Disquisition by Scripps, E.W., Criticism of F. B. Sumner's and. H. H. Collins'' "A proposed method of ascertaiining the relative potency of 'nature' and 'nurture' in determining differences in the dharacter and ability of men.", April 18, 1919

              ORITICISM of F. B. StlMl.'JER'S and. H. H. COLLIE'S'
itA Proposed Method of Asoerta.ining the Relative Potencyof'
'lfat'nre' and 'Nurture' in Determining Differences in the
Character and Ability of Men."
Perhaps there are no exceptions to the fashion now prevailing in our publio
institutions -- schoO~st asylums, etc. -- of pseudo-scientific child study.
Therefore, an investigation of an orpna.n asyluw. would. l.'UiWe to be made not
only lmder the cLirection of an investigator., but a.ctuallyby the investigator him­self.
From the management of such an institution do'WIl, all the persons oonneated
\vith it woulG. have -biases one way or another.
The investigation of c.l.lilciren who had. ooen in an o~ for two or three
years might result in consic:.i.erable material being oollected that would. De at most
barely sig.m.:t'ioant. Take three orJjhans, for instance, who, at the time of' tha
death of their parents, were one, three and five years old. The enviro:o:mental
ef:t'ect upon each of' these chiJ.u.ren prior to entering the ol'}?ha:nage would have been
so great as to lnake a C()!I;pa.riscnl with them aJ.most useless.
For exa.:ITY?le!t again, take two chil6ren whose orpllaJla.ge had taJ.ren place in
their second. and 'lihird j1eQ', respectively. There might be and. pro-nably would. be
sUfficient a.ifference in their former enviro:oment to entirely offset the effect
of two or three ~ars' msti tutio:nal training.
Then too, as a rule, the investigation of orpJlanage children would. only <00
little more useful in the way of' results than the investigation of children in
institutions for defeotives. In a large and. general limy, orpllan chiluren wilope­come
inmates o£ &ll orpl:l.a.nage all belong to the Sa.l:OO class. Generally speaJring,
the condition of orphanage is the result of' :physioal O'r mental det'ec"tiveness of
pat"ents. The fact that the children are candiClates for the orph.anag;e also indi­Gates
a low stana.ard of _ the families of one or <both parents.
1.66
Ohio University Libraries, E.W. Scripps Papers, MSS 117, Series 4, http://bit.ly/scripps_mss117