GREAT MEN OF THE WORLD, 145 



A discrepancy of this amount, however, does not affect the general 

 result, as one or two years more or less would not materially affect 

 the offspring, unless it occurred at about the time of coming to ma- 

 turity or was accompanied by great variations of activity. I have also 

 given the birth-ranks in figures in all cases where the figures 

 have been obtainable. The first figures given after a name rep- 

 resent the birth-rank of the individual; succeeding figures, when 

 given, represent the birth-ranks of father and grandfather. The 

 birth-ranks of mothers are not given in the tables, but in a number 

 of cases they may be found in the appendix. In cases in which 

 the birth-rank is approximately but not accurately known, I have 

 used letters and have aimed to err on the side of reducing rather 

 than increasing the age of the father. It is therefore probable 

 that some of those given in the second section of class A men 

 really belong in the first section, and it is not improbable that a 

 few in the first section may belong in the second section. It is be- 

 lieved, however, that any errors arising through using letters would 

 be rectified by a greater movement upward than downward. 



An inspection of the first section (Table VIII) of the class 

 A men shows that it includes many of the greatest men in all the 

 world's history men who are comparable only to other men in 

 the same section. The second section (Table IX) is also com- 

 posed of men of very great mental ability, but while there are 

 men in it who are greater than some of those in the first section, 

 the group, as a whole, does not average so high as the first section. 

 Similarly, when we inspect the class B men (Table X), we find 

 in it a few men who might properly change places with some of 

 those in both sections of class A, yet the average is a distinct drop 

 in mental greatness. 



