Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1936-02-20
HealA
41eutY
90 so'"'A 80 0s SD =


Last week we dealt with the Prob
lem Child, and ~endeavored to SHOW
that he is retarded in his mental de,
velopment He needs time and pa
uence. Sometimes the correction o
physical defects will cause thes.
children to improve so rapidly tina
they can keep abreast in their schoo
work with children of their own age
The majority of children should b
given manual training of some kind
Especially is this true Of the Problem
Child. Often these children take pride
and become very skillful in the USE
of their hands. One accomplishment
leads on to another. Carpenter work
drawings, rug making, weaving, farm
and garden activities, are all produc-
tive of results that are beneficial ir
every way.
We trust that the day is not far dis
tant, when parents will realize the
difficulties of their mentally retarded
children, and that trained executives
will be placed in our public schools
who will be able to understand and
help solve the problems of these I'M
fortunate children.
There are no two creatures exactly
alike in nature. In the forest. garden.
fields. or parks, the inequalities of
plants and flowers of the same species
are apparent to the most casual OBJ
server. Among animals the differences
are great. When a litter of pups are
born they do not look exactly alike.
Some of them may grow faster ana
become more intelligent than the 9TH
ers, even though their parents are the
same ard they are born and reared
under identical conditions. Yet there
will be striking dissimilarites among
them. 1t is just the same in a family
of children, so far as mental, moral or
intellectual characteristics are con-
cerred. No two are alike. In nearly
all families, some of the children have
better mentalities than others.
The natural laws that obtain in the
animal kingdom are similar through
out and man is in nowise exempt. An
intelligent stock breeder only breeds
from a superior strain of animals for
he knows that in this way he will
obtain the best results. Common sense
and experience have taught him that
llc SdiuiOl DIctu lHlt animals from
scrub parents. He does not have to be
told that race horses are not sired by
common plugs, nor born of inferior
mothers.
We have in u country all grades
Of feeble minded people who are al
lowed to propagate their kind without
let or hindrance. In a country home in
our state are four generations of men
tai detectives. There is a grandmother,
a daughter, and a granddaughter, the
last has a baby. All of them are too
feeble minded to care for themselves.
There are numerous relatives that are
scattered throughout the state. Most
of them are on relief. Some are in
iails and pe~nitentiaries. How much
better it would be if such people we're
sterilized, instead of being able to re-
produce their kind. They do not pos
sess the sense of responsibility towards
their offspring that an animal feels
ard shows.
The feeble minded should be re-
moved from the public schools at the
age of IL and given training in manual
work whereby they can earn a living.
Some of them show considerable APP
titude for certain kinds of work and
when properly trained and directed,
many of the might become economic
ally independent.