mental than even on the physical nature of man. This effect is much greater on girls than on boys.

In comparing graded reaction with discrimination and choice, it is found that the bright and dull act with the same rapidity between 11 and 12, just before puberty, but after that age the dull are much slower than the bright. By a general comparison it seems that all children are of about equal ability at age 11.

In general, the brighter the child the more accurate his sense of time.

In comparing results with Bowditch, of Boston, and Peckham, of Milwaukee, New Haven children are shown to be the heaviest and the tallest. This may be due to the small proportion of foreigners included in the results, for Bowditch has shown that American-born children are taller and heavier than foreign-born children. There is agreement as to the relation of growth of different ages.

KANSAS CITY, Mo., SCHOOL Children.

Superintendent J. M. Greenwood, of the Kansas City schools, finds that girls, especially those in the high school, learn more rapidly than boys; they stand usually much higher in their classes. He thinks this is due to the fact that girls cease to grow more rapidly at an earlier age than boys, and their systems have attained, as it were, a higher degree of solidity than the boys of corresponding age.

In the tables above the pupils were measured with shoes off and weighed without

their wraps.

The results in Greenwood's table show that at 10 there is a little difference between the height and weight of boys, but between 11 and 12 the girls grow more rapidly than boys, usually till 14 or 15, and then the boys go ahead again.

Greenwood says that from an educational point of view there are periods in a child's life when growth is greatest. At these times the vital functions are the most active in making accumulations for the future wants of the body; at this time the educational stress upon the system should be the least possible. Here, owing to superabundance of inertia, both teacher and parent are most likely to find fault. Excessive study, overstrain, late hours, loss of sleep, may destroy the most vigorous constitutions or sow the seeds of weakness throughout life.

GROWTH OF UNITED STATES NAVAL CADETS,

Dr. Beyer, in his study of the growth of United States naval cadets, makes the following observations (see table below):

From the great preponderance of blue eyes and light brown hair in the naval cadets it is safe to consider the great majority of them as belonging to the Teutonic

races.

The fact that cadets come from all parts of the United States gives to the measurements a more national character. A large percentage of the measurements were continued from year to year.

An examination of the tables shows:

Weight. There is an almost steady increase from the fifteenth to the twenty-third year, amounting in all to 37 pounds, the annual increase declining as age advances. Height.-The greatest increase in height is between 15 and 16 years of age, after which the annual increase rapidly declines, growth being distinctly retarded at about 18; then another marked increase occurs, which closes at 21; a third increase leads to final growth.

Sitting height.-Increase in sitting height comes to a close at 19 years of age.

Circumference of chest.-This becomes highest at 17, which it attains at rapidly advancing rates; after 19 it is steadily advancing, but only by small fractions of an inch.

Lung capacity.-It reaches its maximum at 19 and continues steady or varies only slightly.

Waist. Here there is a continued increase up to 23, remaining, however, stationary from 19 to 21, and after this it increases most rapidly.

Span of arms.-Its greatest increase is between 15 and 16, then it increases slowly but steadily until the twenty-third year.

Vision. It is significant that both right and left vision show a positive increase up to the nineteenth and twentieth years. This fact seems important, in apparently demonstrating that the course of study at the Naval School and the strain upon the eyes does not in itself diminish the degree of distance vision in an otherwise normal eye, but that on the contrary it is advantageous in slightly increasing the visual range. Beyer thinks that the slight decrease in distance vision at 23 would indicate that the requirements of those at sea result in undue strain.

Hearing. This is affected quite perceptibly, but in a contrary direction from sight. There is a gradual but steady decrease for both ears, which the occupation of naval cadets would lead one to expect.

Beyer agrees with Bowditch that the period of accelerated growth is prepubertal in time. Beyer thinks it natural that the fullest maturity should be followed by a period of retarded growth, which is shown in his figures for annual growth.

Tall boys are much more likely to have completed their growth at an earlier age than short boys. Also short boys not only grow more rapidly and more extensively than tall boys, but also continue to grow up to a later age than tall boys, who complete their development in height first.

Height once attained is not so easily lost, but weight and strength are easily lost as well as quickly regained. It would seem also that the ratio between growth in height and chest girth is different for short boys from that for tall boys.

TABLE NO. 13.—Measurements of United States naval cadets (Beyer), giving averages.

Table No. 14 gives data collected by Kline to ascertain whether the physical condition of truants will account for their truancy. The results from this and other tables show that the mean heights, weights, and girths of chest of the truants are less than those of the public-school boys in every instance except at age 10, when they are equal in weight and height. The public-school boys gained more in height and less in weight than the truants.

TABLE NO. 14.—Growth of chest and ratio of weight to chest of Worcester public-school boys and truant schoolboys.

TABLE NO. 15.-Average mean weights and heights (in slippers), rate of increase, etc., of public-school boys of Worcester, Mass., and truant schoolboys of Massachusetts.

MEASUREMENTS OF PAIN ON CHILDREN IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS, ETC.1

The following tables (I-VIII) give in grams the average least sensibility to pain (by pressure) on the temples. The measurements were made under the direction of the author.2

TABLE I.—Measurements of all persons (girls and women) of every division, arranged according to ages. Whole number, 899.

A paper read by the author before the American Psychological Association, December 30, 1898. See Psych. Rev., March, 1899.

The algometer used is described on page 1155.