The two chief reasons why the mental condition of the people of the United States is not higher are a poor inheritance and poor health. Training does not enter into the matter, for we are now talking merely of people's capacity to receive training. Geographically the question of inheritance turns on the differing capacities and birthrates of people from various countries. In the following table the numbers represent the I.Q. or " intelligence quotient " of school children in a typical American city. A high figure means a high degree of mental ability. Anyone with an intelligence quotient above 100 may be counted as a valuable asset to society and to business. If the quotient is below 100, something is wrong. The person might be highly valuable, if poor health, malnutrition or some preventable cause were not responsible for his mental weakness. But society would be much better off if the cause could be discovered and removed.
1. Children of professional classes 125 2. Children of semi-professional and business people 118 3. Children of skilled laborers 107 4. Children of semi-skilled and unskilled laborers 92 Among these four groups the first two are largely the descendants of North European ancestors. Among such people the families are small, averaging only two or three children. The third group, though largely of North European origin, is derived partly from southern and eastern Europe. Its families have on an average perhaps three or four, children. The fourth group is descended largely from relatively recent immigrants from southern and eastern Europe. Its families average perhaps five or six children. Even when allowance is made for the lower deathrate of the higher groups, many people think that the number of people in the United States with high ability is actually diminishing, while the number with low intelligence is increasing rapidly. Fortunately, this is a relatively new tendency and can be checked, but if it continues several generations the United States may retrograde in business and in all lines where high mentality is required.
This same dangerous tendency is illustrated by the intelligence quotients of the different races in an American city.
• 1. Americans 106 4. Portuguese 84 2. North Europeans... 105 5. Colored 82 3. Italians 84 6. Spanish 78 The matter may be put in still another way. The United States Army tests divided the soldiers into five grades: A, very superior; B, superior; C, average; D, inferior, and E, deficient. The percentages in these grades among some of the various races making up the popula tion of the United States were as follows: These tables do not mean that all Spaniards, Poles, Portuguese, Italians, and people from Russia, for example, are of low intelligence and inferior value. They merely mean that recently the immigrants
from those countries have included only a few of the best citizens and many who were not particularly successful or useful at home. By bringing slaves from Africa our ancestors doubtless added to our population a few persons of high ability, but they certainly added a great number whose average mental capacity differs from that of the average white American about as much as the ordinary unskilled laborer differs from the average clerk, or as the clerk differs from the physician or lawyer. Such people lower our standards as a nation, and if they have large families they have a tendency to retard civilization and may cause a collapse. Of course some members of every race are highly valuable. Many colored men, as well as the better people of Spain, Italy and other countries, are much more valuable than the average white American. If a person of any race has reached the point where he can read and understand a book like this, he has almost certainly inherited much more than the average ability, and his descend ants are likely to be much more intelligent and valuable than the average person no matter what his race. The world's greatest effort should be to increase the number of such people in proportion to those who are stupid and inefficient. Nothing will insure the stability and prosperity of a business like having a force composed of people whose mental inheritance is of high quality.
The Races of the United chief races which make up the American people today are (1) Nordic, (2) Mediterranean, (3) Alpine, (4) Jewish, and (5) Negro. In each race the differences between the best and the worst individuals are enormously greater than between the races, when all the members of the race are averaged together. Moreover, the three European races, Nordic, Mediterranean, and Alpine, are so mixed even in Europe that truly typical examples are far less common than are persons who combine the physical and mental qualities of several races. Nevertheless it is worth while to try to describe a few of the main qualities of each. Pure-blooded examples of Jews and Negroes, on the other hand, are so numerous that the keen, persistent, economical and businesslike qualities of the Jews and the good-natured, indolent, unthrifty, and unbusinesslike habits of the Negroes are well known. Yet even in those races much mixture has taken place. In the northern states, for example, pure-blooded Negroes are rarely seen.