9 AMERICAN MEN OF LETTERS [90 



Again, after careful study of the several ethnic elements 

 of the French population, Odin decided that no one of 

 them possessed more innate literary ability than did any 

 of the others. 1 



Although ethnic stock and nationality strain are two 

 distinct things, they are similar in that they both have 

 to do with nature rather than nurture. Thus there is 

 justification for saying that to a certain extent the simi- 

 lar results of these three independent studies are mutu- 

 ally sustaining. They all seem to indicate that ancestry 

 is no test of natural ability, whether considered from the 

 point of view of ethnic stock or nationality strain. 2 Thus 

 it appears that neither Galton's second nor third proposi- 

 tions are established, and, so far as those propositions 

 are concerned, the argument for the influence of the nine 

 environmental factors considered remains valid. 



From the foregoing facts and arguments it might 

 possibly be inferred that, besides weakening Galton's 

 position, the data collected concerning American authors 

 are completely in harmony with Ward's theory that na- 

 ture is of relatively slight importance. This inference 

 would be legitimate if it were not that other facts not 

 yet presented militate strongly against the latter's theory. 

 It will be remembered that Ward says : 



We cannot escape the conclusion that some measure of 

 genius exists in nearly everyone. . . . Even the denizens of 

 the slums . . . are by nature the peers of the boasted " aris- 

 ticracy of brains " that now dominates society and looks down 

 upon them, and the equals in all but privilege of the most 



1 Odin, op. cit., pp. 464 et seq. 



2 Cf. Thorndike, Educational Psychology, vol. iii, ch. x, and articles 

 by Boas, Thomas and Dewey in a Source Book for Social Origins, 

 William I. Thomas (Chicago, 1909), pp. 143-186. 



