four feet, when a young soldier passed me on my left side, and, doubtless, not noticing 1 was wounded, knocked my arm heavily, saying, ‘Move, on, sir, please.’ ‘As he passed over the parapet with his rifle at the trail I caught it by the small of the butt to pull myseilf up. He turned round angrily, asking, ‘What are you doing?, And while his face was bent on mine, a round shot, passing my ear. struck him full between the shoulders, and I stepped over his body, so exhausted as to be strangely indifferent to the preservation of my own life, saved by the soldier having jostled me out of my turn at the gap.’ A MATHEMATICAL CRANK. The author of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ (lately deceased) was an eminent mathematician, who used his wonderful sense of humour as a recreation from engrossing studies. Queen Victoria, having read with delight his amusing story, and not knowing that the author was a professor of mathematics, requested him to send her any other book he had written. She was amazed when a parcel arrived at Windsor Castle containing two books on the higher mathematics. The story is capped by one told of a clerical mathematician who insisted on amusing an old friend, during a brief call, with a mathematical bout, though the two men had not met for several years.

William Pengelly, an eminent English geologist, being in the neighbourhood of a clerical friend, decided, though his time was short, for the

sake of ‘auld lang syne,’ to sacrifice an hour or two. On reaching the rectory he was kindly received by the clergyman and his wife, to whom he said: ‘lt is now 6 o’clock; I can’t remain with you one minute after 8 o’clock.’

‘Then we must improve the shining hours,’ answered the clergyman. ‘Jane, my dear, be so good as to order tea.’ Then he left the room, and in a few minutes returned with a book under his arm and his hands filled with writing materials, which he placed upon the table. Opening the book, he said:

‘This is Hind’s “Trigonometry,” and here's a lot of examples for practice. Let us see who can do the greatest number of them before 8 o’clock. We can drink our tea as we work, so as to lose no time.’

‘AU right,’ said Pengelly, though working out examples in trigonometry was not the object for which he had come several miles out of his road. They set to work; not a word passed between them; they drank now and then the tea which the lady poured out, and at a quarter to 8 Pengelly said: ‘We must stop: in a quarter of an hour I must l>e on my way.’ ‘Very well.’ answered the friend. ‘Let us see how our answers agree with those of the author.’ The clergyman had solved one more example than the geologist, who said. ‘Good-bye.’ ‘Good-bye,’ answered the mathematician. ‘Do come again as soon as you can. The farmers about here know nothing of trigonometry.’ Pengelly never met again his mathematical friend, whose portrait was drawn in ‘Hudibras’ 200 years before: For he by geometric scale Could take the size of pots of ale. And wisely tell what hour o' the day The clock does strike, by algebra.