Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-09-28
I, What Causes stuttsrinu2

RECORDS show that fully four per
cent of all the boys and girls born
In this country are left handed from
birth. An English scientist believes
that the ratio is much higher in his
country and around 10 per cent. The
doctors are able to explain the ply
seal condition OF nerves which
makes it natural for a child to use
Its left hand in preference to- the
other, but as to the cause of this
condition they can only say, Nature
willed 1t SO. ..... ...
However most curious result has
been discovered where attempts are
made to force left-handed child to
use its right hand instead. Not in
all cases, to be sure, but as far as the
investigation has gone, surprising
ly large number Of cases have been
found, where parents or teachers
used severe measures to force the
use Of the right hand in which the
child became a sufferer or had an
impeachment of speech. These varied
IN degree from a few years to life
and from acute suffering to an i'm
pediment quite slight and hardly no.
ticeable in ordinary conversation, but
greatly aggravated under excitement.
1t has been interesting to me, when
coming in contact with people having
impeded speech, to ask them il they
were originally left-handed, and
forced at home and in school to use
the right hand. So far no one has
been offended at such a personal
question, but all have shown great
interest. In the instance of the most
acute case of suffering 1 have ever
known, and whom I met daily for
several months the man could
scarcely make himself understood
and would at times appear almost
to choke in the effort to articulate
Today he can shoot and thhrow
with his left arm, and very poorly
with his right. He told me that dur
ing six or seven years, as a child, he
was severely thrashed almost every
day, both at home and in school, as
his father was determined to break
him Of the habit of using the wrong
hand" In this case l judge both ia
Their and son possessed the same I'M
yielding spirit-the son certainly has
1t now and thinks. acts, and works
with the speed of hair trigger-but
the father evidently dominated with
his parental authority and strength.
Thus far nearly four out of five
cases of impeded speech / have in
N6SllSdCeU, TURN Out 10 nave Deen
left handed in childhood. Several
left-handed persons, on whom no
special effort was made to change,
show no evidence of retarded utter
ance.
Scientists declare it is much better
not to try to force a left-handed child
to become right-handed: that, if he
does not readily and easily accept
the change, to let nature have its way
and that in reversing nature, a men
tal-nervous clash arises which ap-
parently in the majority of cases
shows it's disapproval of such out
side interference by greater or less
disturbance of the speaking function.
In these days we are becoming more
emil ghtened and considerate in such
matters as compared to 80 or more
years ago, but it is pitiful to reflect
on the thousands of cases, probably
hundreds of thousands, where
thoughtless. though well-meaning
parents stif1ed and killed the natural
inclination and individuality of pro-
missing. budding ambition. God i'm
planted.
1t will be a greatly appreciated IA
vor if any of our readers, knowing
instances of people naturally left
handed would report whether the
effort to make them right-handed had
any effect upon their speech or not
BY II. H. Windsor in Popular Me-
chanicS.