Goddard's Definition of Feeble-Benevolent

Goddard maintained that from her admission at the school in October 1897 until 1911, when he was compiling his study, Deborah had never tested above the age of nine on an intelligence scale. He described her as quote, a high grade feeble-minded person. The kind of wayward delinquent who fills our reformatories, generally causing trouble and creating a burden on society. So feeble-minded was a catch-all term used at the time to describe people who were in one way or another behind their peers. It included everything from mental illnesses to disabilities and disorders that were noticeable, but not necessarily severe.