large/7264/free_press_1206_librivox_64kb_mp3/freepress_02_belloc_64kb_20
large/7264/free_press_1206_librivox_64kb_mp3/freepress_02_belloc_64kb
English
7264
Our common sense and our knowledge of the situation incline us rather to the bad than to the good witness, and we are right. OUR COMMON SENSE AND OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE SITUATION INCLINE US RATHER TO THE BAD THAN TO THE GOOD WITNESS AND WE ARE RIGHT
ion_ with which repeated spoken words could not compete. In the second place, it gave them a _mechanical similarity_ which was the very opposite to the marks of healthy human news. I would particularly insist upon this last point. It is little understood and it is vital. If we want to know what to think of a fire which has taken place many miles away, but which affects property of our own, we listen to the accounts of dozens of men. We rapidly and instinctively differentiate between these accounts according to the characters of the witnesses. Equally instinctively, we counter-test these accounts by the inherent probabilities of the situation. An honest and sober man tells us that the roof of the house fell in. An imaginative fool, who is also a swindler, assures us that he later saw the roof standing. We remember that the roof was of iron girders covered with wood, and draw this conclusion: That the framework still stands, but that the healing fell through in a mass of blazing rubbish. RDS RAPIDITY OF EXTENSION WITH WHICH REPEATED SPOKEN WORDS COULD NOT COMPETE IN THE SECOND PLACE IT GAVE THEM A MECHANICAL SIMILARITY WHICH WAS THE VERY OPPOSITE TO THE MARKS OF HEALTHY HUMAN NEWS I WOULD PARTICULARLY INSIST UPON THIS LAST POINT IT IS LITTLE UNDERSTOOD AND IT IS VITAL IF WE WANT TO KNOW WHAT TO THINK OF A FIRE WHICH HAS TAKEN PLACE MANY MILES AWAY BUT WHICH AFFECTS PROPERTY OF OUR OWN WE LISTEN TO THE ACCOUNTS OF DOZENS OF MEN WE RAPIDLY AND INSTINCTIVELY DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THESE ACCOUNTS ACCORDING TO THE CHARACTERS OF THE WITNESSES EQUALLY INSTINCTIVELY WE COUNTER TEST THESE ACCOUNTS BY THE INHERENT PROBABILITIES OF THE SITUATION AN HONEST AND SOBER MAN TELLS US THAT THE ROOF OF THE HOUSE FELL IN AN IMAGINATIVE FOOL WHO IS ALSO A SWINDLER ASSURES US THAT HE LATER SAW THE ROOF STANDING WE REMEMBER THAT THE ROOF WAS OF IRON GIRDERS COVERED WITH WOOD AND DRAW THIS CONCLUSION THAT THE FRAMEWORK STILL STANDS BUT THAT THE HEALING FELL THROUGH IN A MASS OF BLAZING RUBBISH
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