"We take strong ground when we appeal to the beauty and truth of Mathematics; that, as Ruskin points out~, two and two make four and cannot conceivably make five, is an inevitable law. It is a great thing to be brought into the presence of a law, of a whole system of laws, that exist without our concurrence, -- that two straight lines cannot enclose a space is a fact which we can perceive, state, and act upon but cannot in any wise alter, should give to children the sense of limitation which is wholesome for all of us...
Arithmetic is valuable as a means of training children in habits of strict accuracy..." CM
A Book Review: Teaching Textbooks
