Show HARD TO LOOSEN ERRORS GRIP ON POPULAR BELIEFS two eminent scientists tit nt atlantic city taking stock of the state of knowledge catalogued cataloguer catalo gued eight popular belle beliefs as that are not true kruep thus A child Is influenced by what its ita mother sees or thinks think s before the child Is born birth marks are caused by what hat a mother sees or touches before her child la Is born in former times tile the average length of human life wash was much lucli longer than dow BOW fat people always are good natured mental disorders are caused by OTers ludy children of first aw though of good parentage are likely to be feeble minded heavy heary growth of hair on a persons limbs and cac st indicates great physical strength the theory of evolution implies that men are descended from apes a IV this list of beliefs in fact Is particularly interesting because each of lis its items Is a venerable ot of he human mind none of these widely accepted errors Is of recent none of them arises from the life of today even the youngest yonn sest gest of gricin that concerning the theory of el evolution ol ution Is of a considerable age and all of them have been contradicted by authority time and again yet they persist in vior alor apparently unimpaired and there is no sign that any of them Is giving ground under the ibe impact of denial A belief once accepted by the population at large has more lives than a litter of kittens the earnest inculcator of sound doctrine who attempts to dislodge elodge dt it undertakes an almost hopeless task nor does this mean that truth Is mocked the untruth Is Arry simply ply often picturesquely dressed tile the exceptional circumstances thai that seem to support it are vividly related and remain in the memory while lethe the growth of truth Is likely to be a drab j garment arment stitched with its and buts new kew york sun |