The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1921-01-05

0reeS-6ae STUDIED Ine 6UeCto W
Climate on Both intellectual and
Manual Labor Under All Conditions.
College students have another alibi
for falling below standard in scholas-
tic activities during the winter months.
Lecturing to Lafayette college stu
dents at Easton, Pa, Prof. Ellsworth
Huntington of Yale university said
that the students were bound to fall
below during the cold period, because
the climatic conditions prevented bet
ter work.
Fond parents, believing that the
long, cold evenings brought desires for
much reading and therefore more in
tellectual activity, failed to under
stand why their sons and daughters
should relax in their studies. They
blamed dances and whatnot for the
poor marks, but from now on these
same parents are going to have a
difficult task to make their sons be-
lieve decrease in grades is due to any
thing but climatic conditions.
Professor Huntington's statements
to the students were not the result Of
an overnight idea. They were the re-
suit of years Of study, both in this
country and abroad. He has studied
the effects of climate on both intellec-
tual and manual labor under all con-
ditions. He has studied the classroom
marks of Annapolis and West Point
and drawn his conclusions from these
tabulations.
"In the study of climate" he said,
lone of the most puzzling features 10
the diversity Of opinion among per-
sons Of good judgment. For instance,
at what season do people work fast
est in the northern United States?
Some will say the winter, some the
spring, a considerable number the fall
and few the summer. Most will say
that they are least efficient in the
summer, but others believe that they
are at their worst in the early spring
or late winter.
Dull Days the Best.
"Again, ask a dozen friends whether
they work best on clear days or cloudy.
The majority will probably answer
that the first clear day after a storm
is by all means the best. A small
number will perhaps think the mat
ter over more carefully and then say
that after a storm the clearness of the
air and the brightness Of the sun are
certainly inspiring, but one really ac-
c0mplishes more when it rains.
"This divergence of opinion is due
largely to the fact that the climatic
effects are of two kinds psychological
and physiological. We are always
conscious of the first, but often un-
conscious of the second. The external
conditions which we see and feel
make a greater impression than those
which prevail within our bodies. For
example, most of MS think that In the
northern United States we work fast
in winter. As matter Of fact the
statistics of ten thousand people show
that we work slowly. The ordinary
impression is apparently psycholog.
ical. In order to keep warm out Of
doors In winter we walk fast, and this
leads us to think that we do every
thing rapidly.
"Again, the blue sky, clear air,
bright sunshine and fresh colors Of
the first day after storm are unques-
tionably inspiring but does that in
spiration make us work any better1
May 1t not lead to a nervous excite
ment which actually binders our
work by causing us to look out at the
beauties of nature or to be less con-
centrated in other ways? The actual
figures show that, taking the year as
q whole, on dull days, especially the
second such day when a storm begins
to clear, we accomplish more than on
bright days, even though we grumble
about the clouds and the dampness.
A bright sky certainly makes US
cheerful, but its chief helpfulness, 80
far as our work Is concerned, is felt
when it is a change from the monot-
ony Of series of dull days. Clouds
and rain produce exactly as much re-
joicing when they succeed prolonged
clear. weather Of the kind we praise
70 highly.
1.-THE questions which have beeL
asked and the possibilities that have
been suggested show how indefinite
are our ideas of the effect of climate.
W. understand its psychological ef-
tects fairly well. We know little Of
ts physiological effects, however, ex-
,ept when they are in some extreme
,r unusual or when people are sick or
ire in some other pathological condi-
ion. We need to determine how or
iinary people are Influenced by ordi-
lary conditions of weather.
Government School Tests.
ut has been proven that from New
England to Florida physical strength
nd health vary in accordance with
he seasons. Extremes seem to pro-