Lurton—A Study of Retarded Children. 287 
the high schools promotions are usually made by subjects and 
class or grade lines are to that extent broken down and there¬ 
fore retardation in the usual sense of the term does not exist, 
or cannot be accurately computed. 
The complete results of the investigation are given in Table 
A. Attention is called to the fact that the data were gathered 
in the fall and deals only with children actually enrolled and 
in attendance. This makes the showing favorable to the schools, 
for some children who failed to win promotion in the spring, 
no doubt dropped out during the sumimer. 
Retardation is computed upon the basis of entering at six 
and spending a single year in a grade and no more. 
Table A .—Shows grade by grade, and by sex, the amount of retardation. 
Grades. 
Number. 
Per cent 
Retarded. 
Normal. 
Advanced. 
Total. 
Boys. 
Girls. 
Boys. 
Girls. 
Boys. 
Girls. 
Boys. 
Girls. 
1 . 
2,691 
1,436 
1,255 
34.7 
33.6 
57.8 
59.0 
7.5 
7.4 
2. 
2,065 
1,096 
969 
54.0 
41.1 
37.8 
47.2 
8.2 
11.7 
3.. 
2,164 
1,134 
1,030 
61.1 
53.7 
38.1 
38.9 
5.8 
7.4 
4. 
2,268 
1,134 
1,134 
65.9 
56.1 
28.3 
35.6 
5.9 
8.4 
5. 
2,129 
1.109 
1,020 
68.8 
63.2 
25.2 
29.8 
6.0 
7.0 
6. 
1,944 
977 
967 
73.3 
67.7 
21.0 
25.0 
5.3 
8.0 
7 . 
1,862 
929 
933 
70.4 
65.9 
24.3 
27.1 
5.3 
7.0 
8. 
2,007 
886 
1,121 
74.0 
67.0 
30.5 
26.4 
5.8 
6.6 
Total...... 
17,279 
Avera 
ge 59. 
3 
34. 
1 
7. 
1 
In examining this table you will note four things, mostly 
facts that are contrary to popular belief. First, the boys 
equal or exceed the girls in number in every grade up to the 
seventh where they fall only four behind. It is in or at the 
close of the seventh grade that the boy meets his decisive de¬ 
feat. Secondly, the workings of the process of elimination 
can best be seen in the last three grades. Thirdly, and most 
important, the retardation begins heavily in the first grade and 
steadily increases grade by grade through the eighth, with the 
exception of the slight downward drop of the curve in the 
seventh grade due probably to the rapid elimination at that criti¬ 
cal point. Fourthly, the retardation of the boys is greater than 
that of the girls right from the start and remains so, grade by 
