Hrdlicka. 79 



to be mediocre. If we compare these figures with similar figures ob- 

 tained on the physically entirely normal children, we will find that 

 the teeth of the orphans in the institution are not up to the standard 

 of these latter. 



Character of the Children. — Almost all the younger children of this 

 class are sent here on account of poverty. Among the older indi- 

 viduals the lack of parental care, and probably also some of the 

 hereditary predisposition the children carry, shows itself in a large 

 percentage of misconduct. Out of a total of 38 children, 14, or about 

 2)7 per cent., were committed here for either disobedience, (9); 

 running away, (2); petit larceny, (2), or stealing, (1). As all these 

 misbehaved children were males, the real proportion rises to 45 per 

 cent. If we should only consider individuals above 10 years of age, 

 the proportion of misbehaved would be very great. 



As to their abilities at learning, the orphan children do not show 

 anything extraordinary. Three or about 8 per cent, of them were of 

 inferior abilities in learning, 1 was of a superior ability and 34 were 

 about the average of outside children. 



Three only of the children of this class were persistently either 

 destructive, dishonest, or vicious, since they have been confined in 

 the institution. The character of the others shows nothing perverse, 

 which is a sign that the badness of the children of this class before 

 they came into the asylum was more due to acquisition by habits 

 than to any inherent moral defects. Apparently the sooner the chil- 

 dren of this class are sent to the institution, the better. 



