Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-20

the smoking compartment said in
n an intonation that / could have
taken for establishment, adnaira-
ton or perhaps contempt Later 1 found out
that he said this in anticipation
BE had some children who were giving him
and their mother trouble and worry and here
at last he thought, was chance to obtain
scientific advice for no other payment than a
much appreciated match.
He had to be told in complete honesty that
psychologists could not tell him how to raise
his children so they would be little angels and
precocious geniuses
II you take the word Of small handful of
psychologists for it, they can tell the waiting
world how to raise children so they will be
healthy, wealthy and wise especially wealthy
and wise. If you take my word for it, and the
word OF the majority of psychologists you will
not pay much attention to the weighty advice
about what your children should read, with
whom they should sleep, how they should be
Z the birch rod. how to develop strong wilied
children, what viii give them loveabIe person.
atty. and so On through the chapter headings
which win sell any sort Of book to all parents
who hope to shine in the glory reflected from
brilliant and charming progeny
II q few psychologists were the only ones
who believed they had the keys to child train
ing the matter would not be so serious But
whole hordes of parents seem to believe In the
au-powerfulnesS of psychological knowledge in
rearing their children and think they
psychic" their little dears into becoming
geniuseS
II DON'T know whether few PSYCHOLOGISTS
have convinced parents that this is true or
whether the parents have convinced psycholo-
gists that they must have some precious private
knowledge to dole out to help struggling parents;
rather believe that the parents demand for
help have produced abortive applications by
psychologists. although it must also be admit
ted that many psychologists have not turned
down the compliment as they should have done
If they had scientific conscience
A good many editors seem to think the same
way that most parents do, at least this is indi-
Gated by requests receive to prepare articles
on child psychology. But when some editor
asks me to prepare an article what psy-
biologists really do know about raising children
I have reluctantly to turn the opportunity
down, for all can find to write on this posi-
tive topic would not fill two typewriter pages
In fairness it should perhaps be stated that
received my first graduate degree for research
In child psychology and that the first article
had published was on how to educate superior
children and appeared, of course, in the Yale
Review Since then have written some 300
articles, and this is the second on raising chill
dren That proportion of two three hundredths
about represents the real status of the field.
AAAo oS1SS "a dhaAAo "a WHICH, uOSL eager
parents aDe ignorant, does not prevent psychol-
.ogists from psyching their own children, al
though the one psychologist who probably
knows more about the child mind than any
other psychologist III. Terman of Stan
ford University-is the quietest of the lot when
It comes to telling how to raise children.
Prof Terman could do the best job of telling
how. but he Is devoting his time and the time
of dozen associates to research before he can
md the secrets to reveal Terman's mind is
pregnant with facts about the child, but he is
scientist enough not to miscarry these with
premature applications. The ones with q little
knowledge are on the alert to generaliSe and
apply.
Some ptifully disastrous results have been
achieved by psychologists in psyching their own
children. 1t is rather common knowledge, for
instance, about the distinguished psychologist
who produced a spurious genius in one of his
children by hypnotizing him and imparting adj
vanced physical knowledge and character-build-
ing suggestions while the child was hypnotized
BY adolescence the youth gave the appearance
OF genius and before he was Of age had earned
the degree Of doctor Of philosophy from vener-