The Kingdom of 109
An absolute monarchy dedicated to the preservation of traditional mathematics
The History of 109, p.2
Building 109 Traditions
The early days of the kingdom were hard for the citizens. The land was wild, teeming with nomadic tribes known as Foss. Mr. Huang managed to win the trust of the Foss who had extensive knowledge of the powers of the mangos that grew all over 109. Through peace with the Foss and mango sustenance, Mr. Huang was able to establish early 109 traditions like Skill Drills and Datemasters. It is said: "As the mangos grow, so goes 109."
The primary mission of 109 was to preserve and protect traditional mathematics from the forces of ignorance and evil, but Mr. Huang made it clear that 109 also stood for all knowledge including knowledge of the arts, history, science and literature. And whenever the need arose, 109 stood for justice, helping the helpless and each other.
The 109 Flag and Motto
When it was time to design a national flag, Mr. Huang accepted submissions from the best artists in the land. He chose Luke Cheng's design. The divine motto would be printed on the flag as well. This time, Mr. Huang accepted nominations from the citizens. The candidates were: Quod erat demonstratum, Mathematica defensor, Ad infintum, Vivat rex and Mathematica ad nauseam. On February 24, "Mathematica ad nauseam" won in a landslide with 66% of the vote. When supporters of the other mottos threatened to secede from the union, Mr. Huang showed them that because Greyson Lewis was absent on voting day, there were exactly 109 citizens who voted. This was enough to convince the would-be rebels that the choice was one of divine providence (Greyson has not been absent yet that year). The 109 is brought out by the flagbearer for fire drills, end-of-quarter festivities and special occasions.
The Liberation of Tieland
In 2007-08, a darkness arose in Longfellow. The Evil Officer Morris and Mr. Calamito, bored good-for-nothings, thought it would be fun to hypnotize Mr. Cheney's citizens and lock Mr. Cheney in a closet. A year earlier, Mr. Cheney's land, the Nation of Tieland, a democratic nation, had signed a treaty of alliance with the Kingdom of 109. When Mr. Huang received news of the takeover, he mobilized the 109 Army and went to free Mr. Cheney himself. When Mr. Huang and Mr. Cheney were reunited with the 109 Army on the Great Field, the army of Tieland zombies, gathered by Morris and Calamito were also there.
Morris and Calamito demanded Cheney back, but Mr. Huang refused. When Morris and Calamito mocked the power of 109, Mr. Huang responded with the now most famous statement in 109 history: "You're small potatoes to us!" After a rousing war speech by Mr. Huang, the 109 Army charged with all their might. Morris and Calamito abandoned ther zombie army and fled back to Tieland. They did not know that Mr. Huang had already asked the Powers-That-Be, now led by Mrs. Kihm, to wait there in ambush. After the 109 Army cured the Tieland zombies, Mrs. Kihm turned the evil duo over the Mr. Huang and Mr. Cheney who hypnotized them and forced them to dance for everyone's entertainment.
For information on Longfellow's Quiz Bowl Club, known as Knowledge Masters, go to www.longfellowqb.com
