Hereditary genius : an inquiry into its laws and consequences / by Francis Galton.

  • Francis Galton
Date:
1869
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: Hereditary genius : an inquiry into its laws and consequences / by Francis Galton. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    42/424 (page 6)
    б CLASSIFICATION OF MEN various specified subjects—so many for Latin, so many for Greek, so many for English history, and the rest. The world, in the same way, but almost unconsciously, allots marks to men. It gives them for originality of conception, for enterprise, for activity and energy, for administrative skill, for various acquirements, for power of literary ex¬ pression, for oratory, and much besides of general value, as луе11 as for more specially professional merits. It does not allot these marks according to a pro]3ortion that can easily be stated in words, but there is a rough common- sense that governs its practice with a fair approximation to constancy. Those who have gained most of these tacit marks are ranked, by the common judgment of the leaders of opinion, as the foremost men of their day. The metaphor of an examination may be stretched much further. As there are alternative groups in any one of ivhich a candidate may obtain honours, so it is with repu¬ tations—they may be made in law, literature, science, art, and in a host of other pursuits. Again : as the mere attainment of a general fair level will obtain no honours in an examination, no more will it do so in the struiïiîle for eminence. A man must show conspicuous ролуег in at least one subject in order to achieve a high reputation. Let us see how the world classifies people, after ex¬ amining each of them, in her patient, persistent manner, during the years of their manhood. How many men of eminence are there, and \vhat proportion do they bear to the Avhole community ? I begin by analysing a very painstaking biographical handbook, lately published by Routledge and Co., called Men of the Time. Its intention, \vhich is very fairly and honestly carried out, is to include none but those \vhom the world honours for their ability. The catalogue of names is 2,500, and a full half of it consists of American and Continental celebrities. It is well I should give in a foot-note ^ an analysis of its contents, in order to show the 1 Contents of the Dictionary of Men of the Time, Ed. 1865:— 62 actors, singers, dancers, &c. ; 7 agriculturists ; 71 antiquaries, archœ- ologists, numismatists, kc. ; 20 architects ; 120 artists (painters and designers) ; 950 authors ; 400 divines ; 43 engineers and mechanicians ;