| Show Never Too Old to Learn ; Interest Is Vital Element ElementIn In his office in m an obscure corner cornerof cornerof cornerof of the winding wIndmg old buildings of ofTeachers ofTeachers ofTeachers Teachers college Columbia Columbta unlver univer unlversUy university university sUy sity Prof Prot . . . Edward L Thorndikehas ThorndIke ThorndIkehas Thorndikehas has been busy making makmg Important ImportantdiscoverIes importantdiscoveries importantdiscoveries discoverIes about those moot years yearsafter yearsafter yearsafter after forty His experiments in the thefield thefield thefield field of adult learning and educa educatlon education education tlon tion have pinned pmned orchids orcluds on mIddle mIddleage middleage middleage age writes Constance J Foster m in mGood inGood inGood Good HousekeepIngProfessor HousekeepingProfessor Housekeeping HousekeepingProfessor Professor Thorndike Thornlike devised a se serIes series senes rIes of experiments to discover just justhow justhow justhow how dull grandma really is His HisconclusIOns Hisconclusions Hisconclusions conclusIOns are startling startlmg They Theycompletely Theycompletely Theycompletely completely demolish the old adage adagethat adagethat adagethat that you can t teach an old dog new newtrIcks newtricks newIncks newIncksHundreds trIcks trIcksHundreds Hundreds of thousands of tests testsgIven testsgiven testsgiven gIven over a period of years to sub subJects subjects subjects Jects of all ages prove that mental mentalpowers mentalpowers mentalpowers powers fall off olf much more slowly slowlythan slowlythan slowlythan than we imagmed-only imagmed only imagined-only imagined Imagined - only about 1 1per 1per Iper per cent a year Childhood Cluldhood is isnot isnot isnot not as we supposed the best age agefor agefor agetor for learning learnlI1g Any age below forty fortyflve fortyfive fortyfive flve five is better than ten to fourteen fourteenNor fourteenNor fourteenNor Nor is the decl ne of ability In later lateryears lateryears lateryears years rapid A woman ofsixty of sixty flve five flvemay fivemay fivemay may expect to learn at least half halfas halfas halfas as much per hour as she could at atthe atthe atthe the age of twenty five and much muchmore muchmore muchmore more than she could at eight or tenAny tenAny ten tenAny Any adult between twenty one oneand oneand oneand and seventy Doctor ThorndIke ThorndIketold Thorndiketold Thorndikatold told me can learn anything anythIDg inwhich m in mwhIch inwhich whIch he is really interested mterested with withno ' " withno Ith Ithno no greater effort than at fifteen fifteenInterest fifteenInterest fifteenInterest Interest is the vital factor in ed educatlon education education ucatlon ucation No one can learn with any anyfacillty anyfacility anyfacility facillty facility what doesn t interest IDterest him himwhether himwhether himwhether whether he is six or sixty That s syour syour syour your real clue if you want to go goon goon goon on growing growmg We are all aU born WIth WIthcertain withcertain withcertain certain abilities If you have a vital vitalinterest vitalinterest vitalinterest interest in anything anythmg from paint ng ngpictures ngpictures ngpictures pictures to collecting collectmg butterflies butterfues butterthes it s ssafe ssafe ssafe safe to say that you have an mnate innate mnateabIlIty innateability mnateabihty abIlIty which is educable The Thegreater Thegreater Thegreater greater the interest IDterest the easier yoU yoUcan youcan youcan can learn and remember Age Agedoesn Agedoesn doesn t count much Whatever dl dif differences difterenccs ! ferences exist between you and your yourCjiildren yourchildren Cjiildren < : ) uldren are moderate and will not notprevent notprevent notprevent prevent your doing domg anyth ng at atforty atforty atforty forty five that you d d at twcnty twenty twcntyfive twentyfive twentyfive five |
