EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

Hokitika Guardian, 27 March 1926, Page 4

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

GREAT EXPERIMENTS

(By RAY. in the Sydney “Herald.”)

Although the progress of civilisation depends upon the man ot brains the leader—very little thought has , been given to the conditions which produce him. How often have we heard that, given equal opportunity, there would be very little difference between the powers of men. How many of the schemes for regenerating society rest upon the fallacious notion that all that is needed is equality of opportunity, equality in education, more equitable distribution of wealth and leisure, and the most dull and stupid men nccomc wise and efficient. ALodern scientific investigation proves inoontestibly that this is the gospel of fools. .Many recent experiments have completely exploded this absurdity, and one ol the most notable conducted by Professor Thorndvke. of Columbia University, establishes the astounding difference is not only original brain power but the influence of that original ! brain power upon practical success in , life.

Professor Thorndvke selected a group of persons who could solve a certain arithmetical problem in 15 minutes, and another group who could solve twice as many ol the same problems in the same time. lie then gave both groups an equal amount of practice. The outstanding result of this experiment was that the slow group advanced a little, the fast group advanced much, demonstrating that the actual result of equal opportunity was that the last group were further ahead of the slow ones than ever.

The deduction to be drawn from this experiment is that, even though "<• equalise opportunity, we do not lessen t'ne gulf between the brilliant and the dull. Democracy should give all men equal rights and equal opportunity, but it cannot give them, equal brain power. Education, social opportunity, can only give a man the chance of his inborn powers. Education and opportunity will give him the opportunity nl maximum development, but no system of equalising education or a more equitable form of wealth distribution can put brains where they are not. lAI PORTAXCE OF FAMILY HISTORY.

Dull people learn slowly and rise slowly to low positions. Brainy people learn rapidly and rise rapidly to high positions. No system can, or ever will, devise a means of changing the relative positions of men. The dull will always lag behind, the capable will always forge ahead. The really notable discovery of modern phyeholugy is that the possession of brain power is not an accident or a mystery, but is closely associated with family history. li has been exclusively demonstrated that some strains, some families, produce many children of a high order of intelligence, while others do not produce a hrainy child in a century. There is a reason ; and it is this reason which it is our business to find out and so to apply that we foster real human superiority.

No doubt our readers are acquainted with families of which some members are endowed with will power, energy, decision of character and brains, while others are lazy, reckless, shiftless and stupid. If we follow the family free, wo will find the reason for this. Probable research will show that the ances-

try was a mixed one. one brunch being menially, probably physically, inferior, some of the children inheriting the high mental ability and strong will power of one strain, while their brothers and sisters inherit the weaknesses of the inferior strain.

\Ye have frequently heard it remarked that great men rarely produce great sons. Now the inference is that brains do not produce brains, but the contrary appears to be the fact. AYe are slowly but surely learning that llm apple, does not fall lar from the tree.

and that tigs do not produce thistles. .Men of science now declare that the children of great men arc nearly always remarkable, providing that the father married a woman of mental power, eleven a commonplace uneducated woman of great ancestry. It certainly comes

:is it surprise to many of us to leant that about half the great men and women of the world are either sprung from great parents, great ancestry, or have left great descendants. Jt is also significant to learn that the remaining half of the great ones of history are spiting from parents and ancestors of sound Character and ability. It is true their ancestors were not

always famous, bill they were energetic. decisive, capable —in a word, they had brains. We might he reflecting upon the many famous men whose fathers occupied a lowly position right through life—-perhaps a carpenter, or a bootmaker; hut as we have been recently reminded, in the period before this machine age .snelt men were usually skilled craftsmen of extraordinary capacity and sound character, so that they might be classified as men of brains, whose famous soils inherited richly from them, and to whom favourable environment and opportunity brought full expression and fruition. ANCESTRY OK THE FAMOUS.

Again, it is a striking fact flint onetenth of one per cent, of the world’s popaulation. it is claimed, have been responsible for producing one half of all the famous men and women who have lived during recorded history, and it has taken all the countless millions of average men to produce flic other half of the famous men and women of history.

According to an eminent psychologist. among ordinary people, on an average, only one out of -1000 becomes eminent, 'and then among famous people one out of every eight persons readies distinction. Think what this would mean to two nations who were in competition; In one, one citizen in 4000 only became a leader : in the other one in eight developed the qualities of leadership upon which thousands oi average men are dependent for their expression. This would mean that one nation would completely outstrip the other in its standard of civilisation, in character, in the arts, the sciences and industry.

The lesson to he drawn from these facts is that we should prevent the. propagation of degenerate human stocks hy which we preduce degenerate and inferior strains, and promote the propagation oil our intelligent and virile strains by which, and only by which, the increase of brain power and character in our citizens can he ensured.

Without the foundation of good heredity we can build nothing because there is nothing to build on. But with good heredity we can build anything because we have the foundation of native-born energy and intelligence, whit'll is character. The blood line and the brain line run paralleled. Let ns improve the blood line and increase the brain line. •