The Pittsburgh Press (December 18, 1946)
Ferguson: Enough geniuses
By Mrs. Walter Ferguson
The strangest news comes out these days! For example: Miss Virginia Frese who deals in child psychology at the National Institute of Human Relations in New York, says genius is usually male. But, she adds consolingly, if you have a girl baby you can be pretty sure she’ll grow into an average child. If it’s a boy the chances are almost twice as great that “if he isn’t a genius, he’ll be subnormal mentally or even an idiot.”
Dear, dear! Perhaps the rising generation will be different, but I know a large number of nice normal men who seem to be just average. This makes me feel that perhaps Miss Frese has been misquoted.
We can hope that too many geniuses and idiots do not crop up in the future male population. The country sadly needs more average men – the sort who do not aspire to be big shits, radio crooners and commentators or Hollywood stars; who do not wish to invent more deadly weapons or spend their time thinking up ways to increase political confusion.
Average people furnish the balance that holds society upright. The plodding, unheralded, dutiful individuals possessing the common sense to see that work is a blessing and happiness not the common lot of man.
As for women, they care nothing about an endowment of genius. It’s jollier to stick to ordinary routines, to be content with simple joys and to bring up the boys who mat become the geniuses.
Yet one is sometimes of the opinion that male idiots may have had too much authority in running the world. And this disturbing news out of New York should turn our thoughts toward the necessity for giving women more power in handling the affairs of human destiny.