79 



Feeble-Mindedness in the Public Schools. 



KATBINA MYERS. 



"Education," says Seguin, "is the right of every child, the duty of 

 every parent, the bond of the community." 



In ideal conditions natural talent is allowed to form the basis for 

 training for social usefulness ; to each child is given the bent of his 

 natural genius or trade. 



For many years our public schools were organized to till the needs 

 of the mediocre or average pupils. Educational plans that include chil- 

 dren at opposite ends of the intelligence scale belong to very recent his- 

 tory. Elastic grading now permits brilliant pupils to skip grades ; while 

 an increasing number of slow-witted and even defective minds have spe- 

 cial schools adjusted to their needs. 



Imagine one hundred ordinary first or second grade pupils. Here 

 investigators find: one stutterer; two or three who lisp; one seriously 

 anaemic ; several badly spoiled children ; one immature, a year or two 

 retarded in mental and moral growth ; one morally weak ; two imbecile 

 or feeble-minded. Then, there is one passive, inactive child ; several over- 

 sensitive, nervous children ; one superficially precocious child, and several 

 superior — eager, ardent, imaginative, social. Four suffer from defective 

 bearing ; twenty-six now, or will very soon, show eye strain or have 

 defective vision ; about a dozen have asymmetries or deformities ; about 

 thirty have nasal obstruction or diseased throats ; and several others 

 possess serious peculiarities of temperament. Only twenty-five of the hun- 

 dred are physically and mentally without blemish. 



All these children represent an actual, positive asset in human society. 

 If they are not saved for constructive activity, many of them will become 

 a destructive force later on. 



The question arises : How are the powers of individual pupils to be 

 definitely known, so that schools may measure to their greatest efficiency? 



Some of these peculiarities are related to the size and shape, observ- 

 able defects: some are alterations of internal structure, not apparent to 



