MATHEMATICAL POETRY.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1384, 9 March 1912, Page 9

MATHEMATICAL POETRY.

Mr. Spencer Leigh Hughes (who hafs transferred his "Sub Rosft' column from tho "Morning Leader" to the Daily News") gave up one morning lately to reviewing a queer volume called "A Trip to Switzerland in llhyme. It was chieily tliis kind of thing: Our next performance was to get an express train bound South, From the station at 1.19 wo just were steaming out, For 30 miles or so we went upon, that well-laid line, Arriving fine old Brusseb town at just 1.19. ' At one point the writer came to this: Of the scene down below we were not likely to tire, Over four-sixty (1G0) feet is tho height of this spire. Which inspired Mr. Hughes with a happy idea. His article continued: — One sometimes sees in precise document some such phrase as tlrjs, (say one thousand pounds)." and this explanatory method of writing "over four-sixty (4CO) feet" is an improvement 'on tho vaguer methods*of other poets. ■■• ■ .-• For instance, in future Cowper's lines might be put in this way: . When. Kempenfeldt went down i With twico four hundred (800) men.' This would make things clearer to the young—and it might help tho. old who happen, to bo obese and stupid, or not good at meiifcil arithmetic. Again, it could not do any harm to make Byron a little clearer by printing: Of tho three hundred (300) grant but three (3) To make a new Thermopylae. And, while I am about it, it may be well to polish up Tennyson a little, as thus: Half -(J) a league,.half (I) a league, Half (i) a lea.gui onward, All iu the valley of Death Rode the Six Hundred (600}. Some critics may say that after the word "league" tho explanatory noto "(three miles)" should bo added, but I am not sure about that. Somo people might think that half a league was three miles, and, on the other hand, if you put "(ono and a half miles)," then some ass—l mean some insufficiently informed reader —would think that you meant that a league is one and a half miles. But there aro many cases in which this now stylo could bo introduced with advantage—for instance: And passing rich with forty pounds (M 0) a year. Or this from Shakespeare: Shall I never see a bachelor of three score (CO) again? And, finally, theso touching lines from Von Munch Bellinghausen may be improved in this way: Two (2) souls with but a single (1) thought, Two (2) hearts that beat as one (1).

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