One day when I was boy learning how to do multiplication, my mother asked me, “What’s 222 times 8?”
I thought about it for a second and realized it would be too hard to do in my head, so I wrote it down.
I came up with the answer: 1776. Of course I shouted out the answer as young boys do.
My mother responded, “That’s the spirit!”
She had learned this little interchange from the old timers in her day. Once the punchline was delivered, they would break into a smile and nod their heads, celebrating the cultural cry of “Spirit of ’76.”
That’s how America is. We love our freedom, our liberty, and the symbols that celebrate it.
Along those lines, have you ever seen this picture?
I always thought it was a painting done sometime around the time of the American Revolution.
I was wrong. It is actually a painting by Archibald Willard called “The Spirit of ’76,” which he painted in 1875 and exhibited at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. After an enormous response at this 100th celebration of the Declaration of Independence, the painting was taken on a tour across America during which it was viewed by large crowds to great acclaim.
If you run into an enterprising young person this week or simply want to spice up a conversation, smile and ask them, “What’s 222 times 8?”
As an aside, a similar bit appears in the 1936 Three Stooges short film called “Disorder in the Court.” While in court, Moe asks Larry, “I say, Jasper, what comes after 75?” When Larry answers, “76,” Moe replies, “That’s the spirit!”
Different setup, same result. Personally, I like to watch the person do the math in my mother’s version. Builds up the tension, you know.
Happy Fourth of July!
