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CHAPTER XXIV 



MENTAL 

 HYGIENE 



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Some like to paint 



Others enjoy a swim. 



What relation have psychologists found between intelligence and suc- 

 cess f How can the nervous system he kept in good condition f 

 What may he the effects of worry, fear, temper, and introspection f 



The ability to meet and solve the problems of one's life without 

 needless worry, leads to serenity, contentment, and happiness. 

 The solution of problems brings a joy of achievement that is con- 

 ducive to greater success. The boy whose problems are decided 

 for him does not find the contentment nor achieve the poise that 

 is attained by the boy who faces and solves his own problems. 

 Poise is usually considered one of the constituents of success in 

 the varied and complex life of the present day. 



Intelligence. Intelligence may be defined as the native capacities 

 of a person to learn, to reason, to exercise mental control, and to 

 solve his life's problems. Can a child be apparently dull or back- 

 ward for a number of years and suddenly become highly intelli- 

 gent ? Scientific experimentation "seems to prove that certain 

 mental capacities are native or inborn. If a child of six years of 

 age is found, experimentally, to be of average intelligence, when 

 measured by certain tests, he will, with very rare exceptions, be 

 found to have average intelligence at seven years, eight years, and, 

 in fact, all through his life. If a child of six years tests below aver- 

 age, the chances are that he will remain at that level all through life. 



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