56 THE FAMILY AND THE NATION 



candidates in a University examination (Fig. 5), equally 

 show this result. In the latter case, the curve is cut 

 short at each end by the difficulty of expressing 

 adequately in percentage marks the ignorance of the 

 worst and the superiority of the best candidates, as 

 compared with the mediocre attainments of the majority. 

 But, allowing for this difficulty, the concordance is 

 usually so good that any marked deviation from the 

 standard curve of frequency suggests some fault in the 

 examiner or in the conduct of the examination. 



/ff 2O JO 



SO 6O TO 8O 90 



FIG. 5. 



But it should never be forgotten that, when the 

 theory of variation is applied generally to the people 

 as a whole, this simplicity is apparent and not real. 

 The population is made up of many different strains 

 of so many in fact that they shade off into each other 



