The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-06-28 00:00:00

observation and cla4sification of facts, is the
object of Statistics ; and surely it will be conceded
that whatever tends to render acommunity's know-
ledge of itself accurate and profontid, inust tend
to inerease' its chances of prosperity arid happi-
ness. If; then, it be beneficial for any one nation
to give a place td the stiidy of Statistics; lfow
much may not be gained and added to that nation
information, by its being supplied with similarly
complete and truthful views of other states? What
a contrast lies between the unreliable and partial
statements of vague observers, imperfectly noting
down their experience under many disadvantages,
and those of carefully compiled statistics ? How
much of. the mistrust arid prejiidice Which now
exist between the nations of the civilised world
may be attributable to mistaken and perverted
notidns Of the real trtith as regards each other ?
Statistics can aide enable a nation to know its
precise condition, to ascertain minutely all its
peculiarities, and to determine with certainty
and without favour its real character for evil as
well as for good. They in like manner faithfully
delineate the characteristics of the other
states, teaching us to avoid their errors, or
to benefit by their advantages. Moreover,
it tends to annihilate those vulgar antipathies
between peoples which are so often the source
of serious misapprelierision and bad feeling.
The Internatioiial Statistical Congress is a
true peaCe-Makei ; and we hail its approach-
ing asFklrribly du English Soil Willi hopeful satis-
faction and unmingled delight.
The teachings of past history have ll'een ren-
dered comparatively useless in many respects in
consequence of the want of those accurate de-
tails which are furnished by statistical inquiries.
We have no means of knowing the precise mental
and physical condition of nations without Sta-
tistics. Of what irlcstir fable valde to our states-
men, in the consideration of great political ques-
tions, would Statistics have proved, if they had
been so compiled and preserved as to enable them
to eliminate those elements of instability and
destruction which have reduced great empires from
their high dominion either to entire ruin or
comparative insignificance ? What would an
English Chancellor of the Exchequer not give to
recover the cufiotis register bequeathed by
AUGUSTUS to the senate, which that wipe-
rienced Prince accurately balanced the revenues
and expenses of the Roman Empire ? All our
best statesmen have set the highest value on
statistical information, and lamented its hitherto
imperfect development. It is now an acknow-
ledged truth, that by the successful prosecution of
Statistics, the government of nations and com-
munities may be ultimately reduced to a positive
science, and that, in the long run, we
shall perhaps be enabled to calculate
social phenomena with as thtieh certainty
as the ebb and flow of the tides, the
movements of the planets or the eccentric orbits
of the comets. Whether or not this ideal may
ever be exactly realised, it is easily within our
reach through this science to acquire much informa-
tion of lasting value in the administration of
national affairs. Have we not seen that, owing to
the want of a proper collection of facts, continuous,
extensive, and complete, past history sheds but a
faint and glimmering light on the path of modern
States ? And if we neglect to secure for ourselves
a thorough knowledge of all the details affecting
our present physical, social, and political condi-
tion, national Government must be little -better
than a game of chance, and the vessel of the
state must drift for ever at the mercy of passion
or caprice: