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THE "GOOD" HERRNSTEIN

The Mail

To the Editors of the Crimson:

In view of the common assumption of the critics of Richard Herrnstein, as reported in Crimson columns, that his article on intelligence testing can only be used to harm minorities and those who do poorly on such tests, it may be of interest that Judge D.J. Wyzanski, in ruling last December against the use of a general intelligence type test in selecting Boston policemen, based himself in Herrnstein's article as an authority. The case was brought by unsuccessful black and Puerto Rican applicants for policemen's jobs. Applicants from these groups failed the general intelligence type test disproportionately, and Judge Wyzanski wrote:" ...discriminatory consequences of this verbal, academic, multiple-choice type test were foreseeable by sophisticated persons. See, Richard Herrnstein, I.Q...." In this case the Herrnstein article served to expand opportunities for those who do poorly on I.Q. tests, not the reverse. Nathan Glazer   Professor of Education and Social Structure

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