Mr. N S. Shaler in a thoughtful article on "The Use of Numbers in Society," [Atlantic Monthly for September), comes to the conclusion that whoever will follow the subject of the wearing out of soils in the fields of Europe and America will be convinced that a progressive lowering of fertility in the soils of the earth, has attended and must attend the continued advance of man. America, he says, is using or rather misusing in a year the treasures that a thousand years have been preparing. But what a wonderful provision was made that they have held out so very long.