:34 ENGLISHMEN OF SCIENCE. [CHAP.
birth of the scientific men, the ages of their fathers average 36 years, and those of their mothers 30. The details are shown in the table
below :
|
AGE OF PARENTS AT BIRTH OF SCIENTIFIC MEN. |
|||||||||
|
No. of |
Total | ||||||||
|
Cases. |
Cases. | ||||||||
|
Under |
20- |
25- |
30- |
85- |
40- |
45- |
a50 and bove. |
||
|
Fathers |
0 |
1 |
15 |
34 |
22 |
17 |
7 |
4 |
100 |
|
Mothers |
2 |
20 |
26 |
34 |
12 |
5 |
1 |
- |
100 |
Putting these facts together, viz.-(1) that elder sons appear nearly twice as often as younger sons ; (2) that, as regards intermediate children, the elder and younger halves of the family contribute equally ; and (3) that only sons are as common
as eldest sons, we must conclude that the age of the parents., within the limits with which we chiefly have to deal, has little influence on the nature of the child ; secondly, that the elder sons have, on the whole, decided advantages of nurture over the younger sons. They are more likely to become possessed of independent means, and therefore able to follow the pursuits that
have most attraction to their tastes ; they are