434 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



Percentage mentioned, of those who graduated in fifth 



tenth of class 1.8 



Percentage mentioned, of those who graduated in last 



half of class 1.9 



As may be seen from these figures, 2.2 per cent, of the rank and file 

 of the living graduates of these two institutions achieved 'Who's Who' 

 success, and we might with reason expect this percentage to hold true 

 for each tenth of the classes, provided scholarship has nothing to do 

 with honors subsequent to graduation. What we do actually find for 

 the separate tenths is shown lower down in the column of percentages; 

 for the first tenth of the class, considerably more than double the 

 expected number; for the second and third tenths, slightly more than 

 expectancy, and for the remainder of the class, considerably less. These 

 percentages are based upon the supposition that mortality has been equal 

 throughout the class and that one tenth of the living alumni were 

 graduated in each tenth of the class, based upon scholarship. It will 

 be seen from the figures that the percentage of success is a little greater 

 for the last half of the class, based upon marks, than for the tenths 

 just preceding it. This fact is even more pronounced for those who 

 graduated practically at the foot of the class, although my figures cover- 

 ing that portion are not sufficiently accurate to form the basis of 

 percentages for the tenths considered separately. I know of no way to 

 account for this, unless it be that those students who were able to keep 

 a foothold among their classmates only with the greatest difficulty, gave 

 up all hope of success in those pursuits ordinarily chosen by the college 

 graduates, following others for which they were fitted by nature rather 

 than by training, but in which competition would be with a weaker 

 class; while those who had made a moderate success of college work 

 continued in a losing competition with their classmates. If this be 

 valid hypothesis it would account for the relative success of the lowest 

 tenth of the class. 



Supplementary still to this minor study of the two colleges, I have 

 figures for one the larger of the two showing the success, according 

 to our criterion, of the men who have received first, second, third and 

 fourth places at graduation ; that is, not simply of high grade, but those 

 who have most nearly fulfilled the ideals of their alma mater. Of the 

 living alumni of this institution 2.3 per cent, were mentioned in 'Who's 

 Who' and the law of probability would lead us to expect that the per- 

 centage would hold good for the men of any given place in the class. 

 We find that eight men of the first place were mentioned; nine of 

 second place, and six each of third and fourth places. Since, however, 

 the class of 1832 was the oldest contributing to 'Who's Who' for 1900, 

 we are safe in assuming that not more than seventy men of each of 

 these places can possibly be alive and this assumption is based upon 



