Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-11-22
PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS
\ nR. LATHRop sToDDARD

Mr.. LATHRoP sToDDAk Il
isI wrote a book recently entitl-
ed THE Revolt Against Civiliza-
ton" 1t is a very readable book
and made quite a splash in the
world, albeit Mr.. Stoddard draws
a most pessimistic picture Of the
future of our country, based almost
entirely on the result of the psyeol-
ogical tests made by the army IN
the mental reactions of the enlist
ed me in the late war According
to Mr.. Stoddard's view bnly a small
per cent of the citizens of the
country have superior intelligence,
and the majority fall below the
mark indicating even moderate in
t~ellect. Moreover he says the most
inferior mentalities are breeding
and increasing fastest, and the
most superior intellects are breed
ing slowly or not at all, SO that the
future is very black to him. He
thinks we will soon reach a stage
of such low average intelligence
that we cannot support a complex
civilization such as we have and
it will go down in revolution be-
fore the inferior mind that finds
its environment unsuited to its
wants and ideas. 1t is rather a
gloomy book if an interesting one.
We are therefore somewhat cheer
ed to find another author assailing
the army tests on which he bases
his conclusions as being worthless,
and all wrong as an Indicator Of in
telligence. MIR. Lipprnan is the
author that lights this lantern to
dispel the gloom made by Mr..
Stoddard in his Revolt Against
Civilization" 1t cheers the edi-
tor of the Springfield Republican
so that he contributes this bit OF
irony regarding these mental tests
as applied to politicians:
I'VE have just finished an cleo
ton and it will be two years before
another. The country is now in
terested in the new senators and in
specializing upon what they will do
to the senate when they get there.
The time and the situation thus
focus attention upon the fact that
while we have had Psychological
tests for motormen, policemen and
members of the army, no n has
yet prepared a test for senator's. In
consequence the voters were oblig-
ed last week to cast their ballots
without knowledge of the psychol-
ogical ratings, or measurements,
of the candidates. AS there are
perhaps many ideas as to what
should be psychological measure
ments of a senator, it seern that
there should be a general public
discussion, with contributions from
all auarters,-which The Republic
can will gladly receive. In this
way when the test is finally evolv-
ed, no one like Mr.. Lippmann a
turn UP with a devastating asser-
ton that ones whole process for
determining a mans qualifications
for the senate has been founded on
error.
In order to advance the matter
and offer a basis for the discussion
cetain suggestions may be made.
The rapidity of reaction to sight,
touch, or to sound, has been n OF
the prime features in tests to date.
If in the psychological laboratory
the senatorial candidate should,
without warning, be subjected to
the reading, for example, of a pres
idential message to congress he
might evidently be expected to re-
act in either one or two ways. 1t
the message were by a president Of
his W political party his reac-
ton would, of course, be to de-
clare it one Of the ablest state pa
pers in American history and to
point out that it was full of con-
s~tructive ideas and that these
should prove Of far-reaching i'm
portance to the public welfare On
the other hand, if the message
should be one delivered by a presi-
dent of the opposite party, whether
democratic or republican, the re-
action of the candidates, as appar-
emily established in the long his
tory of political science, would be
equally certain. In that case he
would very properly find the mes
sage vague and ineffective III its
recommendations and would add
that it was evidently prepared
without a thorough comprehension
OF the difficulties from which the
public suffered, or of the ways in
S.,L;~L +bAy y,;uh+ he rArndied'