SOLUTION OF A LITERARY PROBLEM. 



lOI 



of disputed authorship. If striking diflferences are found of known and sus- 

 pected compositions of any writer, the evidence against identity of authorship 

 would be quite conclusive. If the two compositions should produce curves 

 which are practically identical, the proof of a common origin would be less con- 

 vincing; for it is possible, although not probable, that two writers might show 

 identical characteristic curves. 



With this conclusion the matter remained for more than ten years. 

 On innumerable occasions it was suggested that the process ought to be 

 applied to an examination of the writings of Bacon and Shakespeare 

 with a view of forever settling a controversy which will doubtless 

 forever remain unsettled. This, of course, had been all along in view, 

 but it involved an expenditure of time and labor in letter and word 

 counting quite beyond what might be expected from individual en- 



/ 2, i 4 S 6 7 8 9 10 II IZI3li ISlSn 



] Z Z i ^ & 7 8 9 10 11 IZ 13 H 15 1617 J Z 3 4 J 6 7 Q 3 10 11 IZ 13 11 IS f& n 



Fiii. a. 



thusiasm. The operation is not one of thrilling interest, and volun- 

 teer assistance could not be depended upon when the number of things 

 to be counted and classified grew into millions. 



That the method has been applied at last to this most curious and 

 yet most interesting question is entirely due to the liberality of Mr. 

 Augustus Heminway, of Boston, who kindly offered to defray the ex- 

 penses of the work, that is, to employ persons to count and classify 

 nearly two millions of words. Besides expressing my indebtedness to 

 Mr. Heminway, I wish to make grateful acknowledgment of the ex- 



