426 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



16. (new) Vasa: Gustavus I., illustrious founder of the dynasty. 



Certainly a new variation. Genius amply inherited in Gustavus 

 Adolphus and others. 



These are all the great names found among 3,312. All the quota- 

 tions are taken from Lippincott's 'Dictionary,' so the work has an 

 entirely impersonal basis. In considering the remaining, 3,296, who, 

 as far as Lippineott's great dictionary is concerned, have left no lives 

 worthy of distinguished merit, we gain an insight into the rarity of 

 such men and women as the Great Elector of Brandenburg or Catherine 

 Parthenay. What of these 3,296? Can it be possible that, living in 

 the highest social position as they did, a very large majority of them 

 did not have abundant opportunities to exercise ability had they been 

 the possessors of it. 



What is to be said on the side of heredity? It will be seen that at 

 least seven of these sixteen numbers (2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 12, 13) belong in 

 what may be called the great main mountain chain of royalty, composed 

 of the families Conde, Coligny, Montmorency, Orange, Palatine and 

 Hohenzollern, whose course can be traced from Anne de Montmorency 

 1493-1562, as far as one generation beyond Frederick the Great in the 

 beginning of the nineteenth century. 



Of the other nine, Catherine II. of Paissia, alone gives no striking 

 proof of heredity. It is examples of this sort that should be most fre- 

 quent were environment the main cause. Since wars have been going 

 on during most of the period covered in this book, and since the 

 majority of princes have had positions in the army and cabinet, and have 

 been given fair educations, and since the effects of environment must 

 have been mostly questions of chance, apart from family influence, 

 there does not seem to be any reason why environment should group the 

 great ones together in any way except as regards time or place. But 

 these sixteen are not grouped as regards time or place, but are scattered 

 over the centuries and in various countries. If more than ninety 

 per cent, of them are compatible with all that can be expected from 

 heredity, and the chances are tremendously against such an occurrence 

 owing to the large preponderance of mediocrity, then we must con- 

 clude that heredity is far more important than environment in the 

 causation of the above facts. 



About half the number are new variations. This is pretty well in 

 line with results in the study of genius in general. That is, the vast 

 horde of mediocrities is just about as likely to produce a great man as 

 the relatively small number of great are likely to perpetuate their own 

 kind. The reason why genius for war and government was maintained 

 through more generations than scientific or literary genius ever has 

 been is probably simply this: leading families in science and art do 

 not in general intermarry in the way that these great governing 



