The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1916-03-03
FIGURES
Play Important Part In
Everyday Life
New York SUM

The romance of numeralsl One
might say the cubism of literature.
the arithmetic Of life. The brides bou-
quet is measured by numerals first and
sentiment last; the same is true of
the death wreath, the birthday flowers.
Numerals are at once the tragedy
and the comedy in every life.
The President of one of New York's
biggest department stores, store
where the highest class of help is EN-.
ployed, said the other day that 1t was
hard to find man or woman who
could add up o column of figures.
That's why we use adding ma
chines," said he. "And yet when |
was young man, all of the columns
of figures were added up by hand as
1t were, and there never was a mis-.
take"
But to look at the other side of 1t.
Go into any of New Yorks big build
ings, the Woolworth Building, for in
stance, and ask the elevator starter:
John Jones?"
Room 3,572," he replies almost be-
fore the words are out of your mouth.
take No. right here. Floor thirty
five"
II the ability to add figures accur-
ately is fading with the advent of me-
chanical devices the ability to remem.
Der them as Identities is certainly in
the ascendant.
Stop almost any New York business
man and say to him:
Ill Broadway
In an instant he will tell you what it
is and where it is. Or say 200 Broad
way or lis Broadway or 1 Broadway.
and the reply will come as quickly.
On the other hand, go down to Wa
co, Texas, or up to Tacoma, Wash, and
say to the first passerby:
"26 Broadway"
1t is like the sign language to the
deaf.
There is no other class of people
who thinks in numbers as do the tele-
phone operators. Ask any one of them
off hand what Cortland 5000 is or what
Beekman 2200 is. Or, to take num-
ber of more confused makeup, ask
who will reply to Murray Hill 1920,
and the answer will come back quick
as flash: "Hotel Biltmore."
New York has not yet numbered its
street-car routes, but many cities have.
Go to any one of these cities and ask
a policeman how to reach First avenue
and Twenty-sixth street. He will tell
you to walk down Third street to Ninth
avenue and take Car 29.
The Importance of numbers outside
of their arithmetical value is very
often lost sight of. You, live at so
West Twelfth street, in Apartment Is.
That address is in the Twenty-fifth AS.
sembly District, the Ninth Election Dis.
trict. and the Tenth Congressional Dis.
trict. Your postman is No. 81 on
Route %. You are Voter 206. or some
other number.
If a burglar disturbs you you call
up Precinct "a and Policeman 6S
comes to the rescue. If the burglar
is caught and sent to Sing Sing he be
comes No. 289. Your automobile is
No. 6S274. Your life insurance policy
is 2S3675. Your telephone is Chelsea
4430. Your dogs license is 7S251. Ev
en- the keys in your pocket are mum
bered, though you may not know what
the numbers mean.
No matter what happens numbers
must play their part. Suppose a
street car runs over you. The official
result Is something like this:
Inspector "a reports that Car 62S
in charge of Conductor 1882 and op
Grated by Motorman 2416, travelling
eight miles an hour, struck and ran
over man at Fourth avenue and Six
teenth street at 2:17 p. m. Descrip
tion of victim: Age, 4S; height, feet
8 inches; weight, 162 pounds. The
man carried - Lodge Card 289465. ,
Figures are always speaking. Fol
instance, February %, July 4, Decem
Der 25 and again 1892, 1776, 1860. Yor
are 36 years old on June 8, 1916. YoI
were married on September 10, 1915.
Waiter rs brings you your dinner
and the bill is $2O5. AT the theatr,
you sit in Chair IA and the curtain ris
es at S:15. You reach home at 12:O(
o'clock, drink one glass of water ant
go to bed to sleep eight hours and rist
at $3.50.
And so on almost without limit
Your birth certificate is No. 2497S
Your marriage certificate is No. 821534
And in the end your deaths certificat,
will be No. 6745319.
MARDI GRAs eAYETIEs Open