Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-01

! what you would like to do or be as you
grow older. Very often, for example, a
boy says he would like to be q doctor,
| but finds from this test he has merely
been thinking how fine and important
it would be to have his name on the
door and go about town visiting people
| and wear good clothes and be talked
about, but he discovers that the real
! work doctor has to do is not what he
would like at ALL
These are only examples of many
helpful and suggestive tests, devices and
procedures that these psychologists now
have for aiding the earnest boy or
gfrl-or older perSon-to choose a life
work wisely and well. If, however, you
have your mind already made up and
merely wish to be tested for your abil-
ity. say, for typewriting, the psycholo-
gist gives you a typewriter test which
shows you how your scores compare
with those of many others who have
been tested in the same way. Or If
you wish also to find how your ability
as stenographer compares with that
OF others, the examiner will give you
the tests for shorthand ability, English
ability, etc. Perhaps you may wish to
learn how you might stand in clerical
work and If you would likely make a
good office assistant. If so, these tests
are given. They have proved of genu-
Inc service both to applicant and en-
ployer.
Charge Is Only IS.
Any one of the three combinations of
tests will occupy you for about one
hour, and the charge is SIS. Half of this
goes to the psychologist making the
examination and the remainder goes to
the corporation for necessary upkeep.
The fact that DR.. Paul S. Achilles, sec
rotary and treasurer, and number of
others are giving their time free of
charge reduces the overhead and up
KEEP charges to a minimum. If you wish
tests for mechanical ability, of chenlis-
try or physics or general scientific apti-
tude and the like, with general emo
tlonal ratings and advice, these usually
require several interviews and the
charge is regulated accordingly. Since
1T is purely -profit-naking corpo-
ration whose profits all go for scien-
t1fic progress, we can say the charges
range from around $25 to $500.
And this leads me to say that one of
the most astonishing things is that
parents gladly pay from $1,000 to $10,-
600 for educating a boy or girl and
then often think it eXtravagant to pay
few dollars to find out what is the
best thing to do with the education!
~ q lAlhll ollOulu Dullu q ldCGUIy WlUIIOuJ
any idea what he was going to manu-
facture in it after it was built, he would
be in precisely the same situation.
1t seems to me we'll worth while
should the parents or the boy or girl
save up as much money, if necessary,
as the cost of the last year of schooling,
and spend even an entire year, if need
be, deciding on the best occupation,
rather than spend all of ones life in
an unhappy job. believe would have
welcomed such an opportunity to have
escaped the two years of mental an
guish went through, my last two coll
lege years, trying to decide whether /
should study chemistry or philosophy or
go into the real estate business. And
here I have wound up without going
into any of them!
Does Other Work.
However, the Psychological Corpora
ton is carrying on much work besides
vocational counseling. Just now it is
carrying on course of six evening lee
lures for the general public at the New
York Academy of Medicine in New
York, the lectures being given by some
of the ablest psychologists in the world
in their special fields. DR.. Achilles will
gladly send programs on application It
is without doubt the greatest opportu-
nifty that the general public, even in
New York City, has ever had to hear
world renowned psychologists tell in
simple, everyday language of the work
going en- in their special fields. The
very names of the lecturers are suffl-
Gent guaranty of the value and interest
of the lectures. Gesell of Yale, on how
a baby develops; May OF Yale. on the
foundations of personality; Miles of
Stanford, on psychology in medicine,
law and theology; Vitsles of Pennsyl-
vania, on psychology in industry; ALL
port of Syracuse. on psychology in So
cial and political problems; Gates of
Columbia, on psychology in education.
The lectures are being gwen Friday eve
nings, ending February 49,
Another enterprise of national inter-
est is being sponsored by the Psyche
logical Corporation and is termed "a
Nationwide experimental study of Eng
lish usage" Nearly half million school
children are being tested to discover just
what they know about using correct
English. While the methods are some
what technical, when 1t is finished every
one of these 100000 children and their
teachers will then know exactly where
each child stands in its English work,
whether it is behind or ahead of grade
and just where it needs assistance.
One Form of Service.
This great experiment is Just one
more illustration of the service psy-
chology can now render to education
and the general public, and is Of in
terest to every parent, school child and
teacher in the land.
These, then, are some of the activi-
ties and plans of this remarkable cor
poration. The names connected with
it are bound to inspire public conf
dence. BY all means, the chief object
is to advance research through the
funds brought in by using what is al
ready known for public benefit. The
most inspiring thing about science is
its passion to overcome its own igno-
rance Progress in science is the only
kind of progress that is or can be
cumulative. We cannot begin in art
where the Greeks or the old masters
left off. but any bright schoolboy can
begin in science where Cattell. Thorn
dixie and Woodwork, in psychology, or
Nicholson, Millikan and the two Comp
tons, in physics. or Moves, Langmuir
and Lewis, in chemistry, or Morgan,
Wilson and Wheeler, in biology, or
Moore, Veblen and Dixon, in mathe-
matics-to name only few Americans
Lat