49] ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA ^g 



parently the chief explanation for this increase in the liter- 

 ary activity of women is to be found in the gradual removal 

 of the ban so long placed upon feminine activity of any 

 kind not intimately associated with the home, church or 

 school. In other words, a changed social environment 

 seems to have been the thing essential to the development 

 of literary women. It is possible, however, that the diver- 

 sion of masculine effort to non-literary fields also affected 

 the situation to some extent. 



This series of tables has brought forth three conclusions 

 regarding the influence of the social environment. It ap- 

 pears, in the first place, that literati were chiefly developed 

 in groups of states where the kind of literature which they 

 produced was in high popular esteem (Table VII). In 

 the second place, it seems that, in the country as a whole, 

 authors appeared most frequently and showed the greatest 

 skill and versatility when their contemporaries were in 

 sympathy with their work (Tables I to VI). Finally, it 

 seems apparent that a favorable environment was essential 

 to the development of literary women (Table III). Thus 

 all these conclusions seem to furnish substantial reasons for 

 a belief in the great power of group ideals and customs, 

 the social environment, over the development of American 

 men of letters. 



This ends the discussion of the subdivision, social en- 

 vironment. The next of the nine topics under the general 

 subject, environment, is that of the influence of the geo- 

 graphic environment. Under this topic five tables will be 

 presented. These show that, in proportion to population, 

 different sections of the country varied greatly in the num- 

 ber, rank and versatility of their literary sons and daugh- 

 ters. Reason will be given, however, for believing that geo- 

 graphic environment was not of prime importance in the 

 production of American literati, but was simply correlated 

 with other factors of far greater significance. 



