Article March 26, 1932 Issue

[Written Especially for Children]

Knowing the Truth

TILLIE C. VAN DER VOORT

"Arithmetic" is quite a big word, but a familiar one to most children. A dictionary defines "arithmetic" as the "science of numbers" and "science" as a "knowledge, as of ... facts." A fact, according to one definition, is a truth; so to study arithmetic really means to get to know the truth about numbers.

A boy's first lessons in arithmetic were in simple addition; but before he was given any problems to work out he had first to learn some of the number facts of addition, such as two and two is four, three and four is seven, five and five is ten. He learned that these facts or truths cannot change; that they remain always the same, everywhere, because numbers are governed by an unchanging law. Although he was just a beginner in the study of this big subject, he found that his knowledge of number-facts was always ready to help him, in many ways and places. It served him when he counted marbles in the school yard, added the pennies in his bank at home, or shared treats with his sister.

When the boy learned the truth that five and five is ten, that was all he needed to know about five and five. It was not necessary to know that five and five is not twelve, or any other error about five and five. Had he tried to get number-facts that way, his thoughts would have been so confused as to result in arithmetical answers that were mostly incorrect. When he was not quite sure of his addition, he made mistakes; and until these errors were discovered and corrected with the truth about the numbers, the sum was not properly worked out.

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