168 RURAL SOCIOLOGY 



with the city fa:nily. This is shown by the larger divorce rate 

 in the cities, and the lower rate of multiplication. This dif- 

 ference in the stability of the rural and urban families explains 

 why it is that city populations have to be continually replenished 

 from the country districts. 



It has been said that the greatest social distinction is that be- 

 tween those who live in town and those who live in the country. 

 Were it not true that city people are themselves country people, 

 not more than three generations removed, there would be some 

 truth in this statement. The differences between country life 

 and city life are so wide as to produce inevitable divergences of 

 great width in their ideals, their manners and their outlook upon 

 life were it not that nature has a way of exterminating city 

 people when they get too far away from the rural point of view. 

 If we may assume that nature knows what she is about it is safe 

 to conclude that the rural point of view is the correct one. It 

 therefore behooves us to ponder seriously what seems to be the 

 maturer preference before we affect to despise the homely virtues 

 of rural people. 



THE RURAL ENVIRONMENT AND GREAT MEN * 



WILLIAM J. SPILLMAN 



DR. WOODS has shown that at the time when the average man 

 noted in "Who's Who" was a boy, about 16 per cent, of our 

 population lived in the cities. He further showed that about 30 

 per cent, of the individuals in "Who's Who" were brought up in 

 the city. He accounts for this excess of city men amongst men 

 of note by the fact that the city attracts talent, the percentage of 

 ability in the city, therefore being greater than in the country. 

 He would, therefore, explain the excess of city men mainly as 

 the result of heredity. He may be correct in this position. I 

 am inclined at present, however, to believe that while this excess 

 may be partly due to the fact that talent is attracted to the city 

 and that, therefore, the city child has a better chance of inheri'- 

 ing talent, part of it is due to that fact that cities in general hav; 



i Adapted from Science, 30: 405-7, Sept, 24, 1900. 



