The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-03-09
HENRY II. GODDARD,

Director Department of Research.
Training School, Vineland, N. J.
Exclusive Service The Survey Press
Bureau.)
Three hundred thousand persons in
the United States are feeble minded.
Five hundred thousand have not suf-
ficient intelligence to manage their
own affairs with ordinary prudence;
are unable to compete with their fell
lows on equal terms and thereby to
earn livelih pods.
This army furnishes the recruits for
the ranks of the criminals, paupers,
prostitutes, drunkards. the ne'er-do-
wells and others who are social mis-
fits. Their incapacity would be a
priori cause for believing that they
eventually will become public charges
in one form or another and investi-
CATION, in fact, proves that the groups
of criminals, paIpers, prostitutes, etc,
actually do contain laree n-rcentages
Of people mentally irresponsible.
Actual tests in our reformatOrieS
for girls and boys show that at least
25 per cent of them are distinctly
feeble minded Of one hundred con-
secutive admissions at the State Re-
form School for Boys at Railway, n.
j., twenty-six were feeble-minded.
Nearly as many more were border
81
been inmates Of the Massachusetts
Reforma tory but who had been re-
leased on probation were examined.
They were selected because of their
bad conduct and inability to remain
in homes found for them. All but
four were distinctly feeble minded.
OF one hundred youths in the Defen-
ton Home of the Newark Juvenile
Court, we found only one who had
average normal mentality, and sixty
six were beyond question feeble-m!nd-
ed.
In view Of these conditions how in
adequate has been our treatment OF
man or youth is thought before the
court, convicted of petty thievery
Sc nj enced for sixty DAYS, serves his
time and goes free. What has been
accomplished? Nothing! The chances
were one in four at least that he was
so mentally deficient that he was In
capable of knowing the right from
BILE of keeping himself from doing
wrong. Two months in Jail can have
no possible effect on him. He comes
out with the same weak mind. HIS
time served he is set free and in
few weeks or days is again before the
court
The writer examined eight women
in one of the best county almshouses
to be founded All had given birth
to feeble-minded children within SIX
weeks Of each other. The superln-
tendent said that Of 185 children born
there within a period of five years.
1O2 were feeble minded.
Our government spends hundreds OF
thousand dollars examining 1mml-
grants to see that none who are fee
ble-minded are admitted, but here's a
group already in our country VINO are
breeding race Of feebleminded people
more dangerous than many barred by
the immigration inspectors. we speno
thousands of dollars to determine
| whether Harry Thaw is criminal OF
crazy that we may know whether t.
send him to the hospital; we are
pretty particular not to make any mis-
| lake in such cases as his, but here's
an army of law breakers as to whom
! it is a serious question whether the
| punishment be sixty days in jail or
| permanent care where they will be
| happy and harmless. Yet little is done
| TO determine their responsibility anc
we make mistakes without blush1ng:
| What then is to be done? The
Estate should establish stations where
these cases may all ne careIuny am
| critically studied so that the courts
and other authorities may be able tc
act intelligently upon the facts. At
| ter these cases have been discovered
they must be removed from that en-
vironment in which it has been PROVED
they are incapable of living norma
lives, in accordance with the conven
lied in groups where they may be pc
fectly happy and somewhat useful
| Only one limitation need be placed VI
| on them in these places and that Is
| they must never become parents.
| Our studies at vineland have show
1 So >IDLv d0d Tlnn
pie are the children of feeble-m1ndee
people, There is at Vineland a fee
ble-minded hoy who had as parents
a normal father and a feeble-mindec
mother AS a result of this marriage
we have seven feeble-minded chill
| dren four others that died at infancy
! and there were two miscarriages i
we trace back as far as the grand
parents, this is the fourth child of thi:
| Strain that is in our institution. The
] condition is strongly hereditary. Il
feeble minded people are allowed tt
become parents they will bring int
the world another group like them
| selves.
We are discussing a possible State
policy. We are not looking to thu
Immediate solution of this condition
but to the gradual reduction Of ou
present troubles and the prevention o
them hereafter AS already statet
we must carefully examine all case
that come to public notice. But man.
parents are enther normal or of sucl
a high grade. of Effectiveness tina
thew never get into court and yet hav
Predetermined children. We canno
touch these adults. We must some
how get hold of their children.
Our compulsory education law
bring every child before school Off
Gals. Each will be examined as t.
his mental development. If he b
normal he will go to school as now
if he be merely backward he will b.
placed in a special class; if he be al
IDIOT or an imbecile his condition viii
be recorded; if he be border-lin
case he may be sent to school but n
must be watched. AT the proper
time the parents must be Informed o
the condition Of the child and of thu
Willingness of the State to take car
Of it in a colony. When these ar
located within reasonable distance {
great many parents will become will
ing to allow their children to be caret
for. To those who are unwilling thu
State can only say: 1--WE insist tina
YOU shall care for him, see that he doe
not get into mischief and above al
that he does not become a parent
| Whenever we find that you are neg
lectirg this duty, then we shall tax,
him and place him in colony"
Some will say that such a. polio,
would involve endless expense. 1t il
/ true that it will cost money but 81
does the crime that we now have t.
anduro F11rthermOre If ml1St not h,