Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-15
DR.. Groszmann Says the Very
Bright Require Most Care
in Education.
DECLARES INCORRIcIBLE
ARE NOT predetermined
Western High Home-School Asso-
citation to Probe Street
Car Service.

1t Is even more necessary to recognize
the needs of abnormally bright children
In education than those of children below
the average in intelligence for the for
mer class often become the leaders of
their communities This was the declara-
ton of DR.. Maximlian P. f. Groszmann,
educational director of the National As
ISOLATION for the Study and Education of
Exceptional Children. in his address on
the education of such cases before the
Home and School Association of the
Western High School last night.
"A small percentage of this class be-
come criminals and undesirables." said
DR.. Groszmann. but by far the greater
number turn out leaders. If those lead
ers We're really social factors for good
instead of being. as is usually the case,
leaders in a selfish way, there would be
far less misery and failure in life.
The education of the abnormal child
costs the community three or four times
as much as the training of a normal
specimen, and at the end of his educa-
ton he is still a burden on the com
munity when it is ended. Consequently
the first thing necessary is the elimination
of this class from the ordinary day
schools and the placing of them in special
institutions, for they will never be able
even under the most favorable circum-
| stances, to compete with their normal
neighbors.
Child Often Misunderstood.
The great difficulty is, however. tina.
We usually ascribe troubles in the school
or home that seem to point to a child
| being defective to the child himself,
| when it may be the parents or teachers
wi S,nt Tn 20
the same theory may apply to those who
are termed feeble-minded' but who in
reality are not feeble minded in the
| least but only .different-miIded.'
Il take exception" continued the
| speaker. ito the theory that incor-
| rfgibles are feeble minded; often they
are merely backward or misunderstood.
| The majority of so-called incorrigibles'
| are very corrigible indeed If we only
| know how to handle them Reforma-
| tories are seldom likely to be of aid.
and even judges of juvenile courts are
| often totally unable to get at the real
! character behind the sullen demeanoT.
| We are not yet able in our public in
| situations to work together medically.
| enthusiastically and pedagogically so
| that the proper good Is accomplished
Speaking of the group at the other
end of the scale. the abno-mally bright.
DR.. Groszmann said that the Importance
| of these cases does not always receive
proper recognition. They include. he point
ed out. commercial constructive, musical
and literary geniuses, whose tempera-
ments are but dimly understood in the
ordinary schools. Many a budding
genius never reaches the high school az
ALL said he, ''for too many are handi-
capped at an early age by rnisunder
standing the accusation that they do NOT
fit in -
Discusses Variety of Types.
DIR. Groszmann discussed the great
variety of types of the so-called lab
normal child the boy or girl who may
best be described as of primitive tenn
permanent, those who are deaf or dumb
or suffer from other physical defects
many OF them easily remedied. He de-
clared that the necessity of child's I'M
dergoing the common 'children's dis
eases was fallacy and was most dan
gerous. not on account of the disease it
self, but because Of the after effects. In
touching on the especially dangerous
accompaniment Of hysteria or melan-
cholia, he said:
Practically every criminal was start
ed in his career at this critical time
There is too much application of the
traditional standards of education to
all children. We are prone not to make
proper distinctions and thus fail to help
them attain the pest success in life.
nc iSihcus LILO NJ cdhiuS up VI Tie
regular educational courses into varie-
gated courses. Let them learn not so
much from text books as by doing
things. AS children vary in size.
they vary in other things. A boy may
be anatomically twelve years of age;
physiologically fourteen years of age:
emotionally ten and mentally but six
We should use every means In our
power to devise means to equalize these
differences by medical and psychological
cooperation" concluded DIR. Groszmann,
who received the thanks of the associ-
alton through it's president, Dr. David
T. Day.
To Probe Car Service.
Prior to the address of the evening the
association adopted the report of Miss
Westcott, principal of the Western High
School, to be submitted to Commissioner
Siddons in regard to the death Of Dean
Rose, who was killed on street car on
his way from school March I. Miss
Westcott spoke of the very serious lacl,
of accommodation the part of the
street lines for the patronage that
comes from the pupils and the attendant
haste in starting and stopping cars carry
ing large numbers of boys and girls.
A motion was adopted that committee
cation of the car service at the times
of the converting and closing Of the school
and to report back to the>association in
regard to trying to have the matter cor
rected. The committee was appointed al
<olle n q