The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-02-17

when he was compelled to drink the
hemlock
Coming down many centuries, Sir
Isaac Newton lived to be IS and was
strong and hearty and hard worker
till within a short time of his death.
Darwin was born with rugged consti-
tuition, which he ruined by his failure
to take care of it, but it enabled him
to accomplish remarkable amount of
work before he died at the age of 49,
IF proof were needed that Herbert
Spencer was born with an iron consti-
tuition it would be provided by that in
cident in his boyhood when at the age
of Is he walked 4S miles one day, AZ
the second and 20 the third, and with
very little food during the three days.
| Spencer is another man who injured
his health by lack of care of himself,
! but If he had not been naturally strong
he would not have lived to be 49,
| Even Shakespeare, who died at the
age of 81 might be said to have lived
good life considering the amount of
work he did as playwright, actor and
manager. Goethe, an exceedingly busy
man, was in good health almost to the
time of his death at the age of 49,
"Of the four probably most famous
Italians, Dante lived to be only So, but
his life was one of arduous labor; Leo
nardo da Vinci, an athlete, who out
stripped far younger men in feats of
strength, was nearly 81; Michael An
gelo worked furiously most of his 80
years, and Calico enjoyed good health
until his death at 49,"
Leaping abruptly back to the TWEEN
tieth century, we have the distinctly
robust example of Joseph Hoffman,
famous pianist, who clearly demon
Istrated his remarkable musical talent
when he was but two and a half years
old, and was on the concert stage at
the age of eleven.
| Super-Children in Two Classes
| There are and always have been
certain wonder children" Prof Edward
l.. Thorndike of Teachers college, Co
lumbia university, tells, land they have
turned out to be great men and women
later. 1t is evident that child geniuses
may be divided into two classes-those
rwho are creative and inventive and
those who have exceptional memories
and absorbing powers
The child of creative ability Is the
real wonder child. There are many
children who have exceptional memo
ries, and while it is true that some
of these children have greater capacity
than others, the faculty is not indica-
tive of as high development as the Gre
alive or inventive gift"
Professor Monroe, also Of the Teach.
ers' college, declares that our present
system of public school education is
greatly to be censured because il
makes no special provision for chill
dren of superior ability. I'VE in this
country are so democratic that we look
out for the mass" he says. Our en-
tire educational system is gagged to
mediocrity. We need some new way
: of scaling our classes, so that per
sons of exceptional ability will not be
held back to the level of their medi
OGRE companions. Sometimes this lacl
of occupation in school while they are
waiting for their slower brothers anC
sisters to catch up is harmful to the
children of superior talent. They be
come FESTIVE or Indifferent
Wider recognition should be giver
to the child prodigy. The hope o
education is to bring out all the ma
tive talent and ability each child has
! Naturally some children will hav,
more to show than others, but eacf
child should have chance to develol
to its highest point.
Il do not believe in too much free
dom or too much superintendent O
the child's education There Is
medium which offers encouragement
to the child to use his own initiativ,
and at the same time furnishes guild
ance without which he might becom
one-sided."
United States Stage for Prodigies
The United States has provided tn
exhibition stage for the large humble
lof child prodigies in the past two years