Abstract
THE Statistical Society has been holding a series of meetings during the present week in celebration of the jubilee of its foundation. The meeting is really an International Congress of Statistics, some of the most eminent foreign statisticians being present as the guests of the Society; among others Sig. Bodio, of Rome; MM. Keleti, Körösi, and Prof. Neumann-Spollart, of Buda-Pesth; Prof. Levasseur and M. de Foville, of Paris; Gen. F. A. Walker, of the United States, Gen. Liagre, and others. The meetings have been held in the theatre of London University, and several subjects of much statistical importance have been introduced for discussion. One of them was the claim of statistics to be considered as a science, discussed at some length in the address of the President, Sir Rawson W. Rawson. Statistics, as usually treated in this country, little more than the mere calculating of numbers, is a mere mechanical operation; but which, treated as some of the most eminent statists have treated it, as dealing with the structure of human society, then it certainly becomes amenable to scientific methods. Sir Rawson Rawson referred further to the want of organisation in the collection and publication of official statistics in this country, and rightly advocated reform in this respect. Among the other papers read on Monday were-a sketch of the history of the Society, by Dr. F. J. Mouat; “Statistical Developments”, with special reference to Statistics as a Science, by Dr. W. A. Guy, F.R.S.; and on “Statistics and their Enemies,” by M. de Foville. One of the principal papers on Tuesday was by Mr. R. Giffen, on “Some General Uses of Statistical Knowledge” in which, among other things, he referred to the rapid increase of the population of Europe during the last century as compared with the increase in China and other Asiatic countries (except India) and in Africa. Should the present rate of European increase continue, the population of our continent in another century will be 1000 millions, whilst that of the United States would be 800 millions. Mr. Giffen maintained that the increase in Europe had been accompanied by a corresponding increase in the means of subsistence and improvement in the position of all classes.
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The Jubilee of the Statistical Society . Nature 32, 188 (1885). https://doi.org/10.1038/032188a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/032188a0