r shall be able to do these things, but that is small cause
for discouragement. What we do claim for the science of character analysis
is that it is classified knowledge based upon sound principles; that it is
as accurate as the science of medicine; that it can be imparted to others;
and, best of all, that anyone can test it for himself beyond any question
of doubt.

TESTS SHOW UNTRAINED JUDGMENT UNRELIABLE

"Oh, I'm a pretty good judge of men," people say to us. We have heard this
declaration thousands of times in the last seventeen years. Occasionally
it was, no doubt, true, but more often not, even when the statement was
made in the greatest sincerity. So we determined to test the ability of
the public to analyze men. The first test appeared in a number of
magazines, giving a profile and full-face view, showing the hands of a
young man. A few simple questions were asked concerning him, such as
these:

"Would you employ this man?

"If so, would you employ him as salesman, executive, cashier, clerk,
chemist, mechanic?

"Is he healthy, honest, industrious, aggressive?

"Would you choose him as a friend?"

Of 5,000 replies but 4.1 per cent were right or nearly right. Some of the
replies were astounding. One manager of a big business wrote: "This man
would be an exceptionally honest and trustworthy cashier or treasurer."
One sales manager replied: "I would like to have this man on my sales
force. He would make a hummer of a salesman, if I am any judge of men. His
hands are identical with my own," etc., etc. But the climax was reached
with this letter from a young lady: "He would be a devoted husband and
father. I would like him as a friend."

Our own analysis of this man, from photographs on a test, was as follows:

"We would not employ this man.

"He is not healthy.

"He is intelligent.

"He is not honest.

"He is not industrious.

"He is aggressive in a disagreeable way.

"We would not choose him as a friend.

"John Doe is a natural mechanic who has had very little training in that
line of work. Being exceedingly keen and intelligent, without right moral
principles, he has used his natural mechanical ability in illegitimate
lines."

Here is a brief sketch of John Doe, furnished by a gentleman who
befriended him and has followed his career for years:

"John is thirty-one years of age and has just been released from a term in
Sing Sing Prison. The crime for which he served sentence was burglary.