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That is in fact all that modest and critical psychologists claim for the tests. But, unfortunately, the modest and critical, on whom the future development of tests depends, have remained in the background, while their rasher colleagues have offered to the public a yellow science. The headline professors, be it said, to the dismay and chagrin of the true scientists in this field, have succeeded for the moment in producing something like a panic, using misleading statistics to destroy confidence in the value and possibilities of education.

There is no reason to lose confidence. The facts point with compelling force to the conclusion that where there are good schools, opportunity, health, and wealth, there also will be found greater ability as measured by the intelligence tests. When the average position for each of forty-one States is found, says Mr. Alexander, from the rankings for per cent. of urban population, ownership of farms, average wage for farm labor, literacy and Ayres' school indices and the correlation of this combined rank-order is made with the alpha army tests, the resulting coefficient is 89 out of a possible 100.

That is plenty high enough to justify us in repudiating the dogmatism of those who preach the predestined incapacity of an overwhelming majority of the nation. Even by their own measuring scale education works. There is, then, no slightest reason for losing faith in the one human activity which amidst all the bewilderment of these times gives the most certain promise of a better world.

That promise would fail if among teachers, parents, children, and taxpayers the doctrine took root that every child is earmarked at birth for a certain predestined niche in the scale of intelligence. That is a doctrine as yet without scientific foundation, which can produce nothing but discredit for psychology, fatalism and paralysis in the schools, injustice in society, and unnecessary despair or unwarranted conceit among the persons who are tested.