248 Life and Letters of Francis Galton 



There is much to be talked over, amongst the rest the possibility of giving a summary of the 

 contents of each No. of Biometrika, in language that a newspaper could copy, giving the net 

 results obtained in the papers it contains, distinguishing between statement of facts that for 

 the present go no further, and deductions from them. If you thought this feasible, the 

 existence of such a resume would greatly aid the reader. 



You will have before long to give a glossary and definitions of technical words, and references 

 to the places where they were first employed. Also, a very compact account of the chief 

 processes used would be of great service to many (with references of course). Doubtless you 

 have in view the eventual publication of a regular text-book on statistical operations. 



I wish we could meet somehow. I could easily be at home next Saturday or Sunday if you 

 cared to fix an hour and a meal, or meals. Dinner-supper on Sunday is always 6.45 to let the 

 cook have time to put on her best bonnet for church. Such is the sex. 



Ever sincerely yours, Francis Galton. 



7, Well Road, Hampstead, N.W. Dec. 26, 1901. 



My dear Mr Galton, I have been intending for some days to send you a line of sympathy 

 on being laid up, but I wanted to enclose a New Year's Greeting from the workers in my 

 statistical laboratory, and I could not get it finished until this morning. I have always felt 

 we must go into the point more fully, since you laid stress on the view that ability was 

 correlated with the size of the head in your criticism of Dr Lee's paper. There is still a chance 

 that extreme genius may exhibit something abnormal in the size of head, but I think it is now 

 pretty clear, if we are to look upon ability as normally distributed in the population, there is 

 only a very small, practically negligible correlation between it and either the size or shape of 

 the head. 



We propose next to find out whether there is a higher relationship between ability and 

 health, strength and general physique, and then to test its relation to temper and moral characters, 

 from the school data schedules. 



It is a shame to send a gift and then ask for it back ! — But I have not had the chance of 

 making a copy, and I might possibly find an abiding place for it in Biometrika or elsewhere. 

 Please let me have also your criticisms and suggestions. 



I am sending you besides a paper by Macdonell to appear in the next number of Biometrika. 

 It is rather long and full of tables, hut it involves nearly 18 months stiff work and the material 

 is of value for a number of purposes. I think it shows that for many purposes the fourfold 

 classifications we are now making can safely replace the old laborious tables of correlation. 



With the best wishes for the New Year and with the hope that Biometrika may not during 

 its first year of life disappoint you badly, I am, Yours always sincerely, Karl Pearson. 



42, Rutland Gate, S.W. Dec. 31, 1901. 



My dear Prof. K. Pearson, The New- Year gift is indeed acceptable both in itself and as 

 evidence of your continued zeal and power of influencing others to work with you. Hearty 

 thanks and best New-Year wishes. 



The non-correlation of ability and size of head continues to puzzle me the more I recall my 

 own measurements and observations of the most eminent men of the day. It was a treat to 

 watch the great dome of Sylvester's head. William Spottiswoode was another of the 5 or 6 

 largest ; so was that encyclopaedic physiologist Prof. Sharpey. That most accomplished &, 

 many-sided official, Sir John Lefevre (formerly a senior wrangler), was the largest of all. 

 Gladstone's head, which I myself measured, was very large. Again, comparatively the other 

 day, I was one of a deputation of physicists to the Treasury about the National Physical 

 Laboratory and sitting behind the front row I marvelled at their skulls. Lord Rayleigh, Stokes, 

 Lord Lister, Lord Kelvin were all remarkable partly perhaps owing to the powerful moulding 

 of their heads, irrespective of size. A Frenchman collected the recorded weight of brains of 

 many eminent people and published them in one of the French anthropological periodicals 

 many years ago. They contained remarkable weights. However I can say nothing against the 

 validity of your results. 



One thing ought to be remembered, that bigness of head and sturdiness of build go together. 

 A judge (the late Sir Wm Grove), whose large head I often measured, told me that it came 



