The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-12-23
The Former Have More, Ac-
cordlng to Prof. Macdonald.
SOME POINTS ON CHILD STUDY.
Cause Of Blushing He Finds Is Fear.
Brightest Pupils Are RIght-Handed.
Conscience Weak Under Nine.

Washington. Dec. 23.--Arthur MacDon-
aid, specialist In the United States bu-
reau OF education. has submitted TO con-
gress "a plan for the study OF man." In
view OF bills pending Ito establish a la
boratory for the study OF the criminal
pauper and defective classes" Such bills
have been introduced by Senator'S Hoar,
Nelson. Bacon. McComas. Quay, Penrose.
Money and Representative Henry Of Con
necticut
The general purpose OF these bills is a
psychological and scientific study Of the
abnormal classes The WORD 'labora-
tory is used not only as including the
use Of instruments OF precision. but the
gathering of sociological data. especially
as found In institutions for the abnormal
classes: also Investigations OF anar-
chistic criminals. mob influence and like
phenomena. The causes OF social evils
are 10 be especially sought out, with
view TO essening or preventing them.
Prof. MacDonaidsh has for years made a
study of abnormal conditions. He has
invented several instruments with which
experiments have been conducted upon
children I'm the public schools.
In advancing suggestions Prof. Mac
1T would be important to find what
I physical and mental characteristics are
common to criminal children, and wheth-
er such characteristics are due ~ msre 10
the child's nature or to his environ
ments. Only thorough and patient STUDY
OF large numbers OF children can answer
ut is generally believed. but not
proved. that crime Is mostly due to sur
roundings: IL this can be determined.
then there much esser naoe 70 cRanse S the SUR
roundings of a child than to change It's
nature.
SCIENTIFIC CHILD STUDY.
"It would be desirable to find what
physical and mental traits are common
10 unruly school children and children IN
reformatories. III there Is nothing Pc
culiar as compared with children In gen
eral. this Is important to know In IKE
manner II would be interesting TO Know
what characteristics. II any, are In COM
mon between the feeble minded In our
institutions and dull children in our
schools. =. =.
tant to study a child with as much ex-
actness as we investigate the chemical
elements OF a stone or measure the noun
ta.ns on the moon.
Prof Macdonald submits conclusions
reached after a study OF 20.0oO Washing
ton school children. As citizens OF this
city come from all sections of the Unit
ed States, Prof Macdonald thinksshis re-
suits have a general application to the
country as n whole. Some OF the points
determined by this investigation are:
All boys and girls show the same per-
centage of brightness, but the girls have
5 per cent less dulness, and so in gen
eral may be said to be a little brighter
than the boys. but this may be due TO
the fact that girls reach maturity sooner
than boys.
Boys and girls OF American parentage
are brighter than children OF foreign par
entage. and children of foreign and
American parentage.
Children OF professional and mercantile
classes are superior to those OF laboring
classes.
| Boys OF non-la boring classes show
| much higher per cent. of sickiness and
| nervousness than boys of the laboring
| classes.
Boys are much more lazy than girls,
and dull boys have the highest percent
age OF laziness.
BOYS HAVE MORE DEFECTS.
Boys In general show a much higher
| per cent. OF defects than girls" Prof.
| Macdonald declares. Many reasons
might be given. but 1t may be said that
| boys are exposed TO more danger from
| accident and to more temptations than
| girls. This parallelism seems to appear
| In other forms: thus In prison and re-
| formatories there are four or Ave OF the
male sex to one OF the female sex But
| IL would seem that when there are de-
fects In the female they are more signi-
| icant and serious than In the male
! children OF American born parents are
! taller and heavier than those OF other
nationalities One reason for this may he
1 that American children are better adapt
| ed by heredty and education 10 their
own country. This want OF adaptability
| s illustrated by the belief that foreign
| ers In a new country generally commit
more crime relative to their number than
| natives.
1T would seem that FIRST born children
excel later born children In height and
weight This may be due to the great
| vigor OF the mother at the birth OF the
first child We are reminded OF a fact
that out OF 80 great men Of the last
century 30 per cent were the younger
sons.
'Ii England II was found that growth
degenerates as we go lower In the social
scale. there being a difference OF even
five inches In height between the best and
worst fed classes In the community.
AN investigation OF 10000 children In
4 Switzerland showed that children born In
| summer are taller for their age than
those born in winter"
RIGHT IT-HANDEDNEss NATURAL.
In mentioning physical peculiarities OF
children Professor Macdonald ssys:
Recent investigation tends to show
that right -handedness Is natural, and
that its superiority over the left hand In
creases with growth: also that the
brightest pupils are 80 To speak. more
right -ha ndcd than the others. It IL a
general opinion that criminals have not
! only more left-handed people among
them but they are also more expert with
both hands than people In general.
"A study of American children shows
that most fears are created oy parents
and servants The leading fears are
those OF lightning. thunder. reptiles.
strangers the dark. death. domestic AMI
| mails. disease. Wild animals, water ghosts,
| insects. rats. etc. I'm an Eastern state
none were afraid Of high winds. but I'm
the west this was one OF the main things
to dread. In n certain state @ children
were In fear of being burned alive. A
majorits Of the children feared ghosts.
| ut would seem that fear is the real
cause 81 most hlushins. which u perhaps
| a reiic 81 ancient sex fear There is