Arithmetic in the Dark

Abstract

This item from The Band of Hope Review would have taxed the mental arithmetic of its young readers, but the answer is 150 million pounds spent per year on alcohol – and this was in 1899.

OUR Schoolmaster, who is always up to any bit of fun, gave prizes in the winter for specially good writing. All of us tried, except young Smith, who writes like a baboon. Mine was second best, Charlie Harris being the lucky winner. Next day Mr. Dixon asked Charlie to write a sum out well enough to be photographed for a lantern slide ; he did it that night, most evenly, and in Indian ink too. On Saturday night at the usual lantern show, the chief said he should conclude with a question for the first class, dictated by himself, and written by Harris. It came out splendidly on the sheet, and I am sure Charlie blushed (although it was dark) to see his own writing look so splendid. This is a photograph of the slide :-

FIRST CLASS.

How many Shillings were Spent during last year in Great Britain in Alcoholic Drinks?
Ans: 3,000,000,000.