The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-01-07
Liberal Viewpoint
by DIR. HARRY ELMER BARNES

nvTLER and the Nazis are reported to have
Elsa Sittell of New York City that Der Fuehrer'
is not a 100 per cent Aryan.
From all reports of Hitler's fermentation and
other anthropological stigmata, it would seem
that he can hardly qualify as one of the blond
giants. But even if he could it would not be
point in his favor according to an article in
Scholastic by Dr. Harold Rugg, one of the
foremost educators, psychologists and social
scientists in the United States.
Discussing the topic who Are the Superior
Peoples?" he challenges the doctrine Of the
"racialists" that there is such thing as COM
prehensively superior race, be it Chinese,
Malays Indians Mexicans, Melaneslans, Rus
slams, Hottentots, Eskimos, Germans, French,
peoples of the jungles or of the plains"
He shows conclusively, in the first place, that
the differences of ability within each race are
far greater than the differences which even the
racialists allege to exist between separate racial
groups He is inclined to agree with the position
of Professor Hawkins that vastly more impor-
tant than any possible differences between the
average capacities of the European races are the
individual differences among members OF the
same race. An ounce of eugenics is worth a
pound of race dogmatism so far as the future
political security of the country is concerned"
TIL lrst important testing of the mental
Il - pa cities of different races took place at
the St. Louis Worlds Fair in 1904 There "the
PSYCHOLOGISTS measured the mental abilities Of
the Indians and compared them with the white
peoples of the towns and cities of the United
States. The psychologists came to the con-
clusion that in the traits measured the month";
dustralized peoples had as much actual ability
as the Americans"
More than 20 years later DR.. Rugg was in
charge of the Philippine educational survey in
which 10000 FilpinoS we're tested with IA diff
ferent types of mental tests.
THE survey was conducted under conditions
that made possible rather clear comparison
of the intellectual abilities of the Malays and
of those members of the Nordic' race who live
in the cities Of the United States. Tests were
used that had been taken by million or more
American children"
The results of these tests blew sky-hgh the
dogmas of the believers IN racial superiority:
THE results showed three things: on the
tests in which language played an important
part the Filipino children were very inferior;
on tests which employed a slight amount OF
language they were somewhat inferior; on the
non-language tests they did as well as American
children.
''These results astonished the members of
the Commission so much that they were checked
and rechecked carefully. But we we're forced to
conclude that even under adverse conditions
these Filipino children showed as much intel
ligence as do our own young people OF America
came away from a Care1ul comparison Va
the two peoples with the definite conviction that
they are approximately equal in mental ability.
CTILL more recently DR.. Rugg took part IN
= testing the mental ability of the Puerto
Ricans, Chinese and South Africans All this
onlv confirmed the earlier findings:
1.-THE evidence is convincing that the earlier
conclusions of the mental superiority OF the
Nordics were based on inadequate data
Applying these and other findings TO the
German situation, DR.. Rugg concludes:
'"This brief introduction to the complicated
problem of the comparative intelligence of races
has particular interest now when the German
Nazi government is setting up definite racial
discrimination against the Jews and other nom
Arvan peoples as a cardinal principle OF the
state. and when anti-Semitism and other forms
of intolerance are spreading widely throughout
the world.
Germany has instituted in all elementary
and secondary schools courses in the science OF
race in which Jews are condemned as INFERIOR,
vicious, and dangerous. It has made compulsory
textbooks of Hitler's own book, My Battle, ana
books by Alfred Rosenberg and others winch
are filled with this kind of assertions OF racial
differences
Needless to say, such courses and BOOKS nave
not the slightest scientific standing in the light
of the growing body of reliable data have here
barely touched upon"