Evening star., 1899-07-08

percentages of average ability than boys,
1 but the boys showed the highest percentage
1 in extremes. The boys were found to be
| more variable. Variability. the anthro-
pologist says, must be regarded as an ex-
| celency. II an organism can vary itself II
can adapt itself better to its surroundings.
| Children of the laboring classes were found
to be inferior in their studies to those Of
the non-laboring classes.
Boys and Girls.
| An algometer was used upon the temples
| and palms of the hands to determine the
least sensibilfty of different children 10
| pain or to disagreeable impressions caused
| by pressure. The Instrument is a brass
cylinder, with steel rod entering one end.
The rod is attached inside to a spring with
scale and marker measuring the degrees
or pressure in grams The object was to
discover how much pressure could be borne
before the least pain resulted Girls were
| FOUND to be much more sensitive than boys,
and girls in the public schools showed less
sensitfveness than those in the private
schools. 1t was concluded that in boys
sensltiveness to pain decreases in the order
OF their birth, whether first born second
born. &C.. but the reverse seemed to be the
case with girls. Boys with light hair and
eyes were found to be less sensitive than
boys with dark hair and eyes, the same
being true of girls. Bright boys and girls
+! at the same time appear to be more sersi-
tive than dull boys and girls. Dr. Mac
Donald is of the opinion that luxuries and
| refinements increase this sensitiyeness in
people in general.
In the laboratory where these instru-
ments are stored l was shown a series of
devices fer measuring sensibility to the
| hypnotic state. One was a mirror fyp-
| notlzer, consisting Of two revolving ebory
pieces about eight inches long and an inch
Wlue Stuoded with mirrors. Ciockwork le-
VOWED the two pieces, one above the other
IN opposite directions. Another device was
tne fascinator' or hypnotic ball" hung
abovs the eyes from a band worn about tho
forehead. These devices are not apnIie6
| to the delicate organisms of school chill
oren: Such applications can be made with
WhaI are known as suggestion blocks"
one is nine centimeters in diameter by
! three 'centimeters thick and the other is
| three centmeters in diameter and of the
same thickness Both are disk shape and de
spite their difference in diameter are of the
| same weight. Held between the fingers. the
| suggestion apt to be received by senstives
| Is that the larger disk is the heavier in
illustration of the adage that "a pound of
| lead is heavier than pound of feathers -
| Such experiments indicate that bows and
| girls grow more and more sensitive to sug-
| gesuoa up to nine years of age after which
| tney grow less and less sensitive Suscep-
| ubli1ty to suggestion is equal to sensitive
| ness ness 70 hypnosis, according to the theory
| Girls were found to have greater ayerag,
OF sensltiVeness than boys.
Abnormal Children.
| SPSSie1i llteiitlOH was given by DR.. Mac
| Donald to abnormal children, selected as
| s'ckiy, nervous, lazy, unruly and subject
| TO defects in sight, hearing and speech. to
commissions and to abnormalities in rela-
| ton to age and mental ability In general
| 1t was found that children are most liable
| to normaltfes-especially to sickljness
| nervousness and unrulness-at the time of
snedding the teeth and at the time of
puberty. At these stages a wave of
| mental, moral nhVSipal a bno iS
| liable to strike. 1t is, therefore critical
| time. Children of the non-Iaboring classes
We're found to be twice as sickly as those
| OF the laboring classes. The highest per-
| centage of laziness and of unruliness were
| found among boys designated as dull
Boys showed higher lazfness average
| than girls The sons of laborers were
| found less unruly than those of non-Iabor-
| ing classes. The reverse was the rule with
| girls fConvulsions were frequent in dull
boys and those of non-laboring classes, but
very rare in girls generally That nerv-
| business increases with refinements of life
| is indicated by the highest average for
| this defect in the white children of nom
| laboring classes and the lowest average
| in colored children.
Blood and Muscles.
| When blood is induced by thought. exer-
| else or other stimulus to flow from one
| part of the body to the brain, OF to another
| part, DR. Macdonald measures the extent
| of flow by subnerging the part in ques-
tion-aS an arm, for instance-through
! alright rubber dam into a glass vessel
| of water. As the blood decreases the
| amount of air between the water and the
rubber increases, and the increase is meas
| ured by pointer. Quite as sensitive are
| a score of instruments for measuring
| movements of muscles. One can be clasped
above any muscle of the body for this pur-
pose. Another records the breathing, and
! with ii it has been learned that concentra-
ton of mind causes respiration to grow
less. and a consequent impoverishment of
the blood. Still another records the exact
movements of the fingers and toes. An
other measures and counts nervous tren-
blings, and still another the sensitiveness
| to fatigue. Others gauge the pressure and
movements CT the tongue in speech or
nervousness. still more delicate device
registers the exact motions of the lips in
talking The actions of the larynx-Adam 5
apple-are similarly studied. To study the
wigglings of the soft palate in speech 4
button glued to that organ is attached to a
lever connecting with a recorder. All such
motions are correctly reproduced in white
lines upon black paper by kymographion
acting as automatic reporter for each
piece of apparatus.
The very delicate instruments were not
applied to the whole 22000 children be-
cause of the time required Many are
brand new and have been installed in the
laboratory since the experiments began.
JOHN ELFRETH WATKINS, Jr.
Facts About Hair.
From the New York Press