Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-09-12

WY ASHINGTON, D. C.-Sept. 6.-Is the
wv justly celebrated climate of Califor-
MIA breeding a race of giants on the
Pacific coast? The scientists of the Chill
dren's Bureau in Washington think that it is,
although with true scientific caution they
qualify their opinion with perhaps" At
any rate, it is certainly true that, age for
age, the school children of California are
considerably taller and heavier than the run
of school children the country over; and the
experts in Washington can find no better ex-
PLANTATION of the phenomenon than that of
favorable climate.
The discovery that California children, and
there is nothing in the record to indicate that
the some would not be true of children of
Oregon and Washington, are physically supe-
rior to American children as whole, was the
most notable revelation made in the study of
school children during the "Childrens Year,
as the year 1918 was called. In that twelve
month some 100000 American school chill
dren, six years old and under were weighed
and measured under the supervision of the
Childrens Bureau. No study Of human
growth on such scale had ever before been
conducted in this country. The records have
now undergone analysis by the Government
statisticians and their conclusions are of
great practical interest
The tabulations show that California chill
dren are two-fifths of an inch taller and
three-quarters Of a pound heavier than Gill
dren of the same age the country over. These
quantities by themselves seem small but as
averages they are large They are so large
that it is probable that an observant traveller,
going directly into California from The East,
could with his own eyes notice that the Pa
cific coast children are bigger than those in
the rest of the country.
American Bred Are Largest
q, CHI 10 oarlE-
able because of the large percentage of Ital-
ians among the school children weighed and
measured there. The Italians, these statistics
demonstrate, are below the general stature
and weight averages. Children of Scandivian
parents in the United States are considerably,
and those of German parentage somewhat,
above the national averages in weight and
height; yet the percentage of children of
these stalwart nationalities is exceedingly
low in California. But with no racial rea-
sons for large stature in California-on the
contrary, with an adequate racial reason to
account for stature lower than average
the California children nevertheless proved
to be as much bigger and heavier than the
American average are the children of pure
Scandinavian blood.
1t Is evident therefore that, so far as the
children are concerned California is breeding
a race of people as large as the Swedes, Nor
Wegians, and Danes. The scientists do not
attempt to account, absolutely for this fact
They suggest favorable climate as a possible
cause. They also suggest another reason
which may commend itself even more strong,
ly to the biologist-namely, the principle of
selection in the parents. The human stock of
California is pioneer stock The pioneer is
a person of superior courage and initiative
1t is reasonable to connect courage and
initiative with rugged health and health with
superior physique Thus the parent stock Of
California may be regarded as physically
select
Iowa furnished an interesting study fol-
the scientists in that the percentage of ma
tive parents in that state was higher than in
any district studied. Less than 20 per cent
of the children examined had foreign born
parents. In New York City it was just the
reverse, less than % per cent of the children
examined having native parents. The Iowa
children were slightly above the national
average in height and slightly below it in
weight. New York children averaged more
than half an inch shorter than average
American children of the same ages. The
New York children were weighed in their
underclothing, and so the scientists have made
no attempt to compare Their weights with
those of other children. On the average, New
York children are nearly an inch shorter
than those of California.
Children Thrive in the Country
Whatever satisfaction the cities of America
may take in their low death rates as COM
Jared with the rural death rate, it is shown
by this study that the country is more fav-
orable than the city to the growth of a child.
Rural children measured in 1918 averaged
one-quarter of inch taller and nearly one
quarter Of pound heavier than city children
Colored children averaged shorter and
lighter than white children. The weight and
stature deficiencies in colored children, how
ever occurred only in the younger ages From
age four on, colored children proved to be-,
if anything, a little taller and heavier than
white ones. The reason for this may be that
the high child mortality among negroes kills
off the stunted and starved victims of poor
nutrition and leaves at age four and onward
only the vigorous survivors who compare fav-
orably with white children in stature. Or it