NATURE 



[November 14, 1912 



Russia is last. Italy also is very low in these respects. 

 France shows a high degree (next to Switzerland) of 

 diffusion in university education (8i) and newspaper 

 information (251). Germany shows the lowest degree 

 of illiteracy and publishes the largest number of books, 

 but not relative to its population. Denmark issues 

 the largest number of books relative to population. 



The United States, compared with European nations, 

 is iie.xt to highest (Switzerland) in number of news- 

 papers issued, but ne.xt to lowest (Russia) in number 

 of university students enrolled and books produced, 

 relative to population. 



Since we are disposed often to estimate countries 

 as to their mental status or literary production with- 

 out reference to their population, we will compare 

 the countries in Table I. according to the absolute 

 number of books, periodicals, and newspapers pub- 

 lished, as given in columns 7, 8, and g. 



Denmark, which is behind France, Great Britain, and 

 the Netherlands. There is no further correspondence 

 of these three highly literate countries in the other 

 educational columns. 



In brief, there appears to be but little necessary 

 relation in these countries between degrees of educa- 

 tion and amount of literary production. Thus, Italy, 

 with its great illiteracy, stands very high in univer- 

 sity education. This is interesting in connection with 

 the fact that Italy is doing some of the best work in 

 sociology, which is suggestive in connection with the 

 further fact that she stands next to the highest in 

 production of sociological works. 



The United States has a large percentage of 

 illiteracy, yet ranks highest in percentage of popula- 

 tion enrolled in schools, but has the smallest number 

 of university students. It has next to the largest 

 number of newspapers, but produces next to the 



Table I. 



; able to read. 



In wliite male popula 



of age 



:. of all persons (g years of age and more) 



As to largest number of books the rank is Germany, 

 Russia, Great Britain, United States, France, Italy, 

 Switzerland, &c. 



As to number of newspapers and periodicals. United 

 Slates is unique, publishing twice as many as France 

 (next in rank), and from three to ten times as many 

 as some of the other countries. 



.■\s to the Smithsonian list of publications, the rank 

 is Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy, Russia, 

 Belgium, Switzerland, &c. 



If we take the extremely illiterate countries, as 

 Russia, Italy, and Belgium, we find a correspondingly 

 low percentage of the population enrolled in the public 

 schools and a relatively low percentage of newspapers 

 published. But when we come to the number of 

 university students enrolled, the correspondence fails 

 as to Italy and Belgium, which have, relative to 

 population, a larger number of university students than 

 Germany or Great Britain. As to the number of 

 books published relative to population, the correspond- 

 ence fails in the case of Belgium, which produces as 

 many books as France (column 5), relative to its popu- 

 lation. As to the Smithsonian list of publications, 

 the correspondence fails in the case of Belgium, which 

 is next to the highest (column 6). 



If, now, the countries distinctly the least illiterate, 

 as Germany, Switzerland, and Denmark, are com- 

 pared in respect to enrolment in schools or primarv 

 education, the correspondence fails in the case of 

 NO. 2246, VOL. 90] 



smallest number of books. Russia, about which data 

 are more difiicult to obtain, stands lowest in all 

 respects relative to its population. 



Different countries naturally do not classify books 

 in the same way, and sometimes one country will 

 include under one head publications that other nations 

 would place under another subject, and hence results 

 given in Table II. must be taken in a general way. 



In order to render the table more trustworthy, we 

 have included two or more subjects under one head. 

 For instance, under "History," both "Biography" 

 and "Geography"; under "Literature," "Poetry," 

 " Fiction," and " Drama," and under " Religion," 

 "Theology." "Fiction" is both put by itself and 

 also combined with " Literature." 



A few headings could not be classified nor combined 

 with others and were omitted, so that the table is not 

 coinplete, but the percentage for each subject given is, 

 of course, not affected. 



It may be interesting to note the kind of books 

 some countries prefer, as shown in Table II. Thus, 

 France publishes relatively more medical works (io'5) 

 than any other nation here mentioned. Italy is 

 second (7'6) and Germany third (5'8) in this subject. 

 Belgium publishes relatively the most law books, Den- 

 mark the fewest. United States, Denmark, and Ger- 

 many lead in religious works. Denmark and France 

 excel in literature, and Germany and Italy in educa- 

 tional works, and France in books on military science. 



