Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1921-12-16
Average Adult Far Behind In In
tellectual Development, Say
Scientists.
WOMEN ARE MOST INFANT|LE
Study Of intelligence Tests Applied to
American Soldiers Showed Aver.
age intelligence Of Normal
Boy Of Fourteen.

NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., studying
here the records Of the intelligence
tests applied to American soldiers,
have reached the conclusion that these
men nad, on IN average. the lntellec-
tdal development which is considered
normal for boy fourteen years old.
This does not seem very fiattering to
us as a nation, but 1t Is borne out by
Thomas A. Edison, who as Is well
known. has been conducting intelli-
gence 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 not more
>than per cent OF the adult popula-
: ton can understand self-evident fact
when II 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
Individual who is not given proper OPP
p9rtpnity to develop his mind and per-
s5i2iIty does remain child In all those
respects In which his development Is
retarded. They would say that the
typical American man of business,
while highly developed In his special
line, Is .lnfantile" as whole because
he is undeveloped in so many other
Yays.
1Ais view, of course, excites the nm
tagonism Of every good American, but
1t Is perhaps worth examining just for
the sake of understanding a point Of
view we cannot share.
In the first place, 1t Is to be noted
that this view gets a good deal OF cor
roboratlon In everyday life. How often
you hear II said Of some man that "he
is just great, big, overgrown boy"
That may, according to the psycholo-
gists. be scientific description Of his
mind and personality.
"Grown-Up Babies"
Many women are wont to remark
tht. their husbands, brothers. or even
their fathers are just big boys, but !
ggod deal Of evidence can be brought |
forward to show that women are, on
an average, even more lnfantlle thar
men. Men, In order to make living,
have TO achieve 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 ap-
pearance of heiplessness, IL accom-
panied by good looks, is often great
asset In the pursuit Of husband.
Thus society encourages women to
hold ON to any infantlle traits they may
have. The "cuteness," the helpless
ness. the ignorance, which soemany Of
them affect, are infantile. The woman
may use these tricks consciously In
pursuit of man, but the mere fact
that she uses such tricks at all Is an
indication, according to the psycholo-
gists. that she has never become fully
adult. This prevailing infantilism of
women Is widely recognized In popular
slang and popular songs, which re-
veal far more of our folk-psychology
than does our formal literature.
'When grown-up ladies act like
babies I've just got TO love 'em, that's
ALL"
The women know that. And II is no
trouble at all for them to act like
babies, because most Of them have not
grown mentally and morally nearly as
fast as they have grown physically,
say the scientists.
1t is not possible to summarize here
all Of the evidence which might be
brought forward to prove that the pub
lie as whole he's never grown up.
Our tastes In reading, movies and the
alter are specially significant, however.
The adult desires TO understand life.
Children read fairy stories. Most of
the stories In our magazines, nearly