no 



The Journal of Heredity 



importance, due to the social interest 

 in anatomical and physiological char- 

 acteristics of man, especially in con- 

 nection with educational institutions. 



Educational anthropology depends 

 much upon medical data, especially 

 as related to physical education and 

 school hygiene, as the study of growth 

 in children. It emphasizes the impor- 

 tance of knowledge of the child, as a 

 basis for all teaching, in addition to a 

 knowledge of the subject matter of 

 instruction. 



The growth of children has assumed 

 much importance in education. Here 

 educational anthropology considers not 

 only the establishment of age stand- 

 ards, but the correlations of growth, 

 ability, and physical and mental devel- 

 opment. The measurements of chil- 

 dren of the same age show different 

 physical developments, which increase 

 as the age increases. Thus the pro- 

 cesses involved in learning to read, 

 spell, and write, require an educational 

 anthropologic analysis, and the physi- 

 cal and mental tests at present so 

 dominant are included in this analysis. 



Educational anthropology on its 

 ethnological side is closely affiliated 

 with the history of civilization. It 

 helps to develop the idea of the evolu- 

 tion of modern society from primitive 

 forms, suggesting that the develop- 

 ment of a child should follow, to some 

 extent, the manifestations of life of 

 primitive peoples. 



Educational anthropology, like edu- 

 cational psychology, includes the selec- 

 , tion and organization of anthropologic 

 data of practical service to teachers. 

 Education has two general purposes; 

 one is to train and develop the native 

 tendencies, and the other is to transfer 

 or hand down to the young the results 

 of civilization. This transfer is the 

 process of learning. The study of this 

 process by which the physical, men- 

 tal, and moral acquirements of civili- 

 zation are given to the young, is an 

 educational anthropologic problem. 

 This process of transference depends 

 upon methods of learning and the 

 capabilities of the pupil. In connec- 

 tion with this process, educational 



anthropology treats of the activity 

 and development of body and mind 

 with certain prescribed ends in view. 

 These ends or results, serve as tests 

 by which the success of the educative 

 process is to be measured. Thus much 

 of the material for educational an- 

 thropology consists in methods of 

 learning as illustrated and applied to 

 school work. 



EDUCATIONAL ANTHROPOLOGY AND 

 RURAL EDUCATION 



Educational anthropologic study, 

 which includes mental and physical 

 tests as applied to rural schools, con- 

 cerns also educational psychology in 

 all its phases. In general, the scienti- 

 fic study of children, adolescents, and 

 adults, both mentally and physically, 

 in relation to all kinds of education, 

 comes under the head of educational 

 anthropolog>^ Its scope is obviously 

 very large, and it would take too much 

 time and space at present to deal with 

 its relations to the many branches of 

 education. It may, however, be useful 

 very briefly to consider the relation of 

 educational anthropology to some of 

 the more recent phases of education, 

 as rural and industrial education, and 

 also physical education and school 

 hygiene. 



Many years ago, the author had 

 some experience as a teacher in rural 

 schools. As he now looks back, it 

 becomes painfully evident how much 

 such schools were neglected; and at 

 present they need the advantages 

 coming from the scientific study of 

 school children, which educational an- 

 thropology in its various branches can 

 present. All anthropologic studies of 

 school children, including physical and 

 mental tests of them apply, of course, 

 to rural education. 



One of the difficulties the author 

 found in rural schools was the physical 

 uneasiness and restlessness of the large 

 boys in winter time. They could not 

 sit still long, nor keep their attention 

 under control, so that they did not 

 study very much, although they were 

 not lazy; for they were all hard 

 workers on the farm. One of them said. 



