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22
It is important to bear in mind that, in all these measurements, heights are
taken without boots and the chest is measured empty.

It will be seen that both (7) and (8) are about one inch taller than Roberts'
artisans were fifty years ago.
On the assumption that boys rather above the average were required, it was
suggested that the heights selected should be somewhere about half-way between
those in column 1 and column 3 of table III.
With regard to chest measurements, it was pointed out that, if minimum height
measurements and minimum chest measurements were given, many boys might be
accepted considerably above the minimum height and only just clearing the minimum
chest measurement for their age; and that would mean a lot of weedy specimens
of lanky "pre-tubercular" build without any resisting power.
The chest measurement should be a given percentage of the height of each
individual boy; in table III the average chest measurement is 45 per cent. of the
average height in Roberts' artisans, and 45'8 per cent. of average height in the
modern figures of a secondary school in column 3. It should be noted that Roberts'
"means" do not differ appreciably from his "averages."
The relation of chest girth to height does not differ appreciably at the different
ages between 13 and 16. Column 2, however, which relates to boys a number of whom
were picked for robustness, has a percentage of chest girth to height of 48.8. The
Edmonton school boys of 14 (No. 8, table IV.) had a chest girth 44.4 per cent. of
height.
It is suggested that, whatever figure be adopted as the minimum height, in order
to be sure of having boys of robust build, it should be laid down that the chest girth
should be a percentage of the individual height of each boy somewhere between
45.8 and 48.8, say, 46.5 or 47 (a table of required chest measurements corresponding
to each possible height could easily be worked out).
Standards of mental attainment.
The educational and physical needs of the children are unfortunately not
infrequently in conflict and often it is the educational need that must suffer.
On the other hand too rigid an insistence and enforcement of the educational
needs often react prejudicially upon the health of the child. This is the case, for
instance, when children are promoted from one class to another or from one
department to another on a rigid basis of age. Calendar age is quite a different
thing from physiological age. Children develop physiologically and mentally at
varying rates.
There are strong differences in this respect in various groups within the
population. The slow developing children are none the worse for this. They continue
to develop much longer than the others, and eventually may attain the same or even
a higher development of mind and character. When scholarships are awarded on
examinations taken at a given age, the precocious children are given an unfair