THE PHYSIQUE OF SCHOLARS 253 



stipend man's scholarship standing is not due to industry and patient 

 application rather than to superior organic vigor. 



In regard to race it is interesting to note that 77 per cent, of 

 Group I. and 75 per cent, of Group II. of honor scholarship men were 

 Americans, while only 62 and 71.5 per cent., respectively, of Groups 

 I. and II. of stipend scholarship men were Americans. The Hebrew 

 race had the next largest per cent., being 15.5 and 11 per cent, in the 

 I. and II. honor scholarship class and 11.3 and 7.75 per cent., respect- 

 ively, in the stipend scholarship class. But the English and Polish 

 Hebrews, from whom the American Hebrews have largely descended, 

 average only 66.5 inches and 63.8 inches, respectively, in height. The 

 other races, all averaging below the Americans, except the English and 

 Scotch, are represented by a very small per cent, in any of the groups, 

 but the largest number of foreigners, from 30 to 40 per cent., is in 

 the stipend scholarship class. In a measure, this fact would help 

 account for the inferior stature of this class of students. The differ- 

 ences in height and weight, due to nurture in adults of the same age, 

 sex and race, averages as high as 3y 2 inches in stature and 7 pounds 

 in weight. The honor scholarship men are presumably better nur- 

 tured than the stipend scholarship men, coming as they do from 

 wealthier families where they have been better housed, fed and clothed, 

 and better cared for generally. The difference between the average 

 of Group I. of honor men and Group II. of stipend men is 1.4 inches 

 in height and 4.4 pounds in weight. This extreme difference is prob- 

 ably partly due to race inheritance, and partly due to nurture, but 

 what may be termed the organic or physiological factor plays an equally 

 important part. It will be observed that there is little variation in 

 weight between the different groups of scholarship men, in the honor 

 men Group I. actually weighing over a pound less than Group II., and 

 the stipend men of Group I. only equal the weight of Group II. 



It will also be noticed that there is a close correlation between the 

 weight and the strength in the different groups. This diminutive 

 weight upon the part of all scholarship men may be accounted for in 

 several ways. The most reasonable explanations, however, are lack of 

 sufficient physical exercise, and mental over-training. In order to 

 meet the demands of the present scholarship standard it is necessary 

 to hold oneself down to many hours of highly concentrated and long- 

 sustained mental effort. Under these circumstances the respiration 

 and circulation are slowed down, the digestion is more or less imperfect, 

 and the organic activity of all parts of the body except the brain is 

 sadly interfered with. The body for the time being is literally being 

 starved in order that the brain may be surfeited. If this intense 

 mental activity is followed by a moderate amount of physical exercise, 

 in which the large masses of muscle in the trunk and limbs are vigor- 

 ously used, no harm follows from hard study. In developing the mus- 



