it loose and see whether it walked of
itself.

Such an experiment has never been made under strict laboratory
conditions; but here is a well-attested case that approximates to an
experiment. A little girl of seven months, a very active child, seemed
to want to get on her feet; but the doctor decided that her feet were
too small to use, and directed that she be put back in long dresses.
For four months she was kept in long dresses, and great care was
exercised never to place her on the floor without them. Then, one day,
she was set down without her dress, and immediately up she got and
walked; and from that moment she was very agile on her feet.

Another rather different case, but tending towards the {96} same
conclusion, is that of a little girl who, in contrast to the
preceding, gave her parents some anxiety because, up to the age of
seventeen months, she wouldn't walk. She would stand holding on, but
not trust herself to her feet alone. One noon her father came in from
his work and, removing his cuffs, laid them on the table. The little
girl crept to the table, and raised herself to a standing position,
holding on to the table. She then took a cuff in one hand, and
inserted the other hand into it, thus, for the first time, standing
unsupported. She put on the other cuff in like manner, and then
marched across the room, as proud as you please. For a few days she
could walk only with cuffs, but after that was able to dispense with
them. There are a few other cases, differing in details, but agreeing
on the main point, that the baby walked well on its first trial and
went through nothing that could properly be interpreted as a process
of learning.

It would really be very surprising if the human infant were left to
learn locomotion for himself, while all other animals have this power
by nature. Just because the human infant matures slowly, and learns a
vast deal while maturing, is no reason for overlooking the fact that
it does mature, i.e., that its native powers are gradually growing and
reaching the condition of being ready for use. The most probable
conception of "learning to walk," in the light of the evidence, is
about as follows. At the age when the child's bones and muscles have
become strong enough for walking, the nerve connections for
cooerdinating this complex movement have also just about reached the
stage of development when they are ready for business. The numerous
synapses in the nerve centers that m