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PUBLISHED SEMI-MONTHLY.
VOLUME I.
ftoetnj.
From the Telegraph and Messenger.
To lt Marim de Harlem,”
UNIVERSITY, GA.
I.
Oh darliug! When these pages lie before
you
All wet with the warm tears I shed to
night,
Recall that cruel verdict I implore you,
From which my soul shrinks back in
wild affright.
ii.
Forgive me, that the shadow of my sor
row
E’er stood and knocked impatient at
your door;
It’s gone, you know—l think it left the
morrow
But brighter—and ’twill cross your path
no more!
hi.
Alas! lam so weary of this pleading—
Begging for bread and getting but a
stone;
You will not listen to my interceding—
You turn unto my prayer deaf ears alone.
IV.
Yon call me cold! God only knows how
burning
Within my heart live memories of the
past;
While the pale phantom of- that dream
returning,
Forever mocks me with “It could not
last!”
v.
You call me false! My fault was too sin
cerely
To think love’s joy and matchless glory
mine;
And pour out all my soul’s sweet incense,
merely
To find I’d worshipped at a broken
shrine.
VI.
Alas ! alas! if I had but the power
To wake again love’s echoes in my heart,
I'd stir its lonely depths this very hour,
And every slumbering chord in rapture
start!'
VII.
It may not be! the strings are broke for
ever,
That once woke sweetest music at thy
touch; ,
Ah, who, in death’s corruption can dis
cover
Features, they ever loved in life so much
VIII.
Do vou remember once I told you sadly
41 ‘You’re looking through glass darkly’
—see, oh see!”
No, no, you thrust the warning from you
madly,
And answered back, “ It must not, can
not be.”
IX.
Ah well! persist in your unjust reviling—
And call me cold and heartless if you
will —
• But while with words your fancy thus
beguifing,
j think your heart must hold one mem'ry
still.
X.
It’s hard—and yet I think that I can
bear it,
At least I’ll try—whatever grief may
come;
God sees the mist and from your eyes
will tear it,
And then, at last, you'll know me as I am!
CLIMBING THE HEIGHTS.
ATHENS, GA, APRIL 30,1870.
xi.
This letter is the last that ever blotted
By tears, shall leave my hand to seek
your sight;
Oh may your thoughts of me be all un
spotted—
Darling, farewell! I bid you “ Life’s
good night.” lonk.
February 24th, 1870
wl jPriftu*.
Origin of the Digits.
[continued.]
We have long been of the opinion
that the origin of the characters used
to represent the Digits, is directly
traceable, -in both the Homan and
Arabic systems, to the national signs
and with the fingers and hands to
express numbers. Thus one was
first denoted by one finger raised ;
and hence written in both systems by
a vertical mark. Two was denoted
by two fingers raised, and hence
written in the Roman system by two
vertical marks. In the Arabic sys
tem, we imagine these marks were
wiiUeji horizontally instead of ver
tically. 'IToV, If we write two par
allel horizontal lines rapidly and
connect the extremities, as would
be done by writing the lines rapidly,
we plainly approximate to the pre
sent shape of the figure 2. The an
gular points having become rounded
off by the attrition of use. The Ro
mans naturally expressed 3 by three
vertical marks, significant of the
three fingers. Tho Arabs wrote
their three lines parallel and hori
zontal. By writing them rapidly
without raising the pen, we approxi
mate to the figure 3, which by the
rounding attrition of ages assumed
its present form. Before we take up
4, let us look at 5. The natural sign
for five was the whole band raised,
the thumb and the four fingers.—
With the thumb outstretched and the
fingers together, we plainly have the
Roman Y. And it is possible, by wri
ting this Y rapidly, beginning at the
left, then we finally produce the pre
sent 5. But let us not omit 4. Now
four is one from five, so instead of
holding up the four fingers, it may
have been represented by one hand
outstretched as for five, and then
one finger thrown on one side to sig
nify one taken from five, as one fin
ger held on the opposite side meant
one added to five ; hence come tho
symbols IV and YI. Thus in accor
dance with the same idea of one from
five, suppose we write tho vertical
mark just through the Y instead of
by the sido of it, and wo plainly
have our present figuro 4. We can
furnish uo proof that this theory is
true; but it appears to us very phi
losophical that the natural signs
should as near as possible, have been
imitated in the written characters.
One more illustration of this theory.
Ten was first expressed by both the
hands elevated, and then we conceive,
as this was awkward, by both hands
clasped of crossed , and hence X for
this symbol. The origin of the oth
er characters of the Roman system
is obvious; but it would appear lan
ciful to account thus for the figures
6,7,; 8 and 9; still we are at no loss
to account for them, when we refer
to the form of the characters used in
the earliest records. They have great
ly changed as used at present.
There is a point here worthy of
notice. The ideas expressed by the
Arabic digits and their combinations,
are expressed in a written language
understood, as far as we know, by all
people on the globe who have a writ
tec language. They thus constitute
the only universal language known.
One go to Russia or China, and
done word of ,thf spos
ken or written language, and yet
perfectly comprehend the characters
and method of solving any problem
in arithmetic. For he would find
them to be exactly the same he had
been used to in his youth. The uni
versal adoption of this system has
arisen no doubt, from its simplicity,
and its wonderful power of express
sing every possible number conceiv
ed by the mind, with so few charac
ters. The power added to a charac
ter by giving it a relative value, as
well as an absolute one, could be used
in our written language no doubt
with groat advantage. This absolute
and relative power of a word is some
what used in the German, and can be
illustrated from other languages.
The Ancients indulged much in
speculative Arithmetics. They spent
much time in discovering properties
of numbers, much more curious than
uselul, and between these properties
and the moral qualities they delight
ed much to dwell upon the fancied
resemblance. According to the Plato
nic Philosopher—“ Arithmetic was
not to be studied with gross und vul-*
gar views, but in such a manner as
plight enable men to attain to the
contemplation of tho nature of num
bers; not for the purpose of doaling
with merchants and
but for the improvement of tho mind.
The numbers three and seven attrac
ted much attention, and every de
partment was searched for ternary
and septenary combinations. An
TERMS--$2.50 PER ANNUM.
NUMBER 6.
old Monk, Lucas de Burgo Sancti Se
pulchri, the author of the first print
ed treatise on Arithmetic, in refer
ence to the number three, says—
“ There are three principal sins, ava
rice, luxury and pride; three sorts
of satisfaction for sin, fasting, alms
giving and prayer; three witnesses
in heaven, Pater , Verbum, et Spiritus
Sanctus. Three times the Priest says
Agnus Dei , and three times Sanctus 7
and if we will consider all the acts of
a devout Christian worship, they are
found in ternary combination.-
There are three Furies, three Fates,
theree Virtues. Fides , Spes et Char
itas. There are three things which
are in no esteem—the strength of a
porter, the advice of a poor man, and
tho beauty of a beautiful woman.”—
(Shame on tho old Monk !)
The collection of trinads which old
Brother Lucas de Burgo, (peace to
to his ashes ! for being the author of
the* first printed Arithmetic, though
we confess to his want of gallantry),
in connection with that which bio
confreres collocted, would fill vols
The number seven was also a great
favorite for cornbinationsof this kind.
It was supposed to be the key to the
order of the Universe, and obtained
a mystical reference. There wero
seven cardinal virtues, seven deadly
sins, seven sacraments, seven days,,
seven planets, seven metals, &c. In
deed, so great was this belief in the
permanency of these combinations,,
that upon this ground alone, a cele
brated astronomer in the time of Ga
lileo, denied the possibility of his dis
covery of the satellites of Jupiter.—
Arguing after this manner, that we
have seven domiciles in the head
two eyes, two nostrils, two ears, and
one mouth, there were seven metals,
seven planets, and that the week was
divided into seven days and named
after the seven planets; hence the
discovery of any new planets would
cause all this system to fall to the
ground —therefore it could not be
true! This is only one of the many
instances where great devotion to
speculative Arithmetic so blinded the
intellects of its votaries, as to retard
the advancement of truth.
Among the many hundreds of in
stances of the opposition of igno
rance and superstition in the advance
of truth —an opposition which, is too
often, unfortunately, made in the
name of religion, there occurs a very
curious and amusing one relating
immediately to tho subject of Arith
metic. The difficulty occurred to
the same old Moiak from whom wo
