Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 15.djvu/653

 OUTLOOK FOR AMERICAN STATISTICS 639

sity far better than in an office. Such are its history and theory, the presentation of its main results as a coherent system of facts and principles, the comparison and criticism of methods and possibly in some cases the interpretation of conclusions.

There is another and less obvious aid derived from the acade- mic teaching of statistics. An office with a large clerical force is seldom so organized as to enable its heads to select quickly and accurately the clerks who best deserve promotion to responsible positions. Most new clerks are assigned duties of a routine char- acter which do not quickly reveal a man's quality. It is one im- portant function of a university to evaluate its students, not merely or mainly by the crude test of marks, but rather by devel- oping in the teachers a sympathetic and yet critical estimate of each student's power and promise. This estimate helps to direct into the statistical field some who have a native capacity for and interest in it and helps also to hasten the passage of such students through the deadening early stages of office life.

During the last few years, notwithstanding an increase in the public appreciation and demand for trained statisticians, there has been little addition to the amount or improvement in the quality of statistical education. If the fact were otherwise, we might feel much more confident of the outlook for statistics. In my judgment the colleges and universities have not kept pace with the popular readjustment. No doubt the short supply of trained men has retarded the progress of the work.

Another serious obstacle to the rapid development of statis- tical work has been the lack of any national statistical center, such as each great European country possesses at its capital. Years ago that position belonged probably to Boston; now it does not. If federal work in statistics continues to grow as it has done of recent years, Washington will soon take, if indeed it has not already taken, the leading place. Whether or not our develop- ment shall make any one place, like Washington or New York, pre-eminent in the variety, importance, and quality of its statis- tical work, there is surely need for continuing the education of statisticians in official life by providing a forum where they may meet and by mutual conference and friendly criticism may con-