RepublishedAuthor(s): Eds.Source: The Scientific Monthly, Vol. 59, No. 1 (Jul., 1944), p. 84Published by: American Association for the Advancement of ScienceStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/18523 .

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THE SCIENTIFIC MONTHLY THE SCIENTIFIC MONTHLY THE SCIENTIFIC MONTHLY THE SCIENTIFIC MONTHLY THE SCIENTIFIC MONTHLY

Hawaiian missionaries of whom Dr. Gregg is re- minded went out to do good to others according to their own lights and not merely to obtain the satis- faction of an "almost sensuous pleasure" for them- selves only.

This sensuous pleasure in discovery is probably better known and more strongly felt in the subjects of so called "natural history" than in any other discipline, because it is the rule rather than the exception that the student of these subjects is first attracted to them by the sensory enjoyment of nature, rather than by an intellectually developed appreciation of its research problems. But to de- mand the right to do research at the expense of society in pursuit of a personal pleasure, without even feeling the need for any conviction about its ultimate usefulness, is to claim the privileges of an elite which is not accountable for itself in the manner of ordinary human beings.

To the writer it seems evident that the possession of knowledge is always useful even when the knowl- edge itself can not be put to practical use. And this conviction seems more than a mere belief developed as a rationalization of a desire. It seems a thesis which could easily be proved if an adequately equipped foundation should care to make a survey of the negative as well as the more conspicuous posi- tive uses of knowledge in human progress.-A. E. PARR.

Adopted Those of us who use THE SCIENTIFIC MONTHLY as

reference material in our classes and who make up bibliographies from time to time would like it if you put a footnote at the bottom of the first page of the second section of a continued article, telling the reader where the first part appeared.-CHARLES J. PIEPER.

To Dr. A. J. Carlson In your article on "The Older Worker" [THE

SCIENTIFIC MONTHLY, July, 1943] you have tackled a problem that goes right to the heart of our civiliza- tion. You have marshalled considerable scientific data on the subject. It seems to me that scientific facts ought to go a long way to changing the atti- tude of the public on this problem. For the sake of the older worker and his contribution to society there should be further scientific study to support your contention. A study of a number of cases of forced retirement might make a contribution in support of a change of policy.

Educational institutions should take the lead in this matter but they evidently have not done as well as industry as shown in the examples of the "Old Man's Division" of the Dodge plant and in the case of the Ford industry. It would seem that in edu-

Hawaiian missionaries of whom Dr. Gregg is re- minded went out to do good to others according to their own lights and not merely to obtain the satis- faction of an "almost sensuous pleasure" for them- selves only.

This sensuous pleasure in discovery is probably better known and more strongly felt in the subjects of so called "natural history" than in any other discipline, because it is the rule rather than the exception that the student of these subjects is first attracted to them by the sensory enjoyment of nature, rather than by an intellectually developed appreciation of its research problems. But to de- mand the right to do research at the expense of society in pursuit of a personal pleasure, without even feeling the need for any conviction about its ultimate usefulness, is to claim the privileges of an elite which is not accountable for itself in the manner of ordinary human beings.

To the writer it seems evident that the possession of knowledge is always useful even when the knowl- edge itself can not be put to practical use. And this conviction seems more than a mere belief developed as a rationalization of a desire. It seems a thesis which could easily be proved if an adequately equipped foundation should care to make a survey of the negative as well as the more conspicuous posi- tive uses of knowledge in human progress.-A. E. PARR.

Adopted Those of us who use THE SCIENTIFIC MONTHLY as

reference material in our classes and who make up bibliographies from time to time would like it if you put a footnote at the bottom of the first page of the second section of a continued article, telling the reader where the first part appeared.-CHARLES J. PIEPER.

To Dr. A. J. Carlson In your article on "The Older Worker" [THE

SCIENTIFIC MONTHLY, July, 1943] you have tackled a problem that goes right to the heart of our civiliza- tion. You have marshalled considerable scientific data on the subject. It seems to me that scientific facts ought to go a long way to changing the atti- tude of the public on this problem. For the sake of the older worker and his contribution to society there should be further scientific study to support your contention. A study of a number of cases of forced retirement might make a contribution in support of a change of policy.

Educational institutions should take the lead in this matter but they evidently have not done as well as industry as shown in the examples of the "Old Man's Division" of the Dodge plant and in the case of the Ford industry. It would seem that in edu-

Hawaiian missionaries of whom Dr. Gregg is re- minded went out to do good to others according to their own lights and not merely to obtain the satis- faction of an "almost sensuous pleasure" for them- selves only.

This sensuous pleasure in discovery is probably better known and more strongly felt in the subjects of so called "natural history" than in any other discipline, because it is the rule rather than the exception that the student of these subjects is first attracted to them by the sensory enjoyment of nature, rather than by an intellectually developed appreciation of its research problems. But to de- mand the right to do research at the expense of society in pursuit of a personal pleasure, without even feeling the need for any conviction about its ultimate usefulness, is to claim the privileges of an elite which is not accountable for itself in the manner of ordinary human beings.

To the writer it seems evident that the possession of knowledge is always useful even when the knowl- edge itself can not be put to practical use. And this conviction seems more than a mere belief developed as a rationalization of a desire. It seems a thesis which could easily be proved if an adequately equipped foundation should care to make a survey of the negative as well as the more conspicuous posi- tive uses of knowledge in human progress.-A. E. PARR.

Adopted Those of us who use THE SCIENTIFIC MONTHLY as

reference material in our classes and who make up bibliographies from time to time would like it if you put a footnote at the bottom of the first page of the second section of a continued article, telling the reader where the first part appeared.-CHARLES J. PIEPER.

To Dr. A. J. Carlson In your article on "The Older Worker" [THE

SCIENTIFIC MONTHLY, July, 1943] you have tackled a problem that goes right to the heart of our civiliza- tion. You have marshalled considerable scientific data on the subject. It seems to me that scientific facts ought to go a long way to changing the atti- tude of the public on this problem. For the sake of the older worker and his contribution to society there should be further scientific study to support your contention. A study of a number of cases of forced retirement might make a contribution in support of a change of policy.

Educational institutions should take the lead in this matter but they evidently have not done as well as industry as shown in the examples of the "Old Man's Division" of the Dodge plant and in the case of the Ford industry. It would seem that in edu-

Hawaiian missionaries of whom Dr. Gregg is re- minded went out to do good to others according to their own lights and not merely to obtain the satis- faction of an "almost sensuous pleasure" for them- selves only.

This sensuous pleasure in discovery is probably better known and more strongly felt in the subjects of so called "natural history" than in any other discipline, because it is the rule rather than the exception that the student of these subjects is first attracted to them by the sensory enjoyment of nature, rather than by an intellectually developed appreciation of its research problems. But to de- mand the right to do research at the expense of society in pursuit of a personal pleasure, without even feeling the need for any conviction about its ultimate usefulness, is to claim the privileges of an elite which is not accountable for itself in the manner of ordinary human beings.

To the writer it seems evident that the possession of knowledge is always useful even when the knowl- edge itself can not be put to practical use. And this conviction seems more than a mere belief developed as a rationalization of a desire. It seems a thesis which could easily be proved if an adequately equipped foundation should care to make a survey of the negative as well as the more conspicuous posi- tive uses of knowledge in human progress.-A. E. PARR.

Adopted Those of us who use THE SCIENTIFIC MONTHLY as

reference material in our classes and who make up bibliographies from time to time would like it if you put a footnote at the bottom of the first page of the second section of a continued article, telling the reader where the first part appeared.-CHARLES J. PIEPER.

To Dr. A. J. Carlson In your article on "The Older Worker" [THE

SCIENTIFIC MONTHLY, July, 1943] you have tackled a problem that goes right to the heart of our civiliza- tion. You have marshalled considerable scientific data on the subject. It seems to me that scientific facts ought to go a long way to changing the atti- tude of the public on this problem. For the sake of the older worker and his contribution to society there should be further scientific study to support your contention. A study of a number of cases of forced retirement might make a contribution in support of a change of policy.

Educational institutions should take the lead in this matter but they evidently have not done as well as industry as shown in the examples of the "Old Man's Division" of the Dodge plant and in the case of the Ford industry. It would seem that in edu-

Hawaiian missionaries of whom Dr. Gregg is re- minded went out to do good to others according to their own lights and not merely to obtain the satis- faction of an "almost sensuous pleasure" for them- selves only.

This sensuous pleasure in discovery is probably better known and more strongly felt in the subjects of so called "natural history" than in any other discipline, because it is the rule rather than the exception that the student of these subjects is first attracted to them by the sensory enjoyment of nature, rather than by an intellectually developed appreciation of its research problems. But to de- mand the right to do research at the expense of society in pursuit of a personal pleasure, without even feeling the need for any conviction about its ultimate usefulness, is to claim the privileges of an elite which is not accountable for itself in the manner of ordinary human beings.

To the writer it seems evident that the possession of knowledge is always useful even when the knowl- edge itself can not be put to practical use. And this conviction seems more than a mere belief developed as a rationalization of a desire. It seems a thesis which could easily be proved if an adequately equipped foundation should care to make a survey of the negative as well as the more conspicuous posi- tive uses of knowledge in human progress.-A. E. PARR.

Adopted Those of us who use THE SCIENTIFIC MONTHLY as

reference material in our classes and who make up bibliographies from time to time would like it if you put a footnote at the bottom of the first page of the second section of a continued article, telling the reader where the first part appeared.-CHARLES J. PIEPER.

To Dr. A. J. Carlson In your article on "The Older Worker" [THE

SCIENTIFIC MONTHLY, July, 1943] you have tackled a problem that goes right to the heart of our civiliza- tion. You have marshalled considerable scientific data on the subject. It seems to me that scientific facts ought to go a long way to changing the atti- tude of the public on this problem. For the sake of the older worker and his contribution to society there should be further scientific study to support your contention. A study of a number of cases of forced retirement might make a contribution in support of a change of policy.

Educational institutions should take the lead in this matter but they evidently have not done as well as industry as shown in the examples of the "Old Man's Division" of the Dodge plant and in the case of the Ford industry. It would seem that in edu-

cational institutions where the work is primarily mental rather than physical there should be much concern to conserve the experience and wisdom of the older worker. A blanket provision of retiring all men at the same age completely disregards what is known about individual differences. The blanket retiring age is so unscientific and inhuman that edu- cational institutions should not be a party to such practice.

It seems to me that there can be no valid objection to your proposal of reduced pay for reduced capacity and performance. From the standpoint of justice and decent human consideration for the individual and the welfare of society, our civilization cannot afford to continue to treat the older worker as though he were a commodity without flesh and blood. I know that a blanket retiring age makes it easy for administrators to deal with the older worker. But administration should be regarded as a means to an end and not an end in itself. Personnel departments of educational institutions and of industry and busi- ness should be able to work out techniques of dealing with the older workers that would remove the stigma of injustice that now rests upon these institutions.- C. H. FISHER.

Decimation

In "Comments and Criticisms" in the June issue of THE SCIENTIFIC MONTHLY, Peter A. Carmichael is in error when he says, " If Jevons took two seconds per throw . . . then he was at it for the equivalent of some fourteen eight-hour days; . . .

If 20,480 throws required 2 seconds each, the ex- periment would have taken somewhat less than 11.38 hours-I presume Mr. Carmichael made a mistake in his decimal point and called this 113.8 hours.

Incidentally, I should like to know what Mr. Car- michael proposes to do about what he has " dis- covered." I wonder if he would accept as evidence for the defense that the ratio Heads - Tails + Heads + Tails tends to become infinitesimally small as the number of throws increases. We do not "know" that a hyperbole touches its asymptote at infinity, but it is mighty convenient to say so. Or maybe I shouldn't have said that! And how many angels can stand on the head of a pin--RoY K. MARSHALL.

Republished

On page 36 of this issue will be found the poem, "Shall We Speak Out?", which was previously published on page 404 of the May issue in "Comments and Criticisms." We think it merits better treatment than it received in the May issue. The author, Dr. John G. Sinclair, is Professor of Histology and Embryology in the University of Texas School of Medicine at Galveston.-EDS.

cational institutions where the work is primarily mental rather than physical there should be much concern to conserve the experience and wisdom of the older worker. A blanket provision of retiring all men at the same age completely disregards what is known about individual differences. The blanket retiring age is so unscientific and inhuman that edu- cational institutions should not be a party to such practice.

It seems to me that there can be no valid objection to your proposal of reduced pay for reduced capacity and performance. From the standpoint of justice and decent human consideration for the individual and the welfare of society, our civilization cannot afford to continue to treat the older worker as though he were a commodity without flesh and blood. I know that a blanket retiring age makes it easy for administrators to deal with the older worker. But administration should be regarded as a means to an end and not an end in itself. Personnel departments of educational institutions and of industry and busi- ness should be able to work out techniques of dealing with the older workers that would remove the stigma of injustice that now rests upon these institutions.- C. H. FISHER.

Decimation

In "Comments and Criticisms" in the June issue of THE SCIENTIFIC MONTHLY, Peter A. Carmichael is in error when he says, " If Jevons took two seconds per throw . . . then he was at it for the equivalent of some fourteen eight-hour days; . . .

If 20,480 throws required 2 seconds each, the ex- periment would have taken somewhat less than 11.38 hours-I presume Mr. Carmichael made a mistake in his decimal point and called this 113.8 hours.

Incidentally, I should like to know what Mr. Car- michael proposes to do about what he has " dis- covered." I wonder if he would accept as evidence for the defense that the ratio Heads - Tails + Heads + Tails tends to become infinitesimally small as the number of throws increases. We do not "know" that a hyperbole touches its asymptote at infinity, but it is mighty convenient to say so. Or maybe I shouldn't have said that! And how many angels can stand on the head of a pin--RoY K. MARSHALL.

Republished

On page 36 of this issue will be found the poem, "Shall We Speak Out?", which was previously published on page 404 of the May issue in "Comments and Criticisms." We think it merits better treatment than it received in the May issue. The author, Dr. John G. Sinclair, is Professor of Histology and Embryology in the University of Texas School of Medicine at Galveston.-EDS.

cational institutions where the work is primarily mental rather than physical there should be much concern to conserve the experience and wisdom of the older worker. A blanket provision of retiring all men at the same age completely disregards what is known about individual differences. The blanket retiring age is so unscientific and inhuman that edu- cational institutions should not be a party to such practice.

It seems to me that there can be no valid objection to your proposal of reduced pay for reduced capacity and performance. From the standpoint of justice and decent human consideration for the individual and the welfare of society, our civilization cannot afford to continue to treat the older worker as though he were a commodity without flesh and blood. I know that a blanket retiring age makes it easy for administrators to deal with the older worker. But administration should be regarded as a means to an end and not an end in itself. Personnel departments of educational institutions and of industry and busi- ness should be able to work out techniques of dealing with the older workers that would remove the stigma of injustice that now rests upon these institutions.- C. H. FISHER.

Decimation

In "Comments and Criticisms" in the June issue of THE SCIENTIFIC MONTHLY, Peter A. Carmichael is in error when he says, " If Jevons took two seconds per throw . . . then he was at it for the equivalent of some fourteen eight-hour days; . . .

If 20,480 throws required 2 seconds each, the ex- periment would have taken somewhat less than 11.38 hours-I presume Mr. Carmichael made a mistake in his decimal point and called this 113.8 hours.

Incidentally, I should like to know what Mr. Car- michael proposes to do about what he has " dis- covered." I wonder if he would accept as evidence for the defense that the ratio Heads - Tails + Heads + Tails tends to become infinitesimally small as the number of throws increases. We do not "know" that a hyperbole touches its asymptote at infinity, but it is mighty convenient to say so. Or maybe I shouldn't have said that! And how many angels can stand on the head of a pin--RoY K. MARSHALL.

Republished

On page 36 of this issue will be found the poem, "Shall We Speak Out?", which was previously published on page 404 of the May issue in "Comments and Criticisms." We think it merits better treatment than it received in the May issue. The author, Dr. John G. Sinclair, is Professor of Histology and Embryology in the University of Texas School of Medicine at Galveston.-EDS.

cational institutions where the work is primarily mental rather than physical there should be much concern to conserve the experience and wisdom of the older worker. A blanket provision of retiring all men at the same age completely disregards what is known about individual differences. The blanket retiring age is so unscientific and inhuman that edu- cational institutions should not be a party to such practice.

It seems to me that there can be no valid objection to your proposal of reduced pay for reduced capacity and performance. From the standpoint of justice and decent human consideration for the individual and the welfare of society, our civilization cannot afford to continue to treat the older worker as though he were a commodity without flesh and blood. I know that a blanket retiring age makes it easy for administrators to deal with the older worker. But administration should be regarded as a means to an end and not an end in itself. Personnel departments of educational institutions and of industry and busi- ness should be able to work out techniques of dealing with the older workers that would remove the stigma of injustice that now rests upon these institutions.- C. H. FISHER.

Decimation

In "Comments and Criticisms" in the June issue of THE SCIENTIFIC MONTHLY, Peter A. Carmichael is in error when he says, " If Jevons took two seconds per throw . . . then he was at it for the equivalent of some fourteen eight-hour days; . . .

If 20,480 throws required 2 seconds each, the ex- periment would have taken somewhat less than 11.38 hours-I presume Mr. Carmichael made a mistake in his decimal point and called this 113.8 hours.

Incidentally, I should like to know what Mr. Car- michael proposes to do about what he has " dis- covered." I wonder if he would accept as evidence for the defense that the ratio Heads - Tails + Heads + Tails tends to become infinitesimally small as the number of throws increases. We do not "know" that a hyperbole touches its asymptote at infinity, but it is mighty convenient to say so. Or maybe I shouldn't have said that! And how many angels can stand on the head of a pin--RoY K. MARSHALL.

Republished

On page 36 of this issue will be found the poem, "Shall We Speak Out?", which was previously published on page 404 of the May issue in "Comments and Criticisms." We think it merits better treatment than it received in the May issue. The author, Dr. John G. Sinclair, is Professor of Histology and Embryology in the University of Texas School of Medicine at Galveston.-EDS.

cational institutions where the work is primarily mental rather than physical there should be much concern to conserve the experience and wisdom of the older worker. A blanket provision of retiring all men at the same age completely disregards what is known about individual differences. The blanket retiring age is so unscientific and inhuman that edu- cational institutions should not be a party to such practice.

It seems to me that there can be no valid objection to your proposal of reduced pay for reduced capacity and performance. From the standpoint of justice and decent human consideration for the individual and the welfare of society, our civilization cannot afford to continue to treat the older worker as though he were a commodity without flesh and blood. I know that a blanket retiring age makes it easy for administrators to deal with the older worker. But administration should be regarded as a means to an end and not an end in itself. Personnel departments of educational institutions and of industry and busi- ness should be able to work out techniques of dealing with the older workers that would remove the stigma of injustice that now rests upon these institutions.- C. H. FISHER.

Decimation

In "Comments and Criticisms" in the June issue of THE SCIENTIFIC MONTHLY, Peter A. Carmichael is in error when he says, " If Jevons took two seconds per throw . . . then he was at it for the equivalent of some fourteen eight-hour days; . . .

If 20,480 throws required 2 seconds each, the ex- periment would have taken somewhat less than 11.38 hours-I presume Mr. Carmichael made a mistake in his decimal point and called this 113.8 hours.

Incidentally, I should like to know what Mr. Car- michael proposes to do about what he has " dis- covered." I wonder if he would accept as evidence for the defense that the ratio Heads - Tails + Heads + Tails tends to become infinitesimally small as the number of throws increases. We do not "know" that a hyperbole touches its asymptote at infinity, but it is mighty convenient to say so. Or maybe I shouldn't have said that! And how many angels can stand on the head of a pin--RoY K. MARSHALL.

Republished

On page 36 of this issue will be found the poem, "Shall We Speak Out?", which was previously published on page 404 of the May issue in "Comments and Criticisms." We think it merits better treatment than it received in the May issue. The author, Dr. John G. Sinclair, is Professor of Histology and Embryology in the University of Texas School of Medicine at Galveston.-EDS.

84 84 84 84 84

This content downloaded from 130.132.123.28 on Fri, 2 May 2014 03:37:12 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions