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Beckie and the Binet Test

When given the precise mental tests it was found she had the mentality of a child of between eight and nine years. She knew the colors, days of the week, almost all the months and the date; she had an excellent memory, could give in immediate repetition seven figures, or sentences of fifteen words, where the thought was within her grasp. She could compare simple objects, as tell how snow and milk are alike, how glass and wood are different, but could define objects only in terms of use; for instance, when asked "What is a table?" She replied, "To eat on." "What is a chair?" "To sit on." "A mouse?" Silence; being unable to think of any use for a mouse she could say nothing. "A spoon?" "To-eat with." "A horse?" "To go out ridin' with." (Interesting! Beckie is used to being taken out riding).

Her judgments, when it was a question of something she could understand, were always good.

"What ought you to do when people give you good advice?"

"Sit down and take it."

"Take what, Beckie?"

"Why the good advice."

"How did you ever learn so much Beckie?"

Quickly -- "Oh, I know right from wrong, I knew that when I was fifteen, more'n I know now."

"You know but you forget, is that it ?"

"Yes, I forget."

"Tell me, Beckie, you people don't think of it as wrong to marry a man when he has another wife?"

"No, we don't think it wrong."

"Tell me, what ought you to do when the house is on fire?"

"Get out what you can."

"When you want to buy something you see at the store?"

"Do what's right and pay for it."

"When another contradicts you no matter what you say?"

"Tell him when you're right you're right," came from Beckie with so much unction that I asked laughing,

"Did Ed contradict you, Beckie?"

"Sure he did!" and her whole expression grew sullen and injured.

Beckie, however, reached the height of her capabilities in answering the following question:

"Why do you judge a person more by their acts than by their words?"

Beckie's experience came to her aid and she instantly caught the sense, and said bitterly: "Why his acts show what he is. You can't believe half he says."

Questions like the following conveyed no idea to her mind and she made no attempt at reply: "Why is it better to persevere in what one has begun, than to try something new?'

All her descriptions were extremely crude and unworthy of a child of seven.

"Look at this picture, Beckie, and tell me what you see."

After long pause there was no answer forthcoming.

"Oh, Beckie, you surely see something, tell me what it is!"

Explosively -- "All I see is that man a-shavin' the girl's head!"

"Well, that's just what I wanted you to see! Now, what else?"

After a pause, "Only that comb, an' them things," pointing to some bottles on a shelf.

A great stack of pictures was disposed of with the briefest description for each. It seemed an exertion that positively produced pain to hold her attention so long on a subject for which she had no interest. When shown a collection of human figures, in all of which some prominent anatomical feature was lacking, as arms, eye, nose, or mouth, Beckie could see nothing wrong. A Mulatto girl serving a term in jail, who was listening, was much annoyed at this and said with irritation, "Can't ye see that woman ain't got no mouth?" Beckie, still gazing at the picture, protested she could not see.

She was able to make correct change when given two ten-cent pieces in exchange for four imaginary oranges at four cents each. She could not, however, tell how much three two-cent and three one-cent stamps would cost when placed before her, and this not because she could not count, but because she lost her directing idea and forgot what she started to do -- a much more significant failure. She could only think of five words in three minutes, even when helped, nor could she understand a rhyme or make a sentence using a given word. She was able to copy a square but after several attempts to copy a diamond was obliged to give it up -- she simply could not bring the lines back to the starting point, although encouraged to the utmost.

In giving her the test Beckie was praised for everything she did well and even her failures were covered up by expressions of satisfaction no matter what the answer, or by hastening to give an easier question to which her reply would be correct. By this means she was all the time stimulated and was greatly pleased with herself.

"I ain't so stupid as you'd think," she said.

"Indeed you're not, Beckie" I answered with conviction, and left her supremely satisfied.

The Male of the Species

Another typical case is that of "Ford," a man thirty years old, whose face is still fresh and boyish. When first seen he was taken to be normal. His manners were pleasant and courteous, and, although in working clothes, there was something about him that suggested good blood. It was amazing that a fellow so decent looking should be planning to marry Beckie's youngest sister May, who was following rapidly in Beckie's footsteps. Subsequent acquaintance revealed surprising facts. Although Ford had sworn before a squire that he was a single man and had secured a license and subsequently married May, it was found that he had two other wives living at that date. For several months after this the young man was followed and his past life investigated, and the conviction began to grow that he was not normal, and therefore not responsible for the crimes he had committed. Finally, he was arrested for bigamy and the case was tried. The prosecution could not be continued, however, because in the meantime one wife had died and Ford's marriage with the second wife turned out to be illegal, since, though only eighteen years old when he married her, the wife had a legal husband living whom she had deserted.