South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-09-03
PreCOCiOuS Child is as DeServ-.
ing of Opportunity as Dull
ard, Says DR.. A. B. Van !.
0rmer in His Talk.
NO OBSTACLE SHOULD
BE PUT IN CHILD'S WAY
Bright Pupil Likely to Become
Discouraged and End Up as
DuIIard-MuSt Study
Children.

That the Drecocious child should be
given the same chance as the dullard,
and that both should receive special
consideration in the class room was
the plea made by DR.. A. b. Van Or
mer in his morning lecture at the
teachers institute meeting on The
Artificial Production of Stupidity" at
the high school
DR.. Van Ormer condemned the
school room for its process OF pro-
ducing stupidity. Il do not mean to
imply" said the lecturer, that the
school is making a dullard out of
every one Of its pupils. but | do mean
to say that the school room is con-
trihuting factor towards the produc
tion of stupidity. We forget some
times that there are minds which can
not go as rapidly as others, that they
are lost in the pace demanded of the
average pupil. and that gradually they
become disheartened, discouraged and
eventually drop out of school. ON the
other hand there is the problem Of
the prococious boy or girl, who grasps
things more readily than the average,
and he or she is urged on and on, until
they lose their grasp and they too be-
come dullards.
Is Over-PreSsure.
There is over-presSure in eGuca-
ton. There was the case of John
Stuart Mills, who was able to read
Greek at the age of three years. And
there are educators now advancing
the theory that all boys and girls
should be able to follow in the foot
steps of John Stuart Mills. They can
not do it, They are not ready TO as
slmilate SO early the vast fields of lit
erature that they have to cover, and
which Mills covered as a boy. Vet L
have it from men who have studied
the life of that extraordinary individ-
ual that his life showed that he grasp
ed little from the fields of literary
production which he went through.
I'VE are taking a medium up TO
which the retarded child must come.
and to which the precociOus child
must fall back. In the first instance
we violate the laws of appercepJion.
That is the student who is naturally
slow has not grasped the fundamen-
tails before he goes on to the next step.
Too we must take into consideration
the time element Some people set
things readily, and lose it as fast as
they get it. Others get things much
more slowly and retain il all their
life And il is this last class upon
whom the artificial production OF stu
pi6ity may fall The childs mind
works slowly. labOriously. and yet
He is advanced to
the second step in the educational
system long before he is ready, and
he becomes hopelessly lose
There are those who can surmount
any obstacles, they are geniuses, and
few and far between.
No Plan For NaggerS.
The slow moving minds are the
ones that have done the great things
in this world. Yet they have had to
master the first process before a sec
nj has been undertaken. The teach
er who is nagging, inconsiderate, i'm
patient insistent, and who will not
take time to help the pupils that are
is building up a greater pro-
dVction of stupidity than any ono
thing else could"
Dr. Van Ormer in leading up to
the subject of his lecture took Occa-
sion to condemn the dictates of fash
ion. He said that social imitation,
plus social opposition and nationality
equals fashion, placing the matter in
the form of an eQuasiOn. Il pre-
sumo" he continued, that savage as
The custom is, that were the leaders !
Of fashions TO place rings in their
noses, there would be many American
men and women going around with
rings in their noses. Fashion, and |
those who make fashions know that
We follow like bunch of sheep. COPY
ng and initiating. The whole matter
Is cOmmercialized
There are the physical factors in
ne production of stupidity. We can