ENCOURAGING GENIUS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 3147, 11 December 1922, Page 8

ENCOURAGING GENIUS.

In some schools individual tuition is now helping in a small degree to foster the requirements of supernormal pupils, says Dlajor-General Sir Patrick Hchir in a Nineteenth Century article on “The Guest of the Embryonic Genius.” But it does not meet the needs adequately. With fears for health, some parents retard the higher education of their bright and clever “precocious” children, and so rob them of the very incentive required to bring out their mental powers. The result is failure to maintain the reputation of an earlier age. Supernormal children arc likely to lie quite as healthy as ordinary children. Goddard, however, differentiates between thoroughly healthy, genuinely gifted children and those in whom exceptional brilliance is associated wdli nervousness. He indicates that the latter need much care.

The British nation hats been given a high proportion erf the real geniuses ol the world. In the experimental tests of the 1.700.000 recruits raised' for the Great War in the United States England was on top of the list, showing a superiority of intelligence in 10.7 |>or cent., as compared with Scotland 13. and Germany 8.3. Norway and Ireland, ad do Sir Patrick Hehir, were equal with 4.1. Poland was a bad last with 0.0. The table showing inferiority of intelligence also speaks highly for the British race. England was highest in the racial list with only 8.7 per cent., Scotland was fourth with 13.6. Italy had 63.4. and Poland 09.9.

The wise educator of supernormal children in secondary schools will note the special leanings of his pupils, and ho will guide their talents along those channels. Milton, to bring out special talents in his pupils, “would try nil their peculiar gifts of nature, and if there were any secret excellence among them, would fetch it out and give it fair opportunities to advance itself by, which could not hut mightily redound to the good of the nation.” “It seems to me to he advisable.” says Sir Patrick Hehir, “to provide special classes' for supernormal pupils in ordinary schools; some who seriously consider the question might even he disposed to say special schools. It may he thought that Ibis would tend to engender conceit in those gifted ones, but so far as it has been attempted this has not been the case.” The supernormal should he diagnosed as early as possible, classed separately from the normal and subnormal, and given as much attention as is now given to subnormal children. Mistakes would he made. hut. oven 1 per cent, or less of genius would he an invaluable assets to the nation.

Huxley lias said that “A small percentage of the population is horn with that most excellent quality a desire for excellence, or with special aptitudes of some sort or another. It is most important to catch these exceptional people and turn them to account for the good of the nation. If the. nation could purchase a potential Watt or Faraday at a cost of C 100.000 down, he would he dirt cheap at the money.” The brain must not he driven under too high and continuous pressure: there must ho rest periods. Often in these “the mind works in secret in bringing to perfection the ideas ami images received by it. with or without the knowledge ol consciousness.”