The Utility of a mathematical training

Title

Language

English

Year

1930

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

P.S. I have a confr~ssion to make. I have written this Essay, with the end in view of having my picture appear in the GREEN AND WHITE. Unfortunately, for my host of admirers among whom the fairer sex preddminate, this cannot be done, unless the magazine be :.nade wider. Bashfulness (I still have it), pre.-ents my continuing, but, in order to forestall any burdensome conjecture on your part, as to why this is so, just recollect my diimensions, and avoirdupois. P.P.S. Should you desire to have my picture, send your address, and five cents' worth of stamps, pins, marbles, or other equivalents of legal tender. Ten (10) cents for addresses outside of the P. I. Fifteen ( 15) cents for Canada and points West. --- «»--The Utility of a Mathematical Training By Virgilio L. Rodriguez, H.S. '31. -MATHEMATICS may be called the art . of arguing by numbers, and quantities, and as the basis of all argument rests on these two principles, the importance of mathematics as a science to be included in the curriculum of aII educational establishments is self-evident. The study of mathematics accustoms thz mind to minute attention to the smallest details that go to make up a problem, and as these details are always in accord with truth, and are demonstrable, how,2ver obscure or involved they may be, it follows that the mind trained to work upon such accurate lines will necessarily be more logical in its reasoning, and more accurat,2 in its conclusion than the mind unaccustomed to such details. Mathematics, as a matter of fact, is the only science that does not admit of error. Differences of opinion, prejudice, fraud and even falsity may in some measure affect all other sciences but when it is qu,estion of Mathematics its deductions must be true and cannot be mfluenced by false opinions. The clear logical reasoning entailed by the solut~on of the various problems dealt with in the pursuit of math.2matics, habituates the mind to judge of things from the right angle. The young lmind, exercised. in this manner, wiU gradually acquires a correctness and acuteness, far sup~rior to the on,2 that may be more gifted, but less trained in the discernment of details. The mathematically trained mind will be diseng,~ged fro~ any sort of foolish credulity, which, as a rule, is the outcome of the mind unaccustomed to examine things ,in detail,· and to probe out the various shades of difference that very often lead to false conclusions. Mathematical study must of itsdf be friendly to the cause of religion, for as all vice and superstition are founded on false reasoning, so whatever imilitates against this tendency, will necessarily be to the advantage of truth by purgin,g the mind from ali sophisms and engrafting in it a love of truth. Not only is mathematical knowledge an aid to truth, but it is also an aid to the proper understanding of most of the physical sciences. Natural philosophy, mechanics, astronomy, optics and other physical subjects are both inv,2stigated an.d explained by it and without a knowledge of mathematics some branches of science can be neither appreciated nor understood. Mathematical skill has led to the d.2velopment of many of the arts such as architecture, surveying, engineering, navigation, etc., and any one devoid of this skill, will be greatly handicappr-d if he should chance to be occupied in any one of these pursuits. It also trains the mind to industry and perseverance, by leading it to important conclusions by the slow process of minute ,gradations. Shades of difference an;! noticed, weak points discerned and false ideas obliterated. In fact the mind thus trained comes to disc.2rn the real point of .van178 GREEN AND WHITE tage as clearly as the eye discerns the grain of wheat frOlffi the chaff. In the same way as gy1mnastic exercises render the body more graceful. healthy, and .'.!rect 'by training it to selfdenying labour which drives out the superfluous humours, and thus aids in the correction of bad habits, so, mathematical knowledge subjects the mind to a gymnastic training which makes it more healthy and straightforward. Finally, matb?matics enables a person to form_ a true estimate of practically everything, especially of one's own attai!liments. Take as an example the great Sir Isaac Newton, the greatest mathematician of modern times, a man remarkable both for the urbanity of his manners and the simplicity of his mind. His extensive knowledge tended only to give him a true estimat.e of himself and of his varied attainments. The same may be said of many other great scientists and statesmen. Richard Porson, one of the finest classical scholars that England ever produced, was trained by his father frO'm earliest youth in the rudiments of Arithmetic, and he attributes his classical greatness to the accurate thinking acquired during those early years of patient labour. Lord Bacon, in one of his famous essays lays down the injunction thait if a man's wit be wandering, he should study mathe:matics; for in dem0:nstration, if his wit be called away never so little, he must begin the whole discourse over again. Hence we may truly say, with the great Dr. Jones, that Mathematics and the severer sciences, with logic and metaphsics, bestow an acutern~ss and an endurance upon the mind, which serve essentially to call forth and strengthen the abstract reason. ---«»--Our Lady's Tears Bemath the cross Our Lady stood. And down her tear-drops fell like rain; For th.:re, in anguish, Jesus hung, And she so shared His bitter pain. Unseen, there came an angel fair, Who in a chalice wrought of gold. Those tear-drops gathered tenderly, Until the cup no more could_ hold. And since that Crucifixion day, I think, through all the years, The hardest hearts, God melts at last, Most surely in Our Lady's tears. Alberto J. Oben.

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