37 ] ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA yj 



investigation has been made plain, the data on which the 

 study is based can be presented and discussed. The appar- 

 ent influence of various environmental conditions which 

 seem to have affected the authors studied will first be con- 

 sidered. Reason will next be given for a belief that cer- 

 tain phenomena, explained in this study in terms of nurture, 

 cannot possibly be interpreted chiefly in terms of natural 

 ability, as Galton supposed. To this extent it will be shown 

 that the results of the study harmonize with the opinions of 

 Ward. Finally, however, evidence will be submitted for a 

 belief that nurture alone cannot explain the development of 

 American literati, as Ward believed, and an argument will 

 be made so far in support of Galton's contention as to hold 

 that original nature is at least an important factor in the 

 development of genius. Thus it will be shown that appar- 

 ently the theories of both Galton and Ward are partially 

 right and partially wrong, and that a combination of the 

 two theories, as in the thesis stated above, seems best to 

 accord with the facts as observed. 



There are nine important environmental conditions which 

 will be considered. They are as follows : ( i ) social en- 

 vironment, by which is meant the ideals and customs of a 

 group at any given time and place, (2) geographic environ- 

 ment, (3) local environment, (4) education, (5) economic 

 condition of parents, (6) occupation of father, (7) occu- 

 pation of the literati themselves, (8) early religious train- 

 ing, and (9) birth-rank in the family of brothers and sisters. 



Before these forces of nurture can be considered, how- 

 ever, it is necessary to present a few facts about the history 

 of American letters to serve as a background for the discus- 

 sion which is to follow. These facts are presented in Tables 

 I and II. 



It appears in Table I that the number of literati born in- 

 creased very rapidly from the time of the American Revo- 



