Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1901-07-12
THE HUMAN BRAIN.
OF CHARACTER BY BU-
REAU OF EDUCATION.
The Girls Excel in Memory Rspose. Esthetic
Taste. Mercifulnsss and Ability as Students -
The Boys Excel in Laziness and Physical
Powers.


The Boys Excel in Laziness and Physical
Powers.
Chicago Tribune.
A vast treasury OF fresh and surpris-
ing facts, throwing new light upon
the problem as to where, how, and
when the feminine sex excels the mas
culine, has been amassed by Arthur
Macdonald. a psycho-physicist, in the
employ of the Bureau of Education.
The data is the result of recent tests
of millions of boys and girls, men and
women, Of all nationalities, conducted
by hundred different Investigators,
many using curious instruments OF
precision.
That the boy is excelled by the girl
and the man by the woman in nearly
all of the higher qualities is the yer
dict OF the averages tabulated. The
experiments are distinctly original
and unique. They are pregnant with
surprises, and where they confirm sus-
picion they do so in statistics which
are entertaining. Leaving out all
technicalities, the discoveries are as
follows:
A novel test proved tLat woman's is,
in fact, "the gentler SEX" Upon q
blackboard was written the story of a
little girl who, after having been given
box of toy paints, dabbed the parlor
furniture Herewith "to make them
look nice for her mother" eff you
had been her mother what would you
have done or said?" was the question
asked thousands OF boys and girls. A
much greater percentage of boys than
of girls stated that they would have
administered a whipping. Among the
children who would inflict such pun
ishment the proportion of boys in
creased with age. Thus was discov-
cred the extent to which girls are
more merciful than boys.
In young children, the boys idea of
common acts which are wrong differs
materially from that of girls. A simi-
lar test proved this. When asked to
state what they thought of as most
wrong the boys answered that it is
most wrong to steal, fight. kick, break
windows, and get drunk. The girls
we're more apt to state that it is most
wrong to leave the hair uncombed, to
spill things on their dresses, etc.
That girls are more esthetic than
boys and that the latter are more
practical is another deduction. This
question was asked: "John's father
gave him piece of ground for gar.
den and said that he might plant
three things. Guess what he plsntedf
Whyf" The boys selected plants
which they priced for their material
value, as for food. The girls selected
those which they esteemed for their
beauty or perfume.
Boys on entering kindergarten we're
found to be more ignorant than girls
of things in their immediate surround.
ings. More girls than boys had never
heard Of animals and plants of the
fields and woods, but more boys than
girls did not know what was meant by
the words cribs. elbow, wrist, cheek,
forehead, throat etc.
An instrument to test ability to
keep still was applied to the boys and
girls. A larger percentage OF boys
than Of girls could not maintain re-
pose within the given period. Three
instruments, the ataxeograph, the au-
tomatograph, and tremograph, were
applied to the various muscles. Their
movements we're recorded by pointers
automatically writing the movements
upon paper, in waived lines. Each
child was asked to fix his attention
upon a distant object and to stand
still for q minute. The amount Of
movement having been measured, the
subject was allowed to rest for half
minute. Then the experiment was re.
peated as before, except that the eyes
of the child were closed. Both boys
and girls swayed more with their eyes
closed than with them open.
Girls and women were found to fear
much more than boys and men. The
average person Of the masculine per-
suasion was found TO have 2.21 fears; |;
of the feminine, 3.55 fears. Nearly
six times as many of the gentler sex
as of the sterner feared rats and mice.
The fears OF boys were found to in
crease between the ages of Z and 10,
and then to decline. Those Of girls
increase more steadily from 4 to Is.
In fear of the end of the world, blood,
being buried alive, thunder and light.
ming, reptiles. darkness, death, domes-
tic animals, insects, ghosts, wind, rob-
bers, machinery, solitude, and imagi-
nary things, girls we're in the excess.
More boys than girls feared water and
great heights.
Six times as many lazy boys as lazy
girls were found among 1900 child
rem, whose dispositions were designated
by their teachers. While, OF course,
there is no standard for laziness," the
report accompanying these data
states, "there are certain children