(18) THE ABACUS, IN ITS HISTORIC AND SCIEN'TLFIC ASPECTS. By Canons, G. Knorr, D. So. (Edin,), F. R. 8. E. [Bead Decesrber 16th, 1985. PART L—THE HISTORIC ASPECT. ‘The Sorvdan (% %) or Japanese Abucus is ove of the first objects tat strongly attrnets the attoation of the foreigner in Japan, He bays at somo shop a fow trifing articles and sume up the total cost in his own mind. But the tradesman deigns not to perplex himself by « process of montal arithmetic, however simple, He seizes his Sorobam, by a tilt and a rattling eveep of his hand, makes a fow ng ndjastmonts, aad names the price. ‘There seems to be « tradition amonget forcignors that the Soroian in esllod into requis: tion more expecially at timox when the Undesman ia meditating imposition ; and in thany canoe it is corteit that the Western mind, with ite power of mental addition, regard the snanipuletor with fa alight contempt, A little exporionec, however, should tond te traasform thin contempt into adiicution. For it may be safely asserted that even in the simplest of all arithmetical operations the Soroban posserses distinet ndvantages over the mental or fguriug proves. In ‘8 competition in simple addition between a Lightning Calewiator,”” an accurate and rapid accountant, and au ordinary Japanese email tradea- man, the Japanese with his Sorotan would oasily carry off the palm,KNOTT: "ME ABACTS, IN ITS KETONIC AND sorENTIFIO ASPECTS. 19) [vis tre that the Jepanese often uses his board and beads when the operation is sitoplo enough to be completed mentelly daring the time thot he stretches his hand ont to take bold of his instrament; but that is only an illustration of the irresistible force of habit, To him the men- tion of aay arithmetical operation suggests Soroban.” He-could no doubt, ifhe tried, add 19 and 18 in his mind; but before he bas time to rocognise the pocatiar simplicity of eny special problem, and, dis. possossing his thought of * Soroban,”” proseed to solve it as the foreigner oes, he would waste more time in mental Isboar thin is expended in tho manual Iebour of adjasting and manipulating his counters, ‘The only Liame indood that em bo attached to him for nsing his instra- mont to ada & to 8 ia that ho ia atrietly consistent. But lat ne suppose that a porebaror hax bought Uhrop antisles which are priced at You 1,25, You 2.99, aud You 9.17 respectively, How many people out of any hundred of ordinary intellect could add these Usree numbers ind? A cortecily in their jose shop-boy with Soroban in hand will do it as fust as the numbers ean bo named, and with grester prosision and ecrtainly than many of ws could attain in figaring. Facts like these suflco to give tothe instrament a ceriain respectability, ‘The Abacus possesses besides 1 high respectability, arising from its gront ago, its wide-spread distribution, and its poeuliar infiaence in the evolution of oar modem system of arithmetic, In the Western lands of to-day it is used only in infant schools, and is intended to iniliato the infant mind into the frst mysteries of numbers. The child, if he ever is taught by iis mesns, acon passes from this bend- counting to the alate and slate pencil. He learns our Indian Noms of which onr only is at all suggentive of ite meaning ; and with those ealeulatious, In Tadia and all over aymbole he over after makes all is civilized Ani however; the Abucas sill holds its own ; aad io China and Tayan the method of using it is peculiarly scieatifi. It seems pretty ceriain that its original home was India, wheneo i spread westward to Enropo and eastward to China, assuming yarious forms, no doubt, bat still remsining essentially the same instrament, Its deesy in Europe cau bo traced to the gradual introduction and perfecting of the modem cipher system of notation, which again in part owes its early origin to the indications of the Abseus itself. According to the20 xXOFT; TUE aBious, mt mms utsronIG AND scluNTLTIG ASYBOTS. results arrived at by Sir E. Clive Bayley, in bin discussion of the genealogy of modern numerals, the main facts soem to be these. The Absous finds ite oartost i, where originally it ‘existed alongside of most complieatod rystems of numerics! notation, ‘Tho gindual simplification of these in accordance with the universal eadescy of the human mind under civilieatiou—o simplification whicls Iargoly con! vorrowing from elswhe~—broaght them into loser and closer correspondence with the indieations of tho Abseus. At last with the evolation of the zero, the notation became accurately symbolic, of the columns of the Abscus, and rapid ealealation was possible without their cid. In Enrope the vow system, introduced through the Arabs, gradually displaced whatoror ‘counter” system ‘was in vogue. But the substitution of the symbolic for the mechanical ‘was only partis! in India, while ia China and Jap centuries have Deen insufficient to effect the change. ‘These facts are saflcient to show that the eiphering rystom ia not so very superior to the Abuews su wo of woslarn training aro apt at first to imegine. That the Chineeo and Japanoss shovld still veo an instrument, which to ws ia suggestive of aa infaut velool, is olartling. ‘To explain it as o roaalt ‘of te general couservitinn of the xalern mind is nothing to the point; for not ouly hus the conservatism itself to bo oxplaiued, but ‘we havo in the nonconservstivo caracier of tho Japnuose mind a fuct tat caunot be disregarded. 1 think tbe tree oxplauation is to be found in the processes of natural selection, which of curve vary with the mental habit of the race. ‘The problem is twofold. What causes, uot present in the East, led to the ascondewoy of ciphering over bead-eounting in the West; and do these causes imply any difforeaca in tho mental aititades of the pooples ? It is conveuiont to dineuss those questions under two lead: jorie home in First I hall consider comparatively the systems of numerical notation that Lave been invented amongst sivilined pooples, and then procoad to compare tho systems of numeration or uomenclatare of I have placed notation first, uot because of any logical nocassity, but because of ils groater simplicity. Spouking of course amber Journal B.A 8 ols. as, x1, a0,