Gordon, H.—“Left-Handedness and Mirror Writing, Especially among Defective Children”; Brain, 1921.
Gowin, E. B.—The Executive and His Control of Men; The Macmillan Co., New York, 1915.
Stenquist, J. L.—Stenquist Assembling Tests of General Mechanical Ability; Board of Education, New York, 1921.
Taussig, F. W.—Inventors and Money Makers; The Macmillan Co., New York, 1895.
Thorndike, E. L.—“Intelligence and Its Uses”; Harper’s Magazine, 1920.
CHAPTER X
Individuality and Education
I. THE VALUES OF INDIVIDUALITY
If we try to imagine what the world would be like if there were absolute uniformity among human beings, we realize anew the precious worth of individuality. It is marvelous that each one of us is unique. In all the generations there has never been another just like anyone, and there will never be exactly his like again. Each is, strictly speaking, irreplaceable.
By this inexhaustible diversity of mind and body life is faceted, and gives off sparkle instead of dullness. So far from being irritated by the idiosyncracies of our fellows, we ought to cherish their variety as a thing that makes life worth living. Instead of striving to force all children to learn the same things, at the same time, in the same way, because that would be cheap and convenient, we ought to foster individuality in its socially valuable aspects, so that the charm of human contact may be increased. To the connoisseur of human nature, the suggestion that all children be reduced to similarity is as dreadful as the suggestion to the connoisseur of art that all pictures and intaglios be turned out identical, by a uniform factory process.
Nor is the value of individuality limited to the æsthetics of personality, and to social intercourse. The economic peculiarities of the world, as we have it, permit the exercise of abilities in great variety. Organized society needs and will use capacity of all degrees, from that of a man who can load sand on a carrier, and be satisfied thereby, to that of the man who can with satisfaction work out a new theory of inflammation, or construct a drama to interpret existence anew.