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 Chapter II

SIMPLE COMPARISONS

One of a business man's chief assets is his ability to show things to others in their true proportions. He is continually making contrasts, and holding up for comparison different propositions which come up in his daily affairs. The graphic method lends itself admirably to use in making comparisons. It is surprising how much clearer even simple comparisons of only two or three items will appear when their numerical value is put in graphic form rather than in figures.

Fig. 16. Bacteria in the Waters of New York Harbor

This illustration is taken from the report of the Metropolitan Sewage Commission. The representation as though seen through a microscope is decidedly effective

Fig. 16 is a cut taken from the report of the Metropolitan Sewage Commission. Most people know so little about bacteria that it would mean nothing to them to say that the Harlem River contains 15,600 bacteria per cubic centimeter of water. When, however, such a comparison is made as is shown in Fig. 16, even the most casual glance would convince anyone that the Harlem River is not the most ideal swimming place. The figures for the bacteria count are given with the chart so that all the data are available to anyone who may wish to study the facts from a scientific standpoint.

The drawing of Fig. 17 is of the cartoon type, effective for wall exhibitions or for use in the more popular magazines. This particular