The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-11-16
Did You Ever Grow Up?
BY FREDERICK J. HASKIN

WASHINGTON. d. C., Nov. 16-Scien-
lists studying the records here of the
intelligence tests applied to American
soldiers, have reached the conclusion
that these men had on an average the
Intellectual development which is con-
sidered normal for a boy IA years old
This does not seem very flattering
TO us as nation, but it is borne cut
by Thomas A. Edison, who is as well
known, has been conducting some in
telligence tests of his own on men who
apply to him for employment. He ex-
presses himself as amazed at the low
average of intelligence which his tests
have revealed He says that more
than two per cent of the adult popula-
ton can understand self-evident fact
when it is put before them.
These disturbing opinions from high
authorities are borne out in way by
the new school of psychologists. Their
Investigations tend to show that an IN
dividual who is not given proper op-
portunity to develop his mind and per-
sonality does remain child in all
those respects in which his develop
ment is retarded. They would say
that the typical American man of busl-
ness, while highly developed in his
special line, is 'infantile" as whole,
because he is undeveloped in so many
other ways.
This view of course excites the an
| tagonism of every good American, but
it is perhaps worth examining Just for
! the sake of understanding a point OF
view we cannot share
In the first place it is to be noted
| that this view gets a good deal of cor
roboration in every day life. How of
| ten do you hear it said of some man
that che is just great big over-grown
| boy" That may, according to the psy-
biologists, be scientific description OF
, his mind and personality.
Grown-up Babies
Many women are wont to remark
| that their husbands, brothers, or even
| their fathers are just big boys, but
a good deal of evidence can be brought
| forward to show that women are on an
| average more iniantile than men. Men
! in order to make a living, have tc
! achieve a certain degree of maturity
! They may have boyish traits but they
! cannot afford to have the helplessness
| of children. Women, on the Other
! hand, know that an appearance Of
! helplessness, if accompanied by gooo
| looks, is often a great asset in the pur
! suit of a husband Thus society en-
| courages women to hold onto any in
! fantile traits they may have. The
! "cuteness," the helplessness, the ig
! nOrance which so many of them affect
! are infantile. The woman may use
! these tricks in pursuit of a man, but
! the mere fact that she uses such tricks
/ at all is an indication, according tC
! the psychologists, that she never has
! become fully adult. This prevailing in
| fantilism of women is widely recog
/ nized in popular slang and popular
| songs, which reveal far more of oul
/ folkpsychology than does our forma
J literature. when the grown-up ladies
act like babies, I've just got to love'en
/ that's all"
! The ladies know that. And il is NJ
! trouble at all for them to act like ba
bies, because most of them have no
grown mentally and morally nearly a!
fast as they have grown physically
say the scientists.
1t is not possible to summarize here
! all of the evidence which might bt
! brought forward to prove that the pub
! lie as a whole has never grown up
/ Our tastes in reading, movies and the
after are specially significant, however
The adult desires to understand life
( The child wishes to cultivate his il
lusions about it. Children read fairy
stories. Most of the stories in oul
magazines, nearly all of our movies
most of our novels and most of gu
stage plays are fairy tales in affect
That is, they all foster lovely illlssion
about life, rather than study the trutl
about it. The American public is near
ly always antagoniZed by any worl
of art which sets forth the trutl
about life.
! why write about such ugly thing