Earhj Anthropohujical Re»earclie» 



91 



to conHiderably enlarffe our iiieoN of the eiiorinouH (iifleroiiomi of intelUH!tual f^iftJi twtwfmii ntan 

 unci man.' 



(pp. 35-6). 



'I'liial (liM- 



Tlie "iin(leiiiiil)le conclu.sion is n-ully liiusrd on .lssu 

 tributioii of iiiU-llij^ence. In the light of more recent ii. i we may 



say that such a distrihution is at utiy rate a rough approximatioti tt> the 

 state of jitt'airs, ami (Jalton's conchision witliiii bn)a<i limits is correct. This 

 and, in a mure proven, if e.xperimental way, the evidene*' from Tri|M>H murks 

 convinced Cialton that men. lik(> races of men, are not of equal natuml 

 ability. 



"T hiivc no putii'nco with tlic hyjKitliosis octyutionally pxpri'-t-st"*], and often implied, (^specially 

 in talcs writton to teach <-liiliir<Mi to be good, that bahiuH art; l>orn pretty much aliki-, an<l that 

 thi! solo agencii'.s in crtwiting diffi'i*eucos Ix'tweon lH)y and boy, and man and man, »r« Hteody 

 application and moral clioi't. It is in the nxmt uiit|ualitit>d manner that \ objitct to prcU'n.sionn 

 of natural t'(|uality. The cxjK'rienoes of the nursery, the schixil, the \ii\\\- ns- 



sioiial curwrs, are u chain of proofs to the contrary. I acknowhnlp' fre. uf 



education and social influences in developing the active p>wers of the mind, ju.tl ob 1 acknow- 

 ledge the effect of use in developing the mu.scles of a blacksmith's arm, and no further. I^et the 

 blacksmith labour as hu will, he will tind there are certain feats Ix-yond his (lower that are well 

 within the strength of a Ihmii of lieriMili'im m.iWi', evin .iltliiiiii;!! tlie latter imiv luive li-<l n 



sedentary life'." (p. 14.) 



In his chapter on "The Comparison of the Two Cla-ssiHcations," in which 

 Galton treats of how far a man's success and reputation is a ineasure of his 

 natural power of intellect, he exj)lains the method of his selection; he did 

 not regard high social or official position — but "reputation in the opinion of 

 contemporaries, revised by posterity." 



"I sp<>ak of the reputation of a leader of opinion, of an originator, of a man to whom the 

 world delil)erately acknowledges itself largely indebted." (p. 37.) 



Galton analyses the qualities, which lead a man to eminence, into capacity, 

 zeal and ade<iuate power of doing a great deal of very laborious work. He holds 

 that men who achieve eminence and those who are naturally capable are to 

 a large extent identical. By genius Galton understands the 



"nature, which, when left to itself, will, urged by an inherent stimulus, climb that path 

 that leads to eniinenco, and has strength to reach the summit — one which, if hinden-d or 

 thwartetl, will fret and strive until the hindrance is overcome, and it is again freo to follow its 

 labour-loving instinct. It is almost a contradiction in f.^rnis, to doulit that such men will 

 genei-ally become eminent " (p. 38) 



and there are few men who reach eminence who do not possess this com- 

 bination of powers. A boy who is carefully educated learns little useful 

 information at school, he is taught the art of learning; the man who over- 

 comes hindrances learns the same art in adversity. If the hindrances due 



' Galton illustrates this by a ca,se in which trained Highlanders clmllengitl all England to 

 compete with them in their games of strength. They wei-e beat4?n in the fot)i-rat-e by a youth, a 

 pure Cockney, and clerk to a London banker. Perhaps I may be permitted to cite another 

 illusti-ation, from an occurrence at 'varsity sport* over 40 years agi). The high jump ha<l been 

 won by a highly trained athlete, and the rod had been replaced at the last half inch he had 

 failed to surmount ; a non-conilmt«nt, a somewhat scilentary niatliematicion in every day costume, 

 .steppwl from among the spectJitors, leapt the ixxl to the astonishment of the onlookers, and di«- 

 appetu-ed again into the crowd. 



IS— 8 



