The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1917-03-01

Considerable public interest has
been manifested In the work of the
field secretaries of the commission
on -mindedness provided for
by the last legislature. For some
months the field secretaries have
been making a survey OF conditions
as to "Reminiscences in a number
of the counties OF the state. Their
findings have formed the basis OF the
report which the commission has
made to the governor and the legis-
lature. So much public interest has
been manifested in the work of these
secretaries that 1t seems proper to
publish in the Review this general
statement of what the commission
has done and what It recommends
Editors Note.
A feeble-minded person is one who
on account of mental defect existing
at birth or from the early age is in
capable of performing his duties as
member of society or OF competing
on equal terms with his fellows. Al
has done more than any other per-
son to identify mentally defective
persons in the community at large
and especially in public schools, says
that II child 'is more than three
years backward he is mentally de-
fective."
This is a classification resting on
the scientific basis of work done
among children in the public schools
OF Paris. This measuring of the
mental level OF n child has since been
standardized in the United States at
the training school at Vineland. N.
j., where the Binet Scale was first
used to classify the inmates OF this
school. all of whom are mentally de-
fective. The Standardization OF the
scale, however, was not completed
until oitNi ohc
children In an average school COM
munity had been tested. This was
done by five trained Vineland work.
ers; and when the results were sum-
married.. the scale was found to ap-
ply az well to the intelligence of the
American child as 1t had applied to
that OF the French child. The ques-
tions comprising the scale were
worked out with the idea of measur-
ing the intelligence or comprehens-
ion of child without regard to its
scholastic training. The scale is ar.
ranged in a group OF questions, five
in number, applicable to each year,
from nine to twelve. SO that nor
NAL child who has lived in the world
seven years will be able to answer
the seven-year-old group OF questions
even though he may never have been
in school. It should be clearly I'M
derstood that this scale is. as Binet
himself says, simply n yard-stick to
measure the quality OF the intelli-
gence. 1t does not pretend TO estl-
mate the quality or possibilities OF
the individual thus measure.
During the survey that has just
been completed some five hundred
Utah children have been measured
by this scale. These were children
already known as being retarded in
their grades, and were selected not
by the survey workers but by the
teachers who were well acquainted
with them. About two-thirds OF
these five hundred were found to be
retarded four years or more. This
group, including a small number who
were estimated without the actual
est, constitute the class of mentally
defective persons commonly known
as morons. or the high grade feeble
minded. Following are two stories
illustrating the homes from which
these defective children come.
Overcrowded Conditions:
Story of family in Utah showing
the fertility of the le-minded.-I
A large family living in very small
quarters was reported to the field
worker by one Of the nurses. who
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