Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 62.djvu/546

540 It is not the intention to attempt an exhaustive treatment of the foregoing tables. They tell their own story, and the reader will draw his own conclusions on points which may happen to interest him. A few conclusions, however, of pedagogical and popular interest will be stated briefly.

Passing at once to a consideration of the tables there appears, as one naturally would expect, an increasing familiarity with the names in all the groups as we go from the first year in the high school to the senior year in the university. The largest percentages of gain are shown in the increased familiarity with the names of scientists, ancient classical writers and artists. The smallest gain is shown in the cases of military leaders and inventors. That is, the boy or girl in passing from the first year in the high school to the last year in the university will learn relatively vastly more names of scientists, ancient classical writers, and artists than he will of military men and inventors. As a university senior he will know forty times as many scientists' names as he knew as a first-year high school pupil; he will know eight times as many artists' names, and twice as many military names.

If one examines Table IV. one finds that in the high school in order of familiarity, the names of English and American poets rank first, with military leaders as a close second. Statesmen stand third, inventors fourth, orators fifth, Greek and Roman writers sixth, novelists seventh, artists eighth, scientists tenth. It should be observed that the ranks of novelists, artists and Greek and Roman writers are nearly the same.

When we pass to the junior and senior years of the university, we find this order considerably changed. Poets rank first, statesmen second, military leaders third, Greek and Roman writers fourth, occupations fifth, novelists sixth, artists seventh, orators eighth, inventors ninth and scientists tenth.