INTELLIGENCE TESTS
-x
Something for the politicians
to think over is the matter of in
telligence tests. In the past,
the hyphenate demagogues of
Juneau and Ketchikan have pre
scribed “intelligence tests” for
the “citizens” of Alaska. It was
nothing more than an effort to
disenfranchise the Indians. They
did, however, pass a rotary bal
lot, the purpose of which is to
confuse this same vote and
thereby disrupt its effort to re
medy rotten economic and poli
tical conditions.
Speaking of intelligence tests,
Joy Elmer Morgan, editor of the
National Educational Associa
tion says:
The intelligence test is one of
the greatest crimes that was ev
er foisted on the public in the
intelligence test at all,” Mr. Mor
gan said, “because it does not
measure intelligence. Lincoln
and many other great thinkers
of the past would have been rat
ed very low by such a test be
cause they were deliberate think
ers. What these tests do mea
sure is a person’s ability in a par
ticular, narrow field at a particu
lar time. They do not measure
intelligence because they do not
make allowances for the con
stant changes in a person’s
background, intensity of purpose,
thoroughness and rate of think
ing. All of these are essential
factors in the make-up of a per
son’s intelligence,” he pointed
out.
the discouragement of such a
rating would have diverted these
leaders into other fields and seri
ously impeded America’s pro
gress, Mr. Morgan pointed out in
explaining the pernicious effect
of using intelligence tests. The
vicious effect of these tests in the
educational program of our
schools and colleges today lies in
the fact that they have discour
► aged those who have needed en
couragement most and made
“smart alecks” out of those who
most needed to face the difficult
tasks. The deliberateness, tho
roughness and the abilities to
analyze and think reflectively
do, after all, form the basis of
greatness,according to Mr. Mor
gan.
In Alaska, unless an Indian is
dominated by a reactionary pro
fessional politician or exploiter
of Alaska’s resources, he is “illi
terate” and every effort is made
to disenfranchise him. If he is
a faithiul henchman, as some
are, of the reactionary element,
he is not illiterate and he is ably
protected at the polls. Why a
man who does his own thinking
should be an illiterate and one
who is the tool of a professional
politician is literate, tho without
education, we cannot understand
nor follow to a logical conclu
sion.
-V
FUR MARKETING
From The Alaska Weekly
The recent announcement of
the appointment of the Seattle
Fur Exchange as the official
sales agent of the Puget Sound
Fox and Fur Farmers Association
is not only indicative of the high
place held by this Seattle insti
tution in the eyes of the growers
and shippers of furs, but also in
dicates the trend of modern
methods in the marketing of
furs. Growers and trappers alike
are each year becoming more
thoroughly convinced of the ad
vantage of selling their product
through the medium of the es
tablished auction house rather
than free lancing on the market
as individuals. The Puget Sound
Fox and Fur Farmers Association
consists of the vast majority of
the fur farmers of Washington
and while silver fox predomin
ates in their output they are al
so large growers of blue fox,
mink, fitch and other fur-bear
ers,
The year just past has been a
critical one for silver fox farm
ers who have been forced to take
on the average a price of 50 per
cent under that realized in the
past with a corresponding less
ening demand for breedingstock.
It is in such times as these that
the advantage of a connection
with a strong selling institution
which is able to hold furs for
the most favorable moment and,
in many instances, help to fin
ance the grower until such time
as his product may be advan
tageously sold, becomes clearly
evident. In such periods, if
each individual grower were to
rush his products to the market
and attempt to sell it independ
ently, a chaotic condition would
result which would send prices
to ruinous depths. Such unor
ganized marketing methods
vrould leave the grower absolute
ly at the mercy of the sharp
shooter in the fur market and in
the end he would be forced to
take any price offered or be
stuck with the season’s fur-take.
In a recent interview with Mr.
Joseph Agnew, General Manager
of the Seattle Fur Exchange, he
pj'.'a: mere is no surplus oi raw
furs in any market and we be
lieve the demand will continue
steady to strong at present price
levels. Under present upset eco
nomic conditions the fur trade
hes been fortunate in that it has
been able to dispose of its pro
duct at fair value while other
raw commodities have suffered
intensely. Readjustment is a
slow process, however, and while
the normal trend of the fur
trade is one of increased sales
from now on that is seasonal
and does not necessarily mean
a general improvement. The
scarcity of desirable furs is
growing more acute as time goes
by. However, the present is r?o
time for speculation and traders
should be cautious as to prices
paid, as future price develop**