87] ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA 87 



There was therefore made a study of the literary pro- 

 ductivity of the groups of different nationality strains, 

 that is, nationality of ancestors as indicated by surnames, 

 in the American people. 1 



This method of determining nationality was recently 

 used by the Bureau of the Census in reclassifying the 

 population of the United States for the year 1790. In 

 describing that process, a government statistician points 

 out the limitations of such a study. It takes no account 

 of the length of time which the bearers of the name may 

 have been absent from the mother country. The ances- 

 tors of the bearers of an Irish or Dutch name may have 

 arrived in the first shipload of immigrants who landed 

 on the shores of Virginia, Manhattan or New England, 

 so that the descendant enumerated possessed few or 

 none of the peculiarities of the nationality indicated. On 

 the other hand, the ancestors may have arrived in Amer- 

 ica but a few weeks prior to the birth of the litterateur 

 under consideration. Although, therefore, such an anal- 

 ysis cannot be regarded as possessing the least value 

 from the standpoint of modern classification by place of 

 birth, it possesses great value as an indication of the pro- 

 portions contributed by the various nationalities. 2 



Table XXVI shows the distribution of American lit- 

 erati born in the United States, classified by nationality 

 of ancestors, as indicated by surnames. 3 



1 The author is of course aware that such a study is of very limited 

 value, for the reason that these so-called nationality strains are in 

 reality highly complex groups of many ethnic stocks, and are very far 

 from being true types. Nevertheless the conclusions reached have 

 exactly the same degree of validity as have those of Galton concerning 

 the same kind of blood groups. They may therefore be used to refute 

 Galton's assertions. 



2 A Century of Population Growth in the United States, p. 116. 



3 The chief reference works used in making this classification were 



