The Washington times., 1901-11-10
A DIVISION OF NEUROLOGY
o. Novel Exhibit Now Being Pre-
pared by the National Museum.
The History of Counting, Recording,
Weighing. aud Measuring to BE
Shown-Mcthods in Use i'm other
Days-An Interesting Collection.

Days-An Interesting Collection.
Prof. Otis T. Mason, head curator of
the National Museum, is enthusiastic
regarding the future of the new division
of neurology, which. he says, is des-
tined to have one of the most interest
ing ana instructive exhibits in tie mu-
scum. 1t will be the purpose OF the ex-
hibit to illustrate all the methods for
counting, recording, weighing. ana
measuring employed by mankind from
the earliest ages up 10 The present time.
The immense scope of such an exhibit,
illustrating, as it would, the progress
of humanity in the arts and sciences,
precludes the probability of its BENG
perfected within = considerable period.
unless. indeed, Congress should make
an adequate appropriation; otherwise
the usual method OF the aggregation OF
collections at the museum, that Of rely
ing upon private donations, will have
to be adhered to.
First in order in the collection will be
methods of numbering. 1t may reason
ably be conjectured that the first means
employed by man to that end were al
forded him by nature in the fingers OIL
his hands. With these, however, he
could only count ten; but it was then
simple expedient, when ne wished to so
further, TO pick up q lot of sticks and
stones. and use these to indicate the
number he intended to convey. Years
ago. when some Indians in this country
were required to make their own cen
sus returns. the employees OF the census
Bureau were somewhat surprised to re-
ceive three huge bundles of sticks. one
to indicate the number of men, the
other of women. and the other Of ju-
veniles in the tribes. Fancy the amount
of development represented by the dit-
ference between this primitive eXpe-
dent and the Hollerith counting ma
chimes used in our census! Here Is
machine that even human stupidity or
perversity cannot make go wrong; that
has actually more moral character than
a great many of those who operate II.
The perfection to which these counting
machines have been brought is truly
astonishing. and they are used in all
banks and establishments where the
greatest celerity and eXactness are re-
quired.
A most interesting feature Of the col
lection at present is some specimens
of the exchequer tally, in use in Eng
land till 1926. These are nothing more
than notched sticks, concerning which
the most famous of modern English
novelists wrote as follows:
ages ago, a savage mode of keeping
accounts on notched sticks was intro
duced inso the Court of Exchequer, and
the accounts were kept much as Robin
son Crusoe kept his calendar on the
desert island. In the course of consid-
erable revolutions OF time, the celebra-
ted Cocker was born and died. Walk
inghame, OF the Tutors Assistant,
well versed in figured. was also born
and died-a multitude of accountants,
bookkeepers. and actuaries were born
and died. StiIl official routine inclined
to these notched sticks. as If they were
the pillars OF the constitution, and still
the exchequer accounts continued 10 bt
kept on certain spInts Of elTn-wood
called 'tailIes.' In the reign OF George
III an enquiry was made by some revo-
lutionary spirit whether-penE, ink, and
paper, and states and pencils being in
existence-this obstinate adherence Z
an obsolete custom ought to be con
tinued. and whether change ought no
TO be effected. All the red tape in tbs
country grew redder at the bare men
ton Of this bold and original concep
tion, and it took till 1926 to get thes'
sticks abolished. In 1894 it was founc
that there was considerable accumu
lation of them, and the question ther
arose. what was to be done with sucl
worn-cut, worm-eaten. rotten old bit!
of wood? I daresay there was q vas
amount Of minuting, memoranduming
and despatch boxing on this might!
subject. The sticks were housed a
Westminster, and 1t would naturall.
occur TO any intelligent person tina
nothing could he easier than to ALLOW
them to be carried away for firewoo'
by the miserable people who live in tha
neighborhood. However. they neve
had been useful. and official routine re
quired that they never should be, ant
so the order went forth that they wer
to be privately and CONFIDENTIAL.
burned. 1t came TO pass that they wer
to be burned in a stove in the House o
Lords The stove. overgorged wit
those preposterous sticks, set fire to tn
paneling, the paneling set fire to tn
House of Lords, the House of Lords Sc
fire to the House of Commons; the tw
houses were reduced to ashes; arch
tects were called in to build others; W
are now in the second million of tn
cost thereof; the national pig is nc
nearly over the stile yet, and the lttl
old woman Britannia hasn't got HON
tonight Now, ! think re may reason
ably remark, in conclusion, that all OF
stinate adherence to rubbish which tn
time mas long outlived Is certain I
have in the soul OF it more or less tina
is peruicious and destructive, and tina
will some day set fire TO something q
other. which, If given boldly to tn
winds, would have been harmless, bu
which. obstinately retained. is ruinous.
alf-intelligible legends. written upo
the sticks. indicate the nature of the az
counts. The one stick represents tn
credit side of the transaction, the othe
the debit, and the tallying of tn
notehes indicates that both are genuin
Among the early methods for nun
bering illustrated in the collection wi
be the ahacus of the ancients. This va
the .aost improved means among tn
Greeks and Romans for arithmetic;
calculations, and closely resembled III
Chinese ''swan-pan' OF the present da.
1t contained seven long and seve
shorter rods or bars, the former hay