CATTELL ON EUGENICS 303 



Germany, France and Great Britain to lack of opportunity 

 rather than to lesser racial ability. In Germany scientific 

 research has been made by the university rather than the 

 reverse. In Great Britain also the universities have been 

 potent, and, in addition, its leisure class has contributed 

 greatly. Here prior to 1876 we had no university in which 

 research work was adequately encouraged, and we have had 

 no amateurs comparable to those of Great Britain. Professor 

 Pickering found that of the 87 scientific men who were mem- 

 bers of at least two foreign academies, 6 were Americans as 

 compared with 17 from Prussia, 13 from England and 12 

 from France. In so far as our scientific production is so 

 measured, the reference is to a generation ago, when our 

 universities were only beginning to develop and research 

 work was only beginning to be appreciated. But it is a strik- 

 ing fact that of the six distinguished Americans, three are 

 astronomers; and astronomy is the only science in which 

 thirty years ago the facilities for research work in this coun- 

 try were equal to those of the leading European nations. Of 

 the remaining three, two have not been engaged in teaching, 

 and the third has been practically freed from teaching for his 

 research work. We may hope that when conditions become 

 as favorable for other sciences as they have been for astron- 

 omy, the United States will assume leadership in scientific 

 productivity. 



"In order to answer questions such as the extent to which 

 the scientific work accomplished in America is due to native 

 endowment, whether such endowment is general or specific, 

 how far it occurs in family lines, what part of those endowed 

 are able to prove their ability, the influence of education and 

 example, the effects of opportunity, encouragement and re- 

 wards, it is necessary to make a study of individual cases. 

 A large mass of material is at hand concerning the relatives of 

 scientific men who have shown scientific productivity or have 

 attained distinction, but these data are not in order for pub- 

 lication and should be supplemented by answers to many 

 inquiries. In the meanwhile the writer may say that it is 



