The method of placing the figures at the right of the bar is, however, unsafe. The eye is likely to make a comparison, not from the ends of the bars themselves, but from the right-hand end of the figures. Since the figures are of about constant length, visual ratios are inaccurate when made by comparing a short bar plus the constant length of figures with a long bar plus the constant length of figures. If the shortest bar in Fig. 22 were about the same length as the space

Devanmera of Surveys and Exhibits, Russell Sage Foundation

Fig. 22. Comparison of School Cost per Pupil in Cities of 25,000 to 35,000 People in New York State

This illustration was ptiotograplied down from a wall exhibit to adapt it to a printed report. The use of the iigures at the right-hand end of the bars is bad practice. The eye is apt to make the comparison from the last figures rather than from the ends of the bars

SIMPLE COMPARISONS

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required for the figures, it would be possible to make a visual error of 100 per cent in the comparison. If the figures had been placed at the left of the bars, they would have been in a neat column and not

at all likely to affect the accuracy of the visual comparison.

The chart, Fig. 22, was taken from a report devoted entirely to the city of Newburgh. On this account, it would have been much better if the word "Newburgh" had been printed in heavy -faced type so that it would stand out from the other cities in the list. Where the use of colored ink is possible, it is frequently desirable to make the item under foremost consideration stand out prominently by giving it a brilliant color such as red