Summarized Proceedings and a Directory of Members (56-57)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1908 Excerpt: ... let any dogma of laissez faire prevent us from checking suicidal ignorance. The world consists of two classes--the educated and the ignorant--and it is essential for progress that the former should be allowed to dominate the latter. But once we admit that it is proper for the instructed classes to give tuition to the uninstructed, we begin to see an almost boundless vista for possible human betterment. Instead of regarding the present state of society as a normal and desirable one because each man naturally seeks his own best interests, we permit ourselves to judge each actual case by our own ideal standard. This standard may differ widely from the average of actual usage. We must always distinguish between the ideal or normal, and the real or avera9e. The average represents merely conditions as they are; the normal represents conditions as they ought to be. Yet nothing is more common than confusing the two. In fact, in most anthropometric or physiologic tables, the word normal is used almost synonymously with average. The normal height of man, his normal weight, his normal length of life, his normal diet, strength, etc., are all identified with the average. In this way all question of possible improvement is begged. We are stopped at the outset from asking, for instance, whether men in general are too stout, for the average weight of mankind is assumed as normal. The absurdity of such procedure becomes apparent as soon as we consider cases in which, by common consent, the average and the normal are held to be distinct. For instance, the average adult man certainly does not have normal teeth, for they are usually half decayed; nor normal hair, for he is usually half bald; nor normal posture, for he is usually round-shouldered. Average health is below...