The Pleasant Aspects of the Current Scarcity

Preface to the Reader.

I have already had the occasion, just a few days ago, to apologize for my public appearance with these thoughts before the respectable assembly at the Museum, and I now find myself in the position of having to apologize for, or at least explain, their publication before the larger public.

I had, in fact, written down the main points of the following essay, especially the calculation contained therein, some time ago solely for my own notes, to make the matter quite clear to myself. The day before the last Museum meeting, I was approached by one of the secretaries for a