The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924, 1918-03-16
THINKING AND COUNTING

TT HOUGHT, STRANGE it may SEEM is responsible for
Il much confusion, and failure to understand If more
persons observing and fewer thinking better results
might be obtained 1t thought applied observation that I'm
ally produces SCIENCE which itself with observing
phenomena with the purpose of asceranng how they
and, if possible why they occur.
Much difficult thinking would be replaced by the of
little simple mathematics, simple counting of objects or
phenomena often Illuminating and useful than
great deal of difficult thinking.
Before deal ntelligenty with anything, they
must know what happens Then if possible they should
know why the thing happens Take such matters marriage
and divorce birth and DEATH All thinking upon these sub
jecs must remain comparatively useless until the count is
made How many marriages and how many births? Then
be known whether population is increasing decreas
ing. The count tells whether marriages less
erous, whether divorces the increase not
Much laborious debate pro saved
to muludes Of aboous thinkers had mathematics been more
popular and thought less
Assuming that the society of 200 years ago gave count
of with ballot and that count of fifty years ago
showed women votng and count of ten years ago.
many voing and count today millions voting, the
thinking would be next to nothing The deduction would be
automatic almost More voting than used to vote
The ballot is steadily gaining women.
Having taken the count your logcan would be in posi-
ton to think and would have comparatively simple problem
confronting him.
The count proves that whereas few years back
voted, and that millions voting The presumption is
irresistible that growing But say your
ogician doesn't like the idea Of voting. The count is
longer of to him. little He must resort to his pre-
conceptions In doing he will be longer scientist but
meaphysican who deals matters not capable of proof in
the of human consciousness
Assuming that meaphysoan should find certain phe-
tending to show that voting by contains
evils he could not possibly know what will happen in the dis
tant future in which full Justification subject to proof may
may not exist.
Many economic problems made difficult in the
way by too much thinking and counting If nobody had
telephone 1850 but in 1900 person in IS had telephone
there would be the inevitable and efforess consciousness
telephones exist
If in the year privately owned water works ounum-
bered publicly owned water works. and in the present year. the
publicly owned much numerous would
sary to that publicly owned water works
ing and privately owned decreasing would be relatively
consequential what the personal emotions peudces the
observer happened to be.
There comparatively few of human effort in
which little careful counting will not make than salts
factory substitute for much argument pro and
Let have what views he will, for instance, the
temperance question: he must finally count there
less legal prohibition than there used be?
or less liquor consumed?
Thousands Of aborious volumes contain abored arguments
about matters which could be easily determined by school
boy, able to count
The man who wants to know what 10 going to happen a
little ahead of the average of mankind needs men
tai equipment than the ability to count and the energy