The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1897-01-07

lneither the home nor the school should ain
to make specialists. Development along
Especial lines should be based upon foundation
as broad, at least, as that furnished by the
public school.
Psychologists tell US that deficient brain
Tissue. as well as muscular tissue, can be cul-
Itiyated and developed. The school may
never entirely correct natural defect, but it
can, BY ia wise and patient cultivation Of the
detective power, render the defect less com
spicuous, and we may say, dangerous for
the unbalanced mind is constant menace
to society.
Others there are who are seeking to re-.
store the lost harmonies Of the universe by
| an effort to secure harmonious develop
ment Of all the mental powers. in the case
Of the abnormal as well as in that Of the.
normal mind. A persistent attempt to Sc
cure uniform development according to some
prescribed course Of study often results in
the encouragement Of the child, and conse-
Iquent failure.
While general classification of detectives
is possible, each is a problem in himself,
a problem which requires earnest observa-
ton and study to discover the true method
of solution; and love, sympathy, and patience
throughout the course Of the solution. which
will at best take time.
Cases Of apparently spontaneous develop
ment are well known. A negro had
received careful training in school for col
ored children had arrived at the age otrnan-
hood with mind undeveloped beyond that
of the average five year old child. His case
was finally considered hopeless. One day
he rushed into the presence of the superin-
tendent clasping his head in his hands, and
exclaimed, Something has done gone
broke..a In his child spirit he felt the won
derful change that had taken place in his
mind. Something had indeed broken. A
rapid unfolding of the mental powers fol-
lowed, and the idiot at the age of twenty, at
forty was recognized leader among his race.
Cases similar, though not so pronounced
in degree, are not uncommon. We have all
known children who were dull in a certain
study, unable apparently to Jake any inter-
est in. or acquire any knowledge of the sub
Iject, who yet surprised us by suddenly catch
ing CLEAN of truth coming through a-door
which now opened to a new and delightful
lstudy. While the modus operandi of such
mental processes may have been beyond oui
understanding, still we knew that somehow
the effects of the past, discouraging in theil
results to teacher and pupil alike, had still
been preparing the soil for the new growth
(which q ow nc reassd with igor because o
the energy which had been stored up. =.
never used to like Grammar 81 never un
derstood Arithmetic before, "-expression
like these indicate that the bonds of ignor
only to persistent strain. A case illustrat
ing the above recently came under tn
writer's observation. A girl of thirteen, nor
mally bright in language, geography ant
kindred subjects had always been very dull
in arithmetic. Experienced teachers hat
: exhausted their resources and had decides
!. that she was decidedly sshort' in number
Her present teacher had for nearly yea
!. patiently labored with her, still she was ap
: parently unable to comprehend the s;mples
mathematical operations One day while a
the board she surprised her teacher by work
!. ing allof the problems assigned her. Whel
the teacher expressed her qualification sh
5 exclaimed, 'Why see it all SO plainly now
f how could have been such duncev' I, Sh,
. now seems to have no more difficulty in mas
. ltering the arithmetic lesson than any other
II While there is certain order in the devel
Iopment of the mental powers Of normal child
rem, cases Of arrested, or of tardy develop
ment. show that conclusions based upon tn,
observation sfmental conditions during earl,
childhood are very deceptive. Those power.
which are the most tardy in their develop
ment, show great strength later in life Ii
both Webster and Beecher the intellectual
Ipowers were tardy in their development
In many cases the peculiar mental condition
is dependent upon physical conditions De.
fective sight or hearing oftentimes accounts
fer slow perception. Apparent inattention
isoften due to the same cause The study
of the defective child should begin with a
search for physical peculiarities or defects.
The close relationship between physical and
mental peculiariticsis often very marked.
He who is slow in all physical movements is
apt to be slow in his mental operations,
while the physically active are usually men
tally alert. During the period of rapid
ply steal growth the entire resources Of
| nature are occupied with the demands of the
physical being, and certain mental powers
are often dormant or of slow growth. Alb
normal physical characteristics are usually
associated with similar mental peculiarites.
Cases Of pronounced general dullness are
not SO numerous as of those who. normally
bright and active in most respects, like the
girl previously mentioned. are slow in a
single study, or. class of studies. Many
people can trace their deficiency directly to
defective early training. Others distinctly
re member the time when rerta;p teacher