the fundamental needs of the age upon which we are now entering is accurate
quantitative thinking in the fields of one's vocation, in the supervision of our
many co-operative governmental labors, in our economic thinking with reference
to taxation, expenditures, insurance, public utilities, civic improvements,
pensions, corporations, and the multitude of other civic and vocational matters.
Just as the thought involved in physics, astronomy, or engineering needs to be
put in mathematical terms in order that it may be used effectively, so must it be
with effective vocational, civic, and economic thinking in general. Our chief
need is not so much the ability to do calculations as it is the ability to think in
figures and the habit of thinking in figures. Calculations, while indispensable,
are incidental to more important matters.
Naturally before one is prepared to use mathematical forms of thought in
considering the many social and vocational problems, he must have mastered the
fundamentals. The elementary school, at as early an age as practicable, should
certainly give the necessary preliminary knowledge of and practice in the
fundamental operations of arithmetic. This should be done with a high degree of
thoroughness, but it should always be kept in mind that this is only a preliminary
mastery of the alphabet of mathematical thinking. The other part of our problem
is a development of the quantitative aspects of the vocational, economic, and
civic subjects. One finds clear recognition of this in Cleveland in the new
arithmetic manual. The following quotations are typical:
"The important problem of the seventh and eighth grades is to enable the pupils
to understand and deal intelligently with the most important social institutions
with which arithmetical processes are associated."
In discussing the teaching of the mathematical aspect of insurance, we find this
statement: "Owing to the important place this subject holds in life, we should
emphasize its informational value rather than its mathematical content."
Under taxation and revenue: "If the general features of this subject are presented
from the standpoint of civics, the pupils should have no difficulty in solving the
problems as no new principle is introduced."
Under stocks and bonds: "Pupils should be taught to know what a corporation is,
its chief officers, how it is organized, what stocks and bonds are, and how
dividends are declared and paid, in so far as such knowledge is needed by the