320 PROBLEMS OF HUMAN EVOLUTION 



Francis Galton finding that the senior wrangler in one particular 

 year obtained 7500 marks, whereas the " wooden spoon," the 

 lowest in order of those who appear in the honour list, succeeded 

 in gaining only 300, comes to the conclusion that the senior 

 wrangler had twenty-five times the innate ability of the " wooden 

 spoon." It is very doubtful whether differences of intellectual 

 power can be represented numerically, but, allowing that, it 

 would seem that there is a mistake in the calculation. Assum- 

 ing that the two men, the highest and lowest in the list, worked 

 equally hard, and had equally good lectures and " coaches," it is 

 nevertheless difficult to believe that they gained equally by their 

 teaching. It is probable that the native capacity of the clever 

 man was multiplied by instruction more times than that of the 

 dull man. Even if this was not the case, yet the gulf between 

 the two was enormously widened. Suppose that the capacity of 

 the one was represented by I, and of the other by 12, and 

 that education multiplied it in each case by 20. Then their 

 powers are raised to 20 and 240 respectively, and the difference 

 between the two is no longer lo, but 220. But there is reason to 

 believe that the capacity of the more powerful brain is more times 

 multiplied than that of the less. This will, I believe, become 

 clear when we consider the way in which intellectual advance is 

 made. 



Originality The art of teaching consists very largely in giving copies or 

 models for the pupil to imitate. If the particular model is too 

 difficult, an explanation, as we call it, is given. But this 

 explanation is either part of the former model, presented 

 separately, so that it may be easier to imitate, or it is a different 

 model the imitation and understanding of which will make the 

 one originally presented easier. We are, in fact, making use 

 of the instinct of imitation, supplemented by a whole system of 

 rewards and penalties. The pupil is exhorted to learn from the 

 model put before him. The word imitate is not very frequently 

 used. He is told to think out problems for himself and has it 

 impressed upon him that mere knowledge of book work, how- 

 ever necessary, is nothing compared with original work. And 

 when he accomplishes a rider in Euclid he is filled with a pride 



