The question arises: Can these special talents be acquired, or the special deficiencies be overcome, by any course of training? Scientific psychology tends more and more strongly to the conclusion that psychology and education can do nothing to alter the amounts or relationships of innate mental endowment. They can but measure endowment and give it training suited to its requirements. The history of Seguin’s form-board seems to illustrate the evolution of the point of view on this question. About sixty years ago this form-board was hopefully used as a supposed _means of altering_ original endowment. Feeble-minded children were given exercises in placing and replacing the blocks in it, in order that they might become more intelligent. To-day this form-board is used as a _means of gauging_ original endowment. Psychology cannot create endowment; it can merely measure and describe it. Education cannot bestow mental gifts; it can only utilize such as are innately present within the organism. Talent and genius can be created in children only by the procreation of parents, who are the biological carriers of extraordinary endowment. XIII. THE FREQUENCY OF MARKED SPECIAL TALENTS AND DEFECTS No census of special talents or defects of given degree has ever been taken. Surveys have been made showing the distribution of musical sensitivity, of ability in drawing, spelling, calculation, and so forth. These distributions tell us the frequency of extreme deviations in these functions, but they do not tell us to what extent the deviations are _special_. From them we cannot learn whether or not the extremely fortunate deviations are identified with great general superiority, and whether the unfortunate deviations represent the work of generally stupid children. What we require is a survey of children of uniform age, educational opportunity, and IQ, in respect to music, drawing, spelling, and so forth.