July, 2006
Commentary
** Better late than never **
When we take into account how much more one might do between twenty and fifty
than between ten and forty, the difference is not great.
Men who have commenced late have also found time to do a great deal. The elder Scaliger,
a celebrated scholar of the sixteenth century, was one of the late-learned, and yet
few men have ever surpassed him in erudition.
One of the most distingished astronomers
of modern time, Delambre, did not turn his attention to astronomy till he was more than
thirty-five years of age. He died at seventy-two, leaving to the French a series of works
on astronomy such as no other nation can show.
Indeed courage to commence late is, perhaps, one mark of a great mind. Cato the Censor, certainly one
greatest men among the ancients, learned the Greek language after he had passed the middle age.
And Napoleon learned to read English while on the island of St. Helena.
You can find more examples in this day and age.
Challenging Number
What number is that which, if divided by 2, leaves a remainder of 1? if divided by 3, leaves a remainder of 2? if divided by 4, leaves a remainder of 3? if divided by 5, leaves a remainder of 4? if divided by 6, leaves a remainder of 5? if divided by 7, leaves no remainder?
Check the answer next month.
The answer of Mind-benders in June
The following initial letters form a large naval city "Chatham" in England.
- A city in Prussia - answer: Cologne.
- A lake in the United States - answer:Huron.
- A county in Pennsylvania - answer: Armstrong.
- A part of Austria - answer: Tyrol.
- A chain of mountains in Asia - answer: Himalaya.
- A sea in Asia - answer: Arabian.
- One of the United States - answer:Maryland.