342 



sciujsrcu. 



[Vol. VI., No. 141. 



They certainly show that the time for optimistic 

 congratulations is not yet reached. 



The other general conclusion of the report that 

 such falling off in health during college hfe, as did 

 appear, is due rather to predisposing [causes, than 

 directly attributable to college life itseK, brings 

 out some very interesting contributions to the 

 scanty generalizations we already possess, con- 

 cerning the relations between health and social 

 environment. First as to heredity: A total of 35 

 per cent report a tendency to disease inherited 

 from one or both parents. Those inlieriting ten- 

 dency from one parent only present some slight 

 falling off in good health when compared wdth 

 the entire average; while for those inlieritmg from 

 both 58.3 per cent are in good health ; 41.7 in 

 poor, the average for all being 83 and 17 per cent 

 respectively. For the 65 per cent inheriting 

 tendencies from neither the figures are 85 and 15. 

 As to relative change there is for those inheriting 

 from both a relative decrease of 19.5 per cent in 

 those having excellent health ; an increase of 24.6 

 per cent in those having poor ; the coiTesponding 

 figures for those inheriting from neither being an 

 increase in good health of 2.6 per cent, a decrease 

 of poor of 1.6. The following tables show the 

 effects of exercise, wony and study upon health: 



EXERCISE. 



Hours taken. 



Health. 



Good. 



Poor. 



2 



Per cent. 

 84 



Per cent. 



2 6 



17 



Band over 



IR 







WORRY. 



Concerning. 



Health. 



Study 



Personal affairs 



Both 



Neither 



Good. 



Pool 



Per cent. 

 20 

 25 



The differences in the last two results fiunish 

 one of the most interesting conti-ibutions yet made 

 to the student of sound sanitary, social, and moral 

 conditions. 



STUDY. 



Amount. 



Health. 



Good. 



Poor. 



Moderate 



Per cent. 



85 

 83 

 79 



Per cent. 

 15 



Moderate to severe 



17 



Severe 



21 



certain notable deficiencies. The physical, social 

 and moral environment of the students during 

 college requires infinitely more investigation. The 

 details concerning intellectual surroundings are 

 comparatively full, though the number of hours 

 of study should be given instead of the indefinite 

 terms, 'moderate,' 'severe,' The inquiries con- 

 cerning social surroundings are virtually confined 

 to the inquiry as to whether the person ' entered 

 society,' a little, a good deal, or none. Such vague 

 expressions are worse than none. The question 

 is as to how the student spent the hours of social 

 recreation, and how many were so spent. The 

 complete answer of this question, it is hardly too 

 much to say, would throw more light on the 

 hygienic problem than almost aU else. It should 

 include information as to whether the institution 

 is female only or co-educational ; what its social 

 relations are to the town in which it is situated, 

 the nature of the town; whether the young women 

 live in dormitories, in cottages, in selected homes, 

 or in ordinary boarding-houses ; what regulations, 

 if any, the faculty have made concerning study 

 houi's, and the hours not spent in study ; whether 

 the institution has a matron ; whether her duties 

 extend to moral and social matters, or to physical 

 only ; whether the institution has a gymnasium, 

 etc. Complete answers to such a protocol of 

 questions as these suggest would show what was 

 meant by saying that 81 regard bad sanitary con- 

 ditions as cause of their diseases, 135, constitu- 

 tional weakness, and 73, emotional strain. If 

 the association will study the conditons of the 

 problem along this line, and frame questions 

 accordingly, they will deserve still more at the 

 hands of both the scientific educator, and the social 

 student. Meanwliile we wiU be thankful for what 

 we have. John Dewey. 



The report upon the whole is suiprisingly 

 full. For the social student, however, it presents 



THE C LAPP-GRIFFITHS BESSEMER 

 PLANT. 

 The Bessemer process of converting molten cast- 

 iron into steel by oxidizing and removing its car- 

 bon and silicon by blowing immense volumes of 

 air through it, appears to be entering a new phase. 

 Aiming for many years almost solely at the pro- 

 duction of rails, the captains of the Bessemer indus- 

 try found it much easier to satisfy the demands of 

 purchasers as to the quality of their product than 

 those of their employers as to its quantity. Hence 

 arose the present type of Bessemer plant, in which 

 no expense of construction is spared which prom- 

 ises to increase the quantity and thus to diminish 

 the cost of the product. To-day, however, the 

 uses of Bessemer steel are being rapidly extended 

 and diversified. While most of the new demands 



