groups of three figures each we have
(1) (2) (3) (4)
417 426 415 375.
Bringing the first group into relation with the third group, we notice
that it is larger by two--and considering the second group with the
fourth group, we find that the second group is as much and one more
above 400 as the fourth is below 400. Other minor matters could be
noticed, as that the first two figures of each group are respectively
41--42--41--37, and that the last figure in each group is 7--6--5--5.
But these relations are hardly worth observing.
Coming back to the first series, we know that each figure represents
the number of the day of the month to which it belongs on which
the first Saturday in that month falls. The figures for 1895 are
522--641--637--527. The first Saturday in January, 1895, falls on the
_fifth_ day of January, hence the second Saturday must be 5 + 7 = the
12th day of January; the third Saturday the 19th, and the fourth
Saturday 26th. It is easy to know on what day of the _week_ any day in
January falls. Suppose you ask on what week day the 25th of January
falls? You know the 26th is Saturday, and hence the 25th must be the day
preceding the 26th, to wit, Friday, the 25th. Suppose you ask on what
week day the 9th of January falls. You know the 12th is Saturday (the
second Saturday). You now count backward thus: 12 is Saturday, 11 must
be Friday, 10 Thursday, 9 must be Wednesday. The _first_ Saturday in
January, 1895, is the 5th; of February, the 2nd; of March, the 2nd; of
April, the 6th; of May, the 4th, &c., &c. And we can tell on what week
day any day of any of the other months falls.
EXERCISES.
1.--The Ratio of the Circumference of the circle to its diameter is
expressed by the integer 3 and 708 decimals, of which I give only eight.
Learning these nine figures is good practice in numeric
thinking--3.14159265.
2.--The Yellowstone National Park contains 2,294,740 acres.
3.--The Monster Chartist Petition contained 3,317,702 names.
HOW TO LEARN PROSE AND POETRY BY HEART.
THE ANALYTIC SYNTHETIC METHOD APPLIED TO LONG SENTENCES.
How _unobservant_ and wholly _unreliant_ many pupils are may be seen
from the fact that notwithstanding my elaborate handling of the
processes of learning prose and poetry by heart, I often receive
requests to send some indication of how I would learn a particular
chapter or selection by heart! But a chapter consists of paragraphs and
paragraphs
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