90 Social Environment 



formed by conquest, are in the main artificial 

 contrivances not harmonizing with the innate 

 variations in individual capacities. He con- 

 cludes by suggesting the obvious advantage that 

 society would gain by developing the potential 

 genius in the classes now so largely cut off 

 from opportunity. 



In only one particular does Ward's study 

 fail to be entirely convincing. Biologists make 

 the criticism that he has failed to take into 

 account the selective action of favorable en- 

 vironments. They say tliat the higher pro- 

 portion of genius in densely populated regions 

 may plausibly be accounted for by the fact that 

 cities have for generations attracted men of 

 ability, so that at length urban population has 

 come to be of a superior quality. In this way, 

 they say, the statistics from France may be 

 interpreted on entirely biological grounds. 

 Apparently this possibility had not occurred to 

 Ward ; at least he seems nowhere to have met 

 the objection. And it is probable that the data 

 at his command did not allow of any convin- 

 cing answer. 



It has occurred to the writer that a some- 

 what similar investigation might be made for 

 the United States as Ward has developed for 



