The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1903-07-22
49,. 49,. =. ,..r,Ss,..a. -. ..-..l..a
= THE MANIA FOR STATISTICS,

The instructor sociology Yale university collected
from the newspapers OF suicide himself great deal
ton whether the job worth the effort for the period covered
by the inquiry brief sweeping general
produce results of different character and BESIDES special
value the conclusions based statistics OF suicide how
gathered?
slightest consequence which day the
ee which hour of the day. the suicides? few ago
Davis r. Dewey that April month"; and
Instructor W. b. Bailey would have know that Monday the
favote dav and about 10 D. m the favored hour for deron
One help wondering whether time this may
worked out the basis OF minutes and quarter seconds like
re run We may eventually know that in the United States the aver
age suicide administers fatal blow 9l past
tie evening of the third Monday April that there difference of
onehalf average respective
married average and earlier the
evening of the favoe day OF the avoe month than bachelors That
all This will be elaborated the future probable for the number of
doctors OF philosophy institutions OF learning turning each
year rapidly increasing and every them have special
field OF research in order to Justify his existence If there anything
left unknown and unbuated from then system OF
the higher education will be in peril of ignonnnous failure
While stand appalled, at the statistical outlook he
magne the miles and miles of statistical tables which the Goth century
is its learning should still be said for
the interchangeable labor the Yale instructor that his researches are not
without value in the OF knowledge Working by
entirely different method he has obtained results Of which the
important substantially with results obtained by
yiou investigators follows that conclusions hitherto held tentatively
be somewhat firmly braced Notwithstanding that all
these minute statistical inquiries to suicide have been faulty
owing the ncompeness Of the original of information
Eleven agoe study statistics of suicide New England
published by Prot Dewey the Massachusetts institute OF technology
His investigation based official registration reports the New
England beginning 1850 and concluding with the 1885,
period of years. the total number of being about 6oo The
much longer period covered by Prof Dewe inquiry than
inquiry which embraced wider territory AS for the authenticity of
the material used by EACH there is little choose probably Both
only approximately in figures and conclusions.
Prof Dewey showed that suicides had increased New England
beth absolutely and relatively since $780, and Mr. Bailey corroboraes
him his field the later period While murder has steadily dim
finished Massachusetts, suicide has steadily increased And this fact
of constant important which suc inquiries develop
Prof Dewey 1913 his list of suicides and
were women proportion OF Mr. Baey figures s
ingy onfmator being Men77S1 22I9 The two nVest
gators do reach results similar in regard to the maximum IN
Bailey finds be lower than Prof Dewey
tendency the decade of life between and
So while the Yale man places it below 49,
and Mr. Bailey considered the methods of Sui
eide with results In each inquiry found
that shooting all ways of deucon but that with
poison avore agent Prof Dewey did into
he had altogether likely that his results
would have substantially like Mr. Baeys Dependency
naturally the chief motive while business nsan
y assigned places order AS matter
fact there great Oones OF suicide and the
figures bearing on this point are of slight value
If special benefit be derived from these conclusions
which important onen what does it consist! 1t u.s. OF
desirable know whether suicide increasing diminish
ing fact has significant bearing civilization
perhaps that than
that, what does matter whether not we
OF suicides the time of the month and day.
or precise standing methods they employ There in
much nowadays for minute unesenta
be facts and which only cucumber
the old lumber of knowledge.