Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-21
A Advantages To Parents.


10 nothing 10 the enthusiasm OF science.
Advantages 10 Parents.
Ut. Mcdonald spent three months in the
public schools of Washington for the pur-
pose Of applying these tests for the nervous
syutem AT first he began with the big chill
dren. and progressed downward But that
did not do at all The big boys and girls
frightened the little ones with horrible
yarns, so that the latter came nm trembling
with notion that brains would be taken
OUT ana put back again. Parents came and
LOOK away their offspring In alarm. SO the
oppos.e course was adopted, beginning
with the little ones, who were entirely fear
less SO long as no dread had beer rIIt into
their minds. Those OF larger growth ws-a
then ashamed 20 refuse the ordeal. A GER
| tain advantage comes Directly from evar,s-
nations OF the sort described. If a how Is
found to be In any respect 20 or 30 per cent
out OF the average OF boys Of the same are
ana soclai position, II Is desirable that the
family physician should know of the fact
Suppose that the brightest girl in her class
is found 10 be far below the mark IN Deigbf
lie, nutrition. 1t is not desirable, Ger
tainly, TO destroy the bright children by too
much study. 1t is worth mentioning NV
the way, that In every school there are
more bright girls than bright bows Girls
are more faithful I'm studying, and memoir
lie more attentively. A girl will not get
impatient and throw her book into a corner
as a boy would
Notes were furnished by the teachers as
tent the Inquiry touched the moral side II
VIII be interesting TO find out what are the
physical and mental peculiarities IL anv
% ulruiy children. Is the nervous system
ol uhruly boys and girls duller or more
acute than the normal? Are they less
UrlghtT Children are more easy TO study
man adults, being open 10 close observa-
lion IN large numbers in the schools In e
more important 10 study them than 20
study grown people. because II ANYTHING
- wrong ABOUT boy or girl it may be cor
,sc'eu, psfhaps. DIR. Mcdonald says that
inc pest place to study normal bows is the
reform school The inmates Of such in
sututions for the regulation of unr,Ilv
youth are normal in the main Save in ex-
criminals. and do not represent the crtr,
mai type, The accidental criminal must he
clearly distinguished from the habitual
, man loses his temper and picks
up the nrst object at hand to throw al an
other Perhaps IL Is book; the ebullition
- VI no consequence IL IL happens 20 be a
hammer. he throws that: il chances 10
brain his adversary, and he is a criminal.
BOYS IN reform schools have nothing 10 lose
oy frankness, and they will tell everything
about themselves.
Natural History of CriminaIs.
IN the cities. towns and villages OF the
civilized world every year thousa n.ls q un-
OFFENDING men. women and children ere
slaughtered, millions OF money are carried
away by the 6evastator and incendiar1
fires light his pathway Of destruction. Who
is this devastator? The criminal. In nine
sIest countries OF the world. including the
United states, more than 10000 cases Of
homlcioe are recorded each year and The
number OF murders actually doae Is vastly
greater In spite of all society can do, the
Gus.
OF late years there has sprung w a new
science which seeks to investigate the nat
urai history OF the criminal IL regards
! a %
which has degenerated physically as wen
as morally. He is DISTINGUISHED bv certain
definite bodily characteristics Generally
speaking, he is understood his weight 80
out OF proportion 10 his height. and 10 has
tendency TO nat-footedness. lie lacks
anatomical symmetry and beauty. His
heao ana lace particularly are unsymnetri-
cal, so that a collection OF porfrai.s 20
criminals suggests the notion Of an O.
senbiage OF caricatures. He is ant 10 have
large nat and projecting ears like tie
There are two schools Of criminolo~is,.
one holds the opinion that the c-ri-uinal 10
made such chiefly by training ana aUViron-
ment The other, of which the Italian
tr JniorIso rs the foremost represcn, atfve.
holis herediiy mainly accountable. The
descendants Of the infamous Juk,s 40
IN number, all devoted themselves 4, rrI,7,,
me offspring Of parents who marry Ito
IN lie are said 10 be more apt TO becou,e
CRIMINALS than children born OF --ola.- ra-
rents. The senses OF criminals are les
acute Than those Of ordinary people 'r,-tca
az many OF them are color blind Their
taste, smell and hearing are l.ss ac,5tH
They have less sensibiuty 60 paio "a -.
often they will recover from wounds vhirb
would be fatal 10 persons whose lives are
Whereas the lower animals renor.,,,. g.
merit many ideas and experiences. man en-
pears TO be born into the world win ,,i,.
Two lnstincts'-to suck and to grasp. The
latter Is said 10 have been derived nr,h,-,I,,
nNnkeN-lika
trees. There is no telling however ROW
many memories and tendencies are actusIl,,
preserved from generation to generation in
the human brain. The writer dcsiras -
acknowledge Indebtedness 10 Dr. Rohart
Fletcher. From another psychologist 81
reputation he has derived some inforrnat,o1
which are stored away in the brain. Tho
subJect OF this letter touches the fold ~
prerequisites, and the stv.iy OF the hrair
as PHYSICAL organ is now occupying the
attention OF number OF scientific mon ~
the highest distinction.
Location of Memory.
Memories" says the psychologist resor-
red TO. are commonly thought Of as nos
sessing neither form nor substance. bu,
psycho-physical science considers thar ,ach
one Is an actual thing with a shane ana
structure Of Its own. Dwelling In the resion
or the mind, the memories are preserved
and nourished by the oxygen Of the blood
Nhlcn surrounds them in delicate yessels
They are scattered all over the conyolute6
surface OF the brain, but there are corners
In which memories of certain kinds are
gathered together. Low down on each s5da
OF the head are grouped images of sounds
There are all the old nursery rhymes col
lese songs, sonatas and operas that have
delighted us. Near by are the words OF our
mother tongue. They live deep In the folds
OF fissure called Silvius, in the third sron-
tai convelutlon. All the verses OF our child
hood, OF which We have not thought for
years, are taere
Tho part Of tire brain covered by IA.
back Of the skull low down is fun ~
images. and CLOVIS VITA cclored pictures Of
ell kinds There arc dear old faces 81 ,rr
Trends; there are familiar landscapes. nna
al manner OF instantaneous photosranhs
OF former sights and experiences Tie mind
may be considered es an empire u ~
Vulnerable spirits that live tosethc- IN tho
narrow space OF about a quarter OF a cubic
foot Spirits they are, because they Gro
psychic existence Yet at the ssme time
they are material realities, having lIvIns
foims or bodily presence sustained by
nourishing currents Of blood"
This spiritual empire In the brain IS cx-
cellently provided with telegraph lines yor
M