In your otherwise beautiful poem "The Vision of Sin" there is a verse which reads – "Every moment dies a man, Every moment one is born." It must be manifest that if this were true, the population of the world would be at a standstill. In truth, the rate of birth is slightly in excess of that of death.Sounds a lot like the method of interpretation used by many in regards to the Bible to convict it of "error", only with the difference that Babbage was presumably kidding. :-)
I would suggest that in the next edition of your poem you have it read – "Every moment dies a man, Every moment 1 1/16 is born."
The actual figure is so long I cannot get it onto a line, but I believe the figure 1 1/16 will be sufficiently accurate for poetry.
I am, Sir, yours, etc.,
Charles Babbage
A quotes blog of various writers (mostly Christian, and specifically Catholic, in nature)
Showing posts with label Charles Babbage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Charles Babbage. Show all posts
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Charles Babbage, in a letter to Alfred Tennyson:
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