gS AMERICAN MEN OF LETTERS [96 



the social environment seemed to explain satisfactorily 

 the decline in the absolute and relative numbers of men 

 of letters, noted as beginning about 1820 (Tables I and 

 II). By the same principle was explained the fact that 

 the number of literati of talent, who are " peculiarly in 

 need of the right sort of surroundings to keep their 

 delicate machinery in fruitful action," had also declined 

 at the same time (Table III). It appeared, moreover, 

 that in three of the twelve fields of literature considered 

 the number of authors had not diminished, apparently 

 because these fields seemed to retain their position in 

 public favor (Tables IV and V). Again, the influence 

 of the social environment explained why the number of 

 literati of two or more fields of activity had diminished, 

 on the ground that, being versatile, these authors found 

 it relatively easy to adapt themselves to unfavorable 

 conditions by giving up the pursuit of letters (Table 

 VI). The same principle explained, also, why certain 

 groups of states had been relatively more important 

 than others in the production of certain kinds of litera- 

 ture (Table VII), namely, because these forms of litera- 

 ture had been especially esteemed by the people of 

 those states. A final fact, that the number of literary 

 women had increased rapidly during practically the en- 

 tire period studied, was interpreted in terms of the social 

 environment when it was realized that during this period 

 society had been lifting the ban of disapproval which it 

 had previously laid upon the literary activity of women 

 (Table III). Thus the social environment was seen to 

 have been one of the most potent influences affecting 

 the development of American letters. 



Geographic environment was the second of the en- 

 vironmental conditions discussed. It appeared from 

 Table VIII that the relative literary productivity of the 



