Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-02-24
Child PROblGlES
Statistics Show That as Usual Thing
They Turn Out Well.
NUMBER OF GENIBSES Are RECALLED
Prediudice Against Permitting Chill
dren to Assert Themselves Dying
out-Thore Are and Always Have
Been Certain Wonder Children.
By Frederick ]. HaskIn.

Out-Thore Are and Always Have
Been Certain Wonder Children.
BY Frederick J. Haskin.
| New York City-What becomes of
child prodigies after they grow up? Do
they go right on being prodigies, or do
they lose their pristine precocity?
The answer to this question, recently
given by several prominent New York
educators and psychologists. Is that
child geniuses invariably turn out well.
They not only develop into adults OF
unusual intelligence and energy. but
they often exhibit rare creative ability
as well.
In the old days when children were
supposed to be seen and not heard.
there existed a general prejudice
against encouraging youthful manifes-
tations of genius. The Juvenile brain
was regarded as something very frail
land unstable and very likely to collapse
tunder unusual strain or pressure. The
| Ichild who showed superior talent in the
classroom was looked upon in the COM
munity as one unquestionably headed
for an insane asylum or a life Of crime,
land his parents were more often the
objects of neighborly compassion than
congratulation.
This attitude probably originated in
jealousy on the part Of parents whose
own offspring exhibited no undue in
dicS,tjons Of brightness, and from what
we know of the power Of suggestion to-
day, it may haye had its own harmful
effects. But it was, modern scientists
tell us, altogether without foundation.
For research has revealed the fact that
| there ia not only much less insanity
among geniuses than among the COM
mon lot of people, but that they are
usually exceptionally healthy folk as
well. -. tt
Innumerable examples could be quot
ed In proof of this, but few conspicu-
Gus ones recently set forth by Profess
sor Rudolph NJ. Binder Of New York
university, viii suffice. a5
Socrates Did Well.
Lets begin with Socrates" said
Professor Binder. 1.-The great philoso-
pher served as hoplite, which means
that he was a member Of what we in
modern terms would designate as
shock troops. He was seventy years
old when he was compelled to drink
the hemlock. ~ -.a-.r.
Coming down many centuries, Sir
Isaac Newton lived to be eighty five
and was strong and hearty and hard
worker till within short time OF his
death. Darwin was born with rugged
constitution, which he ruined by his
failure to take care of it, but it enabled
him to accomplish a remarkable
famount of work before he died at the
age of seventy three.
IF proof were needed that Herbert
Spencer was born with an iron con-
,stitution it would be provided by that
incident in his boyhood when at the
age Of thirteen he. walked forty Eight
miles one day, forty-seven the second
and twenty the third, and with very
little food during the three days. Spen-
Ger Is another man who injured his
4 health by lack Of care Of himself, but
If he had not been naturally strong
he would not have lived to be eighty
three.
'sEven Shakespeare, who died at the
| n oa of 6fty-t1uo might he said TO have
lived q good life considering the
amount of work he did as playwright,
factor and manager. Goethe, an ex-
ceedingly busy man, was in good health
almost 70 the time of his death at the
age Of eighty-three.
"Of the four probably most famous
Italians, Dante lived to be only fifty
eight but his life was one of arduous
labor; Lenonardo da Vinci, an athlete
who outstripped far younger men in
foats Of strength, was nearly sixty
seven; Michael Angelo worked furious
ly most of his ninety years; and Calico
enjoyed good health until his death at
seventy eight" ....
:Leaping abruptly back to the twen-
tieth century, we have the distinctly
rubust example of Joseph Hoffman, fa-
nous pianist, who clearly demonstrate
ed his remarkable musical talent when
he was but two and half years old,
and was on the concert stage at the
age Of eleven.