School teaching and school reform; . childrenwhen they are playing with square woodenbricks. Ask them to outline a triangle with 1 It may be desirable to stop public exhibitions of hypnotism,and, of course, anything that becomes degrading, under thecommon law ; but the prosecutions which I regard as un-necessary are those directed to prevent people from paying fora consultation, which they find comforting, with persons whosebusiness it is to advise and exhort, under conditions of eitherreal or pretended inspiration, for a moderate fee. 92 School Reform such bricks — different kinds of triangle
School teaching and school reform; . childrenwhen they are playing with square woodenbricks. Ask them to outline a triangle with 1 It may be desirable to stop public exhibitions of hypnotism,and, of course, anything that becomes degrading, under thecommon law ; but the prosecutions which I regard as un-necessary are those directed to prevent people from paying fora consultation, which they find comforting, with persons whosebusiness it is to advise and exhort, under conditions of eitherreal or pretended inspiration, for a moderate fee. 92 School Reform such bricks — different kinds of triangles ;they cannot, indeed, make all kinds in thisway, they can only make commensurabletriangles, that is, a quite exceptional kind ;no matter, let them make those, by surround-ing an area with square blocks. Let themthus make a right-angled triangle. Theywill find that they have to make one withsides 3, 4, 5 ; or 5, 1 2, 1 3 ; or 8, 1 5, 17 ; the 3, 4, 5 triangle as the simplest, andlet them study it ; presently lead them to. build up a square on each side and countthe blocks in each (see figure annexed :9+16 = 25). They will seize the idea intime, I should judge : and if they do, they arenot likely to forget it. It is a representativenatural truth, true throughout the universe. Universal Truths 93 A figure like that, depicted on a hugescale on the Sahara, has been suggested forplanetary signalling ; for informing any-intelligent race on other planets that theearth is inhabited by folk to whom theuniversal truths of geometry are known. The canals in Mars may or may not beartificial intelligent irrigation works—prob-ably not ; but a figure like that would beproof positive of planetary intelligencewherever it was seen. If seen, it mightconceivably be responded to ; not verylikely, but possibly, by a race further ad-vanced in recondite methods of signallingthan ourselves ; hypothetical people onanother planet, who at present may regardthe earth as an insignificant g
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