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THE UTILITY OF COMMON STATISTICS 7
down. I trust, through many generations of labourers
at these meetings. In another point also the example
and spirit of both Mr. N ewmarch and Mr. J evons, it
may be hoped, will be imitated. I have already glanced
at the point, but it may be specially emphasized. It is
that they· were neither of them specialists, but they
were both otherwise distinguished-Mr. Newmarch as
a man of business and an economist; and Mr. J evons,
as a .Nttlraleur, a man of science, and a logician. It
will be an unfortunate day for us if men of business
like Mr. Newmarch, and men of general scientific and
literary eminence like Mr. Jevons, do not take an in-
terest in our pursuits. StatIstics are related to so many
different sciences, and the knowledge of them is so
essential to the politician and historian, that there is
no study which is more certainly failing to obtain its
proper place, if it is not known to and made use of by
those who are identified with other pursuits and by
men of general culture.
I am sure you wiIl not think I have taken up too
much of your time in doing honour to the friends whom
we have lost. I pass on with some diffidence to deal
with some topic of general interest, such as you have
been accustomed to have dealt with in their intro-
ductory addresses by my predecessors. In recent years
the field has been very fully occupied. You have had
such papers, for instance, as that of Mr. Lefevre, on the
use and abuse of statistics, covering a great deal of the
ground for discussion on the theory of statistics. You
have had other papers by experts in particular branches
of statistics, such as the addresses by my distinguished
l
immediate predecessor. on the agricultural depression
of the country and the probable future of the agri-
cultural industry. The field of new observation has
thus been greatly reduced. It has occurred to me,
however. that without attempting a new discussion on
the theory of statistics. or giving an address on some"
1 Sir James Caird.