The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1849-01-06
How man, win be sIarri.s.

The London Alheaaum has this matter
Of fact speculation OH a curious point OF
modern investigation-the philosophy of so
cial statistics.
Social phenomena which are influenced
by the free will of individual men proceed
from year to year with more regularity than
phenomena solely influenced by material
and (so.cslled) fortuitous causes. Strange
it seems, no doubt, that all the motley fol.
lies which variegate the surface Of society,
all the csprices N fashion, all the varieties
by which lassitude seeks to ainuse itself, all
the changes out OF which dishonesty con-
trives new modes OF swindling, produce far
less effect upon the average condition of
one year as compared with another, than
takes place in the weather OF the same pc
RODS, which depends upon mechanical,
though unknown causes. The passion
whose universal sway and nevef-ending
change of phase have made 1t the staple of
all romance, from China to California, has
its sum total Of a regularity which is pre-
sentable in d table Of statistics. The num-
Der of marriages, their distribution among
the ages and conditions OF life, proceed
from year to year with quite as much regu-
larity as If the happy pairs were all select
ed in a central Office and united by writ
of the crown. Cupid is smart lad-an
active agent, as chemists and landlords say;
he brings down bis bird, bu, his power over
the convey is defined by superior laws. Give
him wholesale job-le him, for instance,
try seriously 10 alter in any one portion OF
time the proportion Of the marriages made
by widowers in their forty fifth years-and
he is powerless The fixed character OF the
average Of social phenomena is one Of the
most curious discoveries Of modern times,
though all that was wanting to arrive at
was careful collection of the facts which
are most easily noted. At first it was not
credited. Tables Of human mortality were
in existence at the time when the first life
office was opened; but no faith was given
to the possibility Of predicting the results OF
a number Of individuals. if large enough
The plan adopted was simply, that all who
formed the society. should make subscriP-
ton for the benefit Of those who died with
in the current year. Such was the state OF
knowledge at the beginning of the last Gen.
tury. In our own day MIR. Finlaison cal
culated from the events Of preceding years,
what ought to be the number Of deaths
which the registrar. general would be called
upon to record in the first year Of his opera.
tons; his result was 355, 96S--the observ-
ed fact was 355, $50. This excessive close
ness OF agreement was, Of course, re-
markable coincidence, which might not oc-
cur again in many trials. The number Of
marriages was calculated at ia, 947, and
was found to be III, 481. The surgeon,
DESTROYS to do good, and actuated by the
sanguine feeling which dwells most on what
1 it most delights in, has brought himself to
believe that the great operations OF his art
are almost perfectly safe, and that the speedy
consequence Of death is now rare and re-
mote contingency An ill-natured table,
+ which collects the cases Of series OF year.
gives melancholy contradiction to this con
cluson, and shows that, though there L
much to boast OF, there is great necessity
. for taking care TO form opinions by mean
of processes in which one always counts a
one. and never as nothing. And so it i
with the statesman; to whom arithmet
should be matter Of play; and to who's
answer 10 the slaughtering maxim that any
, thing may be proved by figures should be
, ANYTHING may be true.