Archimedes, whose given name has been accidentally torn off and
swallowed up in oblivion, was born in Syracuse, 2,171 years ago last
spring. He was a philosopher and mathematical expert. During his life
he was never successfully stumped in figures. It ill befits me now,
standing by his new-made grave, to say aught of him that is not of
praise. We can only mourn his untimely death, and wonder which of our
little band of great men will be the next to go.
Archimedes was the first to originate and use the word "Eureka." It has
been successfully used very much lately, and as a result we have the
Eureka baking-powder, the Eureka suspender, the Eureka bed-bug buster,
the Eureka shirt, and the Eureka stomach bitters. Little did Archimedes
wot, when he invented this term, that it would come into such general
use.
Its origin has been explained before, but it would not be out of place
here for me to tell it as I call it to mind now, looking back over
Archie's eventful life.
King Hiero had ordered an eighteen karat crown, size 7 1/8, and, after
receiving it from the hands of the jeweler, suspected that it had
been adulterated. He therefore applied to Archimedes to ascertain, if
possible, whether such was the case or not. Archimedes had just got in
on No. 3, two hours late, and covered with dust. He at once started for
a hot and cold bath emporium on Sixteenth street, meantime wondering how
the dickens he would settle that crown business.
He filled the bath-tub level full, and, piling up his raiment on the
floor, jumped in. Displacing a large quantity of water, equal to his
own bulk, he thereupon solved the question of specific gravity, and,
forgetting his bill, forgetting his clothes, he sailed up Sixteenth
street and all over Syracuse, clothed in shimmering sunlight and a
plain gold ring, shouting "Eureka!" He ran head-first into a Syracuse
policeman and howled "Eureka!" The policeman said: "You'll have to
excuse me; I don't know him." He scattered the Syracuse Normal school
on its way home, and tried to board a Fifteenth street bob-tail car,
yelling "Eureka!" The car-driver told him that Eureka wasn't on the car,
and refered Archimedes to a clothing store.
Everywhere he was greeted with surprise. He tried to pay his car-fare,
but found that he had left his money in his other clothes.
Some thought it was the revised statue of Hercules; that he had become
weary of standing on his pedestal during the hot weather, and had
started out for fresh air. I give this as I remember it. The story is
foundered on fact.
Archimedes once said: "Give me where I
may stand, and I will move the world." I could write it in the original
Greek, but, fearing that the nonpareil delirium tremens type might get
short, I give it in the English language.
It may be tardy justice to a great mathematician and scientist, but
I have a few resolutions of respect which I would be very glad to get
printed on this solemn occasion, and mail copies of the paper to his
relatives and friends:
"Whereas, It has pleased an All-wise Providence to remove from our
midst Archimedes, who was ever at the front in all deserving labors and
enterprises; and,
"Whereas, We can but feebly express our great sorrow in the loss of
Archimedes, whose front name has escaped our memory; therefore
"Resolved, That in his death we have lost a leading citizen of Syracuse,
and one who never shook his friends--never weakened or gigged back on
those he loved.
"Resolved, That copies of these resolutions will be spread on the
moments of the meeting of the Common Council of Syracuse, and that they
be published in the Syracuse papers eodtfpdq&cod, and that marked copies
of said papers be mailed to the relatives of the deceased."