7 8 THE FAMILY AND THE NATION 



an estimate of about two hundred and fifty in a million 

 was obtained. We may accept this number, then, 

 as the proportion of men of eminent ability in the 

 population as a whole, at all events for the periods 

 considered by Galton. 



An independent value has been obtained by the 

 editors of the Dictionary of National Biography. They 

 estimate that, in the British Isles throughout the 

 historic ages, one person in every five thousand who 

 have reached adult life, that is two hundred to each 

 million, have been of sufficient eminence to secure 

 admission to the Dictionary. 



Galton's next task was to trace the inheritance of 

 ability which might fairly be reckoned as eminent. By 

 examining the records of all the Judges of England 

 between 1660 and 1865, the Statesmen of the reign ot 

 George III., and the Premiers of the last century, 

 Galton proved that they had many more relatives 

 who themselves showed eminent powers of mind than 

 the total number of their relatives would lead one to 

 expect, if ability were not hereditary. 



Not only have eminent men like the Judges a larger 

 number of eminent relatives than chance would suggest, 

 but the number increases rapidly with the nearness of 

 relationship to the Judge. Of the fathers of the Judges 

 a proportion of 9.1 in 100 were found by Galton to be 

 eminent men, while of 100 sons 12.6 were of the same 

 class. The percentages of more distant kinsmen who 

 could be reckoned as eminent are shown in the follow- 

 ing table : 



