Transients and crises — An essay on common sense

SOME YEARS AGO, the sister of Karl Compton, whose husband was the head of an educational institution abroad, was having her house wired by a native electrician who constantly came to her with questions such as “Where do you want the wires?” “How many plugs?” “Do you want three-way switches?” She finally said, “Oh, you know what I want, just use your common sense.” He replied politely: “Madam, common sense is a gift of God. I have only a technical education.”