[r-t] Washbrook’s Surprise Principle

[Richard Smith]

Don Morrison wrote:

> On Fri, Aug 9, 2013 at 9:42 AM, Philip Earis <Earisp at rsc.org> wrote:
>> Legitimate Methods Committee
>
> Does anyone know when the committee's name was changed from that
> charmer? And what rationale was provided for the change?

In discussing the committee's 1918 report, "[a]n interesting 
discussion took place upon legitimate methods, and 
eventually it was resolved that in future the word 
'Legitimate' should be omitted from the title of the, 
committee, so that the committee in future will be known as 
the Methods Committee. It was also resolved that wherever 
the word 'legitimate' occurred in the documents of the 
committee and Council, the word be changed to 'regular' and 
'illegitimate' to 'irregular.'"

A bit of an anticlimax.  I had hoped it was changed because 
people doubted the committee's legitimacy.  And if the 
Redundant Bells Committee gained its 'Redundant' at the same 
time, that would been excellent.

RAS