L9m 
 
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 An Experiment 
 
 In Child Study 
 
 State of Maine 
 
 Educational 
 
 Department 
 
 I'^oz^j 
 
K\3 
 
 This pamphlet will be sent free on application to W. W. Stetson, State 
 Superintendent of Public Schools, Augusta, Maine. 
 
 S£P81 ,w 
 
 D. 0/ a 
 
J 
 
 AN EXPERIMENT IN CHILD STUDY. 
 
 A blank for the study of children was prepared by the Depart- 
 ment and sent to the teachers and school officials early in the 
 school year of 1902, with the following 
 
 COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS. 
 
 You are requested to make a careful study of each of your 
 pupils in some of the particulars indicated below. Do not judge 
 them by single facts. Strive to make your estimate as accurate 
 as sympathetic study can render it. Having satisfied yourself 
 of the justice of your decisions, place X's after the words that 
 express your judgments. 
 
 It is hoped that a faithful compliance with this request will 
 enable you to understand your pupils better and, from this 
 knowledge, you will be prepared to strengthen their weak places 
 and develop those powers that give promise of proficiency in 
 some worthy work. 
 
 The motives that, influence, the ideals that inspire and the 
 history that reveals the child's inheritance of fibre, aptitudes and 
 tendencies should be so carefully studied that the knowledge thus 
 gained will materially modify methods of instruction and systems 
 of management. To aid in deciding what and how much the 
 child ought to do when the best opportunities are offered him and 
 he is skillfully directed in doing his best, the outlines given below 
 have been prepared. The study of the child should have for its 
 object the increase of the teacher's usefulness to the pupil and 
 should enable her to put him in the way to develop a vigorous 
 body, a well balanced intellect, intelligent morals and a will that 
 insures self-control. To do this she must know his history and 
 possessions, physically, mentally and morally. Then she is pre- 
 pared to help him to make good his deficiencies and train to a 
 helpful force his gifts and, by this nurture, assist him to do in the 
 best way the work Nature has determined he can do best. 
 
 It may be necessary to state that the teacher is not expected 
 to make a study of the child in many of the particulars given 
 
below that are matters of opinion. She is asked to report on all 
 the items that are matters of fact. A child's ability to express 
 his thought, or the thought of another in his own words, is a sub- 
 ject for study. The studies pursued by a child are matters of 
 fact and require no investigation on the part of the teacher. 
 
 That each teacher may study the child from the side in which 
 she is best fitted to pursue her investigations, a large number of 
 topics are printed on the blanks. 
 
 The thought, feeling and action of a person are so closely 
 related that you cannot study one of these forms of activity with- 
 out learning much of the others. To know a child thoroughly 
 as to his abilities, habits, manners or motives is to know some- 
 thing worth while as to each of the others. Each is a mirror in 
 which the whole is more or less faithfully revealed. 
 
 The greatest benefit that can result from this work is that it 
 must induce the teacher to become interested in her pupils as 
 individuals. Who they are, what they are, whence they came, 
 whither they are going, what they want to do, what they can 
 do, the place they are to fill in the world and the training they 
 need to fill this place, are among the questions that will press 
 for answers. Generalizations are valuable, but, to be authorita- 
 tive, they must be based on carefully considered details. 
 
 Know the child and you will come to know children. Love 
 the child and you will grow to love children. Teachers should 
 think less about their schools and more about the boy or girl. 
 The mass will take care of itself if the individual is properly 
 cared for. One of the great evils of the public school is found 
 in the fact that the child has ceased to be an object of interest — • 
 he is lost in the mass ; he no longer stands for anything ; he has 
 ceased to be an object of solicitude and the result is that he feels 
 minimized, dwarfed, swamped. He loses his sense of individ- 
 uality and responsibility. He cannot go alone because he has 
 never gone or been considered alone. He waits to be led because 
 he has always been in leading strings. He rushes when the 
 multitude makes a break because he has always been held in 
 place and put in motion by others. This study will help to get 
 us back to the individual ; to a proper recognition of the import- 
 ance of personality. 
 
 To make these estimates of the children of the greatest value 
 they must be based on a study of the child in the home, on the 
 
street, in public assemblies, on the playground and in the school- 
 room. He must be studied when he is under restraint and when 
 he is free to follow his whims, fancies, impulses and the com- 
 mands of his will. These studies should include his work and 
 his play ; when he acts consciously and when he is unconscious of 
 what he does ; when actuated by worthy and when by unworthy 
 motives; when the act is spontaneous and when he plays 
 a role ; when he rules and when he is ruled ; when he is under 
 surveillance and when he is free to show all he is; when he is 
 ' excited by passion or enthusiasm and when he is in his normal 
 condition ; when the saint holds the reins and when the sinner 
 does the driving. The teacher must distinguish between the 
 working off of an excess of nervous force and willfulness. This 
 study will help her to discover when he goes wrong because of 
 his talents and when because of his deficiencies; when he acts 
 from fear or timidity and when from insolence. This knowl- 
 edge will aid her in deciding what remedies are needed and 
 when and how to apply them. When she has learned why a boy 
 is refractory she is in the best position to help him to reform. 
 When she knows why a boy is good she has the clearest and best 
 ideas as to how to keep him interested in being the best within 
 his power. 
 
 Fortunately the intelligent study of one child helps wonder- 
 fully in the study of all children. It is hardly less than aston- 
 ishing how much of an expert one becomes in a short time if 
 thought is put into the work. Things that were before unnoticed 
 will stand out in clear relief; facts that have been before our 
 eyes for years and not seen, will press themselves upon our 
 attention. The child becomes an object of interest, a subject for 
 study. He increases in importance. He has a new value. He 
 becomes almost a fascination in our eagerness to know him. 
 
 But this work must be done with infinite patience, sympathy 
 and love for the child studied. The old relation of master and 
 subject must cease. The better relation of companions must 
 take its place. When this work is well done, schoolrooms will 
 no longer be places where children are herded, but will be centers 
 of growth and blessing. 
 
 The thoughtful teacher will come to realize that it is the 
 largest part of her work to build, not to repress. She will begin 
 to appreciate the fact that she must discover power, stimulate 
 action and direct them in risfht lines. 
 
To help in this better way of helping the boys and girls, the 
 outlines given below are placed in the hands of the teachers of 
 the State and they are urged to use them for the purposes sug- 
 gested in the preceding paragraphs. 
 
 THE RETURNS. 
 
 Replies have been received from one hundred seventy-one 
 teachers giving the detailed data requested in the blank. 
 Twenty-five of the teachers sending replies are men and one 
 hundred forty-six are women. 
 
 The first series of questions aimed to ascertain prevailing 
 interests of teachers in the subjects usually taught in the common 
 schools. These results have the value and the weakness of 
 personal reminiscences, giving, as they do, interests seen through 
 the distance of years and translated into terms of later experi- 
 ence and larger life. "In their real work with children, teachers 
 probably draw more upon their memories, for an interpretation 
 of the acts of the children under their charge, than from any 
 other source of professional equipment. Memory is sometimes 
 treacherous and data sometimes colored by personal prejudices. 
 Nevertheless, the teacher will always be limited more or less by 
 the recollections of her own childhood." 
 
 Interest in school studies were sought along these lines : 
 
 1. Your favorite study when a pupil ; 
 
 2. Your favorite study now ; 
 
 3. The study you prefer to teach. 
 
 Answers to these questions have been collected and the results 
 expressed in percentages in the following table : 
 
 I. FAVORITE STUDY WHEN A 
 Studies. 
 
 1. Mathematics (general) 
 
 (a) Arithmetic 
 
 (b) Algebra 
 
 2. Language studies: 
 
 (a) Reading and literature 
 
 (b) Grammar and composition 
 
 (c) Spelling 
 
 3. History 
 
 4. Geography 
 
 5. Sciences and Nature study 
 
 CHILD. 
 
 
 
 Men- 
 
 -% 
 
 Women- 
 
 -% 
 
 24 
 
 
 22 
 
 
 16 
 
 
 27 
 
 
 4 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 4 
 
 
 10 
 
 
 4 
 
 
 12 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 24 
 
 
 14 
 
 
 8 
 
 
 10 
 
 
II. FAVORITE STUDY NOW. 
 
 Men — % Women — % 
 
 1. Mathematics (general) 30 
 
 (a) Arithmetic 20 8 
 
 (b) Algebra 8 1 
 
 2. Language studies: 
 
 (a) Reading and literature 12 15 
 
 (b) Grammar and composition 4 19 
 
 (c) Spelling 
 
 3. History 12 9 
 
 44 Geography 1 
 
 G. Sciences and Nature study 16 9 
 
 6. Music 5 
 
 7. Foreign languages 3 
 
 S. Book-keeping 8 3 
 
 III. TEACHING PREFERENCE. 
 
 1. Mathematics (general) 28 25 
 
 (a) Arithmetic 24 19 
 
 2. Language studies: 
 
 (a) Reading and literature 8 10 
 
 (b) Grammar and composition 4 7 
 
 3. History 4 12 
 
 4. Geography 24 6 
 
 .5. Sciences and Nature study 4 4 
 
 6. Music and drawing 2 4 
 
 There were scattering subjects in each of the three tables, but 
 the above tabulation gives in the main the reminiscent interests 
 in school studies of the one hundred and seventy-one teachers. 
 One is struck at the outset by the high regard in which the study 
 of mathematics is held and the returns are not in accord with 
 similar studies made by Professor Smith in Michigan, Professor 
 Chabot in PVance and Miss Kate Stevens in England. A part 
 of the mathematical preference is doubtless due to the emphasis 
 placed on the study throughout the elementary school course. 
 
 The language studies — reading, literature, spelling, composi- 
 tion and grammar — are mentioned more often by the women 
 teachers, in all three of the tables. Spelling is given in the 
 first table only and by women. 
 
 History has a large place in the interests of these teachers 
 and was more often a favorite study with the men than the 
 women, but the women exceed the men in teaching preference. 
 
 Geography occupies a relatively insignificant place in the first 
 and second tables, but an unusually large number of men (24 per 
 cent of the whole number) say they like best to teach it. 
 
8 
 
 The sciences throughout occupy a relatively subordinate place 
 and music and drawing, because of their recent introduction into 
 the common school course of study, are mentioned in the second 
 and third tables only. 
 
 The same child study outline called for certain data concerning 
 the children — nationality, physique, carriage of the body, intel- 
 lectual capacities, emotional tendencies, will power, strength of 
 memory, acuteness of reasoning, vividness of imagination, keen- 
 ness of observation, school manners, morals and habits. The 
 171 teachers sent returns from 4,128 children, 2,107 boys and 
 2,021 girls. The data are given in the following tables and, 
 excepting nationality, the returns are expressed in percentages : 
 
 IV. NATIONALITY OF THE CHILDREN STUDIED. 
 
 Parentage. Boys. Girls. Total. 
 
 1. American 1,324 1,308 2,632 
 
 2. French 313 283 596 
 
 3. Irish 158 127 285 
 
 4. English 41 39 80 
 
 5. Swedish 39 9 48 
 
 6. Russian 19 28 47 
 
 7. German 3 12 15 
 
 8. Italian 9 4 13 
 
 9. other nationalities 15 18 33 
 
 V. PHYSIQUE. 
 
 Characteristic. Boys — % Girls — % 
 
 1. Strong and sturdy 86 76 
 
 2. Weak and puny 11 10 
 
 3. Deformed 8 3 
 
 4. With defective vision 5 6 
 
 5. With defective hearing 1 9 
 
 With respect to physique, our boys and girls make a very 
 satisfactory showing. More careful tests for defective vision 
 and hearing would doubtless produce more alarming statements. 
 While it is true that children in the rural districts are less myopic 
 than in city districts, still it is probably true that there is much 
 more myopia in our rural schools than these returns would indi- 
 cate. More careful studies, with the Snellen test-types, should 
 supplement this preliminary study. 
 
 VI. CARRIAGE OF THE BODY. 
 
 Manner. Boys — % Girls — % 
 
 1. Erect and graceful i 71 85 
 
 2. Awkward and shambling 20 11 
 
 The girls, it would seem, have better control of their bodies 
 than the boys. It should be borne in mind, however, that the 
 
girl acquires poise and grace in bodily movements earlier than 
 the boys. 
 
 VII. INTELLECTUAL CAPACITIES. 
 
 Grade. Boys — ■% Girls— % 
 
 1. Strong, active and bright 73 54 
 
 2. Slow and weak 16 12 
 
 3. Very weak 2 1 
 
 These returns would indicate that mediocre intellectual capac- 
 ity falls most often to the lot of the girls, a much larger percent- 
 ^e of the boys being reported as of a strong vigorous type of 
 intellect. 
 
 VIII. EMOTIONAL TENDENCIES. 
 
 Characteristics. Boys — % Girls — % 
 
 1. Well balanced and even 34 32 
 
 2. Sensitive 21 25 
 
 3. Impulsive 12 9 
 
 4. Irritable and nervous 14 9 
 
 5. Uneven and uncertain 10 11 
 
 The fourth item in the above table does not agree with 
 statistics in general. Girls are universally more irritable and 
 nervous than boys and the various school neuroses, so much 
 more common among girls than among boys, are important fac- 
 tors in emotional disturbances. 
 
 IX. WILL POWER. 
 
 Characteristics. Boys — % Girls — % 
 
 1. Strong, resolute and controlled 78 74 
 
 2. Weak 6 7 
 
 The girls make a better showing in will power than is usually 
 supposed and the weak-willed child does not appear as an 
 important factor in these returns. 
 
 X. INDIVIDUALITY AND CHARACTER. 
 
 Traits. 
 
 Good 
 
 1. Concentration ...^Fair.. 
 Poor . 
 
 Good. 
 
 Application \ Fair. . 
 
 Poor . 
 Good. 
 
 3. Endurance ^Falr.. 
 
 Poor . 
 
 Good . 
 
 4. Self-reliance { Fair.. 
 
 Poor . 
 
 Good. 
 
 .5. Confidence ^Fair.. 
 
 Poor . 
 
 Good. 
 6. Perseverance — \ Fair. . 
 
 Poor . 
 
 Good. 
 Mu.scular Control — { Fair. . 
 
 Poor . 
 
 ys— % 
 
 Ciirls — % 
 
 8 
 
 8 
 
 21 
 
 19 
 
 7 
 
 4 
 
 11 
 
 14 
 
 14 
 
 Ks 
 
 7 
 
 3 
 
 8 
 
 6 
 
 18 
 
 14 
 
 'Z 
 
 2 
 
 14 
 
 19 
 
 17 
 
 17 
 
 6 
 
 6 
 
 12 
 
 13 
 
 24 
 
 15 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
 13 
 
 9 
 
 15 
 
 14 
 
 6 
 
 5 
 
 15 
 
 14 
 
 13 
 
 16 
 
 4 
 
 3 
 
lO 
 
 These general qualities have value chiefly to the teacher in 
 immediate charge of the child observed. Muscular control, for 
 example, is one of the necessary qualities in will training and its 
 absence suggests to the teacher the need of specific training. 
 
 XI. STRENGTH OF MEMORY. 
 
 Degrees. Boys — % Girls — % 
 
 1. Retentive and ready 60 59 
 
 2. Verbal 15 12 
 
 3. W^eak 10 8 
 
 4. Very weak 3 2 
 
 Numerous studies have been made on the memory of school 
 children by Shaw, Hawkins. Kirkpatrick and others and with- 
 out an exception the memory power of the girls surpassed that 
 of the boys. More definite results might have been obtained by 
 age tabulations. Generally the memory continues to increase 
 in power until the thirteenth or fourteenth year. 
 
 XII. ACUTENESS OF REASONING. 
 
 Degrees. Boys — % Girls — % 
 
 1. Strong 43 32 
 
 2. Normal 38 26 
 
 3. Weak 8 16 
 
 4. Very weak 2 3 
 
 These results agree in the main with studies made by Monroe,^ 
 Barnes and Hancock on the reasoning power of school children. 
 The reasoning power of the boy seems more acute and develops 
 earlier than that of the girl. 
 
 XIII. VIVIDNESS OF IMAGINATION. 
 
 Degrees. Boys — % Girls— % 
 
 1. Vivid 14 17 
 
 2. Normal 27 38 
 
 3. Weak : 20 11 
 
 Here again the superior visualizing power of girls is in accord 
 with studies before made on the vividness of imagination. 
 
 XIV. OBSERVATION. 
 
 Boys — % Girls — % 
 
 Number who see objects and their parts quickly, 20 24 
 
 Number who contrast intelligently 13 15 
 
 Number who compare intelligently 13 13 
 
 Number who see beauty in an object 22 25 
 
 Number who see beauty in a thought 11 13 
 
 Number who see beauty in a sentence 11 14 
 
 Number who see beauty in a picture 29 31 
 
 Number who see the ideas in a picture 16 19 
 
 Number who see the pictures in a poem 16 18 
 
II 
 
 The perceptive power of the girls seems sHghtly superior to 
 that of the boys and they seem more advanced than the boys 
 in the development of the sesthetic sense. There is promise in 
 the fact that so man}- of both sexes see beauty in a picture. 
 Clearly the capacity to enjoy beauty is in the ascendency in our 
 schools. 
 
 XV. MANNERS. 
 
 , Boys— % Girls — % 
 
 Courteous 40 46 
 
 Refined 18 26 
 
 Gentle 23 32 
 
 Reserved H 1^ 
 
 Rude 13 5 
 
 Clownish, rowdyish and foppish T 3 
 
 The boys make a better showing than might have been 
 expected when it is recalled that the graces of manners and 
 deportment are more essentially instinctive and inherent in girls 
 than with boys. 
 
 XVI. MORALS AND HABITS. 
 
 Boys — % Girls — % 
 
 Truthful 53 59 
 
 Untruthful 9 8 
 
 Trustworthy 35 40 
 
 Dishonest 6 5 
 
 "Obedient 48 63 
 
 Disobedient • • • 6 4 
 
 Vicious, malicious and depraved 3 1 
 
 Punctual 40 42 
 
 Attentive 36 40 
 
 Inattentive 10 10 
 
 Lazy 9 5 
 
 Willful 8 6 
 
 While the boys make a less satisfactory showing than the 
 girls, the moral feelings of boys develop less rapidly than the 
 same feelings among girls. So large a proportion of the 
 teachers who made these observations were women, it seems not 
 unlikely that the moral standards were essentially feminine, in 
 which case the boys are placed at a disadvantage. 
 
 XVII. MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 Boys — % Girls — % 
 
 Energetic • 24 27 
 
 Timid fi 10 
 
 Courageous 20 16 
 
 Generous 24 26 
 
 Selfish 10 11 
 
 Hopeful 17 13 
 
12 
 
 Boys — % Girls — % 
 
 Despondent 8 3 
 
 Peaceable 25 22 
 
 Quarrelsome 9 5 
 
 Easily discouraged 9 7 
 
 Vain 3 4 
 
 Intense in hatred 2 2 
 
 Imitative 15 12 
 
 Original 8 8 
 
 Can make things with tools 13 8 
 
 Like muscular exercise 29 21 
 
 Much affected by what they term beautiful 8 14 
 
 XVIII. MOTIVES THAT INFLUENCE. 
 
 Honor 20 26 
 
 Love 24 29 
 
 Praise 26 26 
 
 Rewards 19 21 
 
 Desire to excel 24 26 
 
 Fear 9 4 
 
 XIX. HOW CONTROLLED. 
 
 Muscle 11 5 
 
 Will 18 19 
 
 Emotions 12 13 
 
 Self-control 13 19 
 
 XX. ARTICULATION AND PRONUNCIATION. 
 
 Pleasing 25 34 
 
 Accurate 14 31 
 
 Distinct 32 33 
 
 Inaccurate 13 12 
 
 Indistinct 11 7 
 
 Mumbling 6 5 
 
 Drawling 6 2 
 
 XXI. LANGUAGE WRITTEN AND SPOKEN. 
 
 Characteristic 11 H 
 
 Felicitous 5 6 
 
 Clear 21 25 
 
 Concise 5 7 
 
 Indefinite 4 4 
 
 Incorrect 12 10 
 
 XXII. PERCENTAGE OF STUDENTS PURSUING VARIOUS STUDIES. 
 
 Reading 90 90 
 
 Spelling 81 80 
 
 Writing 84 84 
 
 Drawing 52 47 
 
 Arithmetic 78 77 
 
 Language 60 59 
 
 Music 35 39 
 
 Geography 51 49 
 
 History 27 28 
 
 Nature studies 42 43 
 
13 
 
 It will be noted that reading and the language arts occupy the 
 commanding places in the schools reported in these statistics. It 
 is encouraging to note the attention given to drawing and music. 
 
 XXIII. FAVORITE STUDIES. 
 
 Boys — % Girls — % 
 
 Reading 27 30 
 
 Spelling 12 13 
 
 Writing 14 16 
 
 Drawing 12 12 
 
 Arithmetic 27 23 
 
 Language 10 11 
 
 Music 9 12 
 
 Geography 12 12 
 
 History 11 9 
 
 These preferences, it will be noted, represent the reactions of 
 the teachers rather than of the children. Still, it is important 
 to know, what studies the teachers think the favorites with 
 children. Professor Lefevre asked 37,000 French school 
 children to write the studies they liked best and the studies they 
 liked least (See Revue Pedagogique, Jan., 1900. Vol. 36, pp 
 4-26). He found the preferences of the boys as follows: (i) 
 History; (2) Arithmetic; (3) Drawing; (4) Reading; (5) 
 Spelling; (6) Geography; (7) Writing; (8) Grammar; (9) 
 Science. The preference of the girls were as follows : ( i ) 
 History; (2) Arithmetic; (3) Reading; (4) Geography; (5) 
 Spelling; (6) Drawing; (7) Writing; (8) Grammar; (9) 
 Science. 
 
 Miss Kate Stevens, the principal of a large school for girls in 
 the city of London, asked English girls to state their favorite les- 
 son, their hardest lesson and their easiest lesson. ( See Child Life, 
 July, 1899, Vol. I, pp 160-162). She found that the favorite 
 lessons, as stated by the girls themselves, were in the following 
 order: (i) Reading; (2) Geography; (3) Arithmetic: (4) 
 Writing; (5) Needlework; (6) Grammar; (7) Music; (8) 
 Scriptures. 
 
 XXIV. NO. WHO EXCEL IN DIFFERENT STUDIES. 
 
 Boys — % Girls — % 
 
 Reading 
 Spelling 
 
 18 24 
 
 24 29 
 
 Writing 1"^ -'^ 
 
 Drawing i" ■' 
 
 Arithmetic 21 20 
 
 Language H 12 
 
 Music ^ S 
 
 Geography 12 H 
 
 History 9 9 
 
 Nature studies 6 6 
 
14 
 
 Miss Stevens found that the lessons reported as easiest by- 
 London school girls were as follows : (i) Reading; (2) Writ- 
 ing; (3) Needlework; (4) Arithmetic; (5) Music; (6) 
 Geography. 
 
 XXV. NO. V^^HG ARE DEFICIENT IN DIFFERENT STUDIES. 
 
 Boys — % Girls — % 
 
 Reading 18 15 
 
 Spelling 18 14 
 
 Writing 16 11 
 
 Drawing 11 10 
 
 Arithmetic 14 7 
 
 Language 10 9 
 
 Music 11 7 
 
 Geography 8 7 
 
 History 5 5 
 
 Nature studies 4 5 
 
 Professor Lefevre found that the school studies liked least by 
 French children were as follows: (i) Arithmetic; (2) Geog- 
 raphy; (3) Drawing; (4) History; (5) Grammar; (6) Spelling. 
 
 Miss Stevens found that the most difficult studies for London 
 girls, as reported by the girls themselves, were: (i) Geog- 
 raphy; (2) Arithmetic; (3) Grammar; (4) Needlework; (5) 
 Spelling: (6) Reading; (7) Writing; (8) Music. 
 
 Dr. Ferdinand Kemsies, who tested Berlin school children 
 with the ergometer, found that the most fatigue producing 
 studies were as follows: (i) Gymnastics: (2 ) Arithmetic; (3) 
 Foreign language ; (4) Scriptures; (5) Grammar; (6) Science; 
 (7) Geography; (8) History; (9) Music; (10) Drawing, (See 
 Kemsies' Arbeitshygiene der Schule auf Grund von Ermued- 
 ungsmessungen. Berlin, 1898, pp 64). 
 
 XXVI. NUMBER WHO READ OUTSIDE OP TEXT-BOOKS. 
 
 Boys — % Girls — % 
 
 Excessively 5 7 
 
 Largely 7 g 
 
 Reasonable amount 23 26 
 
 Little 10 12 
 
 None , 14 n 
 
 Professor Lefevre found that 62 per cent of the boys and 70 
 per cent of the girls tested by him were regular readers of books 
 other than text-books. 
 
 Professor Bullock, who made observations on the use made 
 by school children in Colorado of the public and school libraries 
 at North Denver, Boulder and Colorado Springs, found that in 
 
15 
 
 Denver 92 per cent of the third grade children use the school 
 library and none the public libraries. In the fourth grade, 5 
 per cent use the public libraries and that percentage gradually 
 increases to 60 per cent in the twelfth grade, while the percentage 
 of those using the school library decreases to 12 per cent in the 
 twelfth grade (See his paper on "Observations on children's 
 readings" in the Proceedings of National Educational Associa- 
 tion for 1897, pp. 1015-1021). 
 
 XXVII. CHARACTER OP BOOKS READ. 
 
 Boys— % Girls— % 
 
 Standard 11 12 
 
 Helpful 19 25 
 
 Trashy and vicious 3 3 
 
 Professor Bullock also reports that the number of trashy and 
 vicious books read by Colorado children is comparatively small. 
 He found that the standard and healthful books w'ere furnished 
 ( I ) by the school library and ( 2 ) by the public library and that 
 the trashy and vicious books were supplied (i) by Sunday 
 School libraries and (2) by home libraries. 
 
 XXVIII. ATTITUDE TOWARD SCHOOL, AND 'WORK. 
 
 Boys — % Girls — % 
 
 Attached 32 41 
 
 Interested 47 55 
 
 Indifferent 15 9 
 
 Hostile 3 2 
 
 XXIX. SCHOLARSHIP. 
 
 Excellent '■ 19 2S 
 
 Good 35 37 
 
 Pair 19 18 
 
 Poor 8 5 
 
 Very poor 3 2 
 
 It would be interesting to know the divers standards of schol- 
 arship by which these children were tested. It is probable that 
 their power to explain events by referring them to their causes, 
 to discern the relations and qualities of objects and affirm these 
 relations in facts, or to see in particular facts the general facts 
 that the}^ include was not made the basis of these estimates. 
 Measured by such standards — the ability to think — as Monroe. 
 Hancock and Mrs. Barnes have shown — boys very generally 
 surpass girls. 
 
i6 
 
 On the other hand, the ability to retain and recall lessons, to 
 remember facts and recite the same with readiness — the memory- 
 power — as Shaw and Hawkins have shown — girls uniformly 
 surpass boys. 
 
 XXX. PARTICULAR TALENT. 
 
 Boys — % Girls — % 
 
 Special talent for some one thing- 14 14 
 
 Special talent for no one thing 10 11 
 
 Aptitude for several things 17 22 
 
 XXXI. DOMINANT INTERESTS. 
 
 Nature 19 20 
 
 Books 13 14 
 
 School work 13 12 
 
 Outside work 5 4 
 
 Recreation 9 6 
 
 Only six of the teachers reporting mentioned the favorite books 
 and songs of the children and but three the portions of arithmetic 
 found most difficult and least difficult. These topics are impor- 
 tant and it is to be regretted that sufficient data were not fur- 
 nished for tabulation. The information furnished concerning 
 the use made of memorial holidays was too meagre and indefinite 
 for collation. 
 
 On the whole, the returns suggest some interesting facts and, 
 for comparative purposes, at least, they have unmistakable edu- 
 cational value. They throw light also on certain defects which 
 the teachers themselves must remedy. 
 
 GENERAL COMMENTS AND QUERIES. 
 
 The percentages, in some cases, may not be understood by 
 persons who are not accustomed to these studies. It will be 
 noticed that under certain general heads the aggregate of the 
 percentages exceeds lOO, and that in others the sum is less than 
 100. In certain instances the same pupil is included in more 
 than one of the sub-titles and, in other cases, some pupils are not 
 estimated under any of the sub-titles used. 
 
 It is of interest to note that so many different nationalities are 
 so largely represented in our State. Most people, who think of 
 the matter at all, have the impression that our foreign population 
 is limited to immigrants from two European nations. That we 
 have so many Germans, Russians and Swedes shows that Maine 
 and its resources are beginning to appeal to the people of several 
 of the nations of Europe. 
 
17 
 
 The physical conditions which so largely mold our people are 
 responsible for the fine showing which the study reveals of the 
 physiques of our boys and girls, but there seems to be no good 
 reason for the boys leading the girls to the extent of lo per cent 
 in this particular. 
 
 The figures make clear the fact, already known to our educa- 
 tors, that while we have trained the hands and heads of our 
 children, we have not thought it necessary to give nurture to 
 their emotions. The per cent, under this item, exhibits a condi- 
 tion that calls for the thoughtful attention of teachers. We 
 shall some day learn, what we already ought to know, that the 
 feelings need culture quite as much as the intellect. 
 
 The figures on application and self-reliance are not encourag- 
 ing. They show that too much has been done for the child and 
 that he has been required to do too little for and by himself. 
 
 It is apparent that we do not furnish the child with reasonable 
 opportunities to develop his memory and the result is that many 
 of our children are deficient in this faculty. On the other hand 
 quite as large a per cent of our pupils show ability to reason as 
 should be expected. 
 
 The returns in relation to the imagination furnish a severe 
 criticism on the work of the common schools. This faculty is 
 most active in childhood. It is a well known law of pedagogy 
 that every power of the mind should receive its training during 
 the time of its greatest natural activity. That we need to give 
 careful study to this matter must be clear to any one who con- 
 siders these figures thoughtfully. 
 
 The record as to the manners of the children shows that there 
 is ample opportunity for improvement and it is hoped that this 
 testimony will result in greater attention to this subject. 
 
 Under the head of morals, habits and virtues, the returns indi- 
 cate that there is still much work for the teacher to do. It is 
 clear that if she is to render the service most needed by the chil- 
 dren she must be a though ful student and a sympathetic com- 
 panion. 
 
 Perhaps the most interesting item in this long list is the state- 
 ment that, in the judgment of the teachers, J^ per cent of the 
 boys and 54 per cent of the girls are possessed of more than 
 average intellectual ability. Other parts of the record are clear 
 upon the point that, in the matter of effort made and results 
 
i8 
 
 achieved, the girls lead the boys in percentages too large to be 
 pleasant reading. There must be some explanation for these 
 figures. Are girls more faithful and industrious than boys, or 
 have they a stronger sense of the necessity for being studious, 
 or are they capable of doing more and better work during the 
 childhood period, or are the boys indifferent because of 
 associations and the unwholesome spirit existing in so many 
 communities in relation to the value of the training given in 
 school for those who are to engage in certain occupations ? 
 
 These statistics bring the welcome assurance that art has an 
 influential place in our schools. The talks given at teachers' 
 meetings and the work done by the teachers in interpreting 
 reproductions of master pieces have borne fruit beyond the 
 fondest anticipations of those who have sought to interest our 
 people in this great branch of study. It is doubted if any other 
 record, equally encouraging, can be found in any other depart- 
 ment of school work. 
 
 It is gratifying to be assured that the work in Nature study 
 has produced such marked results in developing the powers of 
 observation of the children. 
 
 There is reason for being hopeful for our boys and girls when 
 so large a per cent of them are credited with being energetic. It 
 is possible that if a larger number were interested in physical 
 exercises the list would be still farther increased. 
 
 It is to be regretted that nine per cent of the boys and four 
 per cent of the girls have to be controlled by an appeal to their 
 fears. 
 
 Those who are interested in the future of these children would 
 be glad if more than twenty per cent of the boys and twenty-five 
 per cent of the girls excel in reading and were worthy of being 
 ranked as clear in their use of English. 
 
 Teachers and parents would do well to reduce, if possible, the 
 large percentage of both boys and girls who are classed as indif- 
 ferent in their attitude toward the school and school work. 
 
 It must be surprising to most persons to learn that fourteen 
 per cent of both boys and girls have special talent for some one 
 thing and that nineteen per cent of the boys and twenty-two per 
 cent of the girls show a talent for several lines of work or study. 
 
 When each school is provided with a library, then we shall 
 have more than thirteen per cent of the boys and fourteen ])er 
 cent of the girls who exhibit a marked interest in books. 
 
19 
 
 No one can study these figures without noticing that the girls 
 lead the boys in desirable qualities and that the boys more largely 
 rank the girls in particulars which reflect discredit upon school 
 children. The almost unanimous testimony of teachers on these 
 items makes pertinent the following queries : 
 
 First : Do the figures fairly represent the facts ? 
 
 Second : Are boys less interested in school work than girls 
 because they are in so few instances taught by men? 
 
 Third : Do women judge boys fairly? 
 
 Fourth : Do boys develop more slowly than girls and are they 
 less willing to work ? 
 
 Fifth : Are our courses of study better adapted to the needs 
 )f girls than to the necessities of boys ? 
 
 Sixth : Are girls more industrious than boys because they 
 are told so frequently they are not as brainy as boys? 
 
 Seventh : Have athletics had anything to do with lessening 
 the interest of boys in school work? 
 
 Eighth : Is the instruction more attractive to girls than to 
 boys? 
 
 Ninth : Should not parents, school officials and teachers make 
 a careful study of these figures for the purpose of determining 
 what changes are needed in school administration, teaching 
 force, subjects of study and methods of instruction? 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
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