Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-13

They are right in this much-that their own
ingenuity is a faithful representative of that
of the mass; but when the cunning of the
individual felon Is diverse in character from
their own. the felon foils them, of course.
This always happens when 1t Is above their
own and very usually when 1t is below.
They have no variation of principle In their
investiga tons; at best. when urged by some
unusual emergency-by some extra ordinary
reward-they extend or eXaggerate their
old modes Of practice, without touching
their principles. What, for example, in this
case of D. has been done to vary the
principle Of action? What Is all this Dor
ing, and probing. and sounding, and scruti-
nizing with the microscope, and dividing the
surface of the building into registered
square inches-what Is 1t all but an exag-
geration Of the application of the one pr1n-
ciple or set of principles Of search, which
are based upon the one set of notions re-
garding human ingenuity, to which the pre-
feet in the long routine OF his duty, mas
been accustomed? Do you not see he has
taken 1t for granted that all men proceed
to conceal a letter-not exactly in gimlet
hole bored In a chair leg, but, at least, In
some out-of-the-way hole or corner suggest
ed by the same tenor of thought which
would urge a man to secrete letter in a
gimlet hole bored in a chair leg? And do
you not see also. that such recherche hooks
for concealment are adapted only for
ordinary occasions and would be adopted
only by ordinary intellects; for, in all cases
OF concealment, a disposal Of the article
concealed-a disposal Of 1T in this recherche
manner-is, in the very first instance, pre-
sumable and presumed; and thus it's discov-
cry depends, not at all upon the acumen
but altogether upon the mere care, patience
and determination of the seekers; and where
the case is Of importance-or, what amounts
to the same thing in the political eyes, when
the reward Is OF magnitude-the qualities in
question have never been known to fail.
You will now understand what l meant in
suggesting that, had the purloned letter
hco hara uyith ira he lr,otfS of
the projects examination-in other words,
had the principle of it's concealment been
comprehended within the principles of the
prefect-its discovery would have been a
matter altogether beyond question. This
functionary. however, has been thoroughly
mystified: and the remote source of his de-
feat lies In the supposition that the minister
is fool. because he has acquired renown as
poet. All fools are poets; this the project
feels; and he Is merely guilty Of a non dis
tributio medii in thence inferring that all
poets are FOOLS
But is this really the poet?" I asked.
There are two brothers. l know. and both
have attained reputation In letters. The
minister, believe. has written learnedly on
the differential calculus. He Is mathema-
tician, and no poet"
You are mistaken; know him WE'LL he
Is BOTH AS poet and mathematician he
would reason well; as mere mathemat ician
he could not have reasoned at all, and thus
would have been at the mercy of the pre-
feet"
You surprise me-" I Said, Thy these
opinions, which have been contradicted by
the voice OF the world. You do not mean to
set at naught the weil-digested idea of CEN
turtles. The mathematical reason has long
been regarded as the reason par excel
lence."
an a aprier.'" replied Dupin. quoting
from Chamfort, "que tuote idee pubiique
toute convention recue, est une sottise. car
ellie convenue au plus grand nombre.' The
mathematician. I grant you. have done
their best to promulgate the popular error
to which you allude, and which is none the
less an error for its PRONUNCIATION as truth