The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-09-27 00:00:00

Mr. FORSTER on "ECONOMIC SCIENCE

and STATISTICS."
At the meeting of the British Association, held in
St. George's Hall, Bradford, last week, Mr. W. E
For.der, M.P.. President of the departimnt of
•• Economy and Statistics," delivered his address on
Saturday, from whivh the following are extracts.

After some introductory remarks, the hon. gentle.
Man went on to say that—
This queaiion will occur to you as it did to me, why ti
this As, elation do we deal with polliics what bu,hees
have we te do with such a subject in such a section as tide,
and what has the discussion tot political questions to do wit ji
.meeting ol a Scientific Congress? There is an immediate
viewer to the gnostic n, that, after all, there Is a Ratline, its
politics. (Applause.) If a p Attica' theoriit—l do not use
that word as a word of rrprooch—l sm if a political thinker
misconceives, itliettatell, or mistakes his facts or tile statiettcs,
2:e has an thorough!? felled in having evolved any thoneept
of political value as diva the student of poll cal science
when he ceneralfra from imperfect experience. In like
manner, Its practical I.llth:ion, in applying the principles
of political science, breaks the laws of that scienc,e, and
bruits the laws of milked economy, he will pay the puma)
by the failure of his political measure, as certainly as the
practiced mechanic or chymi•t who igueres the laws of chy.
ninny or mechanical force. (Applause.)
would be sorry to see this section omitted from the pro.
gramme of the Aim elation for two or three routine,. Ode
1.. that I thiek It a great advantage to bring men of science
and politic. together. (Cheers). Perhaps one result which
may follow will be that politicians will have more of scientific
culture, Well, I wish that may be the case. Over and over
again, In what work I have fcmod it my duty to try to do, I have
raniented ruse:cubit,: ignorance. I have felt—and I have no
doubt that others who have attempted to deal with meu have
felt the same—that I could do no more succeasfuly if I knew
more of the laws if nature. I Imagine there is hardly any
fact In humane Intercourse, hardly any influence which a
man can hong to hear on tda fellow-men winch may Oct be
explained and illustrated and enforced by mime analogy
from outward nature, that as not, aa it e.t.a, Its counterpart
In the woe king. if nature In the eyes of the man who Is
fortunate enough to have some knowledge of men and thing.,
And. again, there is undoubtedly an advantage in subjecting
political questions to the test of scientific debate. As d It is
well that they ascend sometimes be treated and debated in
that temper, and with that simple desire for the discovery of
tenth which ought to be the characteristic 01 scientific di,
cuision.

THE POLITICAL THEORIST AND THE PRACTICAL
POLITICIAN.

As regards this special sectioe, there Is an advantage in the
political theorist or thinker being brought Into contact with
the practicel politician, because when they come together I
think the theorist will perhaps lean' to appreciate and esti,
mate more than he sometimes does the amount of friction,
111 may use the term, with which the practical politician
has to deal, and which he ends to clog „„,,a reeaehire with hi.
efforts. (Applause ) It is not sufficient to announce • law
of economic science. In outward nature you have to deal
with dead lscts—tn econemic science. affecting the political
and social condition of men, you have to coal with per-
sons with a free will, end with the power of exercising
le and of refusing to they the laws which you explain.
Ami none of us can forget that we have to contend
with, and to take account of, the likes and denims of
men and the posed. Oa. And even the prejudices of men,
and that it is not enough I declsre the laws of economic
science, of political economy. Macy men will not obey
those laws however clearly we may explain them and point
out the penalty of their tranigremlon. Sometimes they dis-
believe in the penalty, often they Ignore It and not seldom.
Smearing its existence, they prefer to incur it. And we must
Sake into account the existence of these Medium and we
must be prepared for this result, and • very disappointing
result—a result with which I aro sure experimental philo•
sophism would greatly complain if they were beset with it in
the range of physical science—that though just in propor•
lion as in any political measure, the laws of economic science
are broken just in proportion will there be Weakliest and
probable failure, it by no means follows that just in pro-
portion as the law Is kept and adhered to there will be
euccesa It is not seldom the one that by its very
truthfulness a measure excites so much opposition that
It insure, its own defeat. These are reasons which
Woken ought to bear in mind when they sometimes accuse
practical men of delaying to bring forward measures of which
they are convinced they constitute a ground, • reasonable
and proper ground very often, for the postponement of a
political measure based upon Luxe principles. Those who are
most In favour Of anon • measure, and most advocate it, would
feel that they were doing it harm by prematurely bringing it
forward. But some persons push this doctrine too far, and
my It is a reason and an excuse that • measure should be
brought forward upon false principles. Now, that I do not ad-
mit. I believe that nothh g is gained, though sometimes very
much may seem to be gained, by any man bringing forward
a political measure upon principles In whi.oh he himself
disnelievea ,cheers), because he thinks by that meal-s he will
be more likely to pan the measure. Ile may be quite sure
that, in the different opinions of men, if It were desirable
that such a measure might after a time to become law, there
would be plenty of persons—if he would Just simply drop
behind and not do that of which he disbelieved—who would
come forward and be willing to advocate it bemuse they ap-
prove it, (Cheers.) But I [LILA now, alter these prefatory
remarks, go to the special work of my section. I believe it
Is usual for the President in his address to refer to tie pro-
gress made in economic sclsnce during the past )oar. I
hardly think you would expect me to do that.
AVANT BRAN,SCIEISCS.