Evening star., 1928-05-13
Mutual helpfulness in a
developing society.

Of iron and fashions out of 1t horse
shoe. Another buys his horseshoes al
ready shaped and simply adjusts them
to the hoofs. Like which type of raw
material is the child? Has heredity
already cast the mind In a definite
shape at birth. leaving to environment
and circumstance only the task OF
making 1t fit7
The experiments to date, Dr. Sher-
man says seem to indicate that there
Is very little original shaping.
The child Of nervous mother doesn't
inherit more marked tendency to-
ward nervousness than any other child
But the child cared for In babyhood by
nervous mother is an entirely difYer-
ent proposition. The child born OF
family Of criminals doesn't inherit
tendency TO steal but he soon acquires
II when brought up with family OF
criminals.
1t Is the education that is funda-
mental~-and the education between the
firBt and fourth years, about which least
Is known, IL the most fundamental
OF all.
One might say. paradoxically, that
nobody Is born until three or four years
after coming into the world
The environment Of infancy is sec
ond maternal womb in which the birth
process continues
The idea of character heredity Ia
deeply rooted In the traditions Of the
race. Recent bchaviorist experiments
may not throw II out altogether but
they push 1t deeper into the background
Heredity becomes mine and not a
forge. IT may have good deal 10 do
with the quality OF the metal, but very
little with the shaping.
These are hardly conclusions as yet
They are observations which may be
shaped up into conclusions based on ex-
periments started In Chicago and con-
tinued among the children brought 10
the Washington Research Center
From the very first day OF life the
child docs certain things~~that is, Il
reacts TO certain stimuli Behayiorism
has taught, for instance. that there are
fear and rage reactions, indicating that
the psychic material Of fear and rage
are In the mind at birth or shortly
afterward The child Is frightened by
, loud noises or by having fits support
pulled suddenly from under 1t. 1T Is
enraged by restraint OF It's movements
DIR. Ghsfman's work is with somewhat
older children. In whose makeup these
elements would be even stronger, II they
existed.
He has found that the child makes
! about the same physical response when
support IN pulled from under ii
which the bebayiorists say is due 10
fear~-and when needle is stuck In its
flesh. producing pain In both instances
the little one draws up Its body and It's
arms and cries.
Repeated experiments OF this kind
lead DR. Sherman very close to the con-
clilsi0n that there are no Unborn enlo-
ti0ns at all, but that the so~calicd
emotional responses Of infants are sim
ply automatic efforts 10 adjust them
selves To changes IN conditions.
The trouble, he has found, is that
| there has been very little real Ecien~
| tific observation, Older persons have
| not read the mind 0f the infant. They
| have read their own minds They af-
| ply certain stifnuli 10 a child and IL
cries. They assume that II Is trying
~ express much the same emotions ab
they would want 10 express IL the same
stimuli were applied 10 them-~if 4
chair we're pulled from under them or
| needle stuck into them They forget
| that their minds have come long
| way from the condition 0f babyhOod,
They know certain things would make
| them mad IL this any reason 10 as
sline, Dr. Sherman asks. that the same
| thing makes baby mad2 ~ II eA-
| trenlciy doubtful whether rage, fear
etc, are differentiated from the start
! These elements are created by enyir6n-
meat and circumstances. The dotipG