of parents with children. We forget the natural trend of their lives in play. It is business with them. My little girl does not see the airplanes flying over her head, for she is building a wonderful bridge and a castle in the sand. Some day she will be interested in the airplanes, but now she is too busy, for she is building wondrous houses. When I get to be REAL old, I do not want the boys and the dogs to cross to the other side of the street when they see me coming. I want them to tag around after me. I like to have a boy jerk my coat tail and say, “I know you."

If fathers were doing the things that should be done for their boys, they would have no use for professional leaders. I know a preacher whose hands are soft and white. One day soon now, he is going out on the back lot to play ball with his son That boy will wind up like a Ford and then whistle that ball through to his father. When it hits those soft white hands, they are going to be covered with bruises and stings. It will ruin one perfectly good pair of preacher's hands, but it will save one perfectly good boy. And the boy will say, "He may be a preacher, but he is a regular guy." It is fine to see a close fellowship between a mother and daughter, but a finer picture to me than that is to see a boy and his dad with linked arms going down the street, regular old pals.

The conference reconvened in the afternoon, after intermission and proceeded with Member Butler in the chair.

Member Butler: At the last meeting, we discussed the subject of a supervising engineer for all institutions. I took the matter up with the Iowa State College at Ames, as we would not be able to pay a salary for this work. I have discussed the matter with them and find that they have on their staff, a man, Mr. Holbrook, whose business it is to go around over the state looking after private plants, talking with engineers and heating plant men. We succeeded in making arrangements with Ames to get the services of Mr. Holbrook. Of course, this does not cost anything except some expense that Mr. Holbrook may have, to get to the institutions.

As I understand the proposition, Mr. Holbrook's route is laid out in advance for quite a while, and as he goes near an institution in his work, he is supposed to go to the institution and

look over the plant thoroughly, and then make a report. Probably this report should be made to the superintendent, and a copy sent to the board. Each institution would be expected to pay his expenses from the point where he left his regular route, to the institution, and also take care of his expenses while at the institution. This will not amount to much and we think his services will be quite valuable. So many questions come up in connection with the heating plants, it seems to be quite important to have a man of that kind.

We wanted to announce it now so you may say to the people in charge of your plants, that this arrangement has been made so that they will know when Mr. Holbrook appears that he is there in the interest of the state and by authority of the board, and to see that he is given all the assistance necessary to do his work properly. If there are any remarks or questions on that subject, we would be glad to hear them.

AN INSTITUTIONAL PROGRAM FOR ADVANCEMENT OF RETARDED CHILDREN.

Member Bulter: The first paper this afternoon is one entitled "An Institutional Program for the Advancement of Retarded Children," by F. T. Vasey, superintendent of schools at Mason City, Iowa.

The paper will be found on page 111.

Mr. Vasey: I appear before you with the consciousness that my work has been wholly with children in the public schools. In the past eighteen years my work has been a very interesting study. A large part of my training has been given over to the study of children, directly and specifically. I have followed quite closely the changes which have taken place in the conceptions of the growth of children's minds. Whether we are working with children in state institutions or in the public school class room, after all, they are the same children. In the public schools we have all the children before they get into state institutions. The problems we face might be termed largerly those of prevention.

I shall use a term in my paper which I have not explained, that of the "mental level" of the child; but I presume you are all familiar with the term. The term has come into the field

of psychology lately and expresses a great truth. I believe the correct point of view of the potential powers of children is the one designated as the "mental level." Anyone who has had opportunity to work with children cannot help but be impressed very deeply with the wide differences that exist in children. I am confident that those differences are greater than we are willing to admit today. Differences that are much broader than our institutions recognize. This is the point of view that I have taken throughout my paper.

Member Butler: Superintendent Mogridge and Superintendent Voldeng are to elaborate on this theme.

Superintendent Mogridge: The paper is so full of matter. that it is beyond discussion in all of its parts.

Particular reference has been made to "retarded children," backward children, delinquents, feebleminded, etc. There are a number here who are connected with some phase of this work -mine has to do with that class called feebleminded. There riust be a good many such for in practically all discussions during the proceedings of these conferences, the feebleminded are usually referred to.

I often wonder what the average conception of a feebleminded child is. Whether it is a condition so patent that everybody distinguishes the flaw on a cursory glance. It is not necessary that a child should be so idiotic that it cannot learn anything simply a baby, to be classed as feebleminded. We have many terms-feebleminded, idiotic, imbecile, moron, mentally weak, retarded, backward, etc. I like to think in terms which in a measure indicate a condition. I know that I am dealing with feebleminded children. I do not want to have them spoken of as backward or retarded children so far as the children in the institution at Glenwood are concerned. I know that every child there is feebleminded.

It is possible to one who is unfamiliar with this class, seeing a child doing some certain thing-playing in the orchestra, calisthenic work, etc, to say that the child does not look to be feebleminded. Good people-lawyers, ministers, people in publie life, frequently say, "Is that child feebleminded? What is the matter with him, or her?" The feebleminded condition covers a very wide range and it is difficult to get all people to

understand where these deficiencies arise and what they are. It has always seemed to me that a reasonably intelligent mother could make a diagnosis of feeblemindedness in her child as well as a psychologist. I know that the ordinary mother will not admit that a child is feebleminded unless it really and truly is so. So in the work in which I am engaged, I very seldom hesitate to take the evidence and conclusion of the mother when she states that "the child is different from an ordinary child and does not possess the same mental ability that a child of its age should have.” I do not recall a single case where the mother has been mistaken. After the child has been at our institution and has been tested, we find that the mother's conclusion is correct.

Statistical figures are sometimes a little misleading. I would not have any one go away from this meeting thinking that forty per cent of the public school children are feebleminded. I think Mr. Vasey said that forty per cent of the public school children are retarded. I would not have any one think that that refers to feeblemindedness-that is not true. I think Mr. Vasey will explain that.

I do not know the percentage but figures are rather dangerous to quote. We do not have actual statistics as to feeblemindedness and cannot say that a certain definite percentage are feebleminded because there are many children who are not in the schools, and never will get into the schools-imbeciles and idoits of the lower types. It has been estimated all the way from eight per cent down to three per cent of the population is feebleminded. I am rather hesitant about thinking in such figures.

There are many points in the paper that are suggestive. I do not know how it would be possible to establish a hospital such as Mr. Vasey mentions, a "vestibule hospital" where doubtful cases could be taken up and studied. In a state as large as Iowa with two and half millions of people, if forty per cent of the population of the schools present problems, I do not know how it would be possible to establish and maintain a hospital to pass such an enormous number of children through in order to determine their mental capacity. Ohio was mentioned as having such a hospital. I believe Dr. Goddard is con

nected with that work, but it has a very limited capacity, possibly fifty or sixty, and is the only one in the state.

I like the idea of a psychologist connected with the school systems in the larger centers. Dr. Orton of the psychopathic hospital at Iowa City has suggested psychological clinics to go out from his hospital, visiting the larger centers, consulting with superintendents of schools and others, and having certain cases brought to the clinics.

After all, it would be difficult under any plan to cover the great bulk of the state, psychologically. It would be almost impossible to do that.

Notwithstanding the fact as stated that in laboring classes in a certain city, in five per cent the IQ was below seventy per cent, I do not think you will get any more retardation in the cities than you will in the rural communities in ratio to population. Our records at Glenwood show that we receive children from all parts of the state about in proportion to ratio to the population. It is true that we get from the larger centers a large number of children, but any excess can be explained by juvenile courts, truant officers, special schools, etc, and then into these larger centers pour many of the degenerate types from all the state. The rural communities are rather clear of the hangers-on of society. To the city come these hangers-on, people who like to live in a poor environment. But I do not think there is any particular disadvantage in being born in a city to being born. in the country; that is, with reference to feeblemindedness.

I do not know that I can agree entirely, and perhaps I ought, that if poor mental development, then there is poor physical development. This might be true in some cases but not in every case. The mental development and physical development do not run hand in hand, and good mental development does not always mean a good physical development.

I sometimes wonder what there is about all we hear of the malnutrition and under-development of children. Are the statistics we get definite and correct? Is it a fact that ten, fifteen, or twenty per cent of children are suffering from malnutrition? The school nurse, Red Cross workers, are active and call our attention to such cases. I sometimes wonder whether we do not overlook the fact that there are idiosyncracies in individuals; that there is an individualism of individuals.