Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980, 1921-01-25
Written by Margerv Rex Tor 'll'
International News Service.

New York, Jan. 25.- The aver
age man has the mental develop
ment of a child of eleven ana most
of them look haIf-dead or run
down.
DR.. Percy Stickney Grant, OF the
Church of the Ascension, pro-
nounced this opinion in the course
of a sermon on What We All can
DO in 1921" He expressed a be-
lief that the educational status OF
the country was low, urged us
raising and advised his hearers TO
become physically perfect
Everything follows health. AS
| look around / see that everyone
looks half-dead or rundown. A
well body means a healthy, pro-
gressive mind"
DR.. Grant did not say whether
he meant an average child of eleY-
en- or a prodigy, in his comparison
regarding education. but on the as
sumption that he meant the aver
'age, two discussions of his sub
ject are offered here.
A psychologist and an army sur
geon refute DIR. Grants sweeping
statement, both using arguments
that tend to show that not only is
opportunity awaiting in our schools
and colleges but that the average
man is willing to take advantage
of it and make the most of even
the smallest chance for improve
ment.
UndevcIOped in Reflection.
Ninety percent are intelli-
gent regardless of the complete
mess of their education" says DR..
Edward Wallace Lee, surgeon, who
has seen army service.
Big men have come from our
public schools" DR.. j. l.. Quacken-
bos, professor emeritus of Colum-
bia university, reminds me.
"On the other hand" DR.. Quack-
enbos continues. many university
graduates are unable to write an
ordinary letter with ease and grace.
: The head of a large publishing
house here in New York wrote TO
me when | was secretary of the
faculty of philosophy at Columbia.
Don't send me any more Ph.D.'s.
But l don't know what DR..
Grant means here by education.
IF he implies by education re-
Election, l agree with him that
adults are undeveloped in this di-
rection.
Reflection is a lost art.
THE average man doesn't think.
But he can learn things, cram his
mind, fill his poll-parrot memory
full of facts. We found at Column
bia in the graduate course that il
took a student two years to learn
to think enough to produce any
original work.
The young man who has finish
ed high school has been subjected
and exposed to enough education to
help him a long way in life if he
also is able to think. But thinking
cannot very well be taught
MANY a college youth finishes
his compositions out of old maga-
zines he thinks his instructor hash
read and palms off his theme in
class.
Il always tried in the seminars
and classes of graduates to give
work that would compel thinking
tand observation"
I The importance of observation is
also stressed by DIR. Lee, who de-
clares that regardless of col
lege education. a young person can
observe and draw conclusions from
what he observes.
THE average American is intel
ligent," says the surgeon. He is
"a educated individual. /
mean the American citizen. do
not include in my statement the
man who has come from another
country. born elsewhere, and per-
haps partly raised here. Although
he may be very intelligent his op-
portunities have been slight in an
other country, and he is not to be
chosen as an example of an 'unedu-
Gated American"
but what of the child of elcv-
en-? Now that we have so many
prodigies entering universities at
about that age, what will they say
at being compared with unintelli-
gent adults?"
View of Boy Super Student.