Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1871-08-09
The Superiority Of the Athenlan
Intellect.

Our Stowe readers will be interested
in reading the following article from the
pen of their former townsman. X, l.. Per-
kins A. NJ, published in the Boston
Traceler of recent date. Mr. Perkins is at
present engaged in giving instruction in
Latin and Greek at No. 81 Pemberton
Square, Boston. We learn that he has
been quite successful in the teaching Of
languages since residing in that city.l
The recent English work on "Heredi-
tary Genius" by the English writer, Gal
ton, is now attracting much attention from
the startling views which he expressed re.
specting the decline in mental ability
which the generations are and have been
experiencing, especially since the Athen-
ian age.
A writer in one of the Boston weekly
papers calls attention to this work. and
after expressing his concurrence in the
views of Mr.. Galton, raises very impor-
tant question and without giving or at
tempting to give any answer to it. He
says, "All will agree With Mr. Gallon that
we are in crying want of Il greater fund
of ability in all stations in life that neith'
er the cl asses Of statesmen, philosophers
artisans or aborers, come up to the modern
comploxity of their several professions.
The average standard ofability at the pre-
sent time should be raised But how to
do it? The plan which Plato proposed in
the republic would be the Darwinian solu-
ton
i There is one expression in the article
referred to which wculd indicate that the
writer regards the inferiority ofthe mod
ern intellect as the effect ofnGtatrdt causes.
He speaks of ''eminently gifted men,
But if the superiority of the
Atheuian intellect was the sesult Of
higher natural gifts, any attempts to de-
! wise a remedy for the lnfcriority of the
) modern intellect must be hopeless. The
first question, then, should be, elbow fal
: have causes within human control contri
buted to the deterioration"
A passage is quoted from Mr. Galton'
book to show that the people of ancien
Attica were far higher in mental abilit.
; than the people of Great Britain. Th'
estimate is two degrees. "This estimate
> is confirmed, = says Mr.. Galton, "by th'
quick intelligence and high culture of tn
Athenian commonalty, before whom liter
ary works were re cited, and works of ar
exhibited, Of far more severe characte
than could possibly be appreciated by tn
, average of our race, the calibrc of who's
o intellect is easily gauged by glance a
), the contents of railway book STALL"
Now it will be noticed that there ar
only two characteristics Of the Athena
mind made use Of here to show their ST
periority, and these are their ''quick ii
telligence' and ''high culture " But al
both these natural gifts? "Quick INTEL
gence" may or may not be the result
natural endownments, but certainly 'hle
culture" is the result of education, or ratl
er it is in its primary sense education
self, and this will contribute largely
quick intelligence.
Here, then, there are no natural caus
for the higher mental ability Of the Ath
MANS 1t was their higher education tn
ol gave them their superiority. On the OF
a. er hand, that the calibre of the Engi
We or modern intellect can be easily gaug
er by the cohtents Of a railway book-stall,
only partially true. What man rea
is but an imperfect test of the calibre
his intellect His taste and lnclinatl