AMBIDEXTERITY
Sir,—Your correspondent "A.8.C." raises a most interesting point iu ask-
ing why our children are not taught ill school to lie ambidexterous, 'i'ho advantages of being able to uso both hands equally well appear at first sight to bo so obvious that the school may well bo asked to make good its case for _ righthandedness. So far as tho school is cuneerncd, the following is our general scheme:—For the first school years tho child is given a a much manual work as possible, and lie is encouraged in every way tc. use both hands. So far, then, everything is in favour of ambidexterous : training,'but civilisation demands'the ac- • quirement of many extremely complicated habits requiring years oi' training and tho use of the most delicate muscles. Writing is a case in point. To ncqmro the requisite skill,with both hands would involve a greater expenditure of" timo nnd human energy than the spccial skill warrants odi ctaionally, so wo concentraTO our training on one hand. Another interesting phase of this question is the close association of the brant areas controlling speech, and those con- _ 'trolling the movements of the hands.; The connection is so intimate that u, our theory of specialisation is true, there. is cause for believing that ambidexterity might not only lower the standard. of specialised manual skill, but at tho; same time affect vocal skill. Experience has proved the unwisdom of comnelling achilil who has acquired cither t.h? right or ltfl-handed habit to alter it arbitrarily. The advantages' of ambidexterity ■in cases of the loss of the-right arm h? r '"£ justify the alteration of. an established condition of things.—l am, etc., J. S. TENNANT.[The above btter has been abridged owing to tho shortage of space. LdJtor.J
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Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 148, 18 March 1920, Page 8
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288AMBIDEXTERITY Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 148, 18 March 1920, Page 8
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