The Washington herald., 1910-09-25

The left-handed person is degenerate
in The eyes OF science; he is abnormal,
and, since most abnormal people are bril-
liant. II is safe TO say that most ieft-hand-
ed people are very clever. Because they
are not normal they are usually mobile,
emotional, erratic. and what always ac-
companies this nature. morbid and un-
happy. declares the psychologist They
art subject to moods of all sorts, now
soaring 10 the heights OF gayety OF emo
tionalism, now in the depths OF despond
But when science asserts that left
handedness is degeneracy IT does not
mean that popular acceptance OF the
word-moral degeneracy but physiology
cal Any deviation from the normal is
degeneracy. according to science. and
there are a number OF kinds. There is
the anatomical degenerate. A elub-footed
person. or a hunchback comes under this
category The criminal is a moral degen-
crate, and one who shows functional de-
Walton is physiological degenerate. That
is. those parts OF the body that function.
whose movements are guided by the
brain. do not do so normally. Normally.
the left brain functions and the right
hand. In this kind OF case there Is a re-
Versal With the right brain functioning
and the left hand,
Forms of DeGeneracy.
One sort OF degeneracy does not neces-
sarily influence the other in a person. A
man may be ph, -!cally perfect. a Greek
god IN physical beauty, and yet have the
moral degeneracy OF Silerus. Or he
may be hideously deformed. likeSHugo's
hunchback OF I:rtre Dame. yet have the
beautiful soul Of that same pitiful char
acter. Or he may be absolutely normal
morally and anatomically. yet have the
symptoms OF physiological degeneracy,
such as ieft-handedness or ambidexterity
or genius. for genius. too. comes under
this heading. Because there IS not a sym
metrical development Of the brain centers
in genius, because one capacity is devel-
oped abnormally, as in the case OF a mu-
steal genius or any other sort, he. too, Is
a physiological degenerate, and displays
the same emotional. mercurial disposition.
Perhaps this has something to DO with a
genius. Their very genius. which is alb.
normality. disturbs and overbalances all
the rest or the faculties Usually every
thing about such a person is cratic. He
is as changeable in disposition as the
weather.
OF course. there are many with this
same disposition without the physiological
degeneracy OF genius o. Ieft-handedness;
but the large majority Of such degener-
ates show its influence in this way.
Ambidexterity L. Similar.
Ambidexterity is much the same. The
person who is able 10 use both hands
equally well Is abnormal with much these
same effects. They. too. are usually clev-
err "One OF the greatest rascals I ever
knew was absolutely ambidexterous."
said q psychologist He could write with
either hand or with both at the same
time. 1t was very easy for him 10 do
exactly the same thing with both hands
al once. He was most winning person.
made friends easily. and duped them
just as easily. Everything came his way
and he gathered Il in. Yet I do not say
that his moral depravlty was a result or
In any way connected with his ambidex-
terlty. II WAS merely the particular
form his brilliancy and abnormality
took"
Children may DO broken Of ieftphanded-
ness and taught 10 use the right hand,
but this Will not change their inherent
physiological degeneracy. Leftshanded-
ness is merely a manifestation OF IT,
They will still be right-brained and still
retain the mobile disposition that so often
accompanies this particular form OF devi-
alton from the normal
Can 1t be explained? Perhaps in many
reams Of abstruse theorizing Just as the
original cause OF any other sort of alb
normality may be reasoned out It is
merely one of the many physiological
causes so difficult TO explain, THAI help
TO mold human character