Lurton—A Study of Retarded Children. 
275 
A STUDY OF RETARDED CHILDREN IN A GROUP 
OF NORTHWESTERN SCHOOL SYSTEMS. 
BY FREEMAN E. LURTON., M. S., M. A v PH. D. 
Definition of terms. 
When a child fails, at the end of the school year, to win the 
right to be promoted into the next grade, but must spend an¬ 
other year in the same grade, he is said to repeat the work of 
that grade, or to be a “repeater.” Unless he makes up, by ex¬ 
tra effort, the work thus lost, and so regains his standing as a 
member of the class with which he originally was, he is said to 
be “retarded,” and remains so as long as he continues in school. 
Scientific administration. 
The fact that large numbers of children were thus retarded, 
has, of late years, attracted considerable attention. Execu¬ 
tives, in all lines, are applying scientific methods in adminis¬ 
tering affairs, in the effort to eliminate waste and prevent loss. 
Search for greater efficiency is the outstanding fact in business 
today. Schools are not behind in their endeavors. 
Three possible methods. 
Eetardation may be studied from two points of view—one, 
psychological and one administrative. Under the former there 
might be an extensive series of tests to demonstrate authorita¬ 
tively what would be the normal mental endowment, in knowl¬ 
edge of data and power to reason, at a given age. Unfortu¬ 
nately such are now wanting, and investigations are proceed¬ 
ing in such a manner that one cannot be looked for in years, if 
