Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-11-10
BIRTHPLACE OF CELEBRITIES
More Than Twice as Great in Maine as
in Ohio.

\ steady fall in the birth rate of men Of
talent is met with il going from New
England westward writes Gustave Mi
chaud in the Century. lille in New
those of men OF ialent in New York that
number fall, to 81. in Ohio to - in In
diana to H. in Illinois to TO- in Missouri to
6, in Kansas to " and in Colorado to l.
In the case of such Western States as
Kansas. Colorado. Nebraska. Minnesota.
and the Dakotas the extreme paucity of
men of talent is in part explained by two
factS-a lack Of suitable means of educa
ton for the present generation and an alb
normal proportion of young people among
the native-bOrn.
But if We remain within the zone which
was filled by settlers in the eighteenth
or in the beginning of the nineteenth CEN
fury. and which includes such states as
Ohio. Kentucky. Tennessee, Indiana and
Illinois. that explanation fails. and there
remains the fact of disproportion of
from about three TO one between the East
and the West in the present birthiate of
men of talent
In several coses the Western State en-
joys q greater material prosperity. has
more and larger cities and has offered to
the present generation better educa tlonal
opportunities than many of it's Eastern
n"igEEOrS The state OF Ohio is cOmpar-
able in area to the State Of Maine. In
1910 the populate of Ohio was larger
than that Of Maine. In 1876 there We're in
Ohio five universities and colleges Ohio
University. Miami University. Franklin
College. Kenyon College and Western Re
serve University. against TWO in Maine
li;owdOin COLLEGE and Colby University
Twenty wears later there were in Obi"
eight times the number of colleges and
universities then found in Maine, yet the
present brthrate Of celebrities is more
than twice as great i'll Maine AS ill ONO.
Nor has the state Of Indiana remained
behind in tlucat ional matters. In 1871
the genera ton which is now 50 years old
found in lldiana six universities and
colleges against two in Maine. one in
New Hampshire and two in Vermont. In
spite of such advantages that generation
and the following show but one-fifth of
| the hrthrate of men of talent observed in
Northern New England.
a similar fact may be observed in the
South. The state Of Tennessee early en-
ioyed better educational adya n ages. than
not single college Or university in North
Carolina South Carolina had but one
| such institution. the College of Charles
| ton. At that time Tennessee had three
universities and colleges; the University
of Tennessee. the University of Nt%'!v.;i,'
and Greenviile and Tusculum Collegr. Its
superiority over its Eastern neighbors in
| OF its colleges Tennessee has continually
kept from the eighteenth century down
to the present time. Nashville is today
the great educational center of the South:
yet the birthrate of celebrities in TenneS-
see is but one third of that of South Car
Dina.
IT ia evident that the cause of such
differences AS well as that of the i'm
posing intellectual superiority of the poor
mountainous regions of New England
over the whole Fast lies in the men
themselves and not in their surround
ings New York. Ohio. Indiana. Illinois
and Missouri are but the successive
stages of the great westward miSra ton
which. during the eighteenth and nine
tecnt', centuries. peopied the West at the
EXPENSE of the East: and the steady
decrease in -hc birthrate of ia lent met
with when passing from one of those
state: to its Western neighbOr shows. as
is the case in every partial migra ton.
that that particular one was highly Sc
lectiVe in its process.