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e person who turns it can move, than he could do without it." "Well," said Tommy, "I see it is a fine thing indeed to acquire knowledge, for by these means one not only increases one's understanding, but one's bodily strength. But are there no more, sir, of these ingenious contrivances, for I should like to understand them all?" "Yes," answered Mr Barlow, "there are more, and all of them you shall be perfectly acquainted with in time; but for this purpose you should be able to write, and comprehend something of arithmetic." _Tommy._--What is arithmetic, sir? _Mr Barlow._--That is not so easy to make you understand at once; I will, however, try to explain it. Do you see the grains of wheat which he scattered in the window? _Tommy._--Yes, sir. _Mr Barlow._--Can you count how many there are? _Tommy._--There are just five-and-twenty of them. _Mr Barlow._--Very well. Here is another parcel; how many grains are there? _Tommy._--Just fourteen. _Mr Barlow._--If there are fourteen grains in one heap, and twenty-five in the other, how many grains are there in all? or, how many do fourteen and twenty-five make? Tommy was unable to answer, and Mr Barlow proposed the same question to Harry, who answered, that, together, they made thirty-nine. "Again," said Mr Barlow, "I will put the two heaps together, and then how many will there be?" _Tommy._--Thirty-nine. _Mr Barlow._--Now, look, I have just taken away nineteen from the number; how many, do you think, remain? _Tommy._--I will count them. _Mr Barlow._--And cannot you tell without counting? How many are there, Harry? _Harry._--Twenty, sir. _Mr Barlow._--All this is properly the art of arithmetic, which is the same as that of counting, only it is done in a much shorter and easier way, without the trouble of having the things always before you. Thus, for instance, if you wanted to know how many barley-corns were in this sack, you would perhaps be a week in counting the whole number. _Tommy._--Indeed, I believe I should. _Mr Barlow._--If you understood arithmetic you might do it in five minutes. _Tommy._--That is extraordinary, indeed; I can hardly conceive it possible. _Mr Barlow._--A bushel of corn weighs about fifty pounds; this sack contains four bushels; so that there are just two hundred pounds weight in all. Now, every pound contains sixteen ounces, and sixteen times two hundred makes thirty-two hundred ounces. So that you have not
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