The Charm of the Inexact. 215 



equip themselves with the facts of any case, 

 seeing how fiercely disputed is every statement 

 of a fact as such. Those who have had ex- 

 perience in any line of research know the 

 bewildering array of opinions daily set forth, 

 and how persistently the theorists hound every 

 one who ventures to question their hobbies by 

 virtue of the obvious facts resulting from their 

 own observations. To defy the truth and de- 

 fame the truthful that theory may remain as- 

 cendant and the fathers of theories hold to high 

 places is one of the melancholy features of prev- 

 alent inexact statement. This phase indeed 

 calls for strong language, and it is unfortunate 

 that it is not legally permissible. A vast deal 

 of the ignorance that is now prevalent is due 

 to the impudence of those who have really no 

 authority to express an opinion. Barnum, it 

 was, I believe, who said people liked to be 

 humbugged; but did not this refer to matters 

 of mere amusement, tricks that we were always 

 expecting to solve and so set ourselves aright? 

 So far no harm is done, but not so when the 

 truth is held back because here and there some 

 opiniative "professor" must needs confess him- 



