OF THE HUMAN BREED. 5
will, therefore, venture to adapt the phraseology of the allegory to my present purpose by snbstituting for " talent " the words " normaltalent." The value of this normal talent in respect to each and any specified quality or faculty is such that one-quarter of the people receive for their respective shares more than one normal-talent over and above the average of all the shares. Our normal-talent is therefore identical with what is technically known as the ' probable error." Therefrom the whole of the following table starts into life, evolved from that of the "probability integral."
TABLE I.-Normal distribution (to the nearest per ten-thousand and to the nearest per hundred.)
M
| |
-4° |
_ 30 |
- 20 |
- 10 |
+10 |
+2° |
+3° |
+4° |
|
|
v and
below |
u |
t |
8 |
r |
R |
S |
T |
U |
bove. |
Total |
|
35 |
i8o |
672 |
1613 |
2500 |
2500 |
1613 |
672 |
180 |
35 |
10,000 |
|
2 |
7 |
z6 |
25 |
25 |
16 |
7 |
2 |
100 |
It expresses the distribution of any normal quality, or any group of normal qualities, among io,ooo persons in terms of the normal-talent. The M in the upper line occupies the position of Mediocrity, or that of the average of what all have received : the
+I°, +2°, etc., and the -I°, -2°, etc., refer to
normal talents. These numerals stand as
